The Bee Gees - Odessa - GENUINE 1969 UK First Mono Pressing LP

	£		17
	$		22

Artist & Title: Bee Gees – Odessa

Very rare original 1969 UK MONO FIRST PRESSING Polydor label 17-track double vinyl LP, housed in a stunning gold embossed red felt gatefold sleeve. This is a guaranteed genuine first pressing from '69 - not one of the later pressings that are often sold on auction sites as originals.
The records look good and play nicely (just like they did when I bought them in ’69) with just a little light crackle here and there and a hairline on one side, therefore I have graded them Very Good Plus. While the original red felt cover is in very respectable condition apart from some wear-and-tear to the openings for the records and the marks made by a wire record rack (I’m ashamed to say), and therefore merits a Very Good grading. See pics. A very nice collector’s copy of this extremely rare pressing.
Highly desirable for its A//1 B//1 A//3 B//1 first pressing matrices and good condition vinyl, and increasingly difficult to find in ANY condition, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to add this extreme rarity to your collection at an extremely advantageous price.

Catalogue Number: Polydor ?– 582 049/50

Release date: March 1969 (UK)

Overall Grade: VG+/VG (LPs/Cover)

Matrix (Runout): Side A: 582049 A//1 420 1 1 6   Side B: 582049 B//1 420 1 1 6   Side C: 582050 A//3 420 1 1 3 Side C: 582050 B//1 420 1 2 6

Notes: First pressing on heavy vinyl with original mono mix rather than a stereo fold-down.
For some strange reason this copy is in a cover marked stereo with the catalogue number 583 049/50. Whether it was supplied to the shop with this cover or the guy behind the counter put it in the wrong cover when he sold it to me (in 1969) I just don’t know. But I do know they did not have it in stereo and that is why I bought the mono version.

A much sought after rare edition of this classic album in very respectable condition.

“The group members may disagree for personal reasons, but Odessa is easily the best and most enduring of the Bee Gees' albums of the 1960s.”

This is the extremely rare real thing: a genuine 1969 UK first pressing. The records and cover are in Very Good condition. All items are free from any major defects (see description above). See pics. All items are the genuine originals bought together by me in 1969, not reprints or replacements. The LPs are the original 1969 UK mono LPs, which were only played occasionally and handled with care.

“The myriad sounds and textures made Odessa the most complex and challenging album in the group's history, and if one accepts the notion of the Bee Gees as successors to the Beatles, then Odessa was arguably their Sgt.Pepper album.”

Odessa is the sixth studio album by the Bee Gees, released in March 1969 by Polydor Records in the UK and Atco Records in the US. It was the group's fourth album released internationally, and their only studio double LP. Odessa would be the final album for the band's original incarnation, and this was the last album to feature guitarist Vince Melouney. Robin Gibb would leave the band over personal and artistic differences with brother Barry Gibb. Barry and Maurice would continue to record with drummer Colin Petersen as the Bee Gees, but disintegrated when Petersen was fired. Odessa is noted in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album contains "First of May", "Lamplight", "Marley Purt Drive" and "Melody Fair".

This may be your only ONCE IN A LIFETIME chance to own this rare piece of music history in this condition.

 “There's no doubt that the Gibb brothers are masters at writing timeless music with great melodies, catchy lyrics and perfect 3-part harmony, but delving deep into their vast catalogue of music finds, Odessa, the grandest of them all.”

The group members may disagree for personal reasons, but Odessa is easily the best and most enduring of the Bee Gees' albums of the 1960s. It was also their most improbable success, owing to the conflicts behind its making. The record started out as a concept album, to be called "Masterpeace" and then "The American Opera," but musical differences between Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb that would split the trio in two also forced the abandonment of the underlying concept. Instead, it became a double LP -- largely at the behest of their manager and the record labels; oddly enough, given that the group didn't plan on doing something that ambitious, Odessa is one of perhaps three double albums of the entire decade (the others being Blonde on Blonde and The Beatles) that don't seem stretched, and it also served as the group's most densely orchestrated album. Yet, amid the progressive rock sounds of the title track and ethereal ballads such as "Melody Fair" and "Lamplight" were country-flavoured tunes like "Marlery Purt Drive" and the vaguely Dylanesque bluegrass number "Give Your Best," delicate pop ballads like "First of May" (which became the single off the album), and strange, offbeat rock numbers like "Edison" (whose introduction sounds like the Bee Gees parodying Cream's "White Room") and "Whisper Whisper" (the latter featuring a drum break, no less), interspersed with three heavily orchestrated instrumentals. Even the seeming "lesser" numbers such as "Suddenly" had catchy hooks and engaging acoustic guitar parts to carry them, all reminiscent of the Moody Blues' album cuts of the same era. Moreover, the title track, with its mix of acoustic guitar, solo cello, and full orchestra, was worthy of the Moody Blues at their boldest. The myriad sounds and textures made Odessa the most complex and challenging album in the group's history, and if one accepts the notion of the Bee Gees as successors to the Beatles, then Odessa was arguably their Sgt. Pepper album. The album was originally packaged in a red felt cover with gold lettering on the front and an elaborate background painting for the gatefold interior, which made it a conversation piece just to look at. Ironically, the making of Odessa was to herald a split between the Gibb brothers that would leave the group sidelined for most of the next 18 months, and was the last to be heard from them as a trio for two years.

A fantastic time warp example of this rarity in amazing condition, a true investment grade item - get it while you can!

AND IT MUST SELL IN THIS ONCE ONLY AUCTION

You can read more about this album and the Bee Gees all over the web.

I pack my records professionally in stiff corrugated cruciform record boxes leaving the Vinyl (housed in anti-static bags) outside the Sleeve.

Postage discounts for multiple orders are available: £1 per additional LP, up to a maximum of 4, in the UK.
£4 per additional LP, up to a maximum of 4, in the Rest of the World.

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