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

Thursday's Top Three Including The Corrs, Madonna, Roxy Music.

 THE CORRS Live (Rare 1996 German 7-track promotional-only CD, including Leave Me Alone, The Right Time, Runaway & Someday, recorded live at Langelands Festival, Denmark July 27, 1996, custom picture sleeve with superb pictures/credits booklet!PRCD390)

MADONNA American Life - Black Mini Cooper - Launch Party Edition (Rare UK promotional-only black model Mini Cooper. Exclusively distributed to guests at her album playback / launch party in London. Only 506 of these little cars were produced,each bearing American Life roof artwork and an individually numbered license plate, along with a correspondingly numbered Limited Edition card certificate.

ROXY MUSIC / VARIOUS Crystal Palace Bowl Garden Party IV (1972 UK sixteen page programme for the event that took place in front of 6,000 excited fans on Saturday 29th July that year. The event was headlined by Arlo Guthrie, with Osibisa, EdgarWinter, Stone The Crows & Loggins And Messina all taking part. The event, like that the previous year, used Pink Floyd's adventurous sound system. Roxy were, in fact, the second band on the bill, arriving onstage at a very un-Musician like 12:30PM & performing for an hour. This was the period when their first album was beginning to create ripples, but before they became the chart topping band of the mid to late seventies. Not a bad line-up for your £1.50! 

Wednesday's Top Three Including The Beatles, Camel, Rolling Stones.

 THE BEATLES Rock And Roll Music (Mega Rare 2011 Japanese promotional-only 3-track CD celebrating 45 years of the Fabs' Live At Budokan Japanese tour with 2011 Remastered Versions of their outstanding performance. Containedwithin are two Live tracks from that iconic show, which are Exclusive to this promotional CD: The toe tapping, hair shaking Rock And Roll Music and the sublime She's A Woman have never sounded better. Want more? An added treat in the formof the Studio Version of Rock And Roll Music has also been provided! Fantastic foldout custom picture sleeve featuring the Beat quartet on stage at Budokan with Japanese lyrics on the inside PCD-3551) ***Only 200 Copies Pressed***

 CAMEL Mirage (Very rare test pressing for the marvellous 1974 UK 5-track LP, the second studio album from the band featuring the classic single, Lady Fantasy, here with custom blank 'Factory Sample Not For Sale' printed labels & hand annotated artist name & 'test pressing' info both sides. A very low number of these were produced for review purposes & never sold to the public. The picture sleeve is annotated on the back with a track singled out for 'airplay'. The die-cut poly lined inner has 'Made In England' & '1-74' date text at the bottom in pink, matching the colours of the label. 

ROLLING STONES Sticky Fingers (Very rare 1971 first Japanese promotional sample issue 10-track LP, manufactured by Warner Pioneer & pressed on a dark blue & silver label, a unique promotional-only design, housed in a top & side opening bronzefinish 'zipper' sleeve designed by Andy Warhol, in fully working order with illustrated album credits inner & English lyric insert. 

COMING SOON... OUR BUYING DAY IN LONDON ON SAT 7th DECEMBER

On Saturday the 7th December 2013, we’ll be holding our buying day at our offices in the Sohost Building 8 Berwick Street, London W1F 0PH.

Come along between 9:30am and 4pm with your mint records, CDs and items of pop memorabilia
and our same buyers will be on hand to assess and appraise your items for free.

Public transport is best via the Underground from Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Circus,
Tottenham Court Road or Leicester Square or check out the London Transport website for further details.

 

Please note: there is no on-street parking outside of Sohost, but car parking can be found at:-
NCP - Brewer Street Q-Park in either Poland Street or Newport Place.

If you can’t make our London date no problem, we'll be open again in Kent on the 10th and 11th January 2014: http://991.com/features/buying-open-day-to-sell-us-your-records-in-kent.aspx

Need more info? Call us on:-
If you're in the UK call 01474-815099
If you're outside of the UK +44-1474-815099

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Our Resident Hairy Hippy Town Crier Is Back With Another Jaw-Dropping Rarity, Grab Your Bib Because It's Time For: DICK'S PICKS!

SYD BARRETT Octopus

Extremely rare 1969 UK 'A' label demonstration vinyl 7" for the single release with intact original four prong centre & release date of 14.11.69 on the label, also featuring his homage to James Joyce, Golden Hair, Harvestcompany die cut paper sleeve. Just to add to the fun, Harvest credited the record to 'Syd BarrAtt'. This copy is in incredible near 'as new' condition with almost no sign of its forty years - an amazing copy of this rare Demo!

To get your hands on this gem, click here!

Tuesday's Top Three Including Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd , Kylie Minogue

 FLEETWOOD MAC Tusk (Rare 1980 US RIAA Certified DOUBLE PLATINUM award issued to commemorate American sales in excess of 2,000,000 copies of the Warner Bros album and cassette. Produced and presented originally as a competition prize for Our Price, the award features two miniature images of the album artwork - one each for 1 & 2 million sales; plus a silver-coloured LP and a 'Multi-Platinum Sales Award' cassette shell, mounted above the custom engraved RIAA certified dedicationplaque with the text 'Presented to Stevie Nicks'. Framed and glazed - measures 21½" x 17½".

PINK FLOYD Pink Floyd - 20 Years 1967-1987 (Extremely rare 1987 Greek only limited edition FIVE LP box set, including More, Atom Heart Mother, The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and Animals, with a fold out insert detailing the Floyd's history from 1967 in Hellenic script, all housed in a unique glossy white clamshell box. The sleeves all carry the relevant local catalogue number on the reverse and are with lyric inners on Animals and Wish You Were Here.

KYLIE MINOGUE Showgirl - The Greatest Hits Tour (Rare official merchandise 2005 UK short sleeve round neck black cotton T-shirt for Kylie's Showgirl world tour. This front of this high-quality T-shirt features a stunning image of Kylie wearinga glamorous stage costume with feather headdress, plus glittery stars and title text; with 19th March to 23rd June 2005 tour dates on the back 

Monday's Top Three The Clash, Paul Weller & Kate Bush

 THE CLASH Clash On Broadway (2000 UK Epic/Legacy 63-track remastered 3-CD box set including never before released demo recordings, unreleased live and studio tracks, rare singles, B-sides and album tracks. Includes Career Opportunities and Janie Jones [unreleased demos] and I Fought The Law and Lightning Strikes [live].

PAUL WELLER Studio 150 (Official 2004 US V2 label 12-track advance promotional CD-R for the full album, issued exclusively to reviewers and radio stations ahead of the actual release. Custom printed disc and title/tracklisting inlay)

KATE BUSH Hounds Of Love (Rare 2011 US Record Day exclusive Collectors Edition 4-track 10" EP pressed on PINK VINYL, featuring The Big Sky, Cloudbusting, Watching You Without Me and Jig Of Life. Picture sleeve - still sealed from new AFZEP001)
**Strictly Limited to 1000 Copies ONLY**

Lou Reed, Velvet Underground frontman, dies at 71

US singer and former Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed has died at the age of 71.

Known for tracks including Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side, Reed was considered one of the most influential singers and songwriters in rock.

The Velvet Underground became renowned for their fusion of art and music and for collaborating with Andy Warhol.

According to the Associated Press news agency, Reed's literary agent said he died of a "liver-related ailment".

Andrew Wylie said the musician died at his home in Long Island, New York, on Sunday morning and had not been well "for a few months".

 

 

RIP Lou.

Read the full article at the BBC.

Lou Reed, Velvet Underground frontman, dies at 71

US singer and former Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed has died at the age of 71.

Known for tracks including Perfect Day and Walk on the Wild Side, Reed was considered one of the most influential singers and songwriters in rock.

The Velvet Underground became renowned for their fusion of art and music and for collaborating with Andy Warhol.

According to the Associated Press news agency, Reed's literary agent said he died of a "liver-related ailment".

Andrew Wylie said the musician died at his home in Long Island, New York, on Sunday morning and had not been well "for a few months".

 

 

RIP Lou.

Read the full article at the BBC.

Friday's Top Three Including James Bond, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple

 JAMES BOND The Best Of Bond.... James Bond (2006 US 22-track CD album, featuring a collection of James Bond classic hits from Shirley Bassey, Carly Simon, Duran Duran, Sheena Easton, Louis Armstrong, Paul McCartney & Wings, Tom Jones, Tina Turner, The John Barry Orchestra & many more...)

IRON MAIDEN Different World (Rare 2006 UK EMI promotional only 2-disc set comprising a 1-track CD featuring the audio recording, plus a 1-track PAL format DVD featuring the fantastic promo video. Housed in a superb custom gatefold card picture sleeve with a great Eddie image taken from the video on the inside along with the full lyrics, plus dates for the 'A Matter Of Life And Death World Tour 06' European Leg on the reverse CDEMDJ714)

DEEP PURPLE Come Taste The Band (1975 UK first 9-track vinyl LP, featuring Tommy Bolin taking over on axe duties, with A1/B1 matrices and 'Kendun' stamped in the run outs, complete with lyric inner, fully laminated gatefold picture sleeve. 

His Weary Eyes Have Spent The Week Sourcing The Finest 'Wow' Items We Have And Boy Has He Selected A Good 'Un: It's Only DICK'S PICKS!

GEORGE HARRISON George Harrison

What we have here is a unique 1979 package of both a copy of the US release 'George Harrison' LP and a UK test pressing for the same LP. George has autographed and dedicated the front of the LP and the test pressing has white handwritten labels which appear to be written by George with a feint 'G-T/P' etched into the run off area [George - Test Pressing]. An amazing package, I think you'll agree. Click Here for more details.

Thursday's Top Three Including Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Feeder.

 PAUL MCCARTNEY Queenie Eye (Rare 2013 US 2-track 'Radio Single' promotional only CD featuring the Paul Epworth produced single taken from Sir Paul's 16th solo studio album 'New', including the 3:29 Radio Edit and 3:48 Album Version of the title track, custom printed disc [not a CD-R] with title/information back insert PRO-HM-0584)

PINK FLOYD Why Pink Floyd? (Official 2011 US EMI label Non Commercial Radio Special CD-R, featuring an exclusive interview with Nick Mason produced and hosted by Redbeard, for broadcasting Labor Day Weekend with a running time of 59 minutes and 16 seconds; custom printed disc)

 

FEEDER Best Days In The Sun (Mega Rare 2001 Japanese 19-track promotional only CD produced to promote the band and their back catalogue upto the 'Echo Park' album, and includes the four singles from that album and before the death of Jon Lee.Complete with a unique tri-fold out custom picture sleeve with Japanese biography/information, Japanese single and album picture discography, featuring a great image of the three original band members. Now a very hard to find & sought after promo, one of the rarest Feeder items to find DSP-1629)

Wednesday's Top Three Including The Beatles, Miles Davis, Kiss.

 THE BEATLES Collection Of Reel-To-Reel Mono Tapes (One For The Collector really. Here we have four Parlophone 3¾ ips reel to reel mono tapes for With The Beatles, Help!, Rubber Soul & Sgt. Pepper in what can only be described as 'much loved' condition. One of the Reels is broken but functional and all tape seems clean and free from damage or the dreaded white mould. The boxes themselves are scuffed to hell and back, with the exception of Pepper which obviously only got to the Styx and turned back. As a bonus, we are including a fifth tape box for Please Please Me but the reel has long since vanished.

MILES DAVIS Greatest Hits (1970 Japanese-only CBS Sony 6-track vinyl LP released as part of the 'SX68 Sound' series, housed in the pasted gatefold picture sleeve with integrated 8-page booklet. The sleeve shows just a little wear with some light discolouration / foxing to the inner spread; but the vinyl remains in mint condition! SONX-60127)

 

KISS Paul Stanley (Very Rare 1979 Japanese 9-track vinyl PICTURE DISC, housed in the laminated die cut picture sleeve complete with the fold-out Japanese/lyric insert and the hard to find obi-strip. The sleeve is showing a few signs of storagewear with a few scuffs to the die-cut and edges, but the vinyl remains in fantastic condition for over thirty years old. An incredible Kiss item! VIPD-1)

 

 

Sex Pistols 'took over my house'

Mark Wilson was 14 when, in 1976, he first heard the Sex Pistols. He spent the best part of the next four decades collecting all the band memorabilia he could get his hands on. But then he made the hardest decision of his life - to sell it.

He stood at the back of the auction room, watching people claim his hoard, piece by piece. Each nod, each subtly raised hand brought him closer to an empty house.

"I didn't want to be part of it," he says. "I think, if I could have, I would have probably pulled them out at the last minute."

But it was the right time to "get rid of it", he says.

"Once the first thing was sold that was it, the beginning of the end."

'Huge impression'

His wife, Sandra, quietly mouths that giving it up "nearly killed him".

Read the full article at BBC.co.uk

Tuesday's Top Three Including Keith Richards, Clannad , The Beatles

 KEITH RICHARDS Main Offender (1992 Japanese 11-track promo sample CD album including bonus track - Key To The Highway. Custom printed inner rim on the disc, picture sleeve with promotional stickered back insert and matching obi-strip VJCP-28130)

CLANNAD Clannad (Debut 1973 Irish 12-track vinyl LP, housed in the textured picture sleeve with biography on reverse.

THE BEATLES HMV Boxed Sets (Fantastic complete set of 1987/88 TWELVE individually numbered HMV boxed Sets featuring every Beatles album from 'Please Please Me' to the Blue Album '1967-1970', containing every track released during theircareer. Each box is complete with CDs & inserts. The boxes themselves are in excellent condition with just a little scuffing evident with all contents near 'as new' - a fantastic set that would cost around £1000 to buy individually)
Pleasesee Tracklisting / Additional Info For Further Details:

Monday's Top Three Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead & Rolling Stones

 NINE INCH NAILS The Fragile (Rare official US limited edition 24" x 24" artwork print featuring the full album artwork for the third studio album from 1999 by the American industrial rock act, printed on high quality grade paper & machine numbered out of 1000. This has been boldly AUTOGRAPHED by Trent Reznor in black marker pen in the bottom right corner above the number 

RADIOHEAD I Might Be Wrong (Super rare original 2001 US 27" x 36" limited issue promotional artwork litho commissioned to promote the I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings release, depicting a green 'crying bear' logo in shield image over a browncollage background, designed by Stanley Donwood. The condition is superb with no rips or tears, ideal for framing!)

ROLLING STONES Single Stones (Rare 1982 Japanese London set of fifteen 7" vinyl singles. Each disc is housed in a black and white picture sleeve numbered STONE 1 to 15 respectively. Complete with a 32-page booklet containing lyrics in Englishand Japanese, plus notes on each track in Japanese. Also includes correction slip for misspelling of 'Honky Tonk Woman' on record label. Housed in an outer 7" x 7" x 2" picture box. The box has just a few light edge scuffs, with the vinyl all in mint condition S95P1010)

Boy George: This Is What I Do - interview

Boy George returns with This Is What I Do, his first studio album in 18 years. He talks about how the album came together.

Boy George, arguably one of the most iconic artists of a generation, needs little introduction.

Not only has he had a career spanning over 30 years, which began in the Eighties when he burst onto the scene as the flamboyant front man of the Brit and Grammy Award-winning Culture Club.

From there he has had continued success as a solo artist, selling more than 150 million records, with top 10 hits in every country.

George is also an world-renowned DJ.

Now he's back with This Is What I Do, his first studio album of original material in 18 years.

Read the full article at The Telegraph.

Friday's Top Three including George Harrison, Uriah Heep & Cliff Richard

GEORGE HARRISON George Harrison What we have here is a unique 1979 package of both a copy of the US release 'George Harrison' LP and a UK test pressing for the same LP. George has autographed and dedicated the front of the LP and the test pressing has white handwritten labels which appear to be written by George with a feint 'G-T/P' etched into the run off area [George - Test Pressing].

URIAH HEEP Special DJ Copy 1972 Japanese-only & promotional-only 11-track vinyl LP sampler, featuring highlights from the first five albums, with unique composite portraits picture sleeve including tracklisting & discography info in Japaneseon the back & an ultra rare five-page press release in Japanese.

CLIFF RICHARD Cliff In Japan Clifftastic 1967 Japanese 18-track stereo LP pressed on Wine Red Everclean Vinyl, recorded live at the Shibuya Hall, Tokyo on the 18th of October that year & including the two bonus tracks, Bachelor Boy & It's All In The Game, not featured on the UK version.

Vinyl sales at their highest for 12 years

Back in the groove: the vinyl revival among music fans pushes sales to levels not seen for more than a decade

Sales of LPs have doubled to 550,000 this year and the format has become the favourite of nearly nine in 10 vinyl buyers, according to the record industry body BPI.

Releases from bands such as Daft Punk, Arctic Monkeys and David Bowie have helped to push the popularity of vinyl recordings to renewed heights.

The figure reflects year-on-year growth of more than 100 per cent. LPs now account for 0.8 per cent of all albums sold in the UK. As recently as 2007, the share was 0.1 per cent. Record Store Day, a celebration of independent record shops which took place in April, generated £2 million of vinyl sales. With 15,000 LPs bought every week, BPI estimates that more than 700,000 units could be sold by the end of the year, the highest since 2001, potentially generating £12 million at retail.

While Daft Punk lead the charts for the biggest-selling LP of the year with Random Access Memories, it is Manchester’s Britpop pioneers, Oasis, who hold the title for the two bestselling LPs since official charts records began.

Their album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory has sold the most vinyl records since 1994, edging the band’s debut Definitely Maybe into second place. Geoff Taylor, BPI’s chief executive, said: “The LP is back in the groove. We’re witnessing a renaissance for records — they’re no longer retromania and are becoming the format of choice for more and more music fans.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/10384703/Vinyl-sales-at-their-highest-for-12-years.html

 

 

 

Morrissey's Autobiography: ten funniest bits

As Morrissey's autobiography is released as an instant Penguin Classic, enjoy a selection of the most amusingly self-indulgent moments

1. On personal style, p397:
By Tuesday we are at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland, where I can't relax because my hair is far too long.

2. On Austria, p399:
Austria gives off a seductive smell.

3. On the Ramones, p112:
Now I could accept all the suffering that came my way as long as the Ramones were in the world. Singer Joey looked as if he had been murdered in a hospital bed. I've found my twin.

4. On meeting David Bowie, p66:
At midday he emerges from a black Mercedes, every inch the eighth dimension, teetering on high heels, with all the wisdom of our ancestors. Smiling keenly, he accepts the note of a dull schoolboy whose overblown soul is more ablaze than the school blazer he wears, and thus I touch the hand of this inexplicably liberating reformer; he, a Wildean visionary about to re-mold England, and I, a spectacle of suffering in a blue school uniform.

5. On shopping, p71:
The morning after the Whistle Test, I present 50 pence at Rumbelows in Stretford Precinct and I ask for the New York Dolls single.
"See," said one fat assistant to another, "I told you someone would buy it."
At last I am someone!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/10385528/Morrisseys-Autobiography-ten-funniest-bits.html

 

Thursday's Top Three including Elvis Presley, Kate Bush & Blondie

ELVIS PRESLEY The Original Elvis Presley Collection Stunning 1996 UK mail-order only 50-CD album box set, compiled and manufactured by BMG in The Netherlands, each disc with a custom printed picture sleeve incorporating the original album artwork.

KATE BUSH The Kick Inside Rare original 1978 UK first pressing 13-track limited edition vinyl LP Picture Disc with machine stamped matrices denoting it is a first pressing, comes in a fully laminated picture sleeve.

BLONDIE Autoamerican 1980 Japanese 12-track vinyl LP, picture sleeve with picture obi, album credits inner, Japanese/lyric insert, a 23" x 33" fold-out colour Debbie Harry poster & promotional-only vinyl 7" featuring Call Me - Spanish Version& a cover of David Bowie's Heroes [BRP-1007] - a superb condition copy! WWS-91004