FRANK ZAPPA ABSOLUTELY FREE VERY RARE ORIG '67 VERVE LP w/UNBANDED SIDE 1 NICE

$

26

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  NEARLY 200  LISTED ITEMS

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·       FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION - ABSOLUTELY FREE -  ORIGINAL 1967 STEREO VERVE LP V6-5013

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       IMPOSSIBLY RARE PRESSING WITH "UNBANDED" (UNSPIRALED) SIDE 1 !!!! (THE FIRST SIDE DOES NOT HAVE SEGMENTED TRACKS WITH SONG BREAKS IN BETWEEN THE TRACKS,  SHOWING - PERHAPS - THAT ZAPPA SAW THE ENTIRE SIDE 1 AS AN EXTENDED PSEUDO-CLASSICAL SUITE, BUT THAT VERVE, HIS LABEL, PREFERED A MORE "SONG-STRUCTURED" FORMAT; INSTEAD, THIS PRESSING ONLY HAS A SINGLE SIDE-LONG TRACK ON SIDE 1 (EVEN THOUGH THE INDIVIDUAL SEGMENTS ARE LISTED ON THE LABEL !) AS FAR AS WE CAN RECALL ,  THIS IS ONLY THE EIGHTH OR SO SUCH PRESSING WE HAVE ENCOUNTERED IN 47 YEARS OF COLLECTING!  (NOTE: ONLY STEREO 'UNBANDED' PRESSINGS ARE KNOWN TO EXISTS. MONO PRESSINGS WERE ONLY RELEASED AS 'BANDED' PRESSINGS)

·       ORIGINAL BLUE VERVE LABEL WITH SILVER PRINT AND A LARGE "T"-SHAPED LOGO

·       EAST COAST PRESSING

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

·       THICK CARDBOARD GATEFOLD COVER, AMERICAN STYLE

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

(►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH,  SHOWN BELOW; (Note: the image shown is from our previous auction; it appears here for reference only and may not accurately reflect the appearance of this item. The actual item we are offering  is in a somewhat inferior condition than the one shown; to avoid any disappointment, please carefully read the description of the cover’s condition at the bottom of this page.)

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Here’s the album whose musical and historical significance is of truly earth-shaking proportions . If ever there was a REVOLUTIONARY album, this is it (although having to categorize this album as "Classic Rock" was something of a stretch). How many albums can claim to have ignited entire social and political revolutions? This one can: in the late 1960’s, just as both Eastern and Western Europe were up in flames of student protest, and just as Daniel Cohn-Bendit was preaching the virtues of violent overthrow of the burgoisie in burning Paris, Zappa was doing something else: he was lambasting, ridiculing and mocking everything that was petty, ignorant, mentally limited, tyrannical , oppressive and otherwise retarded. In Czechoslovakia, this album fell on fertile ground among the local intellectuals (mind you, we are talking less than a year before Russians came in with tanks and totally different social ideas). One of the local bands, the later-famous "Plastic People of the Universe" took their name from one of the songs on this album; and, of course, Czech president Havel cited Zappa, and this album in particular, as one of his major influences. Still not persuaded? Well, you will be when you hear it. THIS IS THE ALBUM WHOSE IMPORTANCE TRANSCENDS ITS MODEST SALES. GRAB IT BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE DOES.

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The US version of Absolutely Free was due to be released in January 1967. Zappa had wanted the album to include a libretto/lyric insert, but MGM attempted to censor some of the songs and, following a four-month delay, Absolutely Free appeared without the libretto. Another hold-up occurred when MGM's legal department tried to remove the phrase "War means work for all" from the back cover montage. A compromise of sorts was eventually reached and the phrase was printed very faintly in grey!

The sleeve itself was a deluxe gatefold affair which opened vertically. The famous front cover photo of Frank was by Alice Ochs, although Zappa himself was responsible for most of the sleeve artwork. Following MGM's decision to axe the libretto, Zappa made it available separately via his publishing company. It was advertised on the sleeve of Absolutely Free together with the "freak map" which was originally planned to accompany Freak Out!.

From Record Collector magazine #93, May 1987 (quoted by Mikael Agardsson):

TO SEE IF WE HAVE OTHER LISTED ITEMS BY THIS GROUP OR ARTIST ►  CLICK HERE

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·                               CONDITION:

·                               THE RECORD

(IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

(a)          WE GRADE THE VINYL AS EXCELLENT. This is one of those albums that are somewhat difficult to grade. It is somewhere between VG++ and NEAR MINT, just a notch below NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions ARE visible, but they are extremely shallow, superficial  and only moderately visually distracting (nothing significant).For the most part, the vinyl looks impeccable without any MAJOR visual flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          The record is pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording!

(c)           Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

·                               THE COVER

THE COVER IS ABOUT VERY GOOD+ (VG+)

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        Cover has some visible ring wear; On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least, and  10 being the most severe), we assess the severity of ring wear as 6  (front side) and 5 (back side)

-        Cover shows some light yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging (nothing significant); Yellowing is also noted on the INSIDE gatefold

-         Visible shelf wear noted on the  top and bottom seams

-         Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine

-         The gatefold cover has partially split seams on 1 out of 4 "legs" of the cover (about 1 inch = 2.5 centimeters).

-        Cover has three corners slightly worn / dinged  (just a beginning of the split seam)

-         Inside gatefold has circular tarnish (grayish, dust-covered sections, which closely follow the contour of the record),  probably caused by friction or by rubbing during the storage. The tarnish is similar in appearance to a common ring wear, but, UNLIKE ring wear, these grayish areas may be possible to clean up with a minor effort and with a right cleansing solution.

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

We offer THREE postage rates for both Domestic and International Mail: Media Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail for domestic, and First Class, Priority International Mail, and Express International Mail for international orders. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: WE RECOMMEND (BUT DO NOT INSIST) that you select USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from one region of  the world to another. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage rates ►click here. While you can be rest assured that our packaging is careful, sturdy and impact-proof, please note that damage, loss or theft in transit is always possible, and in the case of some countries even PROBABLE. To discuss this potential problem and ensure flawless delivery, please contact us thru eBay BEFORE placing a bid.

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OUR REFUND POLICY :

WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED; Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund Some restrictions apply. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►Click here  for the full text of our policy

FINE (BUT IMPORTANT!) PRINT

 (1) The year indicated in the title bar is the year of the original release,  NOT necessarily the year of the actual pressing; for the actual generation of the pressing, please see our item description (top section, text in red letters). (2) Please do NOT bid based on the title bar, subtitle bar or item specifics box alone; instead, please read the entire description and grading before bidding; (3) Absolutely NO order cancellations after the auction closes. ever, under any circumstances. We can ONLY cancel bids before the item closes. (4) We are unable to cancel bids in the final 12 hours of the auction; if you need to do so, please contact eBay for help (5) We are unable to provide matrix-, stamper- or other pressing  information in the final 24 hours of the auction. If you require this information, please contact us well before the final day of the auction. (6) Yes, we DO combine shipments. Please click on "Shipping and Payment" tab on top of the auction page for additional details. (7)  All Paypal payments must be made from confirmed Paypal shipping addresses. NO third party shipping addresses will be honored  (8) Absolutely NO partial refunds: if you are unhappy with the merchandise you received, please return it for a full refund, postage included (9). Civilized people can disagree without accusing each other of being indecent or dishonest; if you need proof of this seller's personal integrity, please check our eBay feedback, which speaks for itself  (10) All disagreements and miscommunications can be - and will only be - solved in a civil and mutually respectful manner;  please avoid puerile, offensive, abrasive or menacing language (attempted humor is fine and usually appreciated, although overused-to-death sarcasms can be really, really tedious. (11) This seller will accommodate all reasonable requests and is generally a flexible and agreeable person (12) Our love & appreciation for your trust, loyalty and business, always and forever;  Thank You & Good Night!

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