Archie Shepp ‎– For Losers, Impulse ‎AS-9188, VG/VG++, 1970

$ 25

$ 25 Sold For

Mar 12, 2026 Sold Date

Mar 2, 2026 Start Date

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Description

Archie Shepp’s For Losers is one of those Impulse! sleepers that quietly converts people into Shepp fans. It’s a deep slice of late‑60s New York jazz, part political theatre, part blues sermon, part avant‑gospel, and it captures Shepp at a moment when he was expanding the vocabulary of spiritual jazz while still keeping one foot in the blues.

This copy plays beautifully, graded VG cover and a VG++ record, with only faint cosmetic marks that don’t affect the sound. The cover shows honest shelf and handling wear (solid VG) but still presents well. A clean, great‑playing copy of an increasingly hard‑to-find Impulse! title.

What makes this album worth exploring:

Three different sessions from ’68–’69 give the record a shifting, cinematic feel, from fiery horn lines to soulful vocal arrangements.
A heavyweight lineup including Grachan Moncur III, Woody Shaw, Cedar Walton, Joe Chambers, and Wilbur Ware.
The 21‑minute suite on Side B (“Un Croque Monsieur”) is a full journey, spoken word, groove, and free‑jazz tension woven together.
Classic Impulse! production with that warm, wide soundstage that makes even an excellent VG++ playgrade feel immersive.
A perfect entry point for anyone curious about Shepp’s blend of blues, politics, and avant‑jazz without diving straight into his more abrasive titles.

Track listings and information:
A1 Stick 'Em Up Alto Saxophone – Martin Kenyatta
Bass [Fender] – Albert Winston, Wilton Felder
Drums – Beaver Harris
Guitar – Bert Payne
Organ, Guitar – Mel Brown
Piano – Andrew Bey
Tenor Saxophone, Written-By – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Grachan Moncur
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Martin Banks
Vocals – Doris Troy, Leon Thomas, Tasha Thomas
2:05
A2 Abstract
Alto Saxophone – James Spaulding
Baritone Saxophone – Charles Davis (2)
Bass [Fender] – Bob Bushnell
Drums – Bernard Purdie
Guitar – Wally Richardson
Organ – Dave Burrell
Tenor Saxophone, Written-By – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Grachan Moncur
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Jimmy Owens
4:20
A3 I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
Alto Saxophone – Clarence Sharpe
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Vocals – China-Lin Sharpe
Written-By – Duke Ellington, Paul Webster
5:16
A4 What Would It Be Without You
Baritone Saxophone, Flute – Cecil Payne
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Archie Shepp
Written-By – Cal Massey
4:05
B Un Croque Monsieur (Poem: For Losers)
Alto Saxophone – Clarence Sharpe
Baritone Saxophone – Cecil Payne
Bass – Wilbur Ware
Drums – Joe Chambers
Piano – Cedar Walton
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Written-By – Archie Shepp
Trombone – Matthew Gee
Trumpet – Woody Shaw
Vocals – China-Lin Sharpe
21:45

Recorded At – RCA Studios, New York
Record Company – ABC Records, Inc.
Mastered At – Longwear Plating
Published By – Dawn Of Freedom Pub., Ltd.
Published By – Robbins Music
Published By – Charkel Music

Design – George Whiteman
Liner Notes – Archie Shepp
Photography By – Chuck Stewart
Producer – Ed Michel
Supervised By [Session] – Bob Thiele (tracks: A1, A2), Ed Michel (tracks: A3, A4, B)

A1: recorded at RCA Studios, New York City, September 9, 1968.
A2: recorded at RCA Studios, New York City, February 17, 1969.
A3, A4, B: recorded at RCA Studios, New York City, August 26, 1969.

Rights Society (A1, A2, A4, B): BMI
Rights Society (A3): ASCAP
Matrix / Runout (A-side, etched): AS 9188 A LW
Matrix / Runout (B-side, etched): AS 9188 B LW