Sam Cooke - Night Beat 1963 RCA Living Stereo lp 1st Press Soul R&B RARE OG Indy

$

86

Welcome to our Summer 2026 "Classic / Golden" era Soul/Funk/Rare Groove lp Part 1 sale, we cover some early ground with a few pre-1967 releases, largely the vast majority are from 1968-1974, mostly concentrated in the early-mid 1970's,  no modern reissues! WE COMBINE SHIPPING! -(Just kindly wait till end of auction for invoice :)
We have so many, that Part 2 will be even more, bringing tons of rare "Golden Era Soul/Funk", coming soon!

60 lp's all originals , many have soundclips, which are from the actual record :)

This week features a really nice curated slab of rare funk, soul lp's from the "classic golden era" or as Thes One put it "Vietnam War Era", we have a handful pre-dating 1967, the vast majority being concentrated in the early 70's, beginning with a very nice OG 1st press of the legendary 1973 GSF Records lp "Skull Snaps", a minty Funkadelic legendary Psych-Funk original 1970 Westbound lp "Free Your Mind and Your A** Will Follow", Allen Toussaint's 1975 Conceptual Psychedelic Funk masterpiece rarity "Southern Nights" lp, the insanely rare Hawaiian Private Press 1970 lp by Gordon Broad (Heavy Soul/Funk!), an unknown South Korean Psych Funk lp on Jigu Records, the first 3 Sylvers lp's on Pride, yep "I, II, and III", James Brown "The Payback" original double lp, Jimmy Castor Bunch "It's Just Begun" - minty fresh, everything from New Birth, Ace Spectrum, White Heat, some badddd rare heavy open drum breaks, instrumental rare-groove style funk, CCM Funk / Psych Funk Rock "First Gear 1972 Myrrh lp" for example....Lorraine Ellison's original OG 1st press 1969 "Stay With Me" on Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Records (not the 1971 version that is more common, and on thinner vinyl!!), we got heavy representatives on labels from ATCO, Hot Wax, Buddah, Cadet, Westbound, AVCO, All Platinum, RCA, Invictus, Gordy, Playboy, MCA, Atlantic, Pride MGM, Capitol, to Private Press world, and so much more :) 

ASSISTIVE NOTE:
To give the best  "map" for this sale, we'll have 21 leading off to give somewhat of a highlight of each area of items, then tending towards Chronological, than Stylistic in what we hope will be a nice ordering, the kind as fellow crate-diggers, we would be stoked to see.... If you want to view how we ordered it up, go to sort by "Ending Soonest", as listed newest will be the tail end & ending earliest is the beginning (if you filter by "ending soonest", you'll get the layout!), we hope this might help :)

**Note on grading: We have been proud to send thousands of records to delighted customers, but there is always room for improvement, we want to continually strive to be as accurate, honest, and detailed as possible. These records that have been collected and loved over the years, coming from a collector, one who listens to the records, enjoys the music, we are only growing more meticulous in our visual aspect of grading the vinyl, while also maintaining a balanced emphasis on the sound quality, utilizing sound clips (we do not manipulate them whatsoever, and we never will!), full front to back recent thorough listenings, and for the covers to use detailed photos, write detailed aspects for the grade, we want people to know exactly what they're getting, as collectors, lovers of music, we promise to always carry ourselves with integrity, we're in the business of delighting people, to treat others as the best experiences we've had as buyers, and all of our items are guaranteed. We won't stop growing, learning, and listening. A very special warm thank you to all our incredible return "customers", we really think of you all as fellow friends in vinyl, and if this is your first time bidding with us, we hope our "record" speaks for itself, ensuring a secure feeling to bid with confidence, thank you all, truly together we make this community one that spreads the love, sharing in this special thing of all of ours :) ***

* After this week's auction, (In no particular order) we have in the auction pipeline:
Classic Golden Era Soul Funk Part II, nearly 80+ lp's, top shelf stuff.....
2nd Modern Soul / Gospel / Boogie / AOR, Part "II"
More Deep Funk / Soul 45rpm 7", as well as AOR / Power Pop / Rock 45rpm 7"
A giant stash of rare Open Drum Breaks, emanating from a variety of groovy genres, the kind of lps both dope / under the radar sale!
A few more cooking, not to mention our exciting, anticipated:
Part 4 "Giant Jazz"; jazz funk, spiritual, fusion, synth jazz underground, etc. sale lp's

*^(Each are loaded with some of the rarest, high end stuff, plenty that haven't shown up in years, unknown mind-blowers, Grail Pieces, like always, all original editions!)
We'd be honored if you'd consider saving us as a favorite seller :)***

All soundclips used are unedited directly from the item up for sale :). See below for detailed grading!
***Everything is 100% guaranteed! We've sold over 1,500+ records in the past year alone, with 100% positive feedback, bid with confidence :)

Feel free to message any questions!

*Note: Any Item that does not have a soundclip, feel free to message us, and we can make one for you :) 

**Note: for items with multiple players, the title of track is above each player; the player enables scrolling through!**



[Please feel free to message us if you'd like a soundclip from this record :)

Media Grade:  EX (light paper sleeve scuffs under bright light, DNAP, ultra high-gloss, just finished playing again front to back, it's one smoking copy! The keeper copy quality!) 
Sleeve Grade:  VG+ (includes original RCA company sleeve, conservative grade, light water mark on back cover, otherwise one of the sharpest, crisp copies of an original you're likely to see!)
Year / Label / Catalogue #:   1963  /  RCA Victor  / LSP-2709 (1st press, Living Stereo, "I" = Indianapolis pressing deadwax, 16s/10s stampers) 
Brief Comments: Sam Cooke, to a degree, nearly every soul singer is borrowing something from him, his influence on Soul, almost unmatched. Get the 45 for "A Change Is Gonna Come", because this is best album "Mr. Soul" cut, out of many top albums.... He didn't live long enough for an album masterpiece (the format was only beginning to take over, singles were largely dominant as the format in non-jazz, non-classical until 1965/1966 with Pet Sounds, Beatles Rubber Soul, etc.), dying at 33 in still strange circumstances "justifiable homicide" by a Motel owner's gun in Los Angeles...December 11th 1964.  
This was not an album meant to sell singles, it was Sam Cooke in a smaller group setting, to capture the intimate after hours sound, the singing Cooke did from the soul, for the love, after everyone but the band, had gone home.... Hugo & Luigi, cousins, RCA producers of countless albums (there sense was keen, among others they signed the Isley Brothers, producing their debut 1959 album "Shout"), let soul conductor Rene Hall, and group, Sam Cooke do their thing, no other LP is as cohesive, as...intimate, as "Night Beat". Sam Cooke, Harvey Fuqua, Jackie Wilson, Berry Gordy, - all knew each other, several worked together at one point or another, were the major drivers that were crafting a sound that wasn't quite doo-wop, wasn't quite R&B in the sense of the time indicating a Jump Blues "Rock N' Roll" sound, wasn't Ike Turner "Rocket 88" sound, but it had elements of each of these strains, in Sam Cooke's case, he came from a Gospel singing background (one of the original "Soul Stirrers"!), his friend, neighbor Lou Rawls sung in a different Gospel group! Cooke also had that touch of jazz, just naturally, a subtle nimbleness, dexterity, his range of genre is impressive, it was all coming together under him on this one.... The prior album "Mr. Soul" seemed to kick it off, but this is where it really landed, not one track is out of place (the significance of songs like "Little Red Rooster" are lost on many, same with a couple other tracks often white highly-educated music critics probably not even born in 1963 have mentioned as "outliers", because they don't come from African-American cultural milieu of Sam Cooke's time; it's a tribute, acknowledgement of master of Blues, Willie Dixon, to pay homage, along with showing, not telling, why he is "Mr. Soul", for the new era, because you got to know Willie Dixon in 1963, if you're going to go near a title like "Mr. Soul" or "King of Soul", or folks is going to know you fakin' jax!). 
It is one of the earliest albums, full albums, and best of the roots, heart of soul era, it's got a touch, of everything that made Sam Cooke the towering figure, without it, there's no "What's Going On", it was the album that Sly Stone needed to then get down to his own voice, knowing it was going to take "A Brand New Thing", because Cooke had perfected and set the groundwork needed to go higher..... Berry Gordy created Motown with the idea of smoothing out R&B, but with Doo-Wop originating harmonies, Rock N' Roll Jump Blues beat polished.
It took Sam Cooke, a Gospel singer from the South, who came up North, with such a genuine gift, a creative spirit, that could fuse disparate styles, regions, together, into a sound of blues on ice, a touch of jazz to keep things nimble enough, the voice that carried Soul.....
I can't really say anything more, it's an album that needs no introduction, especially if you've heard it, but I will mention something important:
This is one instance of early 60's, where the Mono is NOT the one you want. Because RCA Living Stereo isn't technically "stereo", it's not the bad CSG Processed Stereo you find in this era. Living Stereo is a dual-track recording that is technically Mono, but microphoned to give the depth of Stereo, and RCA along with Mercury's "Living Presence" utilizing the same method, are legendary in quality, because they are "Living Stereo", or "Living Presence", (Capitol's "Full Dimensional Stereo" mostly of classical recordings, also same), there's a reason Audiophiles covet the Living Stereo version, it's why for example "Gounod's Faust" Living Stereo version is nearly a grand, and the mono is $40-$60. (Now on Cooke's greatest compilation, which includes a few "prior to RCA" hits, those are CSG processed, but anything recorded by RCA is Living Stereo). Yes RCA pushed stereo needles early on, saying "required" but that was a symbiotic business relationship, they cost more, but mono needles worked just fine with "Living Stereo". - fun fact, all those RCA singles were "Living Stereo", just not advertised as such.
Because this is all RCA recorded, you'll never hear it the way it was meant to with the Mono version, or later remastered stereo (there's a couple Audiophile editions, reissues from more contemporary times, that utilize the original Living Stereo tapes, but deterioration, the UMG fire, has kind of put that out of the picture...), there's a reason this has been in TAS (the Absolute Sound), because the Living Stereo original is the best sounding by and far away. If you have to, go with the Mono original over anything later, with the exception of carefully researching Audiophile editions that refer to the master Living Stereo tapes, but even then..... However if it's on RCA, and was recorded by RCA (Elvis debut was Sun recordings for example, which is why the stereo is not good), get it in Living Stereo, it may not matter much to most casual listeners, I do get that. If it doesn't matter as much, a Mono original is likely more affordable, and fam, I'd rather steer you well, give you the info, the Mono isn't bad, it's more like....if you've listened to hundreds, thousands of hours of records, you begin to notice, naturally, smaller details, and it's noticeable, there's more depth, it's more dynamic, but that doesn't mean the Mono is bad, it's still a great way to have an original. But if someone's asking what version is the best quality, hands down, no hesitation, it's the original Living Stereo press. - Hope this helps, to make the best call for you, to suit your ears, wants, needs, because I wish someone had told me. I didn't know, and I just about fell over, because never had I heard Sam Cooke like he was right in the room (except on 45, which again no one tells you, there is no Mono, if it was recorded on RCA, and there's a Living Stereo lp, non-album cuts are also Living Stereo from what I can tell). 
His depth, echoes throughout time, and 300 years from now, if there is a 300 years from now....even if it's a kid who doesn't know a word of English, pulls it out of the debris of a partially excavated shelter, as long as they can play the media, it's going to reach deep into the soul, and leave an unmistakable imprint, because he will always be "Mr. Soul"
Beautiful OG 1st press :) 




*Tariffs aren't going to impact used vinyl records / music media, we wish they were never in place at all, so for international buyers, don't worry on that account! **Note ^That is in regard to EXTRA ordinary tariffs for political reasons, if you are an international buyer we urge you to contact us prior to shipping for clarity!
For our record grading, we stand by the merits outlined in the scale below, anything VG or below will have a detailed explanation in brackets next to the grade.
For sleeves, we will mention anytime there is split, or defect not visible in the photos in brackets next to the grade, otherwise we refer to the photos for the merit of the grade. Of course any questions, concerns, are always welcome :) 
Our media grading scale is as follows: [*Quick note, our VPI is still in storage on the other side of the US, we do brush clean many  items carefully, but we have to prioritize, we won't leave anyone stranded with a filthy record, only "filthy" good! We don't factor dust particles into the grading]
NM = Essentially a pristine album, like new, rarely used.
EX = Under bright light if there is any scuffs or mark, which will be inaudible, most collectors and sellers would tend to consider it closer to NM, EX is also the grade others might call VG++ under the same level of conservative scrutiny.
VG+ = More then a small handful of scuffs, light marks, nothing feelable, will have high-gloss, a thoroughly enjoyable copy that may only have tiny moments of barely perceptible surface noise overpowered by the music. Our VG+ will satisfy the vast majority of collectors as a nice keeper copy, as collector's ourselves for nearly two decades, this grade is aimed to be a great keeper. Note if say the record has a light DNAP warp, but otherwise is NM, we will automatically put it to VG+ and detail that. Another scenario is if a copy plays at a solid EX, but visually is VG, the composite grade will be VG+, and detailed as such.
VG = More hairlines, more marks, maybe a few visible scratches, no more then two feelable scratches (which automatically lowers to VG-), there likely will be surface noise, but will play through, still being an enjoyable copy, the audio quality will satisfy most collector's (the golden rule: if it doesn't satisfy us, it won't be VG), if a record is otherwise EX, but has a slight momentary skip, where 99% of the record is EX, we will note that, and put it at VG. Usually will retain a nice gloss.
VG- = More Scratches than VG, surface noise will jump out more, it be overpowered for longer stretches, or compete with the music in places, it will likely play all the way through on most turntables, a copy that you can still get a decent play enjoyment from.
G+ = Lots of scratches, deeper ones, surface noise now mostly overpowers or competes with the music. It may skip in some places. We don't tend to sell G+ copies, unless the rarity is so great, and that will be precisely detailed.
Thrashed = Pretty much a "Theoretical Grade" for us, it be for all intents & purposes virtually unplayable, it would be for display purposes, or perhaps if you needed the cover but not the record. It's "theoretical" because so far we haven't sold or identified anything intended to sell at this bottom level.
Every item is guaranteed to YOUR satisfaction, no questions asked, 100% refund. We stand by our integrity, our goal is to make sure you are absolutely delighted with your purchase, to deliver a cherished album to your collection :). On the slightest chance of human error, if we make a mistake, we take accountability for that, we don't anyone to have a record they aren't happy with! Bid with confidence :)
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Thank you from EnfieldVinyl, a family business, and the auction venture of EnfieldRecords :)
Kindly,
-Alec :D
&
-Ellie :)