BEN E. KING SPANISH HARLEM RARE ORIG '60 ATCO STEREO LP ON YELLOW 'HARP' LABEL

$

21

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 300  LISTED ITEMS

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·       BEN E.KING - SPANISH HARLEM - ORIGINAL 1960 ATCO RECORDS STEREO LP  SD-33-133

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       EXTREMELY RARE ORIGINAL STEREO PRESSING, MANY TIMES RARER THAN MONO

·       ORIGINAL YELLOW ATCO LABEL WITH "HARP" LOGO, LATE 50’s STYLE.

·       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)

·       ORIGINAL LAMINATED COVER

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       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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A close look at this album reveals just how ambitious Atlantic Records could be in the early 1960s, in generating LPs. Technically speaking, Ben E. King's debut long-player is a concept album -- or, at least, a thematic album. Put together in the wake of his first solo hit, "Spanish Harlem," a Latin flavor and beat run all the way through this 12-song platter, which, at times, is really more of a pop record than a soul record. The dense, busy string section that characterized most of King's work of this era is present, and a lot of his singing may recall more the work of Sammy Davis, Jr. than that of any R&B artist one might think of from this period. And apart from the Jerry Leiber/Phil Spector co-authored title hit, most of what is here dates from a decade or more (sometimes several) earlier -- "Frenesi," "Besame Mucho," and "Perfidia" were standards during the big-band era, and most of the rest is of similar or even older vintage. All of which doesn't mean that it is bad -- King's version of "Besame Mucho" is a very successful reinterpretation in a Latin soul vein, and "Perfidia" never sounded better than it does in his hands, even if it and a lot of the rest is a long way from what most of us define as "soul." And for better or worse, the production is first-rate within the context of King's established sound, with a phenomenal string section and a percussion section to die for.

(REVIEW REPRINTED COURTESY OF BRUCE EDER, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

ONE OF THE SINGULARLY IMPORTANT ALBUMS OF THE EARLY SOUL ERA - AND A SINGULARLY GREAT ARTIST AND PERFORMER - BEN E.KING RECORDED THIS MILESTONE OF BRILL BUILDING POP/EARLY SOUL IN 1960 TO RAVE REVIEWS. IF YOU ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE TITLE TRACK - PENNED BY MR.PHIL SHOOT-`EM-ALL SPECTOR HIMSELF - YOU MUST HAVE SPENT THE LAST 40 YEARS ON A DESERT ISLAND. THE SONG IS ONE OF MOST COVERED SONGS OF ALL TIME, WITH ARETHA FRANKLIN OFFERING THE SECOND-BEST VERSION (INFERIOR ONLY TO THE ORIGINAL). THIS IS THE VERY FIRST PRESSING, ON A YELLOW "HARP" ATCO LABEL.

For additional historical information on this album, including track listing ►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 STRONG VG++, JUST A NOTCH BELOW NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions (probably just sleeve scuffs inflicted in storage over the years) ARE VISIBLE, but they appear fairly  insignificant relative to the overall condition of the vinyl, and are only moderately visually distracting. For 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 comes in the original stock inner sleeve.

(c)           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!

(d)          Stereo  pressing of this title is much rarer, and by far more preferable to its mono  counterpart. The mix is more graphic, the sound resolution more precise, and the channel separation (which does not exist on mono version) adds a whole new dimension to the music. Also, the stereo mixes are (by definition) somewhat different than on the mono version. We estimate that mono copies of this album outnumber stereo copies  by a ratio of at least 10:1.

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

·       COVER (THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, LAMINATED, GLOSSY COVER):

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

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Cover has some light 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 3   (VISIBLE ON BACK SIDE ONLY)

-         Cover shows some light yellowing on back side, apparently from aging  (nothing significant).

-         Cover has a minor wrinkle (crease) in the cardboard base on the front panel (a minor cover construction flaw)

-         Cover has two corners slightly worn / dinged (nothing significant)

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

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