Original Andy Warhol Banana Cover The Velvet Underground & Nico LP Mono Vinyl VG

$

174

Relisted due to nonresponsive buyer... this has rarely happened to me in 15+ years selling experience on eBay-- so thank you to all the sellers and buyers who keep eBay a great community!

A great copy of the seminal, ground-breaking, astounding 1967 S/T Velvet Underground & Nico Mono LP, inside of the blurred torso gatefold cover marked STEREO on the back. This puzzled me but I have seen reference to such "mixed editions" (ex, here: http://olivier.landemaine.free.fr/vu/discog/lps/usa/lpsusa.html - although the copy described here has a "mono" sticker affixed over the STEREO printed designation).

However another collector said that after the Emerson lawsuit initiated, some  of the extant mono records were placed in the new blurred torso sleeves. Maybe this one just missed the mono sticker?

I am not a professional record dealer, so please ask any questions and reference the photos to ascertain the condition. Compared to the descriptions of other auctions selling for considerably more, this copy looks to be in comparatively clean, but used, shape. It is NOT a perfect, pristine copy but shows wear and tear of being on a shelf for nearly 50 years and lovingly listened to a few times.

Cover: Marked "STEREO"- no evidence of "MONO" sticker as seen on some post-lawsuit editions.  Blurred Emerson torso.  Labelled as V6-5008.

The worst cover damage seems to have come from probably the 1st owner who may have indulged a bit in the excesses extolled in the lyrics-- the perimeter of the banana has a continual outline in red ink and the hypnotic songs "Heroin" and "I'm Waiting for the Man" have been marked as favorites with red ink lines.   Conversely, the Nico -oriented "I'll Be Your Mirror" and "Femme Fatale" have been singled out with a blue asterix. There is also shelf wear/dirt, some impressions/pocks on the back image, some discoloration/wear/ scuffs along the bottom pastedown areas and in the centerfold that seem to be a water stain/age reaction with the glue pasting down the cover paper? I've seem worse yellowing and wear/darker stains on other copies. 

The spine is chipped at the top number, so only "00" is legible, but the band name/label is quite readable. The side of the gatefold sleeve that holds the album have 3.5-4" splits from the open edge on the top and bottom covers. The other side has about a 2" separation between the front cover and interior cover near the top.

The cover has the blurred Emerson torso superimposed over Lou Reed on the back, and the infamous Andy Warhol banana "peel slowly and see" sticker -- mostly intact except for a small area near the top and the extreme bottom tip!  This allows a peek at the pink banana painting.It has been peeled, so there are some wrinkles, tears, and a bit of faded wear here and there but much nicer than the too-clean reissues or the less-than-extant examples often seen for sale. While I've seen much more worn & torn /dirtier covers described as VG or higher, I'll go conservative due to the split edges, wear, scuffs, and writing present and rate this a G+ yet due to the rarity of the relatively intact Warhol artwork that should push this above normal standards.

Wax: Label: blue VERVE with silver print, minimal spindle marks.  Based on the font spacing of the band name, this is believed to be an EAST COAST (NJ I think?) printing, not the usual West Coast version.

"Three Prong Music. All Selections BMI"
"MGM RECORDS - A DIVISION OF METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER, INC. - Made in U.S.A."

• Matrix / Runout (Side A): V5008 side 1 MG 558 Rev
• Matrix / Runout (Side B): V5008 side 2 MG 559

I have not cleaned this record other than a circular light swipe with a record cleaning cloth, as it was already very clean looking and I didn't want to risk damaging it.  There are a few scratches (2-3 larger ones) --some may go away with a proper cleaningvery light scratches/marks. I did not notice any skips, but Side 2 had some surface noise inbetween songs and pops in the quieter spots (not as noticeable when I wasn't standing in front of the player).  Side 1 was much quieter...some soft surface noise could be heard in the spaces between songs or beginnings of the quieter parts but honestly I had to remind myself to go up to the player & turn up the volume to pay attention.  Keep in mind the mono mix has a garage-y, low-fi sound quality that may sound unfamiliar to those used to digital or stereo: it is not wear on the vinyl, that is the true "rough" sound of the mix. So based on other records I've bought/most standard descriptions I'll give this a VG but I suspect others may grade it a VG+ as the wax is shiny and not covered in tiny scratches, dust, or other marks. Do not buy this if you need a pristine, unused, unloved, never-owned-by-a-listener copy. This is a copy that was listened to, yet cherished, and deserves a loving home that will appreciate the avant-garde inspiration of 1960s New York's modern art scene as led by Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable. 

Tracklist 

Companies etc

• Record Company – MGM Records
• Phonographic Copyright (p) – Metro-Goldwin-Mayer Inc.
• Copyright (c) – Metro-Goldwin-Mayer Inc.
• Published By – Three Prong Music
• Engineered At – T.T.G. Studios
• Manufactured By – MGM Records Division

Credits

• Arranged By – The Velvet Underground
• Design [Cover] – Acy Lehman
• Edited By, Remix – David Green, Gene Radice
• Engineer [Director] – Val Valentin
• Engineer [Recording] – Omi Haden
• Lead Guitar, Guitar [Ostrich], Vocals [Vocal] – Lou Reed
• Painting [Cover Painting Banana] – Andy Warhol
• Percussion – Maureen Tucker*
• Photography By [Liner Photos By] – Billy Linich, Nat Finkelstein
• Photography By [Portraits] – Paul Morrissey (2)
• Producer – Andy Warhol
• Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar – Sterling Morrison
• Supervised By [Edited And Remixed Under The Supervision Of] – Tom Wilson (2)
• Viola [Electric], Piano, Bass Guitar – John Cale
• Vocals [Chanteuse] – Nico (3)
• Written-By – Lou Reed