SUPER RARE 2-TONE ELVIS COSTELLO SINGLE -- MINT

$ 73

$ 73 Sold For

Jan 27, 2008 Sold Date

Jan 20, 2008 Start Date

$ 55 Start price

11 Number Of Bids

USA Country Of Seller

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Description

You are bidding on one of the rarest Elvis Costello & The Attractions' collectibles, the 2-Tone label 1980 release of the single "I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down" b/w "Girls Talk." This vinyl rarity has never been played; it is the edition with both the 2-Tone and F-Beat numbers on the run out groove (see below). Here's the history of the single, courtesy of the 2-Tone info website:

Costello had been signed to Radar in 1978, via a licensing deal from Riviera Global Productions. Radar collapsed towards the end of 1979, and so Elvis's manager Jake Riviera alighted upon the Specials' 2-Tone label as an ideal venue for a holding operation - a one-off single - until Elvis sorted out a deal for the Get Happy!! album. WEA, who had distributed Radar, were less than delighted: they felt they had a stake in Costello's career by virtue of the success of the records they had distributed for him, and so they obtained a court injunction to stop the 2-Tone single being sold.

By March '80, the situation was clarified: F-Beat was set up by Riviera as an independent company, but WEA continued to distribute their records. In the meantime, there were several thousand 2-Tone singles to dispose of. These were handed out free to the audience at a London's Rainbow Theatre gig. Several months later, Riviera pressed up a few thousand more of the 2-Tone singles, and these were given away at London and US gigs".

Of the 2 versions pressed one simply has CHSTT7 on the run out groove and the other has both the F-Beat number XX 1 and 2 separate 2 Tone numbers, CHSTT7 and CHSTT8. The latter (CHSTT8) is crossed out. Both versions are highly sought after and are the number 1 UK 2 Tone rarity, with either version commanding a high price. And in keeping with 2 Tone tradition the A side of the single was a cover version. This time it was the old Sam and Dave soul number that got the 2 Tone treatment.

NOTE: We do not list a return policy ONLY because we want to deter impulse purchases. The item above is absolutely as described, but if the buyer finds fault with it, a fair return can be negotiated.

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