ROBERT JOHNSON KING OF DELTA BLUES ULTRA-RARE ORIG '60 6-EYE COLUMBIA MONO LP NM

$

461

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·       ROBERT JOHNSON – KING OF DELTA BLUES SINGERS (VOL. 1) – ULTRA-RARE ORIGINAL 1961 COLUMBIA RECORDS MONO LP CL-1654

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       ORIGINAL RED AND BLACK COLUMBIA 'SIX EYE' MONO LABEL

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

·       ORIGINAL, THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE)

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       MACHINE-STAMPED MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) OF THE RECORD

(►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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In 1961, a group of Blues lovers and collectors, coalescing around John Hammond, Sr., the legendary Columbia A&R man (who was one of the last people to actually see Johnson alive and who planned to invite him to his legendary 1938 From Spiritual to Swing series of concerts at New York’s Carnegie Hall – alas, too late – Johnson had already died under mysterious circumstances a few weeks prior), agreed to pool their resources and loan their rare Robert Johnson pre-war 78 records to Columbia for inclusion in the first-ever anthology of Robert Johnson’s works, some 23 years after his death. Mind you, those super-rare Robert Johnson 78s were a sight unseen EVEN back in 1961. Today, these rare records are surreally rare. Personally, I have not seen a SINGLE Robert Johnson 78 rpm record in more than 35 years of collecting.

Why was the original album assembled from original 78s? Well, that’s easy to explain. Back in the early 1930s the recording technology was essentially in the stone age. The recordings – and pre-war blues recordings were particularly crude – were essentially field recordings, or recordings made in impromptu home studios (check out the cover to the Volume 2 of this album – its sequel and companion, released in 1970 – to get the idea of how a typical recording session looked like) were made either on wax cylinders or, in very rare instances, on magnetic metallic tape (which would lose its magnetic flux after a while). Needless to say, neither of the original sources of Robert Johnson’s recording sessions survived the war, so the only available source was the original old, frail and brittle 78s. In essence, when Columbia acquired Robert Johnson’s original label (Vocalion), it inherited ONLY the right to his work and name, as well as related legal copyright, but not much else: there was no source material to be had.

Ultimately, the album was released in 1961 to rave critical and popular reviews. While Frank Driggs was credited as a producer of the album (he also produced Volume 2, released in 1970), the real driving force and the true Producer of the album was, in fact, John Hammond, sr. So great was the influence Robert Johnson exerted on the Hammond family that the first album by John Hammond, jr (Senior’s son, and a major contemporary blues figure in his own right), released the next year, showed massive influence of  Johnson’s style, phrasing and mannerisms.

The album proved to be phenomenally successful in re-igniting the interest in Blues in general and Delta Blues in particular. It can be argued that the release of the album single-handedly sparked British Blues revival, and resurgence in popular and critical interest in many aging and ailing, near-forgotten Blues musicians, from Son House to Lonnie Johnson, and beyond. It is more than likely that the sudden availability of Robert Johnson’s material – after almost quarter century of conspicuous absence  - influenced EVEN some of the greatest slide players, such as Elmore James, who covered Johnson’s Dust my Broom (Elmore James passed away two years after the release of the album), Homesick James, Howlin’ Wolf and others.

One thing is certain: the album was a critical formative influence on one Eric Clapton, who famously observed that “Robert Johnson was the most important blues musician who ever lived”. In the liner notes to Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Box Set (1988) –  whose title itself was based on one of Robert Johnson’s greatest blues tunes -  Anthony De Curtis quoted Clapton as saying:  “Both of Robert Johnson’s albums – King of Delta Blues Singers, volumes 1 & 2 – actually cover all of my desires musically. Every angle of expression and every emotion is expressed on those albums”. In his online review of this album, the late great Cub Koda went even further, stating: “If you are starting your blues collection from the ground up, be sure to make this your very first purchase”.

No wonder, than, that the line of artists who covered these wondrous songs stretches around the corner, and around the building: from Eric Clapton to Fleetwood Mac to John Mayall to Rolling Stones to Cream to Blues Brothers to Savoy Brown to Grateful Dead to Stevie Ray Vaughan and beyond – everyone and their mother, father, uncle, nephew, daughter-in-law and grandkids covered these immortal tunes. 

While the album sold decently and remained in print continuously and contiguously since 1961, it was not a resounding charting smash, and nobody actually expected it to become. In view of this, as well as the fact that Columbia abandoned the original “six-eye” label the next year (1962), the original, first pressings of this album are monumentally rare. I would not say that they are as rare as original 78s, but they may as well be. Most blues collectors would sell their soul to the devil to get one. The copy you are looking at is one of only four I have seen in my lifetime.  And, no, you need transact any business with the horned, hairy guy with a pitchfork and forked tail - all you need to do is bid.

For its extraordinary contribution to the contemporary music, superb production, craftsmanship, fine musicianship, revolutionary significance and influence it exerted on numerous generations of musicians, songwriters and general public, or for some other inherent quality, King of Delta Blues Singers (albeit vol. 2, not vol. 1) was voted one of top-200 albums of all time in one of the largest poll of critics, music reviewers, show business professionals and producers ever organized: the poll, which was conducted by Paul Gambaccini, the legendary BBC Radio A&R man, surveyed more than 50 top music professionals (including Roy Carr, Jonathan Cott, Robert Christgau, Cameron Crowe, Chet Flippo, Ben Fong-Torres, Charlie Gillett, Greil Marcus, Murray the K., Lenny Kaye, Bruce Morrow (a/k/a "Cousin Brucie"), Tim Rice , Lisa Robinson, Robert Shelton, Ed Ward, Joel Whitburn, Pete Wingfield, etc.). For more details, see: "Critics Choice: Top-200 albums" , Omnibus Press, Library of Congress Catalog No.7855565 (or ► click here  for the complete album listing)

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

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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  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 comes in the original stock inner sleeve.

(c)             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!

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

·       COVER

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD+++.

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Cover has JUST A HINT of 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 2.

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

-         Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine  (nothing significant)

-         Minor shelf wear noted on the bottom seam (nothing significant)

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        No split seams

-        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 writing

-        No stamps

-        No tearing: no chips, dents or nicks on the seams

-        No peel-off marks

-        No stains

-        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:

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