Bob Dylan Great White Wonder First Pressing GF 001/2/3/4.
£
75
$
99
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Description
Bob Dylan Great White Wonder First Pressing GF 001/2/3/4.
In August ’69, my mate Jeff came back from a holiday in California and brought five copies of a strange L.P. with him – one each for his brother and close friends. It was a double album in a plain white cover. “What’s this? Call that a present?” we said. Smirking, he replied, “This is the totally illegal album by Dylan that we’ve heard rumours about, with loads of new tracks and some really amazing old ones.”
And lo, it was true. We were some of the first people in the UK to own and hear what was the world’s first rock bootleg. I can’t remember clearly, but I have a feeling that the name, “Great White Wonder” wasn’t used until a few weeks later. Although the sleeve and label were produced in plain white, the Californian shop my mate bought his copies from had helpfully written the track titles in pencil on each label. They would easily rub off but I kept them, at first to know what I was listening to, then later, after reading the full track listings in the music press, decided to leave them. I thought that as some had been mislabelled, (e.g. “Open the Door Homer” on side 4 had been called “Open the Door Richard”) it was proof of my discs’ early pressing status, as whomever had written the tracks on had clearly done so before the listings were easily available. It has the genuine first pressing matrix numbers GF 001/2/3/4. The fact that the sleeve is totally blank also proves that this is a genuine first pressing. For more information just Google!
Side one: Candy Man Ramblin' 'round Black Cross Ain't got no Home Death of Emmett Till Poor Lazarus Side two: New Orleans rag If you Gotta Go, Go Now Only a Hobo Sitting on a barbed wire fence Mighty Quinn (take 1) This Wheel's on Fire Side three: Baby Please Don't Go Interview by Pete Seeger Dink's Song See that my Grave is kept Clean East Orange New Jersey Man of Constant Sorrow Side four: I shall be Released Open the door, Homer (take 1) Too Much of Nothing (take 2) Nothing was Delivered (take 1) Tears of Rage (take 2)
Living the Blues
There are some faint hairline marks on both sides but nothing ugly or deep and the disc retain their deep, black vinyl sheen.The record itself is clean and glossy, but in the words of Rolling Stone Magazine, “Unfortunately, much of the recording quality is poor. (Although it is questionable whether comparisons of this sort can be made fairly when talking about "bootleg" material.) The tracks made with the Band, for example, sound as if run through a paper cup and string. On other songs, however, the sound reproduction is quite good,” However, as the website ‘Pitchfork’ said, “The low grade of the recordings on Great White Wonder only added to their aura, and to the sense that fans were listening in on a secret meeting between collaborators.” But this doesn’t detract from the raw excitement of listening to these tracks, which is still an amazing experience.
The record lays flat on the turntable and plays well without the needle sticking or jumping. The labels show some minimal signs of use and there are no visible spindle scratches. The sleeve is still bright and glossy in good condition, there’s only minimal edge wear and the spine is firm. There isn’t any writing, taping or stickers, but there are a couple of very small greyish discolouration/stains on the inside of the sleeve and a couple of less noticeable ones on the outside. (see photos) But you wouldn’t perceive them unless you were actively searching for them and you have to bear in mind that it’s 47 years old. I can’t remember if the marks were there when I first got the album.
Even if you don’t have a record deck and can’t play it, this album is a lovely piece of genuine memorabilia from a bygone time that changed the world and would grace any collection. I’m not a dealer of any sort, but am just downsizing and having to clear things out. You could accuse me of cashing in – but, when you’re surviving on a poxy pension, you have to take every opportunity I’m starting it at a reasonable price so a genuine fan or collector can enjoy it without paying rip off prices. I’m gradually clearing out my 300+ L.P.’s but, because I feel duty bound to listen to them all for any faults and produce an accurate assessment of the sleeve etc, it takes a long time to list each one. However, if there’s something that you are particularly interested in, feel free to ask if I’ve got it. After that I’ve got to work through 500+ singles and loads of other stuff! Good luck with your bidding and feel free to ask any question.
A Word About Payment and Postage Sorry but I accept Paypal only and it will be posted as soon as payment has cleared, which must be paid within 24 hours of the end of the auction. This may seem harsh but I’m fed up with time wasters! I use 12" Vinyl LP Record Cruciform postal mailers and protect them with an additional layer of bubblewrap. In the UK I use Royal Mail Signed For. If you require some other form of postage/delivery, I’m more than happy providing you meet the extra costs. If you are outside the UK, I will use Ebay’s own service.
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