MUDDY WATERS THE BEST OF LP FIRST PRESSING 1957 BLUES HOLY GRAIL

$

425

I am parting with some of my treasured LPs.  On his first LP he called it The Best Of.  He did have a lot of songs, and was a veteran performer by the time he was allowed to record this first LP.  Here's the very FIRST US PRESSING of THE BEST OF MUDDY WATERS The first pressings had the Sheldon recording studios on the back bottom right and the  Photograph by Don Bronstein on the front bottom right, and ARC MUSIC as the publisher on the labels.

• Label Code ((A Side Code)): LP-1427 U-8646
• Label Code ((B Side Code)): LP-1427 U-8647
• Matrix / Runout ((A Side Runout Etching)): 8646 ?502
• Matrix / Runout ((B Side Runout Etching)): 8647

This is an exceptional copy because of the fact that it exists.  It can be considered to be one of the most influential LP's, if only just for the impact it had on the very young Rolling Stones.  It was a radical record at the time.  If you could think about the 1950's, even in Hollywood films married couples could not be filmed in the same bed.  Here we have a black man, before the mainstream civil rights movement began singing songs; I just wanna make love to you, Honey Bee, I'm Ready, Hoochie Coochie, She moves me, etc.. And this is 7 years before those bad boys from Liverpool would shock the world with their long hair and songs like I wanna hold your hand.. For all it's influence, the LP had a limited fan base at the time. These records were used and abused to the point that this LP is incredibly difficult to find in any condition.  
This copy is not perfect, but it's really nice.  The cover is in great shape with some minor smudge on the black between his nose and eyes punctuated by 2 white marks. A 1" small cover bend above his ear, and a front left corner ding.  Seams and spine are perfect. Back cover shows slight toning from age, but almost not worth mentioning.  There is a stamp on the back bottom right that is not on my other copy Looks like a "B" and a lifesaver.  The labels have a good amount of spindle marks but are intact, and bold.  The vinyl has hairlines and some marks on both sides.  It plays well, but with a somewhat consistent background sounds from the vinyl.  There are no pops, skips or jumps at all, and the background sound kind of works with the fact that it's a blues LP.. 
NEAR MINT copies of this have sold for as high as $1200. at auction.  I'm pricing this accordingly.

I love original pressings because I feel every LP is of it's time and place. The vinyl, and record pressings are all from that moment in time, and no re-pressing or re-mastering will ever make the sound better for me.  PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER LPS FOR SALE NOW ON EBAY.  I AM POSTING SOME VERY COOL RECORDS.
SS    = (STILL SEALED) The record itself is in brand new condition, assumed never to have been played.

M      = (MINT)  The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, 
booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

M -    = (MINT MINUS)  MINT- is not MINT but is very close to it, near new, there might be a blemish or two, but overall record and jacket are like new or very close to new.

EX     = (EXCELLENT)  The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight 
wear and / or creasing. 

VG    = (VERY GOOD)  The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the
occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

G      = (GOOD)  The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and 
contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

F       = (FAIR)  The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will 
be torn, stained and / or defaced.

P       = (POOR)  The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

B       = (BAD)  The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection filler

We also use + or - to adjust grades in between, so...this scopes out to: SS/M/M-/EX+/EX/EX-/VG+/VG/VG-/G+/G/F/P/B