991.com Sleevenotes : A Blog about Collecting Rare Vinyl 7", 12" & LP Records, CDs, Memorabilia & Music

Tuesday's Top Three including JUDAS PRIEST artwork, an ALBERT AYLER Japanese LP plus a NIRVANA award...

JUDAS PRIEST Hell Bent For Leather

Rare original 1979 US 12” square artwork concept for the album cover, released in the UK as 'Killing Machine' but retitled as 'Hell Bent For Leather' for the US release as the record label did not like the "murderous implications" of the title. Featuring a young girl with a cigarette in her hand sitting down trying on a pair of high healed shoes with spikes on the bottom, this was rejected by the band in favour of the familiar 'studded leather' image finally used – at about this time the band adopted their now-famous 'leather & studs' image. This has been framed and glazed with a cream coloured surround and black wooden frame, measuring 18” x 18” in size. This item came direct from a former crew member who worked for many years with the band throughout different tours - a stunning unique item for a classic album from the NWOBHM period of the band!.

ALBERT AYLER My Name Is Albert Ayler

2010 Japanese 6-track Limited Edition vinyl LP pressed on 200g Heavyweight Vinyl - featuring the landmark debut album from Ayler, created shortly after his relocation to Sweden. This session features a collection of standards recorded for a Copenhagen radio station with local musicians including Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Ronnie Gardiner, with Ayler playing tenor and soprano on tracks like 'Summertime'. The picture sleeve has been painstakingly [but faithfully] reproduced with the label design being kept as close to the original as possible, complete with Japanese biography insert and obi-strip.

NIRVANA Unplugged In New York

Rare 1994 UK official BPI CD award presented to MCA for sales of more than 300,000 copies of the Geffen album. Features a copy of the CD mounted alongside sleeve reproduction above an engraved dedication plaque - all mounted on a black background. Measures approximately 16" x 16" - framed and glazed. A stunning item!

Patti Smith wins National Book Award

Patti Smith has taken the National Book Award for nonfiction home on Wednesday night for her book 'Just Kids'.

The book tells the story of her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe and details a time when New York was the hip and swinging place to be.

'I dreamed of having a book of my own, of writing one that I could put on a shelf,' she said at the ceremony while accepting her award. 'Please, no matter how we advance technologically, please don't abandon the book. There is nothing in our material world more beautiful than the book.'

The National Book Awards have been running in New York since 1950 with the goal of 'enhancing the public's awareness of exceptional books written by fellow Americans, and to increase the popularity of reading in general.'

Click here to read the full story on Music News

Boo, and no hiss

Surprise rarity of the day, the aptly titled Boo by Juliet Lawson. This incredibly rare 1972 LP is a FACTORY SAMPLE stickered issue for review ahead of commercial release, with musical aid from such notables as Iain Blair, Lol Coxhill, plus bassist Bias Boshell and guitarist David Costa [here as producer] from revered British folk-rock group The Trees. Like many one-shot female led folk albums of the era, from Vashti Bunyan to Linda Perhacs, the record died a quiet death at the time, though picked up in later years by collectors who were properly listening. An incredible copy, the textured gatefold lyric picture sleeve is virtually mint and still a perfect off-white with no marks or ringwear of any sort. The vinyl looks unplayed! Recommended listening, and quite simply one of the best condition copies you are ever likely to find.

Good News

For those of you that have been waiting [and for those of you that so far have missed out], there is a new shipment of the amazing books by Yuri Grishin on the way & we should soon have them all back in stock again.

For those that don't know, Yuri has written & released four incredible books on the great British Record Labels of the last thirty years. Each book is an encyclopaedic reference with label designs, sleeve pictures & interviews with key people that had a hand in the label, making then an essential for the library of any serious collector.

The books available so far are for Island, Harvest, Charisma & the recently published Vertigo, which also includes singles for the first time.

Yuri plans to also publish pocket books in the future for ease of use & also to include any updates to his main works.

As someone that has purchased one of each, I can recommend them !

RTA