CHEAP THRILLS BIG BROTHER JOPLIN 1ST EDITION MINT STEREO LP R CRUMB COVER

$

29

Vinyl:  side 1:   looks and plays mint

Cover:   classic R. Crumb cover, EX+ (see description)

Labels:  side 1:   mint with no spindle marks        side 2:   same as side 1

Inner:    will ship with an archival inner

Description:   R. Crumb cover with solid seams, crisp opening and a nice square spine, no ring wear on the front and just a trace on the back, there's a small scratch in the "H" of "Thrills" on the front. The mint disc looks like it was never played and the labels are perfect.

Shipping within the US includes tracking.

International shipping is $29 by Registered Mail.

Janis Joplin – vocals, engineer, performer

Peter Albin – bass guitar, guitar

Sam Andrew – bass guitar, guitar, arranger, vocals

James Gurley – bass guitar, guitar, engineer

David Getz – piano, drums

John Simon – piano, producer

Robert Crumb – cover artwork

Big Brother obtained a considerable amount of attention after their 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival and had released their debut album soon after. The album was a great success, hitting #1 on the charts for eight nonconsecutive weeks in 1968. Columbia Records offered the band a new recording contract, but it took months to get through since they were still signed to Mainstream Records. The album features three cover songs ("Summertime", "Piece of My Heart" and "Ball and Chain"). The album also features Bill Graham, who introduces the band at the beginning of "Combination of the Two". "Ball and Chain" is the only song on the album recorded entirely live, and even though the cover credits assert that the live material was recorded at Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium, it was actually taken from a concert at the Winterland Ballroom in 1968. The album's overall raw sound effectively captures the band's energetic and lively concerts. The LP was released in both stereo and mono formats with the monophonic pressing now a rare collector's item. The album had been considered for quadraphonic format in the early 70's and eventually in 2002, was released as a Multichannel Sony SACD. The original quadraphonic mix remains unreleased.

The cover was drawn by underground cartoonist Robert Crumb after the band's original cover idea, a picture of the group naked in bed together, was dropped by the record company. Crumb had originally intended his art for the LP back cover, with a portrait of Janis Joplin to grace the front. But Joplin—an avid fan of underground comics, especially the work of Crumb—so loved the Cheap Thrills illustration that she demanded Columbia Records place it on the front cover.

It is number nine(9) on Rolling Stone's list of one hundred greatest album covers.Initially, the album was to be called Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills, but the title was not received well by Columbia Records. 

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   I ship using standard LP mailers with the record secured outside of the cover to avoid seam splits.

   Domestic shipping includes tracking (with insurance at your option). Records are shipped approximately 3-5 days after your payment clears.

   International shipping is $29 by Registered Mail for LPs selling for $75 or less. If the final price is over $75, then shipping will be by Priority Express for $49 which is the only service that allows full tracking and insurance from the U.S. No exceptions.

   I began buying records in the mid 60’s and I've always been fanatical about record care and storage.

   The records I sell are from my personal collection, including backup copies. I've never been one to buy VG records or anything with an audible scratch, which eliminates the vast majority.

   Over the decades, I've seen grading fads come and go, such as: “visual” grading by people who don't own a turntable; the current use of nonsense grades like NM+ and NM- as well as the dubious belief that there’s no such thing as a mint record.

   I use standard US grading plus the UK grade of EX in order to eliminate the dreaded VG+++.

   Records are first inspected under a halogen light (the only light that shows every flaw) and any blemishes are examined with a 10x power magnifier which allows the grooves to be fully inspected; then they’re play graded on a Linn Sondek LP12.

   As a record buyer, I've had a lot of over graded “garage sale” LPs arrive covered with gritty dust and greasy fingerprints while the seller claims a “visual” grade based on fantasy. Be assured that my records will arrive clean and fingerprint free.

   If I do miss an audible flaw, then kindly contact me and it will be rectified.