ELLA FITZGERALD GERSHWIN INSANELY RARE ORIG STEREO 5LPs

$

363

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·       ELLA FITZGERALD – ELLA FITZGERALD SINGS THE COMPLETE GERSHWIN SONG BOOKS –  INSANELY RARE ORIGINAL 1959 VERVE RECORDS STEREO (YES, FOLKS, YOU HEARD CORRECTLY: THIS IS A PRACTICALLY-UNKNOWN-TO-EXIST ORIGINAL TRUE STEREO PRESSING!!!) (NOTE: THE MUSIC ON THIS ALBUM SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH ‘ELLA FITZGERALD SINGS GEORGE GERSHWIN DECCA VOLUME, WHICH IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SESSION RECORDED ABOUT SIX YEARS EARLIER);

·       ORIGINAL 1959 VERVE 5-LP STEREO BOX SET MGVS-6082-5

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       ORIGINAL BLACK VERVE LABEL WITH LIVING FIDELITY STEREO BANNER ON TOP , SILVER PRINT AND NO MENTION OF MGM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LABEL

·       MONSTROUSLY RARE  ORIGINAL STEREO PRESSING, MANY TIMES RARER THAN MONO (THIS IS THE FIRST, THE ONE AND THE ONLY ORIGINAL STEREO PRESSING WE HAVE COME ACROSS IN A LIFETIME OF COLLECTING)

·       THIS RARE 5-LP BOX SET COMES WITH ITS ORIGINAL HARD-BOUND BOOK IN FABULOUS CONDITION (PRACTICALLY UNOPENED), FOLIO OF 5 CLASSIC BERNARD BUFFETT LITHOGRAPHIES IN THEIR CUSTOM SLEEVE,  BONUS 7" EP (ALSO STEREO!!!) AND CUSTOM INNER SLEEVES UNIQUE TO THIS BOX SET

·       DEEP GROOVE PRESSING

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

·       ORIGINAL, 2" THICK CARDBOARD BOX

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

(?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!)

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Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook is a 1959 five album set by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, focusing on the songs of George and Ira Gershwin. It was recorded with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, marking the first time that Ella and Riddle had worked together. This album is the largest single recording project that Ella worked on, and it is considered to be one of the most ambitious achievements in Western popular music.

The album cover is an original portrait of Fitzgerald by the French artist Bernard Buffet, starting a tradition of using contemporary artists for Fitzgerald 's albums, the artwork of Henri Matisse gracing the cover of her Harold Arlen Songbook (1961).

Riddle arranged 59 Gershwin compositions for the album, including the two orchestral suites which open the album. Though Fitzgerald was 20 years old at the time George Gershwin died in 1937, Ira Gershwin was still alive to see this project completed, and helped contribute lyrics and support to some songs on the album which had never been recorded before. It was this project that led Ira Gershwin to say that he had "never known how good our songs were until I heard Ella sing them".

Ella Fitzgerald was 41 when she recorded this album, and at the peak of her vocal powers, demonstrated in the earlier Duke Ellington Songbook, and her two greatest live albums from this period, Ella in Berlin (1960) and Ella in Rome (1958). Like the other songbooks devoted to the Broadway composers, Fitzgerald gets only a single outlet for her notable scat singing, on "I Got Rhythm".

Fitzgerald's recording of "But Not for Me" won her the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Female.

The set is listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE ARTICLE IN WIKIEDIA.ORG)

During the late '50s, Ella Fitzgerald continued her Song Book records with Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book, releasing a series of albums featuring 59 songs written by George and Ira Gershwin. Those songs were combined on a 5-lp box set, Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book, in 1959. These performances are easily among Fitzgerald's very best, and for any serious fan, this is the ideal place to acquire the recordings.

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY LEO STANLEY, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

For additional historical information on this album, including track listing ?CLICK HERE

TO SEE IF WE HAVE OTHER LISTED ITEMS BY THIS GROUP OR ARTIST ?  CLICK HERE

THIS IS A NO-RESERVE AUCTION!

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·       CONDITION:

·       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 ALL SIX RECORDS (12 SIDES) OF THE VINYL AS WEAK NEAR MINT. The original luster is very much intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          The records have a "deep groove" (an indent in the label about 1/2-inch from the edge of the label, which on SOME labels is associated with very early or first pressings).

(c)           The records are apparently pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording!

(d)          The box set comes with its original hardbound book INCLUDED (practically UNTOUCHED!)

(e)           The box set comes with original, and complete, set of 5 Bernard Buffet lithos in their custom sleeve

(f)            The box set comes with its original 7" bonus single (also - surprisingly! - in stereo); also in the custom "textured" inner sleeve [NOTE: to prevent the bonus single from getting lost or displaced in transit, we will place it in the same folder as the Bernard Buffet lithographs]

(g)          The records comes in its original, custom, inner sleeves, which are UNIQUE to this album.

(h)          Stereo  pressing of this title is much rarer, and by far more preferable to its mono  counterpart. The mix is more graphic, the sound resolution more precise, and the channel separation (which does not exist on mono version) adds a whole new dimension to the music. Also, the stereo mixes are (by definition) somewhat different than on the mono version. We estimate that mono copies of this album outnumber stereo copies  by a ratio of at least 20:1.

(i)             All five records have light spotty sleeve (pressure) marks on the surface of the vinyl, apparently from the pressure of the texturized (nibbed) inner sleeves. This is only a minor visual nuisance and DOES NOT affect playing or visual beauty of the vinyl.

(j)             Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

·       COVER (BOX)

THE COVER IS ABOUT VERY GOOD+(+)

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        One corner on the lid (top part) and about 40% of the top seam have split (separated); The top seam and the affected corner were delicately taped by the previous owner with a piece of transparent scotch tape 2" wide.

-         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

-         Back cover has circular tarnish (grayish, dust-covered sections, which closely follow the contour of the record),  probably caused by friction or by rubbing against other covers during the storage. The tarnish is similar in appearance to a common ring wear, but, UNLIKE ring wear, these grayish areas may be possible to clean up with a minor effort and with a right cleansing solution.

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

-         Some impurities / dust speckles noted on the right-side margin of the box (the side of the right eye on Bernard Buffet's painting)

-         Shelf wear noted on the seams (nothing significant)

-         Cover has a small quality control (inspection) stamp on the back panel

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No wrinkles or creases

-        No writing

-        No peel-off marks

-        No stickers or labels

-        No water damage

-        No razor marks, scratches, pressure marks, lines, streaks, or  cuts.

-        No warping

-        No wax, glue, paint or liquid drops on the cover

-        No glue traces or wax residue.

-        No bar codes

-        No RIAA stamps or stickers. 

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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 that you pay for USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment in order to obtain tracking information, which is NOT available for First Class International shipments.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from country to country. 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.

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OUR REFUND POLICY :

WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 7 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED (THE BUYER PAYS FOR THE RETURN POSTAGE); 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

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