Chet Atkins – Class Guitar ultra-rare 1968 Japan LP with obi

$695.00

An original Japanese pressing of Class Guitar by Chet Atkins, with original obi.

1 in stock

Description

Offered for sale is a rare original Japanese pressing of Class Guitar by Chet Atkins, complete with obi and unique cover featuring a nude woman.

About this copy: This copy of Class Guitar is an original Japanese pressing, released in 1968, featuring the nude cover and including the original obi

The heavy laminated cover is VG++ with some minor creases, but no wear to speak of.  The obi is VG++, with a couple of small creases, but no tears. 

The record is VG++.  While the label shows a couple of spindle marks, the record is very clean and has no marks aside from a couple of very minor scuffs from having been removed from the inner sleeve.  The record clearly has only been played a handful of times.

A beautiful copy of a very rare record, and the only copy we’ve ever seen with the obi.  We’ve seen copies of this without the obi offered elsewhere for $1000.

Background: For someone who never had a single Top 40 hit, Chet Atkins was surprisingly popular among the record buying public in the 1950s and 1960s.   Some 20 of his albums reached #40 or better on the country charts, and another 7 did so on the pop charts.  In addition, Atkins was a producer, an arranger, a composer, as well as a collaborator, having played on hundreds of recordings for a variety of artists.

His albums are also highly regarded by audiophiles, as many of them were well-recorded and sound terrific.  They also, by and large, just make for great listening.  By the late 1960s, his pop chart activity was mostly behind him, but most of his releases sold well on the country charts.

Class Guitar, released in 1967, was one of those albums that sold “pretty well” by the standards of the day, reaching #26 on the country charts and #189 on the pop charts.

Tracks included some originals, some covers of popular tunes, and some Latin favorites:

Side One
“Yellow Bird” (Keith, Bergman, Luboff)
“Malaguena” (Ernesto Lecuona)
“Morenita Do Brazil” (Farrauto) – 3:02
“Testament of Amelia”
“Acutely Cute” (Atkins) – 2:06
“Little Music Box” (Francisco Tárrega)
“Lagrima” (Tárrega)

Side Two

“El Huma Hua Queno”
“Ave Maria” (Franz Schubert) – 2:42
“Scherzino Mexicano” (Manuel María Ponce)
“Manha de Carnaval (Theme from “Black Orpheus”)” (Bonfa, Maria) – 1:41
“Chancion Triste” – 2:38
“To Be in Love” (Atkins, Jerry Reed)
“I Feel Pretty” (Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim) – 2:20

The American album cover was fairly bland, featuring an inset photo of Atkins against a white background.  In Japan, however, Class Guitar was briefly available with an alternate cover depicting a nude Japanese woman strumming a guitar.  This album was deleted shortly after release and has never been reissued in Japan.

You can see an example of the American cover in the photos.

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Additional information

Weight 12 oz
Dimensions 12.4 × 12.4 × 0.2 in