THE RAREST AMERICAN CLASSICAL LP COPLAND SOMETHING WILD

$

538

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·       AARON COPLAND – SOMETHING WILD (ORIGINAL 1961 MOVIE SCORE, LATER ADAPTED FOR BALLET) – MONSTROUSLY RARE PRIVATE PRESSING INTENDED AS A GIFT TO JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY) - ORIGINAL 1961 STEREO LP (PRIVATE PRESSING: NO LABEL, NO NUMBER)

· UNIDENTIFIED ORCHESTRA, BELIEVED TO BE THE HOLLYWOOD STUDIO ORCHESTRA, CONDUCTED BY COPLAND HIMSELF (ACCORDING TO THE CD LINER NOTES)

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       BY FAR THE RAREST PRESSING OF ANY AMERICAN CLASSICAL WORK IN EXISTENCE – WE COMFORTABLY AND WITHOUT ANY RESERVATIONS ESTIMATE THAT LESS THAN 5 COPIES SURVIVE WORLDWIDE (IF EVEN). WE CAN ACCOUNT WITH SOME DEGREE OF CERTAINTY FOR ONLY TWO COPIES: THE COPY OWNED BY THE JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY, AND THE ONE OWNED BY THE AARON COPLAND ESTATE. IT IS POSSIBLE – ALTHOUGH EXCEEDINGLY UNLIKELY - THAT TWO MORE COPIES EXIST: ONE IN THE ESTATE OF JACKIE KENNEDY - ONASSIS AND/OR JOHN KENNEDY, Jr. (NONE OF WHICH HAVE TURNED UP FOR AUCTION FROM THESE TWO ESTATES), AND ANOTHER ONE IN THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION IN WASHINGTON, DC. THE OWNERS OF OTHER COPIES, SHOULD THEY EXIST, REMAIN UNKNOWN, WHETHER INTENTIONALLY OR OTHERWISE.

·       PLAIN, WHITE, GENERIC PRIVATE (OR TEST?) PRESSING LABEL WITH A PRINTED DEDICATION TO JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY. THE INSCRIPTION READS: “THE SCORE OF THE FILM PRESENTED TO JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, NOVEMBER 13, 1961” (ALMOST EXACTLY TWO YEARS PRIOR TO JFK’S DEATH IN DALLAS)

·       A QUINTESSENTIAL PIECE OF AMERICAN ART HISTORY

·       THIS PRIVATE PRESSING COMES IN A HIGH-QUILTY GOLD-EMBOSSED ENVELOPE, APPARENTLY PRODUCED AS A FITTING GIFT TO A STATESMAN.

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·    MATRIX STAMP IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) OF THE RECORD: FR-1170-A (DT) JJ7 (SIDE 1) AND FR-1170-B (DT) JJ7 (SIDE 2)

·       BOTH ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES AND THE PRODUCTION STAMPERS OF THIS TITLE HAVE BEEN LOST AND MISSING FOR DECADES. TO REISSUE THIS ALBUM ON CD IN 2003, VARESE-SARABANDE HAD TO RELY ON ONE OF ONLY TWO KNOWN COPIES OF THE LP RECORD (THE ONE LEASED FROM THE COPLAND ESTATE). THE CD MASTERING WAS MADE FROM THE VINYL COPY BY USING EXTENSIVE DIGITAL RESTORATION AND “BAKING”, WHICH DOES NOT DO JUSTICE TO THE INCREDIBLE DYNAMIC RANGE AND SONIC DETAIL OF THIS TRULY AUDIOPHILE, ORIGINAL VINYL PRESSING.

·       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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On November 13, 1961, at a White House gala (perhaps the most celebrated concert given at the White House during the Kennedy years, highlighted by the performance by virtuoso cellist Pablo Casals and attended by more than two hundred invited guests, many of whom were the nation’s most prominent composers and conductors), the Greatest American Composer (Aaron Copland) presented the Greatest American President (JFK) with a unique gift: the personal, private, pressing of his work he was particularly fond and proud of: Copland’s original score to a small, independently produced movie “Something Wild”.

Some controversy persists as to whom exactly received a complementary copy of this bizarrely rare private pressing, but it is a safe guess that JFK, a handful of domestic and/or foreign dignitaries and perhaps a few of the fellow composers or conductors invited for the occasion all received one. All in all, it is EXTREMELY unlikely that more than 10 copies were handed out on this particular occasion (we can’t imagine Copland bringing a truckload of records to the White House; this would have been both unseemly and a significant security risk), although it is possible that additional copies were given to various government officials and civil servants at some later stage. We can only assume – but have no way of proving - that Copland received, and retained, more copies from the pressing plant than he actually needed for the Gala, and that the surplus was distributed to his family, friends or fellow artists and business associates over the years (if so, NONE have turned up so far). The copy we have here bears no imprimatur, signature, accompanying letter or note, or any other sign of personalization that would indicate that it itself was ever a gift to anyone, let alone JFK and WE DEFINITELY DO NOT CLAIM THAT JFK OR HIS FAMILY WERE EVER IN POSSESSION OF THIS ITEM. It appears to be a brand new, unused copy, possibly intended as a gift but never actually presented to anyone in particular.

We cannot even begin to speculate where this pressing – which we assure you is 100% genuine (certificate of authenticity will be provided upon request) – came from, but we acquired it very legitimately from a store located on Queens Boulevard in Woodside, Queens, NY (our home turf) and the ownership of the item is not in dispute. While we can speculate all we want regarding the origin of this piece, we find the simplest explanation to be the most plausible one: namely, only a few blocks from where we found the record, DECCA records used to maintain its old record-pressing facility, which was fully operational when the disc was pressed in the early 60’s. While the pressing plant was put out of commission in the mid-70’s, it is very likely that some of its remnant inventory lingered around in the neighborhood and found its way to the nondescript store where we found it.

For those unfamiliar with the movie, the score was intended to depict the violence, cognitive dualism, social whirlpool, alienation and overall paranoia of urban life in a typical American megalopolis circa 1960. Needless to say, the soundtrack dramatically (over)emphasizes all these elements, and more, weaving them into a incredible tapestry of swirling chaos, dramatic crescendos, barely audible pianissimos and (a)tonal chiaroscuros. We have only played this disc once (it appeared to be completely unplayed when we acquired it, and it still does), and all we can say is that the quality of the pressing and the dynamics of the recording will BLOW YOU AWAY.

Please note: while nothing stipulated on this disc expressly prohibits the sale of this item or otherwise restricts the ownership and/or transfer of this album, we are selling ONLY the single copy of the original vinyl pressing of this album and NOT any copyright or authorship rights. As is the case with most copyrighted works, all such legal rights reside with the artist or his estate. Please be guided accordingly.

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Aaron Copland (1900 – 1990), the dean of American music, composer of Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, Fanfare for the Common Man, Lincoln Portrait, El Salon Mexico, Billy the Kidd and so many more remarkable and now legendary works, held film composition in high regard. Copland himself composed scores for eight films, most notably The Red Pony, Of Mice And Men and The Heiress (for which he received an Academy Award). One of Copland’s finest scores was also his last, a little known film from 1961 called Something Wild.

The film starred Carroll Baker (Baby Doll, Giant) and was directed by Jack Garfein. Mary Ann Robinson (Baker), a young woman living in The Bronx, New York, with her neurotic, overbearing mother and kindly but ineffectual stepfather, is raped while walking home one night. Keeping the attack to herself, Mary Ann runs away, seeking to lose herself in Manhattan by renting a seedy flat and taking a job in a dime store. Overwhelmed by people’s hostility and her own despair, Mary Ann tries to jump off the Manhattan Bridge, only to be “rescued” by Mike, a garage mechanic who takes her back to his modest basement apartment nearby. At first appreciative of Mike’s kindness, Mary Ann becomes terrified when he refuses to let her leave.

It is not overstatement to refer to Copland’s score as one of remarkable genius. Copland himself thought so highly of his work on this picture that he incorporated some of the material into his concert piece Music for A Great City. Amazingly, however, it has taken forty-two years for the original film soundtrack recording to receive it’s first ever release. Something Wild never even received an LP release! But now, Copland’s brilliant score, at turns harsh, violent, harrowing, touching, delicate and beautiful can finally be heard. Featuring the score as conducted by Copland himself, unpublished liner notes by the composer as well as a new note from director Garfein, the release of Something Wild is a major event.

(EXCERPT FROM THE ANONYMOUS ONLINE REVIEW OF COPLAND’S MOVIE SCORE)

THIS IS A RESERVE AUCTION!

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·       CONDITION:

·       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)            WE GRADE THE VINYL AS NEAR MINT. Some VERY LIGHT AND SUPERFICIAL abrasions – mostly sleeve scuffs - are (barely) visible, but are probably inaudible, and do not affect visual integrity or beauty of the vinyl. The original luster is very much intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)            The record is 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!

(c)             Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

·       COVER (gold-embossed portfolio-like envelope)

THE COVER IS NEAR MINT !

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Cover has circular tarnish (grayish, dust-covered sections, which closely follow the contour of the record), probably caused by friction or by rubbing against other covers during the storage. The tarnish is similar in appearance to a common ring wear, but, UNLIKE ring wear, these grayish areas may be possible to clean up with a minor effort and with a right cleansing solution.

-         Cover shows some light yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging.

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-         No split seams

-         No ring wear

-         No cut-out (drill) holes.

-         No cut-out corners

-         No saw-marks or indents

-         No wrinkles or creases

-         No writing

-         No stamps

-         No tearing: no chips, dents or nicks on the seams

-         No peel-off marks

-         No stains

-         No mold or mildew spots

-         No stickers or labels

-         No water damage

-         No razor marks, scratches, pressure marks, lines, streaks, or cuts.

-         No warping

-         No wax, glue, paint or liquid drops on the cover

-         No bar codes

-         No RIAA stamps or stickers.

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

Generally, US POSTAGE is $5.80 FOR THE FIRST ITEM shipped via USPS PRIORITY MAIL (this includes a small $1.00 packaging surcharge).

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE- and insurance rates vary from country to country. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage and insurance rates ►click here. While you can be rest assured that our packaging is careful, sturdy and impact-proof, please note we are NOT responsible for uninsured items.

Media- and Surface Mail rates are available ONLY to orders of $200.00 or more. NO EXCEPTIONS.

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OUR REFUND POLICY :

Cash refund will be granted only for DEFECTIVE items, but we are flexible and reasonable in reviewing the merits of each individual case. We do NOT play-grade records and can only make reasonable inference on the item's condition based on its visual appearance. Every bid carries a risk that purchased item might play worse than its visual grade may indicate. Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►Click here for the full text of our policy .

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