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WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 300  LISTED ITEMS

 

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·       JOHN COLTRANE with McCOY TYNER, JIMMY GARRISON AND ELVIN JONES - BALLADS - ORIGINAL 1962 IMPULSE RECORDS STEREO LP A(S)-32

 

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

 

·       ORIGINAL ORANGE AND BLACK IMPULSE LABEL.

 

·       VERY RARE ORIGINAL STEREO PRESSING, MANY TIMES RARER THAN MONO

 

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

 

·       ORIGINAL GATEFOLD COVER, MADE OF THICK CARDBOARD (AMERICAN STYLE)

 

·       ORIGINAL LAMINATED COVER

 

·       BEAUTIFUL, WEAR-FREE LABELS

 

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

 

·       THE RECORD HAS  'BELL SOUND' STAMP IN THE TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) AREA, WHICH IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED A PROOF OF AUTHENTICITY OF THE FIRST PRESSING.

 

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

 

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH '-1A/-1A'.  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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Throughout John Coltrane's discography there are a handful of decisive and controversial albums that split his listening camp into factions. Generally, these occur in his later-period works such as Om and Ascension, which push into some pretty heady blowing. As a contrast, Ballads is often criticized as too easy and as too much of a compromise between Coltrane and Impulse! (the two had just entered into the first year of label representation). Seen as an answer to critics who found his work complicated with too many notes and too thin a concept, Ballads has even been accused of being a record that Coltrane didn't want to make. These conspiracy theories (and there are more) really just get in the way of enjoying a perfectly fine album of Coltrane doing what he always did -- exploring new avenues and modes in an inexhaustible search for personal and artistic enlightenment. With Ballads he looks into the warmer side of things, a path he would take with both Johnny Hartman (on John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman) and with Duke Ellington (on Duke Ellington and John Coltrane). Here he lays out for McCoy Tyner mostly, and the results positively shimmer at times. He's not aggressive, and he's not outwardly. Instead he's introspective and at times even predictable, but that is precisely Ballads' draw.

 

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY SAM SAMUELSON, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

 

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 EXCELLENT. This is one of those albums that are somewhat difficult to grade. It is somewhere between VG++ and NEAR MINT, just a notch below NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions ARE visible, but they are extremely shallow, superficial  and only moderately visually distracting (nothing significant).For the most part, the vinyl looks impeccable without any MAJOR visual flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is 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)           The record comes in the original stock inner sleeve.

 

(d)          Stereo  pressing of this title is much rarer, and by far more preferable to its mono  counterpart. The mix is more graphic, the sound resolution more precise, and the channel separation (which does not exist on mono version) adds a whole new dimension to the music. Also, the stereo mixes are (by definition) somewhat different than on the mono version. We estimate that mono copies of this album outnumber stereo copies  by a ratio of at least 3:1.

 

(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 VERY GOOD++ (VG++).

 

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

 

-        A visible water stain  (VISIBLE ON THE INSIDE GATEFOLD AND FAINTLY ON THE BACK PANEL ONLY)  affects about 30% of the inside gatefold; there is no structural damage to the cover, and both cardboard base and paper slick are intact, however, the stain is visible and has caused a slight warp in the affected area which has absolutely NO effect on the record.

 

-         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 1 (front side) and 2 (back side). 

 

-         Back cover has circular tarnish (grayish, dust-covered sections, which closely follow the contour of the record),  probably caused by friction or by rubbing against other covers during the storage. The tarnish is similar in appearance to a common ring wear, but, UNLIKE ring wear, these grayish areas may be possible to clean up with a minor effort and with a right cleansing solution.

 

-         Cover shows some light yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging   (nothing significant).  Yellowing is also noted on the INSIDE gatefold

 

-         Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine  (BARELY VISIBLE)

 

-         The gatefold cover has partially split seams on 1 out of 4 "legs" of the cover (about 1 inch = 2.5 centimeters).

 

-         Cover has one corner slightly worn / dinged (BARELY VISIBLE)

 

-         The laminated cover has a slight loss (flaking) of lamination along the opening edge (this is a common problem with most laminated 50’s and 60’s covers; lamination is just beginning to peel-off along the opening edge; however, since the underlying layer of the cover is ALSO laminated, the peeled-off spots are only a minor visual distraction  (VISIBLE ON BACK SIDE ONLY)

 

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

 

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No writing

-        No stamps

-        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 ►. 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 (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. ►  for the full text of our policy

 

 

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