PEARLS BEFORE SWINE BALAKLAVA SEALED ORIG '68 ESP LP w/INSERT FOLK PSYCH CLASSIC

$

55

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  NEARLY 300  LISTED ITEMS

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·       PEARLS BEFORE SWINE featuring TOM RAPP – BALAKLAVA (THE GROUP'S SECOND STUDIO ALBUM)  – ORIGINAL 1968 E.S.P. RECORDS STEREO LP ESP-1075

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

*** STILL SEALED GUARANTEED ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING ***

·       BELIEVED TO BE PRESSED ON THE ORIGINAL, CUSTOM,  PETER BRUEGEL, JR. “TRIUMPH OF DEATH” ESP LABEL, UNIQUE TO THIS TITLE, SUCH AS THE ONE SHOWN BELOW, FROM OUR PREVIOUS AUCTION

·       THE THICKNESS OF THE VINYL, THE APPEARANCE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE COVER, LABEL’S LOGO AND OTHER PERIPHERAL ELEMENTS OF THE COVER, ARE ALL PERFECTLY CONSISTENT WITH THE ORIGINAL, FIRST PRESSING OF THIS TITLE.

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

·       BELIEVED TO INCLUDE ORIGINAL FOLDOUT INSERT / LYRICS SHEET, SUCH AS THE ONE SHOWN BELOW, FROM OUR PREVIOUS AUCTION.

·       THE ALBUM FEATURES WHAT WE BELIEVE IS THE GREATEST COVER ARTWORK IN THE HISTORY OF ROCK (AND, NO – IT WAS NOT DONE BY ANDY WARHOL). Front cover painting by Peter Bruegel, jr. Back cover drawings by Jean Cocteau.

·       THICK CARDBOARD COVER, AMERICAN STYLE

·       VERY THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

(►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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A record that virtually defies categorization, Pearls Before Swine's 1968 epic Balaklava is the near-brilliant follow-up to One Nation Underground. Intended as a defiant condemnation of the Vietnam War, it doesn't offer anthemic, fist-pounding protest songs. Instead, Rapp vented his anger through surrealist poetry, irony, and historical reference: Balaklava was the 1854 Crimean War battle that inspired Alfred, Lord Tennyson to write his epic The Charge of the Light Brigade; in reality, the "Charge" was a senseless military action that killed scores of British soldiers. Balaklava begins with "Trumpeter Landfrey," an 1880's recording of the actual voice and bugle charge of the man who sounded the charge at Balaklava. It makes the transition into "Translucent Carriages," a mix of acoustic guitars, a basic vocal, and ghostly narration ("Jesus raised the dead...but who will raise the living?"), all the more stunning. "Images of April" continues the mystical feel, combining flutes, cricket chirps, and frog croaks for a nether-worldly effect. Rapp virtually cries "I Saw the World," backed by a powerful string arrangement that makes the song even more impassioned. Like One Nation Underground, Balaklava is somewhat unfocused: "There Was a Man" is a little too Dylan-esque, and Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" detracts from Rapp's compositions. Unfortunately, the record closes with "Ring Thing," a morbid piece that refers to Tolkien's famous Lord of the Rings trilogy. Still, this is superb psychedelic music, successfully merging exotic instruments like marimba, clavinet, French horn, and swinehorn with Rapp's unique lisping vocals. But Balaklava isn't just acid-trip background music. It's probably the best example of what Rapp calls "constructive melancholy" (also the name of a recent CD collection of Pearls songs), a combination of the real with the surreal, and it's indispensable to any serious '60s rock collection.

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

For additional historical or discography information on this album, including track listing ►click here

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)          THE ALBUM IS STILL FACTORY SEALED AND IS BELIEVED TO BE PERFECTLY MINT. Please note: sealed items are assumed to be mint and are sold as-is, as we have no way of inspecting them. For our policy on still sealed records ►click here (PLEASE READ BEFORE PLACING A BID).

(b)          The album is believed to include the original insert / lyrics sheet SUCH AS THE ONE SHOWN BELOW, FROM OUR PREVIOUS AUCTION

(c)           The record is apparently 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!!!

(e)           Mono copies of this album are NOT known to exist.

·                               THE COVER

COVER IS (WEAK) NEAR MINT, STILL SEALED AND COVERED IN ITS ORIGINAL ►SHRINK WRAP

(PLEASE NOTE: THE SHRINK WRAP HAS SEPARATED ALONG VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE BOTTOM SEAM; ONLY A SMALL SECTION OF ABOUT 1/2 INCH REMAINS INTACT, BUT THE ALBUM IS STILL VISIBLY SEALED)

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         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 3 (front side) and 1 (back side)

-        Cover has a slight warp in one bottom corner; this will have absolutely no effect on the record.

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

-         Visible shelf wear noted on the bottom seam.

-         Cover has a light "wrinkle" (crease)  in one of the corners.

-         Cover has three corners slightly worn / dinged

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 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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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

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