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

Wednesday's Top Three including The Three Tenors, Beethoven & Pink Floyd

  THE THREE TENORS Halcyon Days Prototype Enameled Box Way back in 1994, Halcyon Days of London, holder of no fewer than three Royal Warrants, were commissioned to produce some commemorative enameled boxes for the Los Angeles event of 16th July, which saw the Three Tenors perform at Dodger Stadium, with orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta. These were not run-of-the-mill boxes, but were 1½" x 2½" works of art, manufactured using traditional methods of enameling glass onto copper that date back to the eighteenth century.

  WILHELM BACKHAUS with THE VIENNA PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA conducted by HANS SCHMIDT-ISSERSTEDT Piano Concerto No. 4 In G Major Extremely rare 1958 UK first issue three movement STEREO vinyl LP on the 'deep groove' wide band 'Full Frequency Stereophonic Sound' label with 'Original Recording By' perimeter text at ten o'clock, front laminated picture sleeve.

  PINK FLOYD Atom Heart Mother Rare mid 70s US contract pressing for the UK 5-track vinyl LP, sold in Britain with UK manufactured gatefold sleeve & the British 'EMI text' labels re-printed in the States with unique 'made in U.S.A.' perimeter text.

Calling all Iron Maiden Collectors

We've had a superb collection of Iron Maiden back catalogue material including rare Vinyl Albums, Picture Discs, Import/Foreign Pressings and other long deleted UK back catalogue pressings.

Here are a few notables, but you can find the full catalogue here

Tuesday's Top Three including Rolling Stones, Woodstock & Michael Jackson

  ROLLING STONES Cow Palace 1975 From the personal collection of Martin Goldsmith, responsible for licensing and merchandising for some of the biggest organisations and for many of the worlds iconic events. What we have here is an original 1975US 22" x 31½" concert poster for the shows on July 15 & 16.

  WOODSTOCK 3 Days Of Peace & Music From the personal collection of Martin Goldsmith, responsible for licensing and merchandising for some of the biggest organisations and for many of the worlds iconic events. What we have here is an original 1969 US 22" x 31½" poster. Featuring the classic Dove on a Guitar image, designed by Arnold Skolnick and advertising '3 Days of Peace and Music', one of the most iconic images of the late sixties.

  MICHAEL JACKSON Thriller 25: Japanese Single Collection 2008 Japanese exclusive limited edition 14-track set of 7 CD singles, taken from the legendary 'Thriller' album [currently, still the best selling album of ALL TIME!], including the classics 'Beat It!', 'The Girl Is Mine', 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' and of course the world famous title track, plus 3 previously unreleased recordings

Monday's Top Three including Iron Maiden, The Beatles & Deep Purple

  IRON MAIDEN Interview Scarce UK limited edition vinyl LP Picture Disc, contains rare and spontaneous interviews with the stars. These interviews are exclusive and have not been heard by anyone apart from the interviewer prior to release TT109

  THE BEATLES Live At The BBC 2013 UK limited edition 71-track triple LP pressed on heavyweight vinyl. This digitally remastered and repackaged issue of 1994 release features BBC recordings spanning 1962-1965 including lots of between-song banter from the Fab Four. Housed in a superb fold-out picture sleeve - still sealed

  DEEP PURPLE The Mark II Purple Singles 1977 UK limited edition 7-track Purple Vinyl LP featuring Smoke On The Water, Black Night, Child In Time, Woman From Tokyo & more, fully laminated picture sleeve - a superb copy! TPS3514

Saturday's Top Three Including Iron Butterfly, Depeche Mode, Janet Jackson

 IRON BUTTERFLY In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1971 US second pressing of the 1968 6-track stereo vinyl LP on the yellow Atco 'rainbow' label [used between 1969 and '73], pasted picture sleeve. The sleeve shows only the just a little light shelfwear & thevinyl too remains in excellent condition, showing few signs of play SD33-250)

 

DEPECHE MODE Martyr(Rare 2006 UK 3-disc set presented in Mute Records issue 'Limited Edition Collectors Wallet' available for a short period on the official DM website, comprised of 2-CD single featuring remixes by Paul Van Dyk, Alex Smoke, Digitalism and Book a Shade plus DVD single including video and audio remixes by Dreher & S.M Art and Book a Shade. A superb set housed in a stunning picture slipcase!)

 

JANET JACKSON featuring Q-TIP & JONI MITCHELL Got 'Till Its Gone (1997 US promotional-only 5-track PICTURE CD featuring Radio Edit, No Q-Tip, No Rap, Instrumental & Album Version, custom picture sleeve DPRO-12732)

Kerching!

Slade top the charts for biggest royalty earner this Xmas. But which one's your favourite?

1. Slade – 'Merry Xmas Everybody' £512,000
2. Pogues – Fairytale Of New York' £386,270
3. Mariah Carey – 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' £347,615
4. Wham! – 'Last Christmas' £301,622
5. Cliff Richard – 'Mistletoe & Wine' £98,408
6. Band Aid – 'Do They Know It’s Christmas?' £78,030
7. Shakin' Stevens – 'Merry Christmas Everyone' £53,834
8. Pretenders – '2000 Miles' £45,344
9. East 17 – 'Stay Another Day' £30,219
10. John Lewie – 'Stop The Cavalry' £13,258

Full story at the NME

Friday's Top Three Including Pet Shop Boys, Morrissey, Deep Purple

 PET SHOP BOYS Vocal (Rare 2013 UK promotional-only 3-track CD-R acetate featuring the Radio Edit, Album and Instrumental Versions. The second single taken from their Electric album and released on their own x2 label, this track was only issuedon MP3 format and limited edition vinyl. Custom picture inlay sleeve with tracklisting on the reverse)

MORRISSEY Last Of The Famous International Playboys (Official RARE 2013 UK EMI label 4-track promotional CD-R for the remastered edition of his 1989 UK No 6 single. Including the previously unreleased Janice Long BBC Live Session versions of 'Action Is My Middle Name', 'People Are The Same Everywhere' and the DOWNLOAD ONLY 'The Kid's A Looker'. Custom printed disc + tracklising insert. These are limited to only 50 copies!)

DEEP PURPLE Shades Of Deep Purple (1970 UK third issue 9-track stereo vinyl LP on the two EMI boxed logo label with 'Gramophone Co' perimeter text, front laminated flipback picture sleeve. The sleeve has a couple of small tears at the openingbut otherwise is showing just light shelfwear and the vinyl remains excellent with little sign of play PCS7055)

Thursday's Top Three Including Kraftwerk, Oasis, Status Quo.

 KRAFTWERK Klang Box 101 (Rare limited edition 1997 UK 8-track promotional-only 180gm vinyl 4 x 12" box set, containing the singles Trans Europe Express - with a unique instrumental version on the flip - Numbers, Musique Non Stop and Homecomputer. Each part is housed in its own black and white custom 'Roboter' sleeve and all housed in a stunning glossy outer box - A gem! KLANG-BOX-101)
**Strictly Limited to 250 Copies ONLY**

OASIS Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants (Scarce 2000 UK 10-track vinyl LP including Go Let It Out & Who Feels Love, custom stickered gatefold picture sleeve. This copy remains factory sealed from new & is therefore still mint & unplayed! RKIDLP002)

STATUS QUO Dog Of Two Head (1971 UK 10-track LP. The fourth album from The Quo which spawned one UK Top 20 hit, Mean Girl [although that didn't happen until 1973]. The gatefold picture sleeve shows just a little light shelfwear & the vinyl remains excellent with little sign of play NSPL18371)

Wish You Were....Sealed!

The opportunity to own a sealed copy of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here which would normally be the stuff dreams has astonishingly come to fruition!

As part of a recent specialist buying day in Wintery London this month we managed to acquire a 1st edition copy of this legendary album which although collectable in early incarnations and a staple Floyd release is all the more difficult to find  unopened in its original distinctive black custom stickered shrink, in fact it's nigh on impossible, so rare that previously discovered bought and sold copies have been known to make the newspapers!

Read on for more about this exceptional, highly coveted Pink Floyd relic

PINK FLOYD Wish You Were Here (Incredibly rare first issue SEALED 1975 UK 5-track LP, the ninth studio album by the English progressive rock pioneers, including Shine On You Crazy Diamond & Wish You Were Here, housed in a pinched spine picture sleeve which is still sealed from new in the original black shrinkwrap with circular sticker attached & the heavy card lyric inner & postcard enclosed. Those of a certain vintage may even recognise the original Downtown Records [Romford, Essex] distribution sticker on the back! Truly an investment grade item SHVL814) 

Wednesday's Top Three Including Madonna, Morrissey, U2

 MADONNA X-Static Proc=ess (RARE original AUTOGRAPHED 2003 Italian-pressed hand-bound art book in a numbered limited edition of 1000 copies only and featuring 260 stunning images printed on customized delicate tissue-like textured paperand presented in a unique flock effect paper slipcase. This is a presentation of the 10-hour photo shoot by famed photographer Steven Klein of Madonna as featured on the Re-Invention Tour introduction video montage and on Madonna's 'I'm GoingTo Tell You A Secret' tour documentary. Due to the nature of how fragile this book is, a smalll number of the pages in the middle have started to come away from the binding, however all pages are present and correct. The slipcase of this copy has been boldlysigned in silver by Steven Klein and hand numbered. Extremely rare and fragile - almost impossible to find)

MORRISSEY Last Of The Famous International Playboys (Official RARE 2013 UK EMI label 4-track promotional CD-R for the remastered edition of his 1989 UK No 6 single. Including the previously unreleased Janice Long BBC Live Session versions of 'Action Is My Middle Name', 'People Are The Same Everywhere' and the DOWNLOAD ONLY 'The Kid's A Looker'. Custom printed disc + tracklising insert. These are limited to only 50 copies!)

U2 Angel Of Harlem (Rare US ultra high-grade methyl cellulose metal based lacquer A&M Mastering Studios reference 1-sided 12" acetate for the single. Custom studio reference label with artist, title, length and speed printed and comes in a plain die-cut card sleeve)
See 'More Info' for further details on acetates ...

 

 

The Ultimate Joy Division Rarity...SOLD!!

We had the pleasure of obtaining one of the most rare, and sought after Joy DIvision pressings in existence recently, that was quickly snapped up. It's a record that needs no real introduction, however see below for more Information!

Ridiculously rare & mouth watering test pressing for the super limited 1979 French-only 7" vinyl EP on Sordide Sentimental, featuring Atmosphere & Dead Souls. This is one of only three confirmed copies in existence & has impeccable provenance, coming from one of the co-founders of the label [the other two are in the collections of Jean-Pierre Turmel & the late Rob Gretton]. The labels are exclusive black & white printed Echantillon paperlabels with hand annotated info including the date 'le 28.12.79'. The matrices read: MPO SS33002A/ MPO SS33002B.

The record is housed in the rice paper envelope still attached inside the fold-out textured booklet, with browning to the glue & complete with the original custom printed polythene bag. The printed number inside is 000000! Unrepeatable, this is surely destined for the best Joy Division collection in the world!!

 

 

 

Tuesday's Top Three Including Pet Shop Boys, Pink Floyd , Elvis Presley

 PET SHOP BOYS Love Is A Bourgeois Construct (Super rare 2013 UK promotional-only 7-track CD-R acetate featuring a ton of REMIXES including Nighttime Radio Edit, Penelopes Remix, Claptone Remix, Claptone Instrumental, Little Boots Discotheque Mix, Little Boots Discotheque Dub and Dave Aude Big Dirty Dub. Unique red title inlay sleeve with full tracklisting and timings on the reverse. Only 50 copies of this disc were made for radio so it's a real tough one to find!)

PINK FLOYD Wish You Were Here (Incredibly rare first issue SEALED 1975 UK 5-track LP, the ninth studio album by the English progressive rock pioneers, including Shine On You Crazy Diamond & Wish You Were Here, housed in a pinched spinepicture sleeve which is still sealed from new in the original black shrinkwrap with circular sticker attached & the heavy card lyric inner & postcard enclosed. Those of a certain vintage may even recognise the original Downtown Records [Romford, Essex] distribution sticker on the back! Truly an investment grade item SHVL814)

ELVIS PRESLEY Artist Of The Century (Rare 1999 UK limited edition 5-LP box set pressed on RED COLOURED VINYL for export to the US. Includes 75 digitally remastered tracks featuring his greatest hits and performances 1954-1976. Each album is in a unique picture sleeve and also comes with a 24-page full colour booklet. Housed in a superb NUMBERED 12" x 12" x 1" custom stickered picture box - This copy is number 428 and remains SEALED! ELVIS100R)

The Lord Of The Rings - Autographed Sheet Music

 

 HOWARD SHORE The Two Towers - Glamdring (Framed & autographed 2002 UK one-page notation sheet for the first five bars of Howard Shore's Oscar Winning score to Peter Jackson's Academy Award winning adaptation of The Two Towers, the second part of the three-volume novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. If "my precious" is what you're thinking then read on! Measuring 17" x 22" with black wooden frame, this is a unique one-of-a-kind item for the fans. Original score sheets were said to have been destroyed after these sessions. Recorded at the Watford Colosseum over a period of 3 years - 8 weeks at a time with each stint overseen by the director - the score is dedicated with a personal thank you to the Colosseum's manager John Wallace in black marker pen by Howard Shore himself. These first five musical bars were the original curtain parter to this enormous box office success! A beautiful collector's piece)

Monday's Top Three Queen, Pink Floyd & J.K. Rowling

 QUEEN Virgin Radio Queen Day Set (Very RARE and complete set of all seven Virgin Radio Queen Day 12" singles comprising individual records for Heaven For Everyone, A Winter's Tale, Mother Love, Let Me Live, You Don't Fool Me, It's A Beautiful Dayand I Was Born To Love You. This set remains in superb MINT condition, having not seen light of day for over a decade. See 'more info' for the full story of this extremely rare and highly prized 'Made In Heaven' collectable...)

PINK FLOYD The Pink Floyd - Odeon Sampler (Extremely limited 1971 Japanese promotional-only 10-track stereo sampler LP on Odeon Records, housed in a heavyweight custom picture sleeve depicting a black & white photograph of a cow's head. This now legendary Floyd rarity is in beautiful condition, with hardly any signs of wear to the sleeve & super clean vinyl. The vinyl disc reveals just a couple of faint paper scuffs that have no effect on play. An outstanding rarity & the best we've ever seen! PRP-32)

J.K. ROWLING Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix - First Edition Signed (Extremely Rare 2003 Bloomsbury FIRST edition hardbook book with dust jacket. If that wasn't rare enough, this copy Was also hand SIGNED by JK herself on the title page at the midnight launch on 20th June 2003 in Edingburgh, Scotland. Presented as new with clean tight binding and appears unread with good square corners, unclipped as issued with only very minimal dustjacket edge bumping. A superb collectable and your chance to own part of the phenomenom that is Mr Potter!!)

FROM OUR FRIENDS AT ROCKAWAY IN LA... SURF'S UP!

This is the original yellowish-white and blue fiberglass surfboard that is pictured on the classic Beach Boys album covers for "Surfin' Safari" (1962) and "Surfer Girl" (1963), as well as in other photos from the Ken Veeder photo shoot at Paradise Cove in Malibu California, where both album cover photos originated. Not only is it the actual board pictured, but this board also originally belonged to the only real surfer in the Beach Boys, drummer Dennis Wilson. The board came from a Hermosa Beach, California surf shop called The Outrigger, as evidenced by the shop's logo decal visible at the rear of the board. When Capitol Records needed a prop for a Beach Boys photo shoot, Dennis simply provided his own board. Sometime in the 1970s, Dennis gave the surfboard to his close friend Louis Marotta, who was friends with the Wilson boys and lived across the street from them in Hawthorne, California. The Beach Boys often used Louis when they needed favors or odd jobs done. He was also name-checked on their aforementioned debut album, "Surfin' Safari", in the song "Chug-A-Lug". Louis kept the board in the rafters of his garage until 1985, at which time he gifted it to his close friend Bob Stafford. Louis knew that Bob was a huge Beach Boys fan - in fact, Bob named his son Brian after Brian Wilson. Bob still owns this board today and Rockaway Records is acting as his official agent in promoting and marketing the surfboard for sale.

http://www.rockaway.com/online/online/title.php?ItemID=23557

 

Grammy nominations 2014: David Bowie among Robin Thicke and Jay-Z

In what looks set to be a surprising Grammy Awards in 2014, just a handful of British stars have received nominations

 

British music talent David Bowie, James Blake and Ed Sheeran have all received Grammy nominations.

Bowie won a Best Rock Album nod for The Next Day, his surprise first release in a decade in March, triggering ecstasy among older fans and arguably showing some younger stars how to do it.

James Blake, who won the Mercury Music Prize in September over Bowie for his album Overgrown, is nominated in the Best New Artist category alongside fellow Brit Ed Sheeran.

IN PICTURES: Grammy duets through the years

 

British Jazz great Stan Tracey, who recorded Under Milk Wood, dies at the age of 86

Stan Tracey, a prime mover in British jazz for more than half a century, has died at the age of 86.

The jazz pianist and composer had a keen musical intelligence and was renowned for Under Milk Wood, his 1968 suite based around Dylan Thomas's radio play.

Tracey was born on December 30, 1926, in Denmark Hill, South London, and made numerous albums, some of which deserve a place among the great post-war jazz recordings. His father was not musical but his mother played the piano and violin. He said: "My first profound influence – once I had decided I wasn't going to be a boogie-woogie player – was Thelonious Monk."

Tracey had an unhappy time in America in the mid-Fifties, touring with Ronnie Scott, but returned to London and became resident pianist at Ronnie Scott's jazz club for seven years (1959-1966). He later worked with Ted Heath.

Read the full article here at The Telegraph

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/worldfolkandjazz/10501852/Stan-Tracey-dies-aged-86.html

Saturday's Top Three including Quatermass, Aynsley Dunbar Relation & Blur

QUATERMASS Quatermass

Monster power trio prog 1970 UK first issue 9-track LP with 'The Gramophone Co' credit on the perimeter & no EMI logo on the label, & with amazing Hipgnosis designed front laminated gatefold sleeve including a full spread band shot, lyrics inside & company inner.

AYNSLEY DUNBAR RETALIATION Remains To Be Heard (Hard to find 1970 UK 10-track stereo vinyl LP on the blue & turquoise Liberty label, housed in a wonderful Hipgnosis designed textured picture sleeve. This is the fourth & final album from the Ex-Zappa / John Mayall / Beck drummer & is regarded as one of the classic blues albums of the period. 

 

BLUR The Wassailing Song (Ultra Rare 1992 UK Food / Parlophone Records one-sided 7" vinyl single, which was available only at a Salvation Army venue gig and limited to just 500 copies! Credited on the label as 'Presented And Arranged By Gold Frankincense And Blur', this is without doubt one of the biggest indie rarities ever and is almost impossible to find. The vinyl is in excellent condition with just a few light scuffs BLUR6 - The ultimate Blur vinyl collectable!)

Will we see you tomorrow at our buying day in Soho?

Don't forget, our buyers will be at Sohost tomorrow to appraise and buy your unwanted mint Vinyl Records, CDs and items of pop Memorabilia.

We'll be there from 9:30am, see you there!

http://991.com/features/buying-open-day-to-sell-us-your-records-in-kent.aspx

 

 

 

991.com brings you excerpts from this weeks R.C. Weekly Newsletter

991.com brings you excerpts from this week's R.C. Weekly Newsletter. 

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Despite what you may have read in this very newsletter last week, it’s been a dry time for record buying on my part. I picked up just one single during my week off. Hence, I was excited to return to work to find a mustard-coloured cotton bag on my desk which bore the legend “Mega Record & CD Fair Utrecht”. Ah, RRPG editor Ian Shirley may have taken the mickey out of me last week for buying too much reggae (and I’m still waiting for him to bring in those acetates he promised me more than a year ago, I note), but clearly he’d thought of me while he was at the Utrecht fair and found me some great vinyl. Er… dream on. All those records and he couldn’t find just one for little me. The bag was empty, the record-lover’s equivalent of those shirts that say: “My dad went to New York and all he bought me was this lousy T-shirt.” Never mind. It’s a nice bag. For an empty one.

Do you buy or sell on eBay? It seems to me that prices have gone up a bit as we approach Christmas. The few things I’ve bid on have been a bit rubbish really, more gap fillers than gems, but I’ve fallen a long way short of the winning bids. Record Collector’s listings have been more sensible, with one seller offering a £2.50 sale with some great stuff on it, and a great selection of 60s titles kicking off the section. I prefer a set sale to an auction – I know a lot of people get a kick out of watching the price change and enjoy the uncertainty about what the record’s finally going to go for, but I’d rather know what I was paying and just pay it if I can afford it. It seems that a lot of records don’t have a price – they’re just worth what you can get for them. This clearly works for a lot of sellers, who might get more in an auction than they’d have asked for a set sale, but it’s equally likely that the final price will fall short of a record’s true worth. It’s a lottery – but at least you don’t have to listen to a ropey Gilbert O’Sullivan song on an advert for it, as you do on the ad for the UK’s Lotto game…

Wish I hadn’t mentioned that Gilbert tune-that-shall-remain-nameless. I think I owe you an antidote; hope that works.

Lots of stuff in the new issue of the magazine, in the shops from 5 December: expanded editions of The Collector, Single Cream, Not Forgotten and Live; a rare vinyl calendar; interviews with Roger Taylor and Ringo Starr; we hear from Ray Davies and Graham Nash about their new memoirs, we analyse the rise of the machines in the 80s, and speak to Harold Budd. Plus all the usual mad bits around the edges, and the chance to grab our latest Rare Vinyl Offer, a great album by Aubrey Small. RC: serious about music, in a fun kinda way.

Hope you have a great week, and remember, an album’s not just for Christmas, it’s for life.

Until next week,

Best wishes

Ian McCann, Editor