LEONARD COHEN SONGS OF COHEN 1st ALBUM RARE ORIG '67 COLUMBIA LP RARE 1st COVER

$

48

WE CURRENTLY HAVE   MORE THAN 30   LISTED ITEMS

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·       LEONARD COHEN - SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN (LEONARD COHEN'S FIRST ALBUM) – ORIGINAL COLUMBIA RECORDS 1967 STEREO LP CS-9533

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       VERY RARE ORIGINAL , FIRST VERSION OF THE COVER WHICH SHOWS LEONARD COHEN’S NAME SPLIT IN TWO (2) LINES  AND HIS LAST NAME SPILLING OVER ONTO THE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO OF OUR HERO (PRACTICALLY ON HIS FOREHEAD!)  THE LATER PRESSINGS PUSH “COHEN” ABOVE HIS PHOTO AND ONTO THE BLACK BORDER AND COMPRESS HIS NAME INTO ONE LINE!

·       NOTE: ALL MONO PRESSINGS OF THIS ALBUM (WHICH ARE EXCEPTIONALLY RARE) HAVE THIS, RARE COVER; HOWEVER, VERY FEW STEREO COVERS WITH “FOREHEAD” TITLE EXIST: THIS IS ONLY THE FOURTH STEREO “FOREHEAD” COPY WE HAVE SEEN IN A LIFETIME OF COLLECTING! (ALL EUROPEAN COVERS ARE THE TWO-LINE VARIETY, THOUGH)!

·       ORIGINAL RED & WHITE "360 STEREO" COLUMBIA LABEL

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

·       ORIGINAL, THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE); SORRY, INSERT (LYRICS SHEET) NOT INCLUDED.

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS (SMALL WRITING NOTED ON ONE OF THE LABELS)

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH '-1B/-1B'.  ON SOME LABELS,  SUFFIX '–1' DENOTES THE VERY FIRST, ORIGINAL PRESSING)

·       MACHINE-STAMPED MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) OF THE RECORD

(►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get.  GUARANTEED!)

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At a time when a growing number of pop songwriters were embracing a more explicitly poetic approach in their lyrics, the 1967 debut album from Leonard Cohen introduced a songwriter who, rather than being inspired by "serious" literature, took up music after establishing himself as a published author and poet. The ten songs on Songs of Leonard Cohen  were certainly beautifully constructed, artful in a way few (if any) other lyricists would approach for some time, but what's most striking about these songs isn't Cohen's technique, superb as it is, so much as his portraits of a world dominated by love and lust, rage and need, compassion and betrayal. While the relationship between men and women was often the framework for Cohen's songs (he didn't earn the nickname "the master of erotic despair" for nothing), he didn't write about love; rather, Cohen used the never-ending thrust and parry between the sexes as a jumping off point for his obsessive investigation of humanity's occasional kindness and frequent atrocities (both emotional and physical). Cohen's world view would be heady stuff at nearly any time and place, but coming in a year when pop music was only just beginning to be taken seriously, Songs of Leonard Cohen was a truly audacious achievement, as bold a challenge to pop music conventions as the other great debut of the year, The Velvet Underground & Nico, and a nearly perfectly realized product of his creative imagination. Producer John Simon added a touch of polish to Cohen's songs with his arrangements (originally Cohen wanted no accompaniment other than his guitar), though the results don't detract from his dry but emotive vocals; instead, they complement his lyrics with a thoughtful beauty and give the songs even greater strength. And a number of Cohen's finest songs appeared here, including the luminous "Suzanne," the subtly venomous "Master Song" and "Sisters of Mercy," which would later be used to memorable effect in Robert Altman's film McCabe and Mrs. Miller. Many artists work their whole career to create a work as singular and accomplished as Songs of Leonard Cohen, and Cohen worked this alchemy the first time he entered a recording studio; few musicians have ever created a more remarkable or enduring debut.

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY MARK DEMING, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

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We were completely unaware of the existence of this rare version of the cover of the Leonard Cohen’s first album until our good buddy Bruce Dickinson, a producer at SONY/Columbia records, alerted us to its existence (we should note that Bruce produced the latest, remastered series of Leonard Cohen reissues, masterminding what we believe is one of the finest and most intelligent SONY/Columbia product lines to hit the market in DECADES) [Our hosanahs to Uncle Leo – and to cousin Brucie :- )!]

Apparently, there were two different versions of the cover: the uncommon (presumably the first) version – the one we have here - had album title broken into two  lines – not one line, as found on common, regular copies – and printed on Leonard Cohen’s hair (practically on his forehead); after a brief press run of probably no more than a few hundred copies, this layout was changed in favor of a more common and better known one (which appears on all pressings after 1968), in which the title of the album is compressed into a single line, pushed further up, way beyond his hairline (there were also a few other, minor, layout differences between the two versions, too minute to elaborate here).

From what I understand (I may be wrong), when the remastered CD line was being discussed with Mr. Cohen, SONY suggested that the first (rarer) version of the album’s artwork be used, but this was rejected by Leonard Cohen, who opted to go with a later, more familiar, version – leading me to believe that the decision to scrap the “forehead title” four decades ago was primarily Cohen’s own, rather than Columbia’s preference.

For additional details on this classic Leonard Cohen album click here

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

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·                               CONDITION:

·                               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 STRONG VERY GOOD+(+) . CAUTION: The vinyl is NOT MINT or NEAR MINT, but is nevertheless in a very nice and clean condition. There are some surface marks and abrasions, mostly light and superficial, although some may be longer than 1.1/4 inches (1 inch = 2.5 centimeters)

(b)          The record comes in the original stock inner sleeve.

(c)           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!

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

·       COVER (this is the original, “forehead title” cover)

THE COVER IS ABOUT VERY GOOD+ (VG+)

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        Cover has a partially split bottom seam (between 2 and 4 inches  / 5 to 10 centimeters)

-        Cover has a partially split spine (between 1 and 2 inches  / 2.5 to 5 centimeters)

-         Cover has some visible fraying/tattering on all three seams

-         Cover has some light ring wear (nothing significant); 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 4

-         Cover has some writing on its back side (name of the previous owner written in thin, faded black marker, about 1½ x 1/2 inches in size)

-         Cover shows some light yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging   (nothing significant).

-         Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine

-         Cover has all four corners slightly worn (nothing significant)

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No dirt/dust rubbing stains (friction marks caused by rubbing against other covers)

-        No stamps

-        No peel-off marks

-        No stains

-        No mold or mildew spots

-        No stickers or labels

-        No water damage

-        No razor marks, scratches, pressure marks, lines, streaks, or  cuts.

-        No warping

-        No wax, glue, paint or liquid drops on the cover

-        No glue traces or wax residue.

-        No bar codes

-        No RIAA stamps or stickers. 

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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 that you pay for USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment in order to obtain tracking information, which is NOT available for First Class International shipments.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from country to country. 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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