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WE CURRENTLY HAVE  NEARLY 300  LISTED ITEMS

 

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·       THE WHO - DIRECT HITS - U.K.-ONLY ALBUM, NEVER RELEASED IN THE UNITED STATES -  ORIGINAL BRITISH PRESSING – ORIGINAL 1968 TRACK RECORDS (UK) MONO LP 612006

 

 

·       ULTRA RARE ORIGINAL  UK  MONO PRESSING

 

 

·       ORIGINAL U.K. PRESSING

 

·       ORIGINAL FLAT (NON-GLOSSY) BLACK TRACK LABEL WITH SILVER PRINT.

 

·       RARE MONO PRESSING, MANY TIMES RARER THAN STEREO

 

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

 

·       ORIGINAL, THIN CARDBOARD COVER (EUROPEAN STYLE)

 

·       ORIGINAL LAMINATED COVER

 

·       ORIGINAL ERNEST J. DAY & CO. LTD COVER

 

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

 

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

 

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

 

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH '-A1/B1'.  ON SOME LABELS,  SUFFIX '–1' DENOTES THE VERY FIRST, ORIGINAL PRESSING)

 

·       MONO version of this album has NEVER been available on legitimate Compact Disc or in any other digital format.

 

(►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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Direct Hits was the first official compilation of the Who's music. And it would be notable on that basis alone, even though it was planned exclusively as a European release. But it did a lot more than that, reaching far beyond its intended audience and raising some listener's consciousness along the way. Track Records, which had the band's contract in England and which was always strapped for cash, conceived Direct Hits as a cash-in effort behind the Who's then recent spate of singles, which included "I Can See for Miles," "Pictures of Lily," and their cover of the Stones' "The Last Time" (done as a gesture of support following the drug arrests of Mick Jagger, Keith Richard, and Brian Jones) -- and as Track didn't have access to the group's earliest singles, the record was filled out with B-sides, a few non-hit 45 sides, and a notable album track or two. The resulting LP packed as much pop/rock punch as any piece of 12" vinyl to see the light of day in England in 1968, as well as being weird and quirky in the best possible way, what with odd but catchy tracks like "Bucket T" and "In the City" bumping up against the familiar "I Can See for Miles" and "Substitute." It was the best snapshot of the Who's history yet put before the public, and it was good enough to be brought over to America by some enterprising importers, as one of the first U.K. albums to find somewhat wide distribution in the United States, especially at record stores serving college campuses. And that's how it came to be reviewed in the pages of Rolling Stone -- possibly the first British import LP to receive what was, in those days, a true honor. Actually, the album bore an uncanny resemblance in song lineup if not design to the U.S.-issued Magic Bus album put out by Decca Records, which was not an officially acknowledged compilation on the group. The Rolling Stone review stacked them up against each other and found the American LP wanting. And in one fell swoop, Direct Hits became the record that introduced British imports to a wider American public than had ever known about them, and established the notion that the British record labels often did better work. There would subsequently be better work done in this vein in the United States, by Decca -- which learned to straighten up a bit and fly somewhat right as the Who's audience grew exponentially, and had the advantage of access to those early singles -- on Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy (which also lacked some of this album's quirkiness) -- but Direct Hits was there first, with its own odd virtues.

 

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

 

For its extraordinary contribution to the modern music, superb production, craftsmanship, fine musicianship, revolutionary significance and influence it exerted on numerous generations of musicians, writers and general public, or for some other innate quality, this album was voted one of top-200 albums of all time in one of the largest poll of critics, music reviewers, professionals and producers ever organized: the poll, which was conducted by Paul Gambaccini, 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 (of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Evita" fame), Lisa Robinson, Robert Shelton (who wrote liner notes for Bob Dylan's first album), Ed Ward, Joel Whitburn, Pete Wingfield, etc.). For more details, see: "Critics Choice: Top-200 albums" compiled by Paul Gambaccini, Omnibus Press, Library of Congress Catalog No.7855565 (or ►  for the complete album listing)

 

Track listing:

 

Bucket T

I'm A Boy

Pictures Of Lily

Doctor! Doctor!

I Can See For Miles

Substitute

Happy Jack

The Last Time

In The City

Call Me Lightning

Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand

Dogs

 

For additional historical information on this album, including track listing ►

 

TO SEE IF WE HAVE OTHER LISTED ITEMS BY THIS GROUP OR ARTIST ► 

 

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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 “Made in Great Britain” 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)          Mono pressing of this title is much rarer, and by far more  preferable to its stereo counterpart. We think that the mix is more natural, humane, "organic" and that the mixes are somewhat different than on the stereo version. We estimate that stereo copies of this album outnumber mono pressings by a ratio of at least 10:1.

 

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

 

 

·       COVER (THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, LAMINATED, GLOSSY COVER):

 

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

 

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

 

-        Cover has some writing on its back side (name of the previous owner written in blue ballpoint pen, about 1/4 X 2 inches in size)

 

-        Cover has a light "wrinkle" (crease)  in one of the corners.

 

-         Cover has some light 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 3;  (VISIBLE ON BACK SIDE ONLY)

 

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

 

 

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

 

 

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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 ►. While you can be rest assured that ►, 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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OUR REFUND POLICY :

 

WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED; 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. ►  for the full text of our policy

 

 

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