VELVET UNDERGROUND - WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT (V6-5046) 1968 IN SHRINK/NM- VINYL

$

29

PLEASE NOTE:  There are 150 different versions of this recording listed in Discogs.  Determining the exact release is nearly impossible.  Rather than try to be specific and possibly be wrong, the following attributes are provided so that, if the precise release is important to you, you can make the determination. That said, this is an East Coast pressing by virtue of the block-shaped S in the runout wax.

- Dark blue w/silver print Verve "T" Label
- No "1350 Avenue of America" address on label
- No Skull & Crossbones shadow on jacket cover
- Correct song title of "Here She Comes Now" on label and jacket
- Lou Reed credited for "Guitar" not "Lead Guitar:
- No credit for Andy Warhol on back jacket
- Publishing credit on label to "Three Prong Music"
- 1 1/4" pressing ring
- Sideways block-style "S" in runout wax (signifies MGM Record Manufacturing Division, New Jersey)
- Runout Matrix "V6-5046 SIDE 1 MGS-1258"
- Spine reads "V6-5046   WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT   THE VELVET UNDERGROUND    VERVE"

CONDITION DETAILS:

JACKET (G+)  Jacket in full shrink with one small tape repair bottom right.  Cover is completely intact, but has wrinkles, staining, and some paper cracking and peeling under the shrink from old moisture damage. Bottom seam feels slightly soft, but there are no splits or separations. Top seam is solid. Bottom half of spine is a little soft with some paper cracking visible, but again, no splits.  Top left corner is perfectly square and firm.  Top and bottom right corners have a bit of fray, no separations.  Bottom left corner is square with a touch of softness. The jacket is completely functional and houses the vinyl quite well.  NO CUTOUTS.

VINYL (NM-)  This is a top-notch collector-grade platter with 100% gloss, a nice sheen, and virtually no scratches or scuffs.  The disc plays remarkable quietly (unlike the music!) and there is no inner groove chatter to be heard.  Admittedly, the music saturation on this disc makes it hard to hear the true groove status, but visually and by listening between tracks and in the run-in and run-out grooves confirms just how well-preserved this vinyl is. The only distraction to the disc is that side 1 of the label has some light staining, fade spots and minor scuffs, and side 2 only the faintest of fade spots. (All fully disclosed in pix.) My NM- disc grade includes a downgrade for the label.

INSERTS - None.  The original blue Verve/MGM printed inner sleeve is included.  Each of the 3 seams has a short piece of transparent tape repair.

PERSONAL NOTES ON THE MUSIC -

The Velvet Underground are a historic and hugely influential band coming from New York City. This is their second and most rowdy release for the Verve/MGM label and it is truly hard to describe musically.  It nearly defies labeling.  Part garage rock, part psychedelic, part punk, part avant-garde, part pure, simple noise (e.g. "Sister Ray"), it is a pure cacophony of sounds, rhythms, moods and emotions.  Compared with the VU's other releases, this one stands totally alone.  Of the more conventional songs here, "Lady Godiva's Operation" is a standout and has a moody, psych-ish groove to it. Back in the day, you could hear this one on "underground" FM radio.  Also "The Gift" is a fairly cool, if overly long, narrated tale of a lover MAILING himself to his girlfriend so that he can be with her.  Yes - you read that correctly.  Only the VU.  This record is truly an enigma!  No real 60s/70s rock collection is complete without one.

GENERAL NOTES -

I describe my records with as many details as possible, because I want you to get what you think you're getting.  I have been a buyer of records on eBay for many years and I know just how sparsely and/or inaccurately described so many records are.  I want this to be a positive buying experience for you.  My photos accurately show the full jacket (front and back), full disc (front and back), special sleeves or inserts (front and back), as well as an angle view of the spine.  All my records have been shelf-stored vertically in a non-smoking home since their purchase.  They have only been played on high-quality vintage turntables using audiophile-level cartridges and styli (eg. currently using Shure M97xE) at a tracking force of 1.5g+.

Many, but not all, of my records were purchased new back in the 60s/70s for my original collection.  As a matter of practice, to preserve the cover artwork (which is an integral part of the LP experience), I would tape the freshly sliced shrink wrap to the mouth edge of the albums - a practice I still follow today.  Unfortunately, some of them got wet back in the '80s and suffered various degrees of moisture damage to the jackets and sometimes the record label, but the vinyl was largely unaffected.  All such covers are accurately pictured and described - no secrets.  But even with the damage, these jackets are mostly intact and still do a good job of storing the record.  For those copies, if you have a better jacket but some worn out vinyl, there’s a good chance that my vinyl will be an upgrade in listening experience.

Condition is Used. Shipped with USPS Media Mail. THE VINYL WILL BE PACKED OUTSIDE OF THE JACKET TO HELP PREVENT SEAM SLITS DURING SHIPPING