BILLY JOEL - COLD SPRING HARBOR, Japanese CBS SONY 25AP 2735, 1983.

ORIGINAL Japanese ISSUE with 6 Page Insert.

Rare US 70s Folk Rock/Singer Songwriter... Joel's debut album which was quite a departure from his earlier Psych albums with The Hassles & the Hard Rock/Heavy Attila album. Nevertheless it's an excellent effort.
A few short months after abandoning the heavy organ-and-drums duo Attila, partially because their sole record flopped, partially because he stole the drummer's wife, Billy Joel reinvented himself as a sensitive singer/songwriter. He had shown signs of McCartney-esque songcraft on Hour of the Wolf, the last Hassles album, but his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, is where these talents blossomed. The record was uneven but very charming, boasting two of his finest songs, the lovely "She's Got a Way" and the bitterly cynical "Everybody Loves You Now" and a score of flawed but nicely crafted songs that illustrated Joel's gift for melody, as well as his pretensions (the mock-gospel in "Tomorrow Is Today," a classical stab entitled "Nocturne"). In its own way, Cold Spring Harbor was a minor gem of the sensitive singer/songwriter era; Joel may have been in his formative stages as a craftsman, but his talents are apparent, and he never made an album as intimate and vulnerable ever again. Ironically, it didn't sound right upon its original release. Through a bizarre mastering error, the tapes were sped up, legend has it that upon hearing the completed album, he ripped it off the turntable, ran out of the house, and threw it down the street. It wasn't until 1983 that Columbia released a corrected reissue. The speed wasn't the only thing changed, some songs were edited drastically ("You Can Make Me Free," one of the standouts, was chopped by nearly five minutes) and instruments and backing vocals were stripped away from numerous tracks. It may be a bastardization of the original release, but it's an acceptable one, since these changes only accentuate the intimacy and vulnerability of the recording.

The original Family Productions issue quickly went out of print and instantly became a collectable. Columbia finally released a corrected version in 1983.
Original Japanese issue which came with a unique 6 page insert.
This copy has the insert but no cap OBI. Cover is M- but has a small sticker tear on the rear.
A really nice playing copy.

Condition is EX- to EX/M- to Mint (cover/record), cover has no cutout.

POSTAGE:

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With tracking: 12/13 GBP for 1st LP (under/over 500g), 2 LPs 13 GBP, 3 LPs 14 GBP, 4 LPs 15 GBP, 5 LPs 16 GBP, 6/7 LPs 17 GBP.

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CDs/Singles same as Zone 1.

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PAYMENT:

PERSONAL CHEQUES IN UK STERLING/ PAYPAL.

GRADINGS:

I DO TRY TO PLAY/TEST GRADE ALL THE LPs I SELL.

MINT:

RECORD: PERFECT...AS NEW CONDITION, SO NO DETEORIATION IN THE SOUND QUALITY…bear in mind that not all ‘new’ LPs are Mint because of the quality of the pressing etc...also SEALED/UNPLAYED LPs should be Mint.

COVER: AS NEW CONDITION WITH NO OBVIOUS DEFECTS.

M-: RECORD: SLIGHTY WORSE THAN Mint, LP may have the odd surface mark due to removal from its sleeve etc…but should have minimal noise and is still in great condition.

COVER: SHOWS SIGNS OF BEING HANDLED WITH THE ODD CREASE/TINY BIT OF WEAR or a Mint cover with a deletion/cutout hole or notch.

EX: RECORD: MOST REGUARLY PLAYED LPs KEPT WITH CARE FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY...LP may play with more hiss/slight crackle but not louder than the music.

COVER: SLIGHTLY MORE WEAR/CREASING/BENDING even some very slight ring wear...or may be a M or M- cover with a tiny split seam or a tiny sticker tear, but still nice.

EX-: Record & Cover a bit worse than EX, but better than VG+.

VG+: RECORD: LP PLAYS WITH MORE NOISE DUE TO EITHER DIRT OR STRONGER SURFACE MARKS BUT NO BAD MARKS/SCRATCHES and is STILL IS IN A VERY LISTENABLE CONDITION though starting to affect the music to some extent.

COVER: HAS QUITE A LOT OF CEASING/BENDING often with FADING/RING WEAR/ STICKER TEARS/TEARS...or may be an EX cover with a split seam(s).

NOTE: Any buyers looking for reasonably nice playing records should avoid anything below VG+.    

VG: Not exactly ‘Very Good’, an often-misinterpreted grade, most VG records I’ve bought have some obvious defects affecting the record and/or cover.        RECORD: THE SOUND QUALITY OF IS AFFECTED BY SURFACE MARKS/ LESSER AUDIBLE MARKS/SCRATCHES or DIRT etc...but still plays through and is still in quite a REASONABLE condition for playing, though obviously affecting the music to a greater extent.

COVER: PLENTY OF CREASING/BENDING/FADING/RING WEAR but still in one piece.

G: LP still plays through but is very noisy due to scratches/dirt etc....but still not totally trashed!

COVER: AS VG BUT TORN and starting to fall apart.

F/P: LP is trashed...for ornament purposes only.

PLEASE NOTE GRADING IS SUBJECTIVE AND EVERYONE CAN HAVE A DIFFERENT OPINION (for instance, some sellers don’t grade below VG). Myself, I think there should be an obvious difference between each grade.