ALBERT KING, Born Under A Bad Sign [Stax] stereo USA 1st pressing LP

$

200

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Albert King ?– Born Under A Bad Sign Label: Stax ?– S 723 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo  Country: US Released: 1967 Genre: Blues Style: Electric Blues, Rhythm & Blues, Delta Blues Tracklist Hide Credits A1 Born Under A Bad Sign Written-By – Booker T. Jones, William Bell 2:45 A2 Crosscut Saw Written-By – R.G. Ford 2:31 A3 Kansas City Written-By – Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller* 2:29 A4 Oh, Pretty Woman Written-By – A.C. Williams 2:45 A5 Down Don't Bother Me Written-By – Albert King 2:13 A6 The Hunter Written-By – Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones, C. Wells*, Donald Dunn*, Steve Cropper 2:43 B1 I Almost Lost My Mind Written-By – Ivory Joe Hunter 3:25 B2 Personal Manager Written-By – Albert King, David Porter 4:28 B3 Laundromat Blues Written-By – Sandy Jones (2) 3:19 B4 As The Years Go Passing By Written-By – Deadric Malone 3:43 B5 The Very Thought Of You Written-By – Ray Noble 3:45 Companies, etc. Distributed By – Atlantic Record Sales Copyright (c) – Atlantic Recording Corporation Mastered At – Atlantic Studios Mastered At – Longwear Plating Credits Design [Cover] – Loring Eutemey Liner Notes – Deanie Parker Supervised By – Jim Stewart Notes Original 1967 Stax stereo pressing made at Atlantic’s pressing plants, as identified by the matrices. Matrices identify this as a 1967 pressing which was pressed at Atlantic Studios using Longwear Plating metalwork and a Scully Lathe.   There are subtle differences compared to the 1968 stereo pressing, which was pressed at Columbia’s plants, including label texture, label font, matrix numbers and vinyl thickness. The original Atlantic pressings have thicker vinyl, slightly lighter yellow labels with slightly different font and crude hand-etched matrices. The Columbia pressings, which were issued during a brief transition in 1968 between Stax’s termination of Atlantic’s distribution and being acquired by Gulf + Western, have thinner vinyl with machine-stamped matrices. 

USA STEREO FIRST PRESSING VINYL ALBUM WITH GENERIC WHITE INNER SLEEVE.

MATRIX:  SIDE A: ST-STX-671057-A. LW AT [W. with three dots above] /  SIDE B: ST-STX- 671057-A. LW AT [W. with 3 dots above].

SLEEVE: VERY GOOD+, JUST MINOR SHELF, CORNER, EDGE AND RING WEAR. A VERY DECENT 50+ YEAR OLD SLEEVE. 

DISC: VISUALLY THE DISC IS EXCELLENT MINUS WITH NO SCRATCHES AND JUST A FEW LIGHT HAIRLINES WITH NO NOTICEABLE SPINDLE WEAR. AURALLY WE GRADE THIS PRESSING A VERY GOOD+ AS IT IS NOT (AS NO YELLOW LABEL ORIGINALS WE HAVE EVER HEARD ARE) A COMPLETELY 'SILENT' VINYL COMPOUND...BUT HEY, THIS IS THE BLUES...IT AIN'T MEANT TO SOUND CLEAN AND DIGITAL, RIGHT?  NO SKIPS OR JUMPS AND AMAZING LOUD MASTERING BY ADRIAN BARBER.  CLEAN LABELS.

Why buy a first or early pressing and not a re-issue or a ‘re-mastered’ vinyl album?

First and early pressings are pressed from the first generation lacquers and stampers. They usually sound vastly superior to later issues/re-issues (which, in recent times, are often pressed from whatever 'best' tapes or digital sources are currently available) - many so-called 'audiophile' new 180g pressings are cut from hi-res digital sources…essentially an expensive CD pressed on vinyl.  Why  experience the worse elements of both formats?  These are just High Maintenance CDs, with mid-ranges so cloaked with a veil as to sound smeared.  They are nearly always compressed with murky transients and a general lifelessness in the overall sound.  There are exceptions where re-masters/re-presses outshine the original issues, but they are exceptions and not the norm.

First or early pressings nearly always have more immediacy, presence and dynamics. The sound staging is wider.  Subtle instrument nuances are better placed with more spacious textures. Balances are firmer in the bottom end with a far-tighter bass. Upper-mid ranges shine without harshness, and the overall depth is more immersive.  Inner details are  clearer.

On first and early pressings, the music tends to sound more ‘alive’ and vibrant.  The physics of sound energy is hard to clarify and write about from a listening perspective, but the best we can describe it is to say that you can 'hear' what the mixing and mastering engineers wanted you to hear when they first recorded the music.  

• 1. USA BY MEDIA MAIL IS $5.99 FOR ANY AMOUNT OF LPs PURCHASED AND PAID FOR AT THE SAME TIME.

          


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