TAJ MAHAL: DEBUT LP 1968 UK DIRECTION 1st *STEREO* w/ RY COODER - NEAR MINT
£
20
$
27
£ 20
Sold For
Aug 29, 2014
Sold Date
Aug 19, 2014
Start Date
2
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
TAJ MAHAL: DEBUT LP 1968 UK DIRECTION 1st *STEREO* w/ RY COODER - NEAR MINT
TAJ MAHALTaj Mahal
1968 UK DIRECTION (8-63279) FIRST PRESSING OF TAJ MAHAL'S DEBUT LP
PRESSED WITH THE FIRST ISSUE YELLOW DIRECTION LABELS
MATRIX: S8 63279 A1 / S8 63279 B1
THE RECORD IS HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL FRONT LAMINATED SLEEVE “Printed and made by Ernest J. Day & Co. Ltd., London W11. Patent Pending”
COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL PLAIN WHITE DIE-CUT INNER SLEEVE
Taj Mahal's debut album was a startling statement in its time and has held up remarkably well.
Recorded in August of 1967, it was as hard and exciting a mix of old and new blues sounds as surfaced on record in a year when even a lot of veteran blues artists (mostly at the insistence of their record labels) started turning toward psychedelia.
The guitar virtuosity, embodied in Taj Mahal's slide work (which had the subtlety of a classical performance), Jesse Ed Davis's lead playing, and rhythm work by Ry Cooder and Bill Boatman, is of the neatly stripped-down variety that was alien to most records aiming for popular appeal, and the singer himself approached the music with a startling mix of authenticity and youthful enthusiasm.
The whole record is a strange and compelling amalgam of stylistic and technical achievements -- filled with blues influences of the 1930s and 1940s, but also making use of stereo sound separation and the best recording technology. The result was numbers like Sleepy John Estes' "Diving Duck Blues," with textures resembling the mix on the early Cream albums, while "The Celebrated Walkin' Blues" (even with Cooder's animated mandolin weaving its spell on one side of the stereo mix) has the sound of a late '40s Chess release by Muddy Waters.
Blind Willie McTell ("Statesboro Blues") and Robert Johnson ("Dust My Broom") are also represented, in what had to be one of the most quietly, defiantly iconoclastic records of 1968
Side One:
Leaving Trunk
Statesboro Blues
Checkin' Up On My Baby
Everybody's Got To Change Sometime
Side Two:
E Z Rider
Dust My Broom
Diving Duck Blues
The Celebrated Walkin' Blues
LABELS: EXCELLENT
Clean, bright, vibrant labels which carry light/moderate spindle traces - seen a few spins but been extremely well cared for
VINYL Visual: NEAR MINT
Both sides shine like-new with nothing but harmless wispy hairlines under bright light
VINYL Audio: NEAR MINT
Superb sound throughout - great STEREO cut - deep, rich and warm and my play-check at volume found nothing to fault bar a little natural surface on the run-ins and between a couple of the tracks - nothing really - sounds great - a fantastic record - very highly recommended indeed
SLEEVE: EXCELLENT
Fine example with a lovely deep gloss to the front laminate and a petty clean unmarked back - some light creases to the extremities and a soft bend to the bottom corner - nothing major
POST & PACKING:
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, NEW INNER SLEEVE WITH ANTI-STATIC LINER, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND AMPLE STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY
UK: FREE (2nd Class Recorded Delivery)
UK: £9.00 (Royal Mail Special Delivery Next Day by 1pm)
EUROPE: Airmail: £14.00 (International Signed For delivery)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £17.00 (International Signed For delivery)
I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period.
However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for in full and will be posted to you.
Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period.
I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
Guarantee: The record is unconditionally guaranteed and I will offer a complete, no quibble refund upon return of the item should you not be pleased with it in any way I will email you when payment has been received to let you know when the item will be posted. Please leave feedback upon receipt of the item so that I know you have received it safely. Thanks 566 (GS 6.7.1 (566))
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