Johnny Griffin - A Blowing Session Blue Note 1559 - Orig Press - 47W 53rd - Ear

	£		455
	$		603

A Blowing Session  - Blue Note 1559 Vol. 2

By Johnny Griffin

Blue Note Label -  Cat No. BLP 1559

U.S. Mono,  Released 1957

Matrix Nos:

Side 1: RVG  'ear' BN-LP-1559-A

Side 2: RVG BN-LP-1559-B   'ear'

There also seems to be a '1' after the A and B but it is so small that it could also be a full-stop or similar.

Very, very rare Jazz LP on the original Blue Note label.  This is NOT a reissue - it is the original release.  As well as the 'ear' in the run-off, we also have 'BLUE NOTE RECORDS 47 WEST 63RD NEW YORK 23' on the labels.   There is no mention of United Artists etc. on the labels.  

It has been play-graded on a Pro-ject deck through a Denon system.  It was played very loud so that I could hear all defects (at level 23 with a max of 33), so don't be surprised to read about background noise!  It has not been cleaned apart from a very light wipe with diluted L'art du Son.  I suspect that the sound quality will improve greatly if cleaned on a professional cleaning machine.

NOTE: This record weighs in at 198g.  It is thick, heavy vinyl with deep grooves.  It is for this reason you will not hear most of the marks on the record surface.

This is how it played:

Side 1

Track 1 (The Way You Look Tonight) - Just 2 very quiet clicks near the start.

Track 2 (Ball Bearing) - Some barely audible 'ticks' and one very quiet 'pop' mid-track.

Side 2

Track 1 (All The Things You Are) - Some audible crackle and the occasional 'tick' that varies from very quiet to a little louder.  Crackle gets louder toward the end of the track for the worst part of the LP for background noise.

Track 2 (Smoke Stack) - The crackle from track 1 continues into this track for about a minute and then disappears.  There is no background noise for a while then quiet 'ticks' become more frequent, becoming quite noticeable along with a loud crackle for the last 90 seconds of the track, particularly during the bass solo.

At no point does any of the background noise overpower the music.  It is still a fantastic listen in spite of the 'ticks', quiet 'pop' and the crackle.

I would grade the record as Good +.  It gets the 'Good' because of the number of scratches, and the '+' because it sounds really good in spite of the scratches. However, I DO strictly grade according to RRPG guidelines.  I do not conveniently ignore these guidelines when it suits me unlike most other sellers (see Grading Guidelines below).

Visually, inspected under a strong 35w halogen lamp, both sides have a scattering of light to mild scratches but nothing deep.

The cover condition can be seen quite clearly in the photographs.  However, the main defects are a seam split totalling about 10" along the top, a seam split along the spine for about 6", discolouration and staining on the back, some slight lifting of the laminate on the front and some minor edge wear. The splits can be seen in the last two photos.

Apart from some heavy spindle trails the labels are clean and undamaged.

There was no inner with the LP.  A new one will be supplied.

Grading (Record / Cover):

GOOD+  /  FAIR

Grading Guide - Important!

I visually examine all records under a strong 35w halogen lamp, which shows up ALL defects.  Most sellers do not do this and, as a consequence, records graded under other sub-standard lighting, including normal room lights, will appear in far better condition than they really are.  Some even appear unmarked when, in reality, they are scratched.  I grade my records according to the Rare Record Price Guide (with the addition of the Near Mint grade), which means, to me, as follows:

Mint - Must be sealed or I must have evidence that it has never been played.

Near Mint - Totally unmarked, no scratches, not even faint 'hairlines' / sleeve withdrawal marks.

Excellent - No scratches, just signs of having been played, such as the odd faint 'hairline' or sleeve withdrawal mark that is barely visible under a strong lamp, or spindle trails on the label.

Very Good - The first mild scratches have begun to appear, but only very, very few.

Good - More scratches than Very Good and more severe, but I am confident that the record will play through with no problems and will still provide a good listening experience.

Fair - The record may not play through properly with a chance of it jumping, or it will play with significant background noise.

Poor - It definitely won't play without skipping or sticking.

Below Excellent I will use plus or minus with a grade to highlight fine differences.

I also sometimes play-grade records and the final grade is a combination of how it plays and looks.

Cover Grades

My cover grades are exactly as stated in the Record Collector magazine / Rare Record Price Guide as follows:

Mint: The cover and any extra items are in perfect condition

Excellent: The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing

Very Good: Normal wear and tear on the cover is acceptable

Good: The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration etc.

Fair: The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

All vinyl is dispatched using stiffeners and card mailers.

IMPORTANT - Please wait for an invoice before paying.  The postage costs given here are only an estimate - postage costs could vary according to where you live and I do not want to overcharge you.  I also want to ensure that the postage service matches your requirements.  If you have a preference for a particular Royal Mail postage service, please let me know as soon as possible otherwise I will choose a service based on your location and item value.  As a rough guide postage will be as follows:

Signed For: UK £5.99; Europe £9.99; Rest of the World £14.00

This record has been donated to Oxfam Books & Music in Bedford, UK. We always have a small but excellent display of vinyl of all genres. I have been successfully selling vinyl for Oxfam for 6 years on an almost daily basis, having valued tens of thousands of records in that time and sold just as many.  Please read these comments about my 100% rated eBay vinyl sales of all genres and formats for Oxfam Bedford:

"Fantastic item, well packed and fast delivery.  AAA+++" (Smash Hits Christmas 82 Flexi)

"Excellent" (The Users: Kicks in Style 7")

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"Quick delivery and nice item.  Recommended" (Massive Attack: Unfinished Sympathy 7")

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