FRANK SINATRA 8-LPs Box Set Radio Promo "Biography In Song" Only 25

$

625

ATTENTION ALL SERIOUS FRANK SINATRA MUSIC COLLECTORS!!!!!

Up for auction is an original box set of the incredibly rare, "FRANK SINATRA: BIOGRAPHY IN SONG", an 8-LP Radio Promo box set from 1975 by Kat Wisker Productions (Kat Wisker FS 1001).

Here's your opportunity to own one of the rarest Frank Sinatra music collector's items ever. How rare? Well, when was the last time you saw one of these up for sale or auction, if ever? Reason being that, reportedly, there were only 25 of these LP sets made. That report appears in two reputable 'official' guides and this LP set is so rare, that it is doubtful that the authors themselves had ever seen a physical copy of it, as both listings contain the typo, 'Kat Whisker', as the set's record label, instead of the correct, 'Kat Wisker.’* On top of that, this set is not even listed within the Discogs database!

The 8-LP set was privately issued and handed out to select radio stations as a promotional radio show program to be aired strictly as a possible radio broadcast only, via and subject to a licensing agreement with Los Angeles-based Kat Wisker Productions, as stated on the LP labels. Legal issues with Frank Sinatra Enterprises surfaced and ensued, as expected, and the few sets that were manufactured, distributed, and possibly even aired, then quietly disappeared - either kept by the radio stations or eventually privately-collected by those 'within the know' and with the means to acquire such a desired collectible. According to Peter Kline, the LP set's producer, the Sinatra challenge was dropped in 1975, but not before it cost Kline, "a great deal of money." Two radio stations that did possess and actually air the program in the Los Angeles-area, were KGIL in the San Fernando Valley (ca. 1980) and KCRW in Santa Monica (July 4, 1984). It is possible that this particular LP set up for auction here may be one of those aired sets, as it was acquired personally by me from a well-known, Hollywood-area record store back in the early 1980s. To view and help explain what this radio program was all about and what it contained, please see the photos below of the LP set’s inserts for a general description and song index. So, let's continue to discuss what's actually in the box set, the condition it's in and what to expect, etc. I will share with you a few select photos of the actual set up for auction and, hopefully, cover everything you need to know in my following detailed description. I will be happy to answer any further questions, per special request from serious bidders only, please.

First of all, why am I selling it? Well, I've been a Frank Sinatra fan/collector for decades and, now that I've come to the 'September of My Years', it's time to let some of the good stuff go for other Sinatra fans and collectors to enjoy. This "Biography In Song" 8-LP set has been in my possession for some 40 years now and, as they say, you can't take it with you! So, it's time to let it go. As for the condition, the records themselves are immaculate. Clean, glossy, shiny, flat as a pancake, and without any visible spindle marks. It's really impossible to say how many times the set may have been played before I got it - maybe never, by the looks of it! However, I can tell you that since owning the set, it has been played exactly twice, once by me to enjoy it when I first got it and another time by my son, also a serious record collector, when he transferred the whole set for me to cassette tapes back in the mid or late 1980s. And that's it! I can honestly tell you for certain that this LP box set has been sitting upright on a shelf in a closet with other prized collectibles for well over 30 years now.

OK, so let’s talk honestly about condition and grading...

I don't usually like to grade any record that isn't brand new, has already been played, or is of age (these are now 47 years old!) as ‘MINT’, so I'll graciously step them down a notch to EXCELLENT. I will not play them again to make any new determinations, for fear of risking any damage to them. They look fantastic and, knowing that they haven't been played in over three decades, we're going to keep them that way! As for the labels, everything is clear, solid, and intact. There is some small, light, pencil numbering on about four of the LP sides (see photo). This is my writing, and I remember numbering a few of them to make sense of the order of things. The set is sequenced in true radio deejay format, with Side 1A backed with Side 2A, and the next record with Side 1B backed with Side 2B, in order for a deejay to play them continuously while utilizing two turntables and without having to flip them. So, I did number a few sides in light pencil and I will not attempt to put an eraser to them for fear of any worse damage. The 8 LPs will be taken out of their original plain white paper sleeves (although you will receive them, too) and placed individually into some nice, poly-lined, collector's sleeves for packaging the set. The discs will then be safely-packed with bubble wrap in-between, to further protect them for transit.

Also included, the original paper song index printout sheets for the set, as well as the actual radio station deejay cue sheets (see photos). Once again, I must confess that there is some of my writing on these sheets, as I broke down the sections of the program to where they fell onto the cassettes I had made. Since the cassettes are what I played after the transfer, I needed some sort of guide to make sense of which LP/songs were on what tape. So, apologies for the writing, but at the time, I had no idea of the rarity of this set, the value of keeping the paperwork 'MINT', or that I would ever even consider selling it. There is also some use of white-out and a stain or two here and there, along with the obligatory staple holes in the upper left corners. In this honest regard, I would have to grade this paperwork as, GOOD MINUS. There are also a couple other colored paper inserts from Kat Wisker Productions with the program's description and general information printed on them, and these are fairly nice and clean, without any writing. I will also include a Los Angeles Times newspaper article mentioning the set/radio program airing on KCRW from early July of 1984. All paperwork will be packaged separately and safely in plastic sleeves for extra protection.

The 8 LP set came in a thin, two-piece, black cardboard box with a copy of one of the Kat Wisker yellow record labels slapped on the box top to identify what was inside. This is the only sign of identification on the box itself. As far as boxes usually go for old LP box sets, this one has held together pretty well over the years (see photos). The corners are all solid and intact. There is a slight split on the thumb cut-out on the lid, where you're supposed to lift the box top off the box. The black-colored outer paper of the box is still in good shape, without any discolored areas, fading, or stains. However, on two of the box sides/edges, there is definitely some damage with the black paper coming apart from the cardboard box. Unfortunately, the box came to me in this condition. Yes, it's not pretty, I admit, but the overall box is in pretty good shape and I suppose some of the tattered black paper may be trimmed or neatly removed off the two bad sides for a better appearance. These types of LP boxes are notorious for splitting or falling completely apart, but not here. For those damaged and unpretty sides, however, I'd have to grade the overall box as, GOOD MINUS.

So, what is "Frank Sinatra: Biography In Song" valued at? The two record guides I previously mentioned in the first paragraph (and identified below) both list the set as an issue of 25 copies only* and valued between $750 - $1,000,* and these books are now nearly 20 and 30 years old. I can't believe that this set would be any less rare or any less valuable now, than it was when these price guides first came out.

*"Official Price Guide to Records - Seventeenth Edition" (2004) by Jerry Osborne and "The Official Price Guide to Frank Sinatra Records and CDs - First Edition" (1993) by Vito R. Marino and Anthony C. Furfero

I have been selling successfully on eBay for over 21 years now, while maintaining a 100% Positive rating. I am asking for the low-end of the price guide listings of $625.00 as a minimum bid and a Buy It Now price of $825.00, with both options including FREE Domestic U.S. Priority Shipping and Insurance.

ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS: You must contact me prior to bidding for the International Shipping amount and possible Insurance coverage available to your country and destination. NO EXCEPTIONS! Every non-U.S. country has drastically different rates and insurance options, and these rates will need to be discovered and passed on to you prior to totaling your payment.

FREE S/H & INSURED    USA  ONLY !

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for serious Sinatra collectors! Be a lucky 'one of twenty-five' worldwide fans to own one! As I previously mentioned, any additional questions answered upon request. I aim to please. Again, serious bidders only – much appreciated! Best of luck to all of you!

- Ed Hannan (songsulove)