SEALED LP: JIMMIE SPHEERIS: PORTS OF THE HEART

$

20

Jimmie Spheeris: Ports of the Heart

FACTORY SEALED LP

• Child from Nowhere
• Emerald and the Dream Dance
• It's You They're Dreaming Of
• Captain Comes Cold
• Bayou Eyes
• It's All in the Game
• Hills in My Head
• Whirlpool
• Sweet Separation
• So Darkly Fall the Shadows
• Nightingale Come Sail
• I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

• Andy Markley: Liner Design
• Dan Orbach: Mandolin
• Emile Pandalf: Keyboards
• John Pierce: Bass, Vocals
• Ellen Fitton: Mastering
• Greg LaDayni: Engineer, Mixing
• Johnny Pierce: Bass, Vocals (Background), Executive Producer
• Al Clayton: Photography
• Jerry Simpson: Photography
• Jimmie Spheeris: Guitar, Keyboards, Main Performer, Vocals, Piano
• Emile Pandolfi: Piano
• David Campbell: Strings, Producer, Viola, Violin
• Stanley Clarke: Bass
• Chick Corea: Keyboards, Piano (Electric)
• Jim Cowger: Bass, Wind, Flute, Saxophone
• Jay Ellington: Harp
• Richard Feves: Bass
• Val Garay: Engineer
• John Guerin: Drums
• Bart Hall: Drums
• Wayne Jackson: A&R
• Dennis Kirk: Mixing
• Ed Lee: Design
• Geoff Levin: Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals (Background), Guitar
• Robin Williamson: Oud
• Jackson Browne: Vocals

• Jimmie Spheeris fans owe a major debt of gratitude to Andy Markley, a graphic artist who was among the singer/songwriter's friends. In 1996, Markley created an Internet website called The Jimmie Spheeris Memorial Gallery, which posed the question "Anybody remember Jimmie?"-and it turned out that a lot of people did. Markley was pleasantly surprised when thousands of people from different parts of the world visited the site-Spheeris was hardly a superstar, but the people who were hip to his music were incredibly passionate about it. One of the Spheeris fans who checked out the site was Ken Onstad, president of K-Tel Records. Seeing that there was still a demand for Spheeris' recordings, Onstad hoped to see them back in print-and with Sony's permission, Rain/K-Tel reissued all of Spheeris' Epic titles on CD in the late 199s. One of those reissues was Ports of the Heart, which originally came out in 1976. Produced by David Campbell, Ports was Spheeris' fourth and final album for Epic. Commercially, Spheeris wasn't where he deserved to be in 1976, but creatively, he was on a roll. The L.A. native incorporates a variety of influences on this album, including jazz, folk and country. In fact, jazzmen Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke (both original members of the fusion powerhouse Return to Forever) are among the guests. This time, Spheeris doesn't embrace original material exclusively; though his own songs dominate the album, he pleasantly surprises us by interpreting Tommy Edwards' 1950s hit "It's All in the Game" (whose melody goes back to 1912) and Hank Williams' country favorite "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." But this is a pop-rock album first and foremost, and its contemplative, poetic leanings are pure Spheeris. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

• The poetic singer/songwriter Jimmie Spheeris was born November 5, 1949. His debut LP, Isle of View, was issued on Columbia in 1971 and made him the subject of a rabid cult following, a fan base boosted with the 1973 release of The Original Tap-Dancing Kid. In tandem with producer Henry Lewy, Spheeris resurfaced in 1975 with The Dragon Is Dancing, but after The Ports of the Heart appeared a year later, he found himself without a recording contract, and excepting a 1980 single, "Hold Tight," he released no new music for close to a decade. Finally, in 1984, Spheeris returned to the studio to begin work on his comeback LP; tragically, he was killed by a drunk driver on the morning of July 4, 1984, just hours after the record's completion. The album, simply titled Spheeris, was privately issued later that same year.

• This record came from a record store called "Phantasmagoria" which was located in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Phantasmagoria went out of business in 1978. I purchased most of their unsold inventory some years later when I owned "Music Madness" - a new & used record store in Catasauqua, Pennsylvania.
• Phantasmagoria used round colored stickers to indicate the price of the albums. They had a chart on the wall with the color sticker combinations for the customers to use so they knew the price of the albums. Most of the albums still have these stickers on them, and in some rare cases, the stickers are written on. Some of the records have prices on them. This is the price you would have paid for the record in 1978 if you would have bought it at Phantasmagoria. Please don't confuse these prices with their current value.
• All sealed albums are being sold as collector's items and cannot be returned due to manufacturer's defects. It may be almost impossible to replace many of the sealed albums that I am selling.

• If I list an album as "New", but not sealed, it is because the album is probably an import or from a small USA record company. Back in the 70's, many imported albums were not sealed by the record companies, and the importers/distrubutors did not spend the time or money to seal them before being sent to the stores. I will not knowingly misrepresent an album as new if I have any doubts.
  
• All pictures are of the exact item being sold.
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• All album reviews, credits and artist biographies are from All Music Guide. If you haven't been to their web site, you have to check it out. It's one of the most comprehensive music references on the internet. In some cases, credits may include reissue (CD) information. Obviously any credits referenced to CDs do not apply to this album release.

Shipping and pick-up

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