BILL WITHERS WATCHING YOU RARE ORIG'85 AUTOGRAPHED COLUMBIA PROMO LP w/PRESS KIT

$

22

<img src= http://pics

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE  THAN 500 LISTED ITEMS

?Click here to see ALL our ROCK auctions ?Our PSYCH & PROGRESSIVE auctions ?Our PUNK & NEW WAVE auctions ? Our  JAZZ auctions ?Our BLUE NOTE JAZZ auctions  ?Our BLUES auctions ?Our CLASSICAL auctions ?Our COUNTRY auctions ?Our FUNK auctions ?Our LATIN auctions ?Our METAL auctions?Our REGGAE auctions ?Our SOUL auctions ? Our STILL SEALED ITEMS  ?Our PROMO auctions ?Our ACETATE auctions ?Our TEST PRESSING auctions  ?Our AUDIOPHILE auctions

?????????????????????

·       BILL WITHERS - WATCHING YOU WATCHING ME - – ORIGINAL 1985 COLUMBIA RECORDS STEREO LP FC-39887

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED BY THE LEGENDARY SOUL MAN– PLEASE SEE THE MAGNIFIED DETAIL OF HIS SIGNATURE, SHOWN BELOW (PLEASE NOTE THAT WITHERS MAY ALSO HAVE ADDED HIS PERSONAL ANNOTATION TO THE LETTER OF INTRODUCTION FROM COLUMBIA RECORDS (WE ARE NOT SURE THAT ADDED ANNOTATION IS HIS) -- PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS.  THE ALBUM WAS DEDICATED TO MARIAN ETOILLE-WATSON, THE DIRECTOR OF WNEW-TV "BLACK NEWS" PROGRAM)

·       *** PROMOTIONAL COPY; THE RECORD HAS STOCK LABELS; HOWEVER, THE PROMOTIONAL STAMP ON THE COVER CLEARLY IDENTIFIES THE ITEM AS PROMOTIONAL ***

·       *** THE ALBUM COMES WITH  ELABORATE PRESS (PUBLICITY) KIT CONSISTING OF:

·       ONE 8 X 10" -INCH BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO OF BILL WITHERS AS A COLUMBIA RECORDING ARTIST

1-   COVER LETTER FROM BOB PAYNE, COLUMBIA'S COORDINATOR OF ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT

2-   2-PAGE BILL WITHERS BIO ON COLUMBIA STATIONARY WITH ADDED ANNOTATION, POSSIBLY PENNED BY WITHERS HIMSELF (WE ARE NOT ENTIRELY SURE)

·       ORIGINAL RED COLUMBIA LABEL WITH “COLUMBIA” IN YELLOW LETTERS WRAPPED AROUND THE RIM OF THE LABEL (70’s STYLE)

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

·       ORIGINAL, THIN CARDBOARD COVER (NO THICK CARDBOARD COVERS WERE EVER PRODUCED FOR THIS TITLE)

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH "-1E/-1G".  ON SOME LABELS, THIS  INDICATES THE VERY FIRST, ORIGINAL PRESSING

·       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 6.

(?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!)

?????????????????????

Watching You, Watching Me is the eighth and final studio album from American soul singer Bill Withers, released on Columbia Records in 1985. This was Withers' first release in six years and would prove to be his final album before he retired from popular music.

Withers spent several years writing and recording music that Columbia Records' parent company CBS Records rejected, leading to a span of seven years between this and his previous studio album, 'Bout Love. The working relationship deteriorated to the point where Withers said that he wanted to explode a bomb at their headquarters but the artist and label collaborated on promoting the album; this included a tour with Jennifer Holliday.

Recording sessions and locations spanned at least four years:

During its eight-week run, the album peaked on the Billboard 200 at 143 on June 28, 1985 and stalled at 42 the same week, spending 25 weeks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Writing for Billboard, Nelson George called the release one of the best rhythm and blues albums of 1985, writing that it was "full of little pleasures". Years later, the editorial staff of AllMusic Guide awarded it three out of five stars but has not published a staff review; a discussion of the box set Original Album Classics says this has "limited appeal" and calls the two singles from the album inessential. In his 2020 obituary of Withers, Alexis Petridis of The Guardian wrote that the album contained fantastic songs but was hampered by 1980s production techniques. Stereogum published a list of Withers' best overlooked songs upon his death and included “We Could Be Sweet Lovers”, noting that it has staying power in his catalogue, even if the album is dated.

(EXCERPT FROM THE WIKIPEDIA ONLINE REVIEW)_

The WHITE LABEL PROMO, RADIO STATION-, AUDITION OR DEMONSTRATION COPIES AND RELEASES (such as the one we have here) were routinely distributed among the radio stations before the LP was released to the public, sometimes as much as 4 months ahead. These records are generally considered to be the "first among equals", which is to say the VERY FIRST generation and the VERY FIRST pressings of the particular title –  a moot point in this case as this album was never commercially released to begin with.

?????????????????????

·                               CONDITION:

·                               THE RECORD

(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 EXCELLENT. This is one of those albums that are somewhat difficult to grade. It is somewhere between VG++ and NEAR MINT, just a notch below NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions ARE visible, but they are extremely shallow, superficial  and only moderately visually distracting (nothing significant).For the most part, the vinyl looks impeccable without any MAJOR visual flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

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

(a)          The record comes in its original, custom, inner sleeve, which is UNIQUE to this album.

(b)          The album comes with the original PRESS KIT, as described above

·                               THE COVER

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT VERY GOOD+(+)

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        Cover has a visible "wrinkles"(creases)  in three different corners.

-        Cover has a minor 'bump' (dent) on the opening side (VISIBLE ON FRONT SIDE ONLY)

-        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 sticker residue (partially peeled remnants of the price sticker or some other sticker; the buyer can probably remove these small, still affixed bits and pieces of the sticker with a minor effort)

-        Cover has a few wrinkles along the seams

-        Cover has some fraying/wear along the opening side.

-        Cover shows some light yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging.

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

?????????????????????

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 (BUT DO NOT INSIST) that you select USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from one region of  the world to another. 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.

WANT A DISCOUNT ?!? 

IT’S EASY: CLICK ?HERE TO see HOW!

(please note recent changes in our policy)

?????????????????????

FOR OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION, CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW:

?OUR VOLUME DISCOUNTS AND POSTAGE REBATES ?OUR GRADING POLICY ?ITEMS WE DO NOT GRADE ?HOW TO ACKNOWLEDGE WINNING BID OR RESOLVE A DISPUTE ?OUR PAYPAL “CHARGEBACK” POLICY ?ACCEPTABLE PAYMENT METHODS ?OUR REFUND POLICY ?POSTAGE RATES AND DISCLOSURES ?PAYMENT DEADLINES ?FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

?????????????????????

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

FINE (BUT IMPORTANT!) PRINT

(1) The year indicated in the title bar is the year of the original release,  NOT necessarily the year of the actual pressing; for the actual generation of the pressing, please see our item description (top section, text in red letters). (2) Please do NOT bid based on the title bar, subtitle bar or item specifics box alone; instead, please read the entire description and grading before bidding; (3) Absolutely NO order cancellations after the auction closes. ever, under any circumstances. We can ONLY cancel bids before the item closes. (4) We are unable to cancel bids in the final 12 hours of the auction; if you need to do so, please contact eBay for help (5) We are unable to provide matrix-, stamper- or other pressing  information in the final 24 hours of the auction. If you require this information, please contact us well before the final day of the auction. (6) Yes, we DO combine shipments. Please click on "Shipping and Payment" tab on top of the auction page for additional details. (7)  All Paypal payments must be made from confirmed Paypal shipping addresses. NO third party shipping addresses will be honored (8) Absolutely NO partial refunds: if you are unhappy with the merchandise you received, please return it for a full refund, postage included (9). Civilized people can disagree without accusing each other of being indecent or dishonest; if you need proof of this seller's personal integrity, please check our eBay feedback, which speaks for itself  (10) All disagreements and miscommunications can be - and will only be - solved in a civil and mutually respectful manner;  please avoid puerile, offensive, abrasive or menacing language (attempted humor is fine and usually appreciated, although overused-to-death sarcasms can be really, really tedious. (11) This seller will accommodate all reasonable requests and is generally a flexible and agreeable person (12) Our love & appreciation for your trust, loyalty and business, always and forever; Thank You & Good Night!

© 2001,2007 MDJ. All rights reserved.