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

Rare - Moody Blues Autographed Tour Programme

MOODY BLUES Voices In The Sky '84 Tour (FULLY AUTOGRAPHED official 1984 UK 9½" x 13" 52-page tour programme for the band's charity tour in aid of the NSPCC, featuring biography and photos including a double-page spread devoted to each member. This copy has been dedicated to Dave and signed by the entire band of Justin Hayward, John Lodge, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge & Patrick Moraz in blue pen on their own page inside, plus the back 'Credits' page has been signed by various crew members including Merk Fetto, Barry Radman, Pat Buckley and more all in blue point pen)

Robert Fripp, interview: 'I’m a very difficult person to work with'

Guitarist Robert Fripp influenced David Bowie and Peter Gabriel but it's only the latest revival of his band King Crimson that has brought out his happy side

Satisfied: Robert Fripp

Happiness isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. At least according to Robert Fripp. In the early part of 2012, having given up playing live altogether, he found himself in a curious position. “I began to be happy, personally happy,” he explains.

“But while paradise is a wonderful place to be, nothing happens. My wife told me that I was in danger of becoming dull. So what I’m doing now was partly a personal necessity. When you’re happy, it’s time to pull out the pointed stick.”

Fripp’s response was to try things he might not otherwise have done. Having more or less retired from public life, the first visible manifestation bordered on the perverse: an appearance on TV’s All Star Mr & Mrs, with wife Toyah Wilcox.

The second was the revival of his band King Crimson.

Founded in 1968, Crimson were pack leaders in what became known as progressive rock. The dizzying intensity of their recorded work – a dense fusion of freak-rock, jazz, ambient textures and neoclassical fugues – took the band into places that most others were simply incapable of reaching.

Read the full interview here by Rob Hughes at The Telegraph

991.com has the most extensive selection of back catalogue material from Robert Fripp, King Crimson and more - find it here.

Rare - Eurythmics Promo Only CD

EURYTHMICS Eurythmics Annie Lennox Dave Stewart (2001 UK BMG promotional-only 17-track publishing sampler CD, featuring all the classic hits including Sweet Dreams, Who's That Girl, Love Is A Stranger, There Must Be An Angel and Thorn In My Side.Superb custom glossy picture sleeve with biography and extensive notes on each track - a great collectors piece! BMGPUB009)

Rare - The Clash 7" Vinyl

THE CLASH White Riot (Original 1977 UK solid centre 7" vinyl single with 'the CLASH' on labels, featuring the groundbreaking debut single from the punk legends, also including 1977, picture sleeve SCBS5058)

Is vinyl the best music format?

With vinyl undergoing yet another revival, Sam Rowe talks to those in the know about our enduring love of the humble record

Vinyl appeals to man's urge to collect and arrange

Vinyl is dead!

At least that’s what every music fan, artist and producer was told in 1982 (and every year since), upon the release of a pioneering new technology known as the compact disc.

For a long time, they were right: sales of records declined steadily after '82 as their smaller, shinier cousin moved in on the home music market. Vinyl, it seemed, was not long for this world. The same scrap-heap that held the gramophone, Betamax and the transistor radio beckoned.

But then, years later, something happened. Whether through efforts made by musical purists, initiatives such as Record Store Day or the cachet of vinyl in the nostalgia (or even hipster) stakes, the sales tide began to turn once more.

And with the news that vinyl album sales are due to hit the one million mark by the end of the year (the highest since 1996), it seems the record has been formally resurrected

Read the full article by Sam Rowe at the Telegraph

Here at 991.com, most of us still collect - and are unequivocably in love with - vinyl.  We live and breath it, and we buy and sell it.  Get in touch with us at 991.com whether you want to expand your collection or pass a once cherished collection on to a new home.

Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Queen: Can 'Dad Rock’ save Christmas?

Led Zep, Bowie and Neil Young all have 'new' albums out. As the record industry repackages old rock favourites to be bought a second time by baby-boomers, we ask if this is clever reinvention or cynical recycling?

Pink Floyd is releasing 'The Endless River', an album of instrumental leftovers, recently unearthed by Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason

The record industry is in trouble, album sales are falling, kids only download singles and stream music for free… But who is this, charging over the snowbound horizon to save Christmas? Why, it looks a lot like Pink Floyd, with Neil Young riding shotgun, leading a herd of red-nosed reindeers being whipped into a frenzy by Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, David Bowie, AC/DC, the Who, Bruce Springsteen and the ghost of Freddie Mercury. It is the Charge of the Dad Brigade.

Or at least that is one of the stories being told by the record industry to keep its spirits up in the bleak hours of midwinter. Dismal figures suggest 2014 could set an all-time low for album sales, unless the traditional seasonal retail boom comes to the rescue. But what music will we actually be spending money on this Christmas? Reports this week have highlighted a plethora of stocking-filling box sets, repackaged classics and new albums from vintage artists. “This is going to be the oldest Christmas I can remember,” according to senior music industry consultant Nick Stewart. “The biggest album of the year, by some way, is going to be the new old Pink Floyd album. It’s going to be huge.”

Read the full article here at the Telegraph by Neil McCormick

Do you collect genuine, original pressings of these all time classic albums? You'll find them and more at 991.com here.

'9 to 5': what kind of music are people listening to at work? Tell us what you're listening to!

Ever wonder what songs are being piped through your colleagues' headphones? We've got the answer.

British workers are listening to a lot of Pharrell

If you hear your boss listening to classical music before a meeting, brace yourself.

When people listen to music to get themselves in a certain mood for a meeting -- whether it’s a brainstorming session, a targets update or a performance review -- they choose pop music almost all the time, a new survey has found.

The only exception? Respondents said they listen to classical music when preparing to deliver bad news

The kind of music people listen to in the office has been shown to affect their output. A recent survey from the music licensing campaign MusicWorks, which found that nine out of 10 workers perform better when listening to music, also discovered that different genres of music are better tailored to certain tasks.

The research recommended choosing pop music while working to deadlines and dance music while proof-reading or problem solving, for example.

You can read the full article here by Lauren Davidson at the Telegraph.

More importantly, here at 991.com, we'd love to know ... what are you listening to at work? 

Very Rare - Rolling Stones Promo 7" Vinyl

ROLLING STONES Out Of Control (WITHDRAWN version of the 1998 UK promotional-only vinyl 7" which has a brown 'tongue' label instead of the silver design which appeared on the final promo 7"s. The text on the B-side label is also in a smaller font and different alignment and the machine stamped matrices read 'VSP 1700 A-1-1-' & 'VSP 1700 B-1-1-' - very rare! VSP1700)

Rare - The Beatles Japanese Special Edition CD

THE BEATLES Love (2006 Japanese Special Edition 2-disc set comprising a CD album containing 78 minutes of stereo music, issued in conjunction with the Cirque Du Soleil in Las Vegas, featuring classic Beatles tracks reworked from the original 60ssession masters by George Martin & son Giles. Also a DVD-Audio disc including an extended version in 5.1 Surround Sound. Great fold-out digipak housed in a sealed card picture slipcase, complete with an elaborate 28-page booklet with fantasticdesigns and complex collages featuring photographs & images from the show & wraparound matching obi-strip TOCP-70201)

Rare - Bon Jovi 12" EP

BON JOVI Live! On Tour (1987 Australian-only 4-track live tour 12" EP, featuring Breakout, Runaway, Tokyo Road and Wanted Dead Or Alive, unique picture sleeve. The sleeve has only minimal wear whilst the vinyl is in 'near as new' condition with very little signs of play)

New 180gm Vinyl LP & Deluxe Edition releases from Led Zeppelin - the potential to be future collectables?

We've got the new 180gm Vinyl LP reissues in from Led Zeppelin plus the Deluxe Edition Box.  

Find them here at 991.com for immediate despatch or get in touch if there's something else you're missing from your collection. These have the makings of future collectables so buy one to play and one to keep sealed and new...

Browse the biggest range of Led Zeppelin stock anywhere - here at 991.com

Houses Of The Holy 180gm

Led Zeppelin IV 180gm Deluxe Edition

 

 Houses of the Holy Deluxe Edition Box

Future Investment - U2 Double LP

U2 Songs Of Innocence (2014 UK limited edition 12-track double LP pressed on heavyweight WHITE VINYL, includes an exclusive bonus track The Crystal Ballroom [12" Mix]. Housed in a gatefold picture sleeve - still sealed in title stickered shrinkwrap)

Rare - Iron Maiden German 12" Vinyl

IRON MAIDEN Running Free (1985 German 3-track 12" vinyl maxi single featuring live versions of the title track along with Sanctuary recorded at Long Beach Arena in March 1985 and Murders In The Rue Morgue recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in October 1984, glossy spined picture sleeve. The sleeve shows just a little edge scuffing & the vinyl remains near 'as new' with few signs of play 1CK0602008196)

Rare - Bob Dylan Japanese 7" Vinyl

BOB DYLAN Lay Lady Lay (Rare late 60s Japanese 7" vinyl single issued as part of the 'Air Play' series with intact original tri-centre, also including Peggy Day. Issued in the original CBS / Sony sleeve with unique black & white picture insertwith lyrics on reverse. There is some minor discolouration to the edges of the insert, however the vinyl appears in near 'as new' condition - A great copy of this very hard to find gem! CBSA82001)

Future Investment - Kylie Minogue Double LP

KYLIE MINOGUE The Abbey Road Sessions (2012 UK limited edition 16-track double LP pressed on Heavyweight Audiophile Vinyl, featuring a programme spanning her entire twenty five year career. Also includes a bonus CD featuring all the tracks from the vinyl. This new collection features some of Kylie's classic tracks recorded at London's historic Abbey Road Studios, all with brand new arrangements and many featuring a full orchestra, including On A Night Like This, Better The Devil You Know, Hand On Your Heart, Locomotion, Can't Get You Out Of My Head, I Should Be So Lucky and many more, along with the previously unreleased Flower. Housed in a high quality individually numbered gatefold picture sleeve complete with illustrated credit inners and an 8-page full size photo booklet. This copy remains in superb near 'as new' condition P0158611)

Rare - Keane Deluxe Edition CD/DVD set

KEANE The Best Of Keane (2013 UK Super Deluxe Edition 3-disc [2CD/1DVD] set consisting of a 20-track collection of all their hit singles along with the New Recordings Higher Than The Sun & Won't Be Broken, a selection of b-side recordings and the previously unreleased Russian Farmer's Song, plus a Bonus DVD including footage of their exclusive acoustic performance in August 2013 for which their setlist was chosen by fans. All 3 discs are housed in a 100-page retrospective hardback book which remains SEALED & UNPLAYED!)

Rare - Marillion Posters

MARILLION Official Bootleg Box Sets 1 & 2 Posters (Rare pair of posters issued to promote Volumes 1 and 2 of the Official Bootleg Boxsets which were released in 2008 & 2010 respectively. Volume 1 measures 15" x 15" and is printed on Kodak professional photo paper, while Volume 2 [measuring in at 30 x 21cm] is printed on matte paper and is FULLY AUTOGRAPHED in silver pen by the current line-up of Steve Hogarth, Mark Kelly, Ian Mosley, Steve Rothery and Pete Trewavas!)

Very Rare - Saturnalia Picture Disc

SATURNALIA Magical Love (Very rare Prog/Psych 1969 UK 9-track Picture Disc LP, one of the first music picture discs ever released, with the music produced by Keith Relf. This original issue has the diffraction grating thick swirly centre labels that change image as you tilt them, & is complete with the thick transparent PVC sleeve, the 28-page booklet packed with photos, personnel info & bio with superb psychedelic cover & a concert ticket voucher for the Rainbow Theatre concert. A fantastic item in fantastic condition & a real work of art, not least of all extremely hard to find! TRIX1SP)

Mega Rare - Status Quo Japanese LP

STATUS QUO Tokyo Quo (Mega rare 1977 Japanese-only 9-track vinyl LP, recorded live at Sunplaza Hall, Tokyo on the 17th of November the previous year, housed in a unqiue red foil embossed & laminated gatefold sleeve with Japanese/lyric insert &first edition wide red & white obi. This beautiful example remains in outstanding near 'as new' condition RJ-7202)

Sealed Keane CD/DVD

KEANE The Best Of Keane 2013 UK Super Deluxe Edition  3-disc [2CD/1DVD] set consisting of a 20-track collection of  all their hit singles along with the New Recordings  Higher Than The Sun & Won't Be Broken, a selection of b-side  recordings and the previously unreleased Russian Farmer's  Song, plus a Bonus DVD including footage of their  exclusive acoustic performance in August 2013 for which their  setlist was chosen by fans. All 3 discs are housed in a  100-page retrospective hardback book which remains   SEALED & UNPLAYED