LORD SITAR RARE BEATLES-ERA SITAR PSYCH LP RARE ORIG '67 CAPITOL PROMO LP SHRINK

$

50

WE CURRENTLY HAVE   NEARLY 400   LISTED ITEMS

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·       LORD SITAR – THE SENSATIONAL SOUNDS OF LORD SITAR (ALSO KNOWN, SIMPLY, AS ‘LORD SITAR’) – ORIGINAL 1967 CAPITOL RECORDS STEREO LP ST-2576

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

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

·       ORIGINAL BLACK CAPITOL LABEL WITH MULTICOLORED SPECTRUM (“RAINBOW) BAND ALONG THE LABEL’S EDGE

·       ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE, STRIKINGLY VIVID, AUDIOPHILE-GRADE RECORDING WITH DYNAMIC AND FREQUENCY RANGE THAT WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF AND INCINERATE YOUR TWEETERS, PLUS A (FAIR AND) BALANCED CHANNEL SEPARATION FROM HEAVEN; IN FACT, THIS RECORD SOUNDS MUCH BETTER THAN MOST OF THE MASTERINGS AND PRESSINGS MARKETED AS ‘AUDIOPHILE’ THESE DAYS. THIS ALBUM MERITS OUR ENTRY IN THE LIST OF TOP-30 GREATEST RECORDINGS (TECHNICALLY SPEAKING) OF ALL TIME. IT IS TRULY – LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY – A JOY TO LISTEN TO, SOMEWHAT SLIGHLY CHEESY SELECTION OF MATERIAL NOTWITHSTANDING.

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

·       THICK CARDBOARD COVER, AMERICAN STYLE.

·       COVER IS STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL SHRINK (CELLOPHANE) WRAP

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH '-A1/-B2'.  ON SOME LABELS,  SUFFIX '–1' DENOTES THE VERY FIRST, ORIGINAL 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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Lord Sitar was the alias for renowned session musician and guitar virtuoso Big Jim Sullivan  who, in 1966/67, found himself in the enviable position of being the only established session guitarist in England to own a sitar. By 1967, that attribute had turned him into a valuable commodity, mostly because of the instrument's being popularized by George Harrison of the Beatles and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones on various of their respective groups' recordings. Sullivan had already recorded a whole album of sitar-based music entitled Sitar Beat  for Mercury Records (released in 1968) when someone at Regal Zonophone -- an imprint of EMI, which already owned the real article in raga rock in the form of George Harrison's Beatles recordings -- decided that they needed an album to cash in on the boom for the Hindustani instrument's sound. Thus was born "Lord Sitar," as he was billed, with Sullivan working under producer John Hawkins. In subsequent interviews, including one with Kieron Tyler accompanying the R.P.M. reissue of Sitar Beat, Sullivan has described those sessions as unsatisfying and unmemorable, especially when compared to those for Sitar Beat. The Lord Sitar  album, however, managed to get reviewed even in the pages of Rolling Stone (then the Bible of rock music) -- thanks to the mystery surrounding "Lord Sitar" and the fact that the album appeared on Capitol Records in America, some people suspected (encouraged by Hawkins' sleeve notes) that there was some direct connection between Lord Sitar and George Harrison. There was, indeed, but only in the crassest commercial way, and only from one side, and not even involving the musicians. The presence of "If I Were A Rich Man" on the album's song list quickly dispelled any rumors, and "Lord Sitar" was added to a list of peripheral Beatles ephemera (and how much more ephemeral could one possibly get, than to be peripheral ephemera?) that came to include Klaatu  and other supposed/alleged/rumored Beatles projects. Ironically, the ruse might've worked -- at least for a few seconds -- if only Hawkins hadn't selected such bizarre material (not just "If I Were A Rich Man", but also "Daydream Believer" and Kim Fowley's "Ode To Joy" rip-off "Emerald City" and two of Hawkins' own copyrights, "Tomorrow's People" and "In A Dream") to record.

The rating of this album is a bit of a problem -- on one level, it isn't any better than one would expect from a studio pick-up band doing raga-style covers of "I Am The Walrus," "&Black Is Black," "Eleanor Rigby," "&Blue Jay Way," etc. It isn't what one would can call a terribly adventurous recording, and it's exactly the opposite of the recordings -- George Harrison's "Love You To" and "Within You, Without You" -- whose textures it seems to want to emulate. On the other, it does have its odd moments of beauty, such as the heavy sitar noodling on "Eleanor Rigby" and "I Am The Walrus," and the sitar subbing for the lead vocal line on Pete Townshend's "I Can See For Miles" is worth hearing once, at least. "Blue Jay Way" is so strange -- the Beatles' original being a raga-style number with no sitar -- that it is also worth a listen. Additionally, the album was cut with a special emphasis on the stereo separation and a very bright sound, that makes it a peculiar extension of the late '50s "bachelor's den" audiophile school of recording. And one track here, "Black Is Black," does rock out in no uncertain terms, and the sitar does a good job there of extending the song into some new territory, sub-continent Top 40 rock. The album was reissued late in 1999 on EMI's revived Zonophone label, an appropriate place for the label's in-house psychedelic vision, limited as it was.

 (REVIEW REPRINTED COURTESY OF BRUCE EDER, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

The PROMOTIONAL, RADIO STATION-, AUDITION OR DEMONSTRATION COPIES AND RELEASES (such as the one we have here) were often distributed among the radio stations before the record was released to the public, sometimes as much as four 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 PROTOTYPE and the earliest known official pressing of the record.

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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 THE VINYL  AS  (WEAK) NEAR MINT. Some VERY LIGHT AND SUPERFICIAL abrasions – mostly sleeve scuffs -  are (barely) visible, but are probably inaudible,  and do not affect visual integrity or beauty of the vinyl. The original luster is very much intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          The record is 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!

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

·       COVER

COVER IS (WEAK) NEAR MINT,  STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL ►SHRINK WRAP

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Back cover has a few yellowish dust speckles scattered here and there (these tiny spots are not overly obtrusive or distracting)

-         Cover shows some light yellowing on back side, apparently from aging.  (nothing significant)

-         Minor shelf wear noted on the opening side (nothing significant)

-         Cover has one corner slightly worn / dinged (nothing significant)

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        No split seams

-        No ring wear

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No dirt/dust rubbing stains (friction marks caused by rubbing against other covers)

-        No wrinkles or creases

-        No writing

-        No stamps

-        No peel-off marks

-        No mold or mildew spots

-        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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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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