This listing is for a near mint recording of the Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, Op. 49; The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a / Robert Sharples Conducting The London Festival Orchestra And Band.  I removed the album from the jacket and, just in case, used the Mk II Spin Clean record cleaner to assure a pristine surface before recording on my equipment (see pictures).  As such, it has been played once on high end equipment to preserve its mint condition.       It is rare to find this album, especially in this condition.  It is nice to listen to such a recording with no background noise,clicks, pops, skips, etc.  I now have this recorded on reel-to-reel to enjoy with no discernable loss in fidelity and the ability to listen to both pieces (sides) without the need to flip the record.  My hope is that this will go to an audiophile music lover to enjoy. See my other auctions for additional items.  Note: I can combine items to save you some money on shipping.  Just let me know if you are bidding on multiple items.  I will send an invoice with the lower price for all your purchases.

Reputable EBAY member since 1999 with 100% positive feedback.  Buy with confidence.  Thanks for looking!   

        I will package the album well to arrive safely to its destination.  If any doubts, see my feedback:   

     Note regarding shipping. It is $3.50 anywhere in the continental U.S.    Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Virgin Islands, etc. may be more than $3.50. Packaged to limit damage during transit. I package in the manner in which I would like to receive items!  

Included below are several reviews of this specific performance:  

 T This is one of if not the best recording of the `1812 overture made. It has 20 channel separation and the cannon used are authentic. the sound of the cannons is muffled as it should be not BRITE and harsh as so many electronic mastered cannons.

My parents bought this record for me in the mid-1960's when I was very young, probably in order to get me interested in classical music. After all, what red-blooded American boy is not going to love a stirring, bombastic piece with a finale complete with roaring cannon shots and a full carillon of bells?
Little did I realize at the time that all other versions of the 1812 would never come close to the great performance and recording of this version. I've heard many other r renditions (with cannon) over the years and many sound like someone whacking a piece of sheet metal with a mallet or firing a 20-gauge shotgun off into an oil drum. This version, by contrast, sounds fantastic, as if you were actually there on the battlefield. Yes, its sort of gimmicky and hokey to have the cannon and bells, but when executed so well, it really is thrilling and takes me back to being 7 years old again. Classical music may be "good for you", but who says it cannot be lotsa fun too?

As others have noted, its criminal that Decca (or someone) has never released a cleaned up and remastered CD version of this (or ANY CD versions at all....). Write your congressman!     I have two (2) copies of this Decca Phase 4 recording and it has the best sonic sound ever produced on vinyl since recording began. I have a couple of Digital Recordings of the 1812; but they don't come any where near this performance by Robert Sharpless, the London Festival Orchestra & the Band of the Grenadier Guards. The first copy I bought back in the mid 1960's from my local record store in Launceston. The sales lady played it for me in the store at full volume and it nearly took out the plate glass windows in the front of the store, they were vibrating madly. (She nearly lost her job over it needless to say). It literally blew me away by the clarity of sound and performance. I ended up buying a second-hand copy (in excellent order) as a back-up disc, back in the 1980's and have been waiting for Decca to release it onto CD. Why has Decca not released it? They have released and re-released other inferior recordings of the 1812, but not this one. Maybe they have lost or destroyed the original masters??
It's a travesty of justice that this 1812 HAS NOT been given the recognition it deserves and yet we still wait in hope that Decca will do the right thing by us and finally release it on CD. I bought my copy in the 60's and have rarely played it. I've listened to a variety of other attempts at recording this piece and have several other people have noted, the cannon on virtually every other recording is sadly lacking. I heard one recording that the touted the use of howitzers. Compared to authentic cannon they sound like firecrackers. If you have a love for the 1812 Overture, this recording is a must have. I have searched off and on for decades for a remastered CD of this recording. No luck so far. I won't pretend that I am a music expert, suffice it to say that all recordings come up dry when compared to this one, especially the bells and cannons, which never sound right. This one has reverb in the sounds that make it stand out as real. The music itself is warm with a pacing and excitement that I have always loved. Please ... someone ... release a digitally remastered version. After reading the previous reviews, I simply had to add my own thoughts on the matter of the phase 4 1812
overture with Robert Sharples conducting. I bought the original album back in the early sixties, when I was
collecting as many of the london phase 4 albums as I could afford. This one has always been my all time
favorite, with the Stanley Black phase four albums "Overture" (with William Tell and Light Cavalry) and
"Capriccio" (with Capriccio Italian and Espagnol) coming in second and third. The sonic quality is stunning
and compares favorably with anything recorded today. When I really crank it up on 4 large speakers in a
20' x 20' room, I can make the grids of the suspended ceiling resonate and cry for mercy! I have looked for
years to get these titles on the london weekend series on cd, but to no avail -what on earth is wrong with the
execs at Decca? Lucky for me, every lp album I possess
is still like new, no fingerprints or dirt, thanks to
never touching the vinyl finish and using the D4 discwasher once in a great while.