Jan Akkerman - Tabernakel - Rare MINT 1973 UK 1st Pressing LP - A1/B1 Matrices

	£		16
	$		21

Artist & Title: Jan Akkerman – Tabernakel

Extremely rare MINT 1973 UK FIRST PRESSING 10-track LP, on the green and orange Atlantic label, from the Focus guitarist once voted ‘The Greatest Guitarist in the World’ by the readers of Melody Maker. The Mint Condition record is in the original Near Mint Condition gatefold picture sleeve. See pics. A very nice collector’s copy of this unique showcase of this legendary guitarist’s phenomenal skill and artistry.
Highly desirable for its A1/B1 first pressing matrices and Mint condition vinyl, and increasingly difficult to find in ANY condition, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to add this extreme rarity to your collection at an extremely advantageous price.

Catalogue Number: Atlantic ?– K 40522

Release date: 1973

Overall Grade: Mint/NM (LP/Cover)

Matrix (Runout): Side 1: K 40522 A1    Side 2: K 40522 B1

Notes:
Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studios, New York, N.Y.
An ATCO recording distributed by WEA Records Ltd., ? 1974 ©
Sleeve printed and made in England by Gothic Print Finishers Ltd., London, SE9.
Made in UK.

This rare LP from Akkerman at the height of his career with Focus is hardly ever offered for sale in this, or any, condition.

“Akkerman's best solo effort. A rock guitar god playing a lute and making renaissancy musical pieces!”

This is the extremely rare real thing: a genuine MINT 1973 UK first pressing. The record is in mint condition and the cover is in near mint condition. All items are free from any major defects. See pics. All items are the genuine originals bought together by me in 1973, not reprints or replacements. The LP is the original 1973 UK stereo LP, which was only played once or twice on top-end audiophile equipment and lovingly cared for.

“With all the brilliancy present in the ‘Profile’ album, I have to prefer ‘Tabernakel’ as the most accomplished exposition of Jan Akkerman's main interests as an art-rock devotee (performer and creator) during his glorious days back in the 70s.”

Akkerman is a distinctive guitar player, constantly experimenting with new equipment and guitars. Akkerman's distinctive sound is characterised by his pioneering use of volume swells which produce a smooth, fluty, sustained tone, and other complex techniques such as sweep picking, tapping, and high-speed alternate picking. He also pioneered the use of the lute in a rock band, reflecting his interest in medieval and Renaissance music and culture. He first reached world acclaim in the 1970s when he was seen as the core of the Dutch rock band, Focus, together with Thijs van Leer.
Akkerman joined the Thijs van Leer Trio in late 1969 which, as the nascent band Focus was the pit band for the Dutch theatrical production of "Hair" (recorded as an album in 1969). Continuing under the name Focus, the band explored the progressive rock genre (an amalgam of classical, jazz, and rock music in short and extended instrumentals) and scored a few worldwide hits in the seventies (the singles "Hocus Pocus" and "Sylvia" and the certified Gold albums "Moving Waves" and Focus III). In 1973 Akkerman was chosen 'Best Guitarist in The World' by the readers of the UK magazine, Melody Maker. His standing was such that he teamed up with manufacturer Framus to produce one of the first 'signature' guitar models.

This may be your only ONCE IN A LIFETIME chance to own this rare piece of music history in this condition.

 “Arguably Jan Akkerman`s best solo project and the one with the most appeal for fans of seventies progressive rock with Akkerman in full classical modus operandi.”

Tabernakel -- which, despite being third in most discographies, was actually Jan Akkerman's first official solo album -- must have been a real shocker to a lot of Focus fans. Rather than working from the flashy, electric guitar side of the group's sound, Akkerman chose to expand on the lute sound that he'd explored on Focus III's "Elspeth of Nottingham." Tabernakel represented Akkerman at his most formalistic, playing almost entirely in a classical idiom on lute and acoustic and electric guitars (with one brief side trip to the bass). The repertory is drawn largely from 16th century Tudor England, including compositions by John Dowland and Antony Holborne, rearranged by Akkerman and harpsichord virtuoso and scholar George Flynn. He gives one major concession to progressive rock in the form of the fuzz-laden reinterpretation of "House of the King," which misses the flute part from the Focus original but is still worth hearing as a guitar showcase. Tabernakel is otherwise the real article as far as its classicism -- the 14-minute-long "Lammy" comes close to being pretentious without quite crossing the line, and all of the album is a fascinating solo departure for the guitarist. What makes this album doubly intriguing is that apart from Flynn, Akkerman's accompanists come entirely from the rock world: Tim Bogert, Carmine Appice, and veteran R&B drummer Ray Lucas, none of whom seems to skip a beat in their work here. Recorded at Atlantic Records' studios in New York and released in 1974, when Focus was still near the peak of its fame, Tabernakel sold reasonably well at the time, but had been unavailable from the late '70s until 2002, when Wounded Bird Records reissued it in a good-sounding CD edition.

A fantastic time warp example of this rarity in amazing condition, a true investment grade item - get it while you can!

AND IT MUST SELL IN THIS ONCE ONLY AUCTION

You can read more about this album, Jan Akkerman and Focus all over the web.

I pack my records professionally in stiff corrugated cruciform record boxes leaving the Vinyl (housed in anti-static bags) outside the Sleeve.

Postage discounts for multiple orders are available: £1 per additional LP, up to a maximum of 4, in the UK.
£4 per additional LP, up to a maximum of 4, in the Rest of the World.

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“Superb piece of vinyl - wonderfully packaged”

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