THELONIOUS MONK UNDERGROUND INSANELY RARE ORIG '68 WHITE LBL PROMO-ONLY MONO LP

$

154

WE CURRENTLY HAVE   NEARLY 1,000   LISTED ITEMS

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·       THELONIOUS MONK with CHARLIE ROUSE AND OTHERS – UNDERGROUND – ORIGINAL 1968 COLUMBIA RECORDS STEREO LP CS-9594(PLEASE NOTE: THE RECORD HAS INCORRECT (STEREO) CATALOG NUMBER (APPARENTLY, COLUMBIA NEVER ASSIGNED A MONO CATALOG NUMBER TO THIS TITLE)  BUT THE LABEL BANNER AND MATRIX NUMBER CORRECTLY IDENTIFY THE PRESSING AS MONO

·       WINNER OF A 1968 GRAMMY FOR THE BEST JAZZ COVER ARTWORK (AND WHAT A GREAT, CLASSIC ARTWORK IT IS – QUITE POSSIBLY THE GREATEST JAZZ COVER, EVER !!!)

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       *** WHITE LABEL PROMO ***

·       *** IN ADDITION,  THE PROMOTIONAL TIMING STRIP ON THE COVER CLEARLY IDENTIFIES THE ITEM AS PROMOTIONAL ***

·       *** ULTRA-RARE PROMOTIONAL-ONLY MONO COPY; MONO VERSION OF THIS ALBUM WAS NEVER COMMERCIALLY RELEASED IN ANY WAY OR FORM ***

·       ORIGINAL COLUMBIA MONO LABEL, LATE '60s STYLE, WHITE PROMOTIONAL VERSION

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

·       ORIGINAL, THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE)

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH '-1A/-1A'.  ON SOME LABELS,  SUFFIX '–1' DENOTES THE VERY FIRST, ORIGINAL PRESSING)

·       MACHINE-STAMPED MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) OF THE RECORD

·       MONO version of this album has NEVER been available on legitimate Compact Disc or in any other digital format.

(►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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This release has long been considered Thelonious Monk's acknowledgement to the flourishing youth-oriented subculture from whence the collection takes its name. Certainly the Grammy-winning cover art -- which depicts Monk as a World War II French resistance fighter toting an automatic weapon -- gave the establishment more than the brilliant swinging sounds in the grooves to consider. Underground became Monk's penultimate studio album, as well as the final release to feature the '60s quartet: Charlie Rouse (tenor sax), Ben Riley (drums), and Larry Gales (bass) behind Monk (piano). One of the motifs running throughout Monk's recording career is the revisitation of titles from his voluminous back catalog. The tradition continues with the autobiographical leadoff track, "Thelonious." The instantly recognizable stride piano lines are delivered with the same urgency and precision that they possessed over two decades earlier when he first recorded the track for Blue Note. The presence of Charlie Rouse throughout the album is certainly worth noting. "Ugly Beauty" best captures the sacred space and musical rapport that he and Monk shared. Each musician functions as an extension of the other, creating solos that weave synchronically as if performed by the same pair of hands. Newer material, such as the playful "Green Chimneys" -- named after the school Monk's daughter attended -- as well as the unbalanced hypnotism of "Raise Four," asserts the timelessness and relevance of Monk's brand of bop. The disc ends as it begins with a new twist on an old favorite. Jon Hendricks -- who provides lyrics and vocals on "In Walked Bud" -- recalls the hustle and bustle of the real and spontaneous underground Harlem jam sessions of the late '40s. It is likewise an apt bookend to this chapter in the professional life of Thelonious Monk.

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

What we have here technically DOES NOT EXIST and is not supposed to exist. To our best knowledge, the existence of this PROMO-ONLY mono version of this great Jazz concert session has never been substantiated, and none of the price books and guides currently in print make any reference to its history or background. According to both Tim Neely and Neil Umphread price guides (multiple editions), there is no such thing… The historical importance of this item cannot be overestimated: this is an equivalent of discovering a long-lost animal or plant species!!!.

THE WHITE LABEL PROMO, RADIO STATION-, AUDITION OR DEMONSTRATION COPIES AND RELEASES (such as the one we have here) were often distributed to the radio stations before the record was released to the public, sometimes as much as four months ahead. These records are generally considered to be the "first among equals": the VERY FIRST generation and the VERY FIRST pressings of the particular title; a PROTOTYPE and the earliest known official pressing of the record  (a rather moot point here,  since this rare promo-only MONO version of the album was never commercially released to begin with).

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:

·                               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 EXCELLENT. This is one of those albums that are somewhat difficult to grade. It is somewhere between VG++ and NEAR MINT, just a notch below NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions ARE visible, but they are extremely shallow, superficial  and only moderately visually distracting (nothing significant).For the most part, the vinyl looks impeccable without any MAJOR visual flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is 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)             White Label Promo-only MONO version of this title is much rarer that a regular, commercially released, stock, stereo version of this title. We estimate that stock copies of this album outnumber mono white label promos by a ratio of at least 200:1.

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

·       COVER

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT VERY GOOD++ (VG++).

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Back cover has a few yellowish dust speckles scattered here and there (these tiny spots are not overly obtrusive or distracting)

-         Cover has JUST A HINT of 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 2.

-         Cover shows some yellowing on back side, apparently from aging.

-         Minor shelf wear noted on the seams (nothing significant)

-         Cover has one corner slightly worn / dinged / bent.

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        No split seams

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No wrinkles or creases

-        No writing

-        No stamps

-        No peel-off marks

-        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 glue traces or wax residue.

-        No bar codes

-        No RIAA stamps or stickers. 

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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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