Sold Date: November 24, 2022
Start Date: November 17, 2022
Final Price: $11.99 (USD)
Bid Count: 2
Seller Feedback: 3322
Buyer Feedback: 0

MOODY BLUES 2 VINTAGE LIVE LPs  "OCTOBER 1972" and "ALIVE" 
I've been going thru my massive vinyl record collection this summer and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 40 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
This week on EBay I am offering up this interesting double dose of early Live Moody Blues LPs. There are 2 different very old, vintage, live collectors records in this lot.
Both of these Live albums are from the early "Classic Years" when the Band was made up of the Core line-up of Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge, Justin Hayward and John Lodge. As these live shows demonstrate they were true pioneers in the development of art rock and progressive rock.
I've had these albums for many years and up front I should say that they are both in pretty rough condition, but I thought a Moody Blues fan would still like them for their collection.
The background story: My hip Uncle took me and my brother to see the Moody Blues in November 1978 at the Garden in New York City. He insisted that they were the greatest band in the World and wanted to prove it to us. They had taken a break in 1974 and hadn't toured, so he was hyped to be able to see them again.
In 1978, I was into Jazz and Classic Rock, and my brother was into the new Punk scene. My uncle wanted to introduce us to a 'real' band.
I don't recall a whole lot about the show, but my Uncle was not very impressed and ranted all the way home about how they used to do better shows 'back in the day'. He insisted that we needed to hear what they used to sound like Live in concert, so for Christmas, a few weeks later, he gave each of us one of these 'live' albums to check out. My brother wasn't impressed and gave me his record.
These were 'hand me downs' from my Uncle and were pretty trashed when I got them. Even back then, I took excellent care of my records; he obviously didn't.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a pair of rare live 'Collectors' records featuring the Moody Blues. If you're reading this you probably already know what these rare records are and why they're still collectible despite their condition.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE MOODY BLUES
TITLE: "ALIVE" LABEL: UNKNOWN MATRIX: (SIDE ONE) Etched 101-B  IC  F/W N MATRIX: (SIDE TWO) Etched 101-A  F/W N RELEASED: 1971-1973 ERA
This is one of the earliest and rarest of the Moody Blues 'Collectors' records.
The source of this live recording is unknown and fans debate where it was recorded. Based on the songs and order of the setlist, it was recorded probably late 1970 or early 1971.
The sound quality of this recording is worse than the other record in this auction, which isn't bad at all. This record has a sound quality typical of early records of this type.
The Jacket is typical thick, plain, white cardboard stock with no printing. The Cover is an off-white tan paper insert. I'm not sure if was supposed to be Tan or has just 'tanned' with age due to being printed on cheap paper. Either way, it looks very cool.
The insert has a stoned-out face and a single hand, floating in a blue starfield. Pretty spacey looking and perfectly fits the music on the record.
The paper insert is actually in pretty good condition. Relatively sharp corners and no marks or significant damage. I've had this record sleeved and protected for over 40 years.
The Labels are plain white, with no identification of any company or catalog number.
Fans claim that the sides are 'reversed,' What is listed as Side 1 may be Side 2 and vice versa. I'm not sure what the proper song order should be.
The Songs on this Live album include:
Are You Sitting Comfortably The Dream Have You Heard I ~ The Voyage ~ Have You Heard II Nights In White Satin Legend Of A Mind Gypsy Tuesday Afternoon The Sun Set Tortoise And The Hare Question Melancholy Man
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Second Record in this Auction is...
THE MOODY BLUES TITLE: "OCTOBER 1972" LABEL: WHITE COVER FOLKS (WCF) MATRIX:   4048-A/B  X RELEASED: CIRCA 1973
This album came direct from my Uncle with the "custom" cover you see in the pictures.
He wrote the band name, some song titles and his comment on the sound quality "w/ crackles" in Felt pen on the white sleeve. It was obviously missing it's insert, so he made his own cover. The custom, hand-done cover does have some charm, especially the "w/ crackles" comment.
Some research tells me that this is an early copy of "October 1972" which was released around 1973, based on it's use of the white, folder-style double jacket they were using at the time. Those early folder-style jackets are a sign of an early 'Collectors' record.
The Jacket itself is basically trashed with dirt, scuffs and water (Bong water?) stains. Some bent corners and general dirt, stains and damage. Pretty bad, but I thought someone might still want it anyhow.
I never switched it out because it's an early folded style sleeve which shows the authenticity and age of this early 'Collector' record.  
According to InterWeb research, the songs include:
Melancholy Man Living In The Land Of Make Believe Nights In White Satin Are You Sitting Comfortably The Dream Have You Heard I ~ The Voyage ~ Have You Heard II Oh! Suzannah!
The odd thing on this LP is a short, odd impromptu version of “Oh! Suzannah!” with Mike Pinder on Mellotron, which, I think, is unique in the Moody Blues cannon. A clipof this is on U-Tube.
This Live concert was supposedly recorded in 1972 at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, but they didn't play there in 1972.
The actual source of this album, like the other one, is unknown and debated amongst collectors. All a bit of a mystery, as many of these Collector records can be.
From the Matrix numbers, 4048, this is an early copy of 'October 1972' on the 'White Cover Folks' label. The White Cover Folks (WCF) label started around 1970, back near the beginning of this style of records, and were very active up until about 1974. Around 1975, they pooled resources and formed Berkely Records, a famous early 'first generation' label in the field.
The WCF label was more into variety than quantitiy, with low pressing numbers any multiple titles, making these early WCF records hard to find, rare and collectible.
The Labels are plain bright blue, with large Numbers 1 & 2 printed on them. No catalog numbers or Company name. My Uncle wrote the name of the band in ballpoint pen on one side of the label.
The Spindle holes on the White labelled LP are crisp and clean. The Spindle holes on this Blue one clearly show which side my Uncle thought was better. Side 1's hole has some wear and side 2 is cleaner, suggesting side 2 was played more often.
The Matrix is etched 4048 A/B with an 'X' etched in the run-out groove across from the Matrix number.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VINYL CONDITION:  NOTE: The Vinyl on both of these LP's is rough. There are numerous scuffs, hairline scratches and visible wear. They have had a hard life.
I tried to show some close-ups of the vinyl in my pictures. There are some significant 'dings' and scuffs on both records. They both need a good deep cleaning, which might help with some of the pops and clicks. Not very good condition, but not the worst I've seen either.
I did NOT play these records fully on my high-end turntable as the condition looked a little sketchy and I didn't want to risk damaging my stylus.
But, I DID play some small sections just to make sure they are what they claim. The sections I played seemed to be OK, with lots of pops and clicks, but tolerable. These will definitely have many pops and clicks and might even skip. They are rough, but also very interesting, rare and collectible.
I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures, including all the dings, damage and stains.
These rare records are being sold "As Is" with "No Returns". 
These records are being sold rather cheaply. I'm hoping that there's a Moody Blues fan out there that would still like these for their collection. The are both Rare and Unusual records and copies don't turn up at your local record shop too often.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~ So, there you have it, two very early and very rare live Moody Blues records that are both quite hard to find.
Unfortunately, they are both in poor condition, but I thought there are Moody Blues collectors out there that would like them for their collection. Despite the condition, they are still pretty cool.
In summary,  MOODY BLUES: "ALIVE" Live 1970/71 Unknown Label MOODY BLUES: "OCTOBER 1972" Live 1972 WCF Label
INSERT CONDITION: EX- VINYL CONDITION: POOR JACKET CONDITION: POORER
See my write-up above and multiple photos for best sense of condition.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Again, these records are being sold "AS IS" and with "NO RETURNS"
~~~~~~~ I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page! ALL in much, much better condition!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
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THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far.  -- JOHN