Elvis Costello The Costello Show King Of America 1986 German Press ZL70946

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Record Title: King of America

Artist: The Costello Show (Elvis Costello)

Label: F-Beat Records

Catalog Number: ZL 70946

Release Year: 1986

Country of Manufacture: West Germany

Format: 12” LP, Stereo

Speed: 33 1/3 RPM

Matrix/Runout (Side A): ZL 70946-A

Matrix/Runout (Side B): ZL 70946-B

Label Code: LC 6792

Provenance: BBC Gramophone Library

Library Stickers: Present on both front and back covers, as well as stamped on Side B label. Library card affixed to front sleeve with requisition dates and barcode label “1760482”.

King of America is the tenth studio album by Elvis Costello, though released under the pseudonym “The Costello Show featuring The Attractions and Confederates.” Issued in 1986, it marked a stylistic shift from the more abrasive, new wave sounds of earlier records to a more roots-oriented and Americana-influenced approach, driven by Costello’s collaboration with producer T-Bone Burnett.

The record includes standout tracks like “Brilliant Mistake,” “Indoor Fireworks,” and “I’ll Wear It Proudly,” and features contributions from prominent session musicians under the name “The Confederates.” It was released on F-Beat Records in the UK and Europe, with this particular pressing manufactured in West Germany.

This is a first West German pressing of the album from 1986. The etched runout matrix numbers (ZL 70946-A / ZL 70946-B) match known first pressing identifiers. The record was distributed in Europe by RCA/Ariola and pressed by Sonopress, a common manufacturer for F-Beat pressings at the time.

The labels are the correct pale grey with F-Beat logo at the top and full track listings in a clean serif font. The vinyl itself shows no major visual defects and appears to grade visually as VG+.

• Vinyl Condition: Visually VG+ — faint superficial sleeve scuffs and some light dust, but no deep scratches or warping observed.

• Sleeve Condition: VG — Light edgewear and mild ringwear under the protective sleeve; BBC library card and sticker present, which may reduce value to casual collectors but increase desirability among archivists and institutional collectors due to provenance.

Please understand that this is an official UK archival record from the British Broadcasting Corporation and the sleeve(s) may contain archival stickers from the BBC. Some of these stickers are 'on top' of the plastic with some 'underneath' (i.e. on the sleeve itself). Some sleeves have been 'laminated' either by way of 'punching' the plastic wallet to two parts of the sleeve or by fully wrapping the plastic to the sleeve. Where sleeves are laminated stickers can be removed with the use of appropriate sticker removal fluids however it is unlikely that stickers can be removed from any sleeves that are not laminated. The sleeves as such in this collection are generally graded as VG with the records often VG+ to Ex+.