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WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 300  LISTED ITEMS

 

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·       BILLY JOEL – 52nd STREET – ORIGINAL COLUMBIA RECORDS HALF-SPEED MASTERED, ANALOG, AUDIOPHILE, EXTENDED DYNAMIC RANGE VIRGIN VINYL, 'MASTERSOUND' COLUMBIA RECORDS LP HC-45609

 

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

 

·       *** PROMOTIONAL COPY; THE RECORD HAS STOCK LABELS; HOWEVER, THE PROMOTIONAL STAMP ON THE COVER CLEARLY IDENTIFIES THE ITEM AS PROMOTIONAL ***

 

·       ORIGINAL RED AND YELLOW COLUMBIA LABEL WITH WHITE MASTERSOUND LOGO

 

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. “MASTERSOUND” AUDIOPHILE PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

 

·       ORIGINAL, THIN CARDBOARD COVER (NO THICK CARDBOARD COVERS WERE EVER PRODUCED FOR THIS TITLE)

 

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

 

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

 

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

 

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH '-1E/-1J'.  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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Once The Stranger became a hit, Billy Joel quickly re-entered the studio with producer Phil Ramone to record the follow-up, 52nd Street. Instead of breaking from the sound of The Stranger, Joel chose to expand it, making it more sophisticated and somewhat jazzy. Often, his moves sounded as if they were responses to Steely Dan -- indeed, his phrasing and melody for "Zanzibar" is a direct homage to Donald Fagen circa The Royal Scam, and it also boasts a solo from jazz great Freddie Hubbard à la Steely Dan -- but since Joel is a working-class populist, not an elitist college boy, he never shies away from big gestures and melodies. Consequently, 52nd Street unintentionally embellishes the Broadway overtones of its predecessor, not only on a centerpiece like "Stiletto," but when he's rocking out on "Big Shot." That isn't necessarily bad, since Joel's strong suit turns out to be showmanship -- he dazzles with his melodic skills and his enthusiastic performances. He also knows how to make a record. Song for song, 52nd Street might not be as strong as The Stranger, but there are no weak songs -- indeed, "Honesty," "My Life," "Until the Night," and the three mentioned above are among his best -- and they all flow together smoothly, thanks to Ramone's seamless production and Joel's melodic craftsmanship. It's remarkable to think that in a matter of three records, Joel had hit upon a workable, marketable formula -- one that not only made him one of the biggest-selling artists of his era, but one of the most enjoyable mainstream hitmakers. 52nd Street is a testament to that achievement.

 

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY STEPHEN THOMAS ERLEWINE, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

 

The Columbia Records' Mastersound half-speed audiophile vinyl pressings of the late 1970's and early 1980's (there was only a handful of released titles) were not only audiophile masterpieces and connoisseur delights, they have become true pieces of audio history and its lore. These majestic recordings received an intense, meticulous and laborious treatment like very few other recordings in the entire history of the recorded sound. They are characterized by the massively extended dynamic and frequency range, mastering from the very first generation of original master tapes, almost compulsive attention paid to the detail and integrity of the pressing, the highest quality of the material and near-maniacal attention paid to the fine sonic detail and audio craftsmanship. To this day, many of these recordings remain unsurpassed, delivering music reproduction as close to the actual recording session as possible, without any loss of musical information inherent in the standard practice of mastering from the inferior "production" copies.

 

This is a rare opportunity to acquire this great album in its finest, audio format, no longer in print, and no longer easily obtainable.

 

For its extraordinary contribution to the contemporary music, superb production, craftsmanship, fine musicianship, revolutionary significance and influence it exerted on numerous generations of musicians, songwriters and general public, or for some other inherent quality, this album was voted one of top-100 albums of all time in one of the largest poll of critics, music reviewers, professionals and producers ever organized: the poll, which was conducted in 1987 by Paul Gambaccini, the legendary BBC Radio A&R man, surveyed more than 50 top music professionals   (►  for the complete album listing)

 

The PROMOTIONAL, RADIO STATION-, AUDITION OR DEMONSTRATION COPIES AND RELEASES (such as the one we have here) were often distributed among the radio stations before the record was released to the public, sometimes as much as four months ahead. These records are generally considered to be the "first among equals", which is to say the VERY FIRST generation and the VERY FIRST pressings of the particular title; a PROTOTYPE and the earliest known official pressing of the record.

 

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:

 

·                               THE 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)          THE VINYL IS ABSOLUTELY, PERFECTLY MINT,  as if never played before. The original luster is totally intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles like brand new. The labels look perfect, simply gorgeous, with absolutely no trace of wear around the spindle hole. The record is TOTAL PERFECTION - ABSOLUTE VISUAL NIRVANA! We are confident that, in this condition, the record we present here is truly once-in-a-lifetime find.

 

(b)          The record comes in a hi-grade MFSL PVC inner sleeve, which has - apparently with success - shielded the record from the harmful impact of elements over many years!

 

(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)          The record is pressed on a beautiful, high-quality, virgin-grade vinyl, which is usually used for audiophile, extended-dynamic-range, half-speed mastered and connoisseur pressings.

 

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

 

 

·                               THE COVER

 

THE COVER IS NEAR MINT !

 

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

 

-        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.

 

-        Cover has a minor 'bump' (dent) on the spine  (BARELY VISIBLE)

 

-        Cover has a minor  wrinkle (crease) in the cardboard base on the front panel  (BARELY VISIBLE)

 

 

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 (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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