Tangerine Dream – Phaedra 1976 German LP

tangerine dream phaedra german lp

Offered for sale is a German pressing of Phaedra by Tangerine Dream.

About this copy: This copy of Phaedra is a 1976 German pressing of an album that was originally released in 1974.

The cover is VG++ with slight edge and corner wear.  The disc is M- with no marks on the vinyl.  Clean disc!

A nice copy of a classic LP.

Background: Released in 1974, Phaedra was the fifth album by Tangerine Dream.

The album reached #15 on the UK chart and #196 on the U.S. album chart.

Allmusic.com gave Phaedra a 5 star review:

Phaedra is one of the most important, artistic, and exciting works in the history of electronic music, a brilliant and compelling summation of Tangerine Dream’s early avant-space direction balanced with the synthesizer/sequencer technology just beginning to gain a foothold in nonacademic circles. …Perhaps even more powerful as a musical landmark now than when it was first recorded, Phaedra has proven the test of time.

Country of origin: Germany
Size: 12″
Record Label: Virgin
Catalog Number:
87 761 XOT
Year of Release: 1976
Format: Stereo
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Al DiMeola/John McLaughlin – Friday Night in San Francisco Japan LP with obi

Al DiMeola/John McLaughlin - Friday Night in San Francisco Japan LP

Offered for sale is an original Japanese pressing of Friday Night in San Francisco by Al DiMeola, John McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia, including the original obi.

About this copy: This copy of Friday Night in San Francisco is a 1981 Japanese pressing on the CBS/Sony label.

The cover is VG++ with slight edge and corner wear.  The “cap” obi is M-.

The insert and record company survey postcard are M-.

The disc is M- and looks like it may have been played no more than once.  Clean disc!

A nice copy of a terrific LP.

Background: Friday Night in San Francisco, released in 1981 was a live acoustic recording featuring three of the best-known jazz/fusion guitarists .  It reached #97 on the U.S. album charts.

Allmusic.com gave Electric Rendezvous a 4 1/2 star review:

Loose and spontaneous, this (mainly) live album is a meeting of three of the greatest guitarists in the world for an acoustic summit the likes of which the guitar-playing community rarely sees. Broken up into three duo and two trio performances, Friday Night in San Francisco catches all three players at the peaks of their quite formidable powers.

 

Country of origin: Japan
Size: 12″
Record Label: CBS/Sony
Catalog Number:
25AP2035
Year of Release: 1981
Format: Stereo
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Yardbirds – Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds sealed 1972 U.S. stereo LP rare label

having a rave up with the yardbirds u.s. stereo lp

Offered for sale is a still sealed 1972 U.S. stereo pressing of the 1965 LP Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds by the Yardbirds, on the orange Epic label.

Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds was the last of the band’s original albums to remain in print in the U.S.  The short-lived orange label pressing was the final pressing of this album before it was deleted.

About this copy: This copy of Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds is a 1972 electronically reprocessed stereo pressing on the orange Epic label of an album that was originally released in 1965.

As the album is still sealed, the record is presumably new and unplayed.

There is a sticker on the front cover that says, “ELECTRONICALLY RE-PROCESSED TO SIMULATE STEREO.”  While the label variation cannot be confirmed, every copy of the album we’ve ever seen with this sticker on the cover had an orange label disc.  In addition, the record is much lighter in weight than the original 1965 pressings.

The wrap is mostly intact except for a couple of small (less than 1 cm) tears on the front near the mouth of the cover.

A nice copy of a rare Yardbirds variation.

Background: Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds was the second album by the Yardbirds to be released in the United States and it reached #52 on the U.S. album charts.  It also remained in print longer than any other album by the group, staying in print until 1972.

Side one of the album contains studio tracks with Jeff Beck on guitar.  Side two contains live tracks with Eric Clapton on guitar, though he isn’t pictured on the cover or credited in the liner notes.  The tracks on side two were taken from the band’s UK Five Live Yardbirds LP, which wasn’t released in the United States.

The album was originally released in mono and stereo, though the stereo pressings were partially in rechanneled (fake) stereo, making the mono pressings the more desirable version.  The mono version was deleted in early 1968, making it somewhat rarer than the stereo version, which stayed in print for a few more years.

Allmusic.com gave Having a Rave Up With the Yardbirds a 4 1/2 star review:

In its original U.S. vinyl release, this album, comprised of several singles and B-sides plus excerpts off of Five Live Yardbirds, was one of the best LPs of the entire British Invasion, ranking on a par with the greatest mid-’60s work of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones; it was also just a step away from being a best-of the Yardbirds as well. No collection has ever outdone the sheer compactness and high quality of Having a Rave Up.

You can listen to “You’re a Better Man Than I” here:

 

Country of origin: U.S.
Size: 12″
Record Label: Epic
Catalog Number:
BN 26177
Year of Release: 1972
Format: Rechanneled stereo
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U2 – The Unforgettable Fire Japan LP with obi

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire Japan LP

Offered for sale is an original Japanese pressing of The Unforgettable Fire by U2, including the original obi.

About this copy:  This copy of The Unforgettable Fire is an original 1984 pressing on the Island/Polystar label.

The cover is VG+ with slight ring wear on the front cover.  The obi is M-.  The two inserts are M-.

The disc is VG++ on side one with a couple of faint sleeve scuffs.  Side two is M-.  It’s a clean disc that has only been played a couple of times.

A nice copy of a scarce U2 LP.

Background: Released in 1984, The Unforgettable Fire was the fourth studio album by U2.

The album reached #12 on the U.S. charts and #1 in the UK.

Allmusic.com gave The Unforgettable Fire a 4 star review:

In many ways, U2 took their fondness for sonic bombast as far as it could go on War, so it isn’t a complete surprise that they chose to explore the intricacies of the Edge’s layered, effects-laden guitar on the follow-up, The Unforgettable Fire. Working with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, U2 created a dark, near-hallucinatory series of interlocking soundscapes that are occasionally punctuated by recognizable songs and melodies. In such a setting, the band both flourishes and flounders, creating some of their greatest music, as well as some of their worst.

 

Country of origin: Japan
Size: 12″
Record Label: Island
Catalog Number:
28SI-252
Year of Release: 1984
Format: Stereo
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Billy Joel – 52nd Street Japan Mastersound LP with obi

Billy Joel - 52nd Street Japan Mastersound LP

Offered for sale is a copy of the Japanese “Mastersound” pressing of 52nd Street by Billy Joel, including the original obi.

This was part of a limited edition, heavy-vinyl series of digitally remastered audiophile pressings.

About this copy: This copy of 52nd Street is an original 1982 Japanese digitally remastered heavy vinyl pressing on the CBS/Sony label of an album that was originally released in 1978, released as part of Columbia’s short-lived Mastersound series.

The cover is VG++ with slight edge and corner wear.

The obi is M-.    The custom inner sleeve is M-.  The lyric insert is M-.

The generic Mastersound catalog, listing other titles in the series, is M-.

The disc is M- with a few spindle marks on the labels, but no marks on the vinyl.  Clean disc!

A nice copy of a scarce Billy Joel LP.

Background: In 1980, Columbia Records introduced their Mastersound series, which included titles that were either digitally remastered or half speed mastered and pressed on heavy, high-quality vinyl.

While most of the titles in the U.S. series were half speed mastered, most of the titles in the Japanese series were digitally remastered.  The Japanese series also included titles that were not released in the U.S.

These titles were sold at a premium price, did not sell particularly well, and did not stay in print for very long.

Released in 1978, 52nd Street was the sixth solo album by Billy Joel.

The album reached #1 on the U.S. album chart and #10 in the UK.

Allmusic.com gave 52nd Street a 4 star review:

Once The Stranger became a hit, Billy Joel quickly re-entered the studio with producer Phil Ramone to record the follow-up, 52nd Street. …Song for song, 52nd Street might not be as strong as The Stranger, but there are no weak songs — indeed, “Honesty,” “My Life,” “Until the Night,” and the three mentioned above are among his best — and they all flow together smoothly, thanks to Ramone’s seamless production and Joel’s melodic craftsmanship. It’s remarkable to think that in a matter of three records, Joel had hit upon a workable, marketable formula — one that not only made him one of the biggest-selling artists of his era, but one of the most enjoyable mainstream hitmakers. 52nd Street is a testament to that achievement.

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Country of origin: Japan
Size: 12″
Record Label: CBS/Sony
Catalog Number:
30AP 1955
Year of Release: 1982
Format: Stereo
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Bob Dylan – Bob Dylan 1962 U.S. stereo “6 eye” promotional LP

bob dylan u.s. 6 eye stereo promo lp

Offered for sale is an original 1962 U.S. stereo promotional pressing of Bob Dylan, the self-titled debut LP by Bob Dylan.

About this copy: This copy of Bob Dylan is a 1962 U.S. stereo pressing on the “6 eye” Columbia label that was discontinued shortly after the release of this album.

Reportedly, Columbia only pressed 500 copies of this album in stereo with the “6 eye” label.

The cover is VG, with light general wear, but no splits.  There is a sticker in the lower left-hand corner that says “A New Star on Columbia Records.”   The words “DEMONSTRATION NOT FOR SALE” are stamped on the back cover.  There is a bit of glue residue along the lower spine where a piece of tape was removed.

The disc is a stock stereo disc with a white sticker attached to the side one label that says “FOR DEMONSTRATION USE ONLY NOT FOR SALE.”

The disc is VG+ with a few spindle marks on the labels, and a couple of light scuffs.  Side one has a couple of faint hairlines.  It’s a clean disc that has had little play.  It does play with slight surface noise between tracks.

Stamper numbers:

Side 1: XSM 55621-1E
Side 2: XSM 55622-1F

A nice copy of a very rare Bob Dylan LP.

Background: Bob Dylan’s 1962 debut got the attention of a few critics, but didn’t do much in the way of sales until later in the decade when he became somewhat more famous.  The first album consisted mostly of cover tunes; it wasn’t until his next album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, that he started to record mostly self-penned material.

Bob Dylan went almost unnoticed upon the original release in 1962, though it did reach #13 on the UK charts, likely after he had success with later efforts.

While this album has been available in stereo for decades, early stereo copies, such as this one, are actually considerably rarer than their mono counterparts.  In the mid-1960s, the vast majority of records sold were in mono, making this early stereo pressing somewhat scarce, particularly in this condition.

Allmusic.com gave Bob Dylan a 4 star review:

Bob Dylan’s first album is a lot like the debut albums by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones — a sterling effort, outclassing most, if not all, of what came before it in the genre, but similarly eclipsed by the artist’s own subsequent efforts. … Within a year of its release, Dylan, initially in tandem with young folk/protest singers like Peter, Paul & Mary and Phil Ochs, would alter the boundaries of that revival beyond recognition, but this album marked the pinnacle of that earlier phase, before it was overshadowed by this artist’s more ambitious subsequent work. In that regard, the two original songs here serve as the bridge between Dylan’s stylistic roots, as delineated on this album, and the more powerful and daringly original work that followed.

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Country of origin: U.S.
Size: 12″
Record Label: Columbia
Catalog Number:
CS 8579
Year of Release: 1965
Format: Stereo
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Black Sabbath – Master of Reality 1971 U.S. LP with poster and shrink

black sabbath master of reality u.s. lp

Offered for sale is a 1971 U.S. pressing of Master of Reality by Black Sabbath, including the rare poster that was included only with early pressings of the album and with the cover still in the original shrink wrap.

About this copy: This copy of Master of Reality is a 1971 pressing on the green Warner Brothers label.

This is technically a second issue of the LP, as the song titles do not include titles for the introductions to the songs.  This version was pressed at Columbia Records’ Santa Maria, California pressing plant, and was mastered by Artisan Recorders, as the Artisan logo is etched in the dead wax.

The second track on side one is incorrectly credited to “Ioomi-Ward-Osbourne-Butler.”

The cover retains the original shrink wrap and is M-, with trace wear at the lower right hand corner.

The original Warner Brothers “Loss Leaders” inner sleeve is included and is M- with no splits.

The ultra-rare poster is M-, with no rips, tears or holes.

The disc is M-, with a couple of faint scuffs from the paper inner sleeve that are common on 1970s Warner Brothers pressings.

There are no spindle marks on the labels; the record may be unplayed.  Clean disc!

A beautiful copy of a classic LP that is usually found with cover wear, and the nicest copy we’ve ever seen.

Background: Master of Reality was Black Sabbath’s third album, and while it didn’t sell as well or get as much airplay as Paranoid, it still reached #8 on the U.S charts and #5 on the charts in the UK and was certified 2x platinum in the U.S. by the RIAA.

The opening song, “Sweet Leaf,” may have the best intro of any hard rock song ever recorded.

Allmusic.com gave Master of Reality a rare 5 star review:

The shortest album of Black Sabbath’s glory years, Master of Reality is also their most sonically influential work. Here Tony Iommi began to experiment with tuning his guitar down three half-steps to C#, producing a sound that was darker, deeper, and sludgier than anything they’d yet committed to record. (This trick was still being copied 25 years later by every metal band looking to push the limits of heaviness, from trendy nu-metallers to Swedish deathsters.) … If Paranoid has more widely known songs, the suffocating and oppressive Master of Reality was the Sabbath record that die-hard metalheads took most closely to heart.

You can listen to “Sweet Leaf” here:

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Country of origin: U.S.
Size: 12″
Record Label: Warner Brothers
Catalog Number:
BS 2562
Year of Release: 1971
Format: Stereo
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Jeff Beck – Blow by Blow 1975 Japan LP with obi and poster insert

jeff beck blow by blow japan lp

Offered for sale is an original Japanese pressing of the 1975 LP Blow by Blow, including the original obi and poster insert.

About this copy: This copy of Blow by Blow is a 1975 Japanese pressing on the orange Epic label.

The cover is M-.  The obi is M-.  The CBS inner sleeve is M-.  The lyric/poster insert is M-.

The disc is M- with a couple of very faint sleeve scuffs.  There are no spindle marks on the labels and no other marks on the vinyl.  The disc may be unplayed.  Clean disc!

A beautiful copy of a classic LP that’s hard to find as a complete first pressing.

Background: Released in 1975, the all-instrumental Blow by Blow was the sixth album by Jeff Beck.

The album reached #4 on the U.S. album chart but did not chart in the UK.

Allmusic.com gave Blow by Blow a 4 1/2 star review:

Blow by Blow typifies Jeff Beck’s wonderfully unpredictable career. Released in 1975, Beck’s fifth effort as a leader and first instrumental album was a marked departure from its more rock-based predecessors. … George Martin’s ingenious production and string arrangements rival his greatest work. Beck’s versatile soloing and diverse tones are clearly the album’s focus, and he proves to be an adept rhythm player. Blow by Blow is balanced by open-ended jamming and crisp ensemble interaction as it sidesteps the bombast that sank much of the jazz-rock fusion of the period. … Blow by Blow signaled a new creative peak for Beck, and it proved to be a difficult act to follow. It is a testament to the power of effective collaboration and, given the circumstances, Beck clearly rose to the occasion. In addition to being a personal milestone, Blow by Blow ranks as one of the premiere recordings in the canon of instrumental rock music.

Country of origin: Japan
Size: 12″
Record Label: Epic
Catalog Number:
ECPO-39
Year of Release: 1975
Format: Stereo
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Sniff ‘n’ the Tears – Fickle Heart 1979 Japan LP with obi

Sniff 'n' the Tears – Fickle Heart japan lp

Offered for sale is an original Japanese pressing of Fickle Heart by Sniff ‘n’ the Tears, including the original obi.

About this copy: This copy of Fickle Heart is a 1979 Japanese pressing on the Chiswick label.

The cover is M-.  The obi is M-.  The insert is M-.

The disc is M- on side one.  Side two is VG+, with a couple of light scratches through the fourth track.  It looks like a needle was dropped there.  It’s a fairly clean disc that plays well.

A nice copy of a fairly rare Sniff ‘n’ the Tears LP.

Background: Released in 1979, Fickle Heart was the first album by Sniff ‘n’ the Tears.

The album reached #35 on the U.S. album chart, but did not chart in the UK.  The song “Driver’s Seat” reached #15 on the U.S. singles chart.

Allmusic.com gave Fickle Heart a 4 star review:

The British band Sniff ‘n’ the Tears’ 1978 debut, Fickle Heart, is best known for containing the relentlessly catchy rocker “Driver’s Seat,” which became a hit in 1979 and is simply one of the greatest “one-hit wonder” singles of that decade, and arguably of all time. Killer keyboard and synthesizer riffs by Alan Fealdman and guest Keith Miller, piercing electric guitars by Loz Netto and Mick Dyche, solid bass by Chris Birkin, steady drums by producer Luigi Salvoni, and bandleader/songwriter Paul Roberts’ incessant acoustic rhythm guitar and dramatic lead vocals are all terrific individually, but they add up to a fantastic whole. 

 

Country of origin: Japan
Size: 12″
Record Label: Chiswick
Catalog Number:
YX-7233-CW
Year of Release: 1979
Format: Stereo
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Dave Brubeck – Time Out Classic Records 45 RPM180 gram audiophile 4 LP set

dave brubeck time out classic records 45 rpm u.s. LP

Offered for sale is a limited edition 180 gram 4 LP 45 RPM U.S. pressing of Time Out by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, issued by Classic Records.

About this copy: This copy of Time Out is a late 1990s U.S. pressing on the Classic Records label, pressed on 180 gram vinyl and cut at 45 RPM on single-sided discs for optimal sound quality.

This pressing was issued with the first disc in a standard printed cover and the other three discs in plain white covers with stickers indicating the song titles.

The covers are M-.  The four discs are M- and may be unplayed.  All four discs are perfectly flat.  Clean discs!

A nice copy of a classic LP.  This is an exceptionally good pressing of this LP.

Background: There isn’t much to say about Time Out that hasn’t been said before; the album is generally regarded as one of the greatest jazz albums of all time, and perhaps one of the greatest albums of all time regardless of genre.

AllMusic.com gave Time Out a 5 star review:

Dave Brubeck’s defining masterpiece, Time Out is one of the most rhythmically innovative albums in jazz history, the first to consciously explore time signatures outside of the standard 4/4 beat or 3/4 waltz time. It was a risky move — Brubeck’s record company wasn’t keen on releasing such an arty project, and many critics initially roasted him for tampering with jazz’s rhythmic foundation. But for once, public taste was more advanced than that of the critics. Buoyed by a hit single in altoist Paul Desmond’s ubiquitous “Take Five,” Time Out became an unexpectedly huge success, and still ranks as one of the most popular jazz albums ever. This belongs in even the most rudimentary jazz collection.

You can listen to “Take Five” here:

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Country of origin: U.S.
Size: 12″
Record Label: Classic Records
Catalog Number:
CS 8192
Year of Release: late 1990s
Format: Stereo
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