Sold Date: January 3, 2023
Start Date: October 27, 2022
Final Price: £95.00 (GBP)
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THE BAND The Last Waltz 1978 UK 1st PRESS 3LP + BOOKLET MINT THE BAND
The Last Waltz

1978 UK Warner Bros. Records (K66076)
Recorded Live November 1976 at the Winterland Arena, San Francisco, California
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS
INCLUDING TRACKS BY BOB DYLAN (nearly a whole side), NEIL YOUNG AND JONI MITCHELL AMONGST OTHERS

FIRST PRESSING THREE RECORD SET WITH 12 PAGE BOOKLET
SUPERB CONDITION
LOOKS UNPLAYED AND LIKE NEW
THE COVER IS STILL IN SHRINK (opened) WITH THE ORIGINAL HMV PRICE STICKER (on the shrink)
AND THREE POLY-LINED INNER SLEEVES ALL DATED MAY 1975 ('5-74')

MATRIX NUMBERS: K66076 - A-1 -1S / K66076 - B-1-1S / K66076 - C1-IS / K66076 - D1-IS / K66076 - E1-IS / K66076 - F1-IS

As a film, The Last Waltz was a triumph -- one of the first (and still one of the few) rock concert documentaries that was directed by a filmmaker who understood both the look and the sound of rock & roll, and executed with enough technical craft to capture all the nooks and crannies of a great live show. But as an album, The Last Waltz soundtrack had to compete with the Band's earlier live album, Rock of Ages, with which it bears a certain superficial resemblance -- both found the group trying to create something grander than the standard-issue live double, and both featured the group beefed up by additional musicians. While Rock of Ages found the Band swinging along with the help of a horn section arranged by Allen Toussaint, The Last Waltz boasts a horn section (using Toussaint's earlier arrangements on a few cuts) and more than a baker's dozen guest stars, ranging from old cohorts Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan to contemporaries Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Van Morrison. The Band are in fine if not exceptional form here; on most cuts, they don't sound quite as fiery as they did on Rock of Ages, though their performances are never less than expert, and the high points are dazzling, especially an impassioned version of "It Makes No Difference" and blazing readings of "Up on Cripple Creek" and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" (Levon Helm has made no secret that he felt breaking up the Band was a bad idea, and here it sounds if he was determined to prove how much they still had to offer). Ultimately, it's the Band's "special guests" who really make this set stand out -- Muddy Waters' ferocious version of "Mannish Boy" would have been a wonder from a man half his age, Van Morrison sounds positively joyous on "Caravan," Neil Young and Joni Mitchell do well for their Canadian brethren, and Bob Dylan's closing set finds him in admirably loose and rollicking form. And while the closing studio-recorded "Last Waltz Suite" sounds like padding, the contributions from Emmylou Harris and the Staple Singers are beautiful indeed

LABELS: MINT
All labels are in pristine condition.
No spindle traces or any sign the set has ever been played
VINYL Visual: MINT
All six surfaces are like new
VINYL Audio: MINT
Plays as-new throughout with nothing of note to fault
SLEEVE: MINT
"Printed in England by Clout & Baker Ltd." the cover is again, like new
BOOKLET: MINT
Again, pristine

POST & PACKING:
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND AMPLE STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY
UK: £5.00 (Recorded Delivery)
EUROPE: Airmail: £15.00 (International Tracked)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £25.00 (International Tracked)
ALL RECORDS ARE PLAY-CHECKED UNLESS SEALED
Combined Post: Additional records £2 (UK) £3 (Europe) £5 (International)
Guarantee: All records are unconditionally guaranteed (including sealed and/or unplayed) and I will offer a complete, no quibble refund upon return of the item should you not be pleased with it in any way

* EU BIDDERS PLEASE BE AWARE TAX AND FULL CUSTOMS CHARGES WILL BE APPLIED AT YOUR END
 _gsrx_vers_1469 (GS 9.1 (1469))