ELVIS PRESLEY "Christmas Album" Aussie 1957 1st issue RCA 'red cover'

	A$		63
	$		42

ELVIS PRESLEY “Christmas Album” ULTRA RARE Aussie 1957 first issue RCA ‘red cover’ LP

Elvis Presley – Elvis’ Christmas Album LP (orig. Australia RCA MONO L10341, flipback cover)

Australian Release date: December 1957 (USA Release date: November 1957).  Recording dates: 12 & 13 January 1957 (tracks 9-11) / 19 January (track 12) / 5-7 September 1957 (tracks 1-8).

On offer here is one of the CROWN JEWELS of any Australian ELVIS PRESLEY collection.  This ULTRA RARE RCA ‘red cover’ version of “Elvis’ Christmas Album” is an ORIGINAL FIRST AUSTRALIAN MONO ISSUE released in December 1957.

SIDE 1

1.          Santa Claus Is Back in Town (2:21)                    Writ: Jerry Leiber - Mike Stoller

2.         White Christmas (2:23)                                     Writ: Irving Berlin

3.         Here Comes Santa Claus (2:00)                          Writ: Gene Autry - Oakley Haldeman

4.         I’ll Be Home for Christmas (1:54)                      Writ: Walter Kent - James Gannon

5.         Blue Christmas (2:05)                                        Writ: Billy Hayes - Jay Johnson

6.         Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) (1:52)          Writ: Aaron Schroeder - Claude Demetrius

SIDE 2

7.         O Little Town of Bethlehem (2:34)                    Writ: Phillips Brooks - Lewis Redner

8.         Silent Night (2:23)                                            Writ: Joseph Mohr - Franz Gruber

9.         Peace in the Valley (3:20)                                  Writ: Thomas A. Dorsey

10.       I Believe (2:04)                                                 Writ: Ervin Drake - Irvin Graham - Jimmy Shirl - Al Stillman

11.        Take My Hand, Precious Lord (3:19)                  Writ: Thomas A. Dorsey

12.       It Is No Secret (What God Can Do) (3:54)       Writ: Stuart Hamblen

PERSONNEL

     Elvis Presley              lead vocals, rhythm guitar

     Scotty Moore            lead guitar

     Bill Black                   bass guitar

     Dudley Brooks           piano (tracks 1-8 & 12)

     Gordon Stoker          piano (tracks 9-11)

     D. J. Fontana             drums

     The Jordanaires        backing vocals

     Millie Kirkham           backing vocals (tracks 1-8 only)

Recorded at Radio Recorders in West Hollywood, California (USA).

Produced by Steve Sholes.  Engineered by Thorne Nogar.

GRADING (also refer photo)

Cover:

front: VG- matt finish: completely insignificant ring-wear (outer rim – almost impossible to see), creasing (minor – top-left corner), scuffing (along spine, top & bottom seams), seam split (almost entire bottom seam is affected), minimal surface rubbing + minor spotting.

back: VG- flipback—matt finish: creasing (minor – top-right corner), spotting / discolouration.

Record:

visual: FAIR retains satisfactory lustre despite numerous hairlines, surface scuffs & scratches (seen under strong light).  IMPOSSIBLY RARE IN ANY CONDITION - GOOD LUCK TRYING TO FIND ANOTHER!

audible: FAIR noisy press with several skips—inexpensive copy until a better one turns up.  LOW MINIMUM BID!

labels: heavy spindle wear.

GRADING DESCRIPTION

COVER

M:      Absolutely NEW—perhaps still in shrink-wrap.

M-:    Slightly less than MINT.

EX:     Very light wear and/or creasing—defects will be noted.

VG++: Slightly less than EXCELLENT.

VG+:   Slightly better than VERY GOOD.

VG:     Some ring-wear and other signs of aging are apparent—defects will be noted.

VG-:   Slightly less than VERY GOOD.

G:       More obvious ring-wear, seam-splits, stains etc—defects will be noted.

M=MINT, EX=EXCELLENT, VG=VERY GOOD, G=GOOD

NB: Brackets indicate the cover is between one grade and another—eg. VG+(+).

RECORD

M:      Absolutely NEW—perhaps still in shrink-wrap.

M-:    Slightly less than MINT.

EX:     Very light scuffs.  Record played infrequently, with little or no reduction in sound quality.

VG++: Slightly less than EXCELLENT.

VG+:   Slightly better than VERY GOOD.

VG:     Lightly scuffed/marked record, with acceptable sound quality—defects will be noted.

VG-:   Slightly less than VERY GOOD.

G:       More obvious scratches, with some deterioration in sound quality—defects will be noted.

M=MINT, EX=EXCELLENT, VG=VERY GOOD, G=GOOD

NB: Brackets indicate the record is between one grade and another—eg. VG+(+).

Shipping, payment details and returns policy

After close of Auction: (1) the total amount owing including postage and handling will be provided to the winning bidder; and (2) PAYMENT WILL BE EXPECTED WITHIN 4 DAYS.  If you feel that you need more time to make payment, please let me know up-front so that we can make another arrangement.  PLEASE DO NOT SEND PAYMENT UNTIL I FORWARD YOUR INVOICE.  IF YOU DO AND I ASK YOU TO MAKE AN ADDITIONAL PAYMENT FOR POSTAGE, PLEASE DO NOT BE OFFENDED.  Thank you!

All items over $AUD100 will require registration or insurance with a tracking number.  This is to be paid for by the successful bidder.  If you ask me to declare a lesser value than the item is actually worth, please be aware that you are limiting your compensation to that ‘declared value’ amount in the event of damage or loss.  This will only be done if you are fully prepared to accept that risk.

PayPal is the preferred method of payment.  This ensures that you receive your item sooner.

For successful Australian bidders, I also accept: (1) direct deposit, (2) postal money order, or (3) personal/bank cheque—item/s will be sent after payment has cleared.

I offer a 100% money-back guarantee (excluding postage costs), if you are genuinely unhappy with the grading of an item.  The SAME item must be returned in the SAME condition, within one week of receipt.  Returns will not be accepted without prior consultation and approval.

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