CHICAGO 5½: LIVE IN JAPAN RARE ORIG '72 JAPAN-ONLY AUDIOPHILE 2-LP SET w/INSERTS

$

81

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 400  LISTED ITEMS

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·       CHICAGO – LIVE IN JAPAN – VERY RARE ORIGINAL JAPANESE-ONLY RELEASE, SOMETIMES LOVINGLY REFERRED TO AS "CHICAGO 5.½" AS IT IS CHRONOLOGICALLY WEDGED BETWEEN CHICAGO V (1972) AND CHICAGO VI (1973), BUT DOES NOT FOLLOW THE USUAL CHICAGO ALBUMS-NUMBERING CONVENTION – 1972 SONY/COLUMBIA (JAPAN) STEREO AUDIOPHILE GRADE 2-LP SET (DOUBLE ALBUM) SOPJ-31-32-XR

·       ORIGINAL JAPANESE PRESSING

·       ORIGINAL CUSTOM RED (ORANGE)  SONY JAPAN LABELS WITH THE THE BLACK CHICAGO LOGO ON TOP

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

·       EXTREMELY STURDY, HIGH-GRADE GATEFOLD COVER, MADE OF THICK CARDBOARD (AMERICAN STYLE) 

·       ORIGINAL "TEXTURED" (LEATHER-LIKE) COVER (THE COVER ARTWORK EMULATES THE BRANDED LEATHER BAG).

·       INCLUDES BOTH ORIGINAL 2-PAGE INSERTS: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LYRICS SHEET AND THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE LYRICS SHEET

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       FAIRLY THICK VINYL PRESSING On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least thick, and  10 being the thickest), we assess the thickness of the vinyl as 7.

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

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH '-A1/-A1/-A1/-B1'.  ON SOME LABELS,  SUFFIX '–1' DENOTES THE VERY FIRST, ORIGINAL 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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This double-length set, not the "legendary" four-LP Carnegie Hall concert, is the one to get to hear what Chicago sounded like in their classic early period. In contrast to the Carnegie Hall show, where the band emphasized its precision to the point of deadening any excitement that might have been generated, here Chicago sounds upbeat and lively, bent on giving a good, exciting show and not on capturing a perfect performance. There are moments, as on the crescendo of "Dialogue," where the spirit outstrips the cleanness of the performance, but the group is so tight and forceful that one lets them slide by; at other times, as on "Beginnings," they're so smooth and lithe in their extension of the piece that one just wants to bask in it; and then they switch gears to the rougher, harder "Mississippi Delta City Blues," and make that work too. The whole performance is good, with a steady stream of worthwhile high points. The repertory runs up through "Saturday in the Park" and "Dialogue," and includes the core of their albums up through Chicago V (including the notorious "Song for Richard Nixon and His Friends"). The recording is so close that one hears every bass note and guitar lick, and feels practically in the bells of the trumpets, trombones, and so on, and the mix is vivid and spacious. It shows what an embarrassment of riches Columbia was faced with in the group's output that they never issued this performance in America, favoring the more hyped but far less entertaining and exciting Carnegie Hall show -- it was only Chicago's buying back of their catalog in the mid-'90s that got Live in Japan released in the U.S., more than 20 years after its first appearance in Japan.

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

These Japanese hi-grade , virgin-vinyl, extended-dynamic range vinyl pressings - while they were    available or imported  in the 1970's and early 1980's - were audiophile and connoisseur delights  (we   have not  seen these in  free circulation in years - some of them are highly collectible) These majestic  recordings received an  intense, meticulous and laborious treatment like very few other recordings did.   They are characterized by the boosted dynamic and frequency range, and were USUALLY - but not always  -  mastered from the early generations of master tapes (as opposed to the so-called 'production'  tapes), almost compulsive  attention was paid to the detail and integrity of the pressing and craftsmanship,   and the highest quality  of the material. Many of  these recordings remain unsurpassed, delivering music  reproduction as close to  the actual recording session as possible, without any loss of musical information  inherent in the standard practice of mastering from the inferior "production" copies.

For additional historical 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:

·                               THE RECORDS:

(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 album comes with BOTH original Japanese inserts/lyrics sheets (one Japanese, the other English)

(c)           The records come in hi-grade PVC inner sleeves, which have - apparently with success - shielded the record from the harmful impact of elements over many years!

(d)            The records are pressed on a RELATIVELY  thick, inflexible vinyl. This is NOT a thin, flimsy ('dynaflex' type),  vinyl, but not the thickest, most rigid vinyl, either.

(e)           In addition, the records are pressed on a beautiful, high-quality, virgin-grade vinyl, which is usually used for audiophile, extended-dynamic-range, half-speed mastered and connoisseur pressings.

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

·                               THE 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

-        Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine

-        Back cover has a few pressure points and lines (trace of written date noted near the spine)

-         Visible shelf wear noted on the top and bottom seams

-         Cover has some fraying/wear along the spine  (VISIBLE ON BACK SIDE ONLY)

-         Minor discoloration (color fading) noted on the spine

-        Cover has three corners slightly worn / dinged  (just a beginning of the split seam)

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

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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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OUR REFUND POLICY :

WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED; Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund Some restrictions apply. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►Click here  for the full text of our policy

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