RARE RECORDS CATALOGUE
Q-R
Q-R Ethnic Recordings U-V S-T O-P W-X K-L M-N V.A. I-J Y-Z G=H E-F C-D Compact Disk A-B
2175. QUESTION MARK & THE MYSTERIANS: “Make You Mine b/w I Love You Baby” (Capitol Records – CR-1933) (Two Track Single Record: VG++ ~ Excellent/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Excellent/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Rarely seen Japan only issue with killer group shot picture sleeve. Stock copy. Price: 150 Euro
2176. QUESTION MARK & THE MYSTERIANS: “96 Tears b/w Midnight Hour” (Cameo/ Victor Records – JET-1777) (Two Track Single Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint with center piece still attached/ Picture Sleeve: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Excellent). Scarce Japan single issue all complete with picture sleeve. Japan only picture sleeve design is again…an odd one… classic track that has been comped over a zillion times…. Because it is a classic after all. Price: 150 Euro
2177. QUESTION MARK & THE MYSTERIANS: “96 Rears – Ten O’Clock b/w I Need Somebody – Stormy Monday” (Cameo/ Victor Records – SJET-482) (4 Track EP Single Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Picture Sleeve: Near Mint). Japan original EP. Awesome shape. Japan only 4 track EP that does not surfaces all that often. Price: 100 Euro
2178. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “S/T” (Capitol Records/ TOSHIBA Musical Industries Japan – CP-8660) (Red Wax LP: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Monstrously rare Japanese first original pressing on red wax complete with FIRST ISSUE obi that came out in Japan in June 1969. This version here is the stupidly rare WHITE LABEL PROMO issue – also on red wax and complete with OBI!!! It only took me 15 years (!!!) of spastic and demented lunatic searching that almost took on a form of sultry madness in order to locate a complete copy of Quicksilver’s 1st original Japanese pressing with obi. Just when I was about to throw in the towel and give up all hope, a copy was offered and here it is. When I got the first sight of it, sitting in a coffee shop upon closing the deal, I felt like being on the rising edge of a speed trip. Finally, here it was, my personal Holy Grail. This copy here is the MEGA RARE WHITE LABEL PROMO issue with OBI!!! Hardly ever surfaces, red wax issues are damned rare and getting tougher with the minute to dig up on these shores. Has been ages since I have seen a red wax copy, which by the way sounds absolutely amazing!!!! Cipollina wielding the axe is stuff of legends, the best acidic gunslinger ever to roam the face of the earth and this is where it all began. The PROMO white label red wax pressing is MEGA RARE, just never surfaces so a one-off chance to wheel in a seriously rare item. Apart from being one of the greatest psychedelic acid rock LP ever recorded, it is also one of the rarest – that is with the original obi attached and as icing on the cake WHITE LABEL PROMO issue, red wax…. seriously demented shit. Price: Offers!!!

2179. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “S/T” (Capitol Records/ TOSHIBA Musical Industries Japan – CP-8660) (Red Wax LP: Mint/ Jacket: Mint/ Obi: Mint). Monstrously rare Japanese first original pressing on red wax complete with FIRST ISSUE obi that came out in Japan in June 1969. It only took me 15 years (!!!) of spastic and demented lunatic searching that almost took on a form of sultry madness in order to locate a complete copy of Quicksilver’s 1st original Japanese pressing with obi. Just when I was about to throw in the towel and give up all hope, a copy was offered and here it is. When I got the first sight of it, sitting in a coffee shop upon closing the deal, I felt like being on the rising edge of a speed trip. Finally, here it was, my personal Holy Grail. Apart from being one of the greatest psychedelic acid rock LP ever recorded, it is also one of the rarest – that is with the original obi attached and I needed it badly. Price: Offers!!!
2180. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “S/T” (Capitol Records – CP-8660) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Mint). Quicksilver’s debut landmark recording – Japan original SECOND press issue and by far the rarest issue out there. Comes with 2200 Yen price imprinted on obi + on the orange-colored Capitol label. Although 2nd press issue with altered price on obi, this is only the 2nd copy I ever saw in over 15 years’ time! Yes, it is that impossible to score and compared to the 1st pressing a zillion times rarer. Just when I was about to throw in the towel and give up all hope, a copy was offered and here it is. When I got the first sight of it, I felt like being on the rising edge of a speed trip. Finally, here it was, my personal Holy Grail. Apart from being one of the greatest psychedelic acid rock LP ever recorded, it is also one of the rarest – that is with the original 2200 Yen obi attached. So far, I know of only one person with a copy of this version so here is the 2nd copy ever accounted for…. Price: Offers!!!
2181. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “S/T” (Capitol Records – ST-2904) (Record & Jacket: MINT – STILL SEALED) Original 1st US pressing on the rainbow Capitol imprint. Perfect copy, perfectly SEALED US first original press issue. ‘It contains every-thing that’s good about San Fran-Cisco rock – accomplished musician-ship, a good understanding of the way the San Francisco sound should be produced, and an infectious feeling that isn’t bogged down in San Francisco dirge. The long tracks, though not as musical as one would hope for from jazz-influenced pieces, never bore and frequently delight. This is a group of four intertwined personalities sounding like one, just because they’ve been wanting to and doing it for a long time’– Eye, August 1968. Best condition sleeve possible, not the faintest trace of wear or ring-wear. This jacket is always prone to wear and this one is as clean as possible. Virginal condition sleeve, which is quite rare and this copy is still SEALED. Price: 375 Euro
2182. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “S/T” (Capitol – T-2904) (Record: Near Mint/ Laminated Flip Back Sleeve: Near Mint with no lamination creases/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Rare 1968 UK ONLY MONO pressing, such a bitch to find in acceptable shape. This one here is super nice, only the 2nd time ever I could wheel in such an exquisite copy has this one here. Glorious sounding balsy MONO pressing. Price: 400 Euro
2183. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “Happy Trails” (Capitol – CP-8721) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Mint/ Obi: Mint). True FIRST original press issue with 2000 Yen price stated on obi + pressed on RED wax (which only 1st press issue has). Very first press issue is viciously rare – only 2nd time I have a copy and this one is in pristine nick. Rare dead mint Japanese pressing of this 2nd album by these acidic west-coast gunslingers, complete with obi. Hardly ever turns up on these shores, you know the drill I guess, the music is mesmerizingly addictive and Cippolina is the main axe-grinding madman that will haunt your lysergic Technicolor dreams. Record is mint as can be, jacket looks like it was printed only yesterday and the always missing “New Rock” obi is as virginal as a newborn child. Massive. RED wax – 2000 Yen on OBI very first press issue – that has always been an elusive one. Price: Offers!!!!
2184. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “Happy Trails” (Capitol – ST-120) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint 〜 Mint, still housed in original shrink). Original US first original pressing in TOP condition. Jacket is mint and still housed in its original shrink-wrap. It is quite difficult to dig up clean original copies of this one as most copies suffer defects from storage and heavy use. This one is just perfect. Price: 150 Euro
2185. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “Just For Love – Tada Ai No Tame Ni” (Capitol Records – CP-80082) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent/ 4 Paged Insert: Near Mint). First original Japanese pressing that comes on red wax. Rarely seen WHITE LABEL PROMO/ TEST pressing complete with 2000 Yen price on obi. With the return of Gary Duncan and the recording debut of founder Dino Valenti, Just For Love, Quicksilver’s fourth album, marked their debut as the band they were intended to be. The ironic thing about that is that, led by singer/songwriter Valenti, they were a much more pop-oriented band than their fans had come to expect. On Just For Love, Quicksilver finally was Valenti’s backup group (he wrote all but one of the songs), and while this gave them greater coherence and accessibility, as well as their only Top 50 single in "Fresh Air," it also made them less the boogie band they had been. And it meant the band's days were numbered. Obi present and red wax PROMO white label record in pristine condition, rarely turns up anymore. Price: 375 Euro
2186. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “Comin’ Thru” (Captitol/ Toshiba – ECP-80558) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ gatefold Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint/ 4 Page Insert: Mint/ Obi: Mint) Rare 1972 Japan 1st press original all complete with obi – WHITE label PROMO issue in top shape. The l;ast LP by these SF acid rockers before they broke off, hated by many but loved by the fans, every QMS slide is a pleasure. Top condition all complete with OBI. Price: 175 Euro
2187. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “Maiden of the Cancer Moon” (Psycho Records) (2LP: Excellent – Near Mint/ Fold Out Jacket: Near Mint). Extremely hard to come by Quicksilver semi-legit boot that came out in 1983 with the collaboration of the late John Cipollina. This is the definite Quicksilver document, stellar sound quality and filled with rare live appearances from the late 1960”s. The performances all date from 1967-1968, a period during which Quicksilver consisted of lead guitarist John Cipollina, rhythm guitarist and singer Gary Duncan, bassist David Freiberg, and drummer Greg Elmore. Quicksilver as a unit were not so much singer-songwriters as they were virtuoso players and creative interpreters and stylists. They were not the greatest of vocalists or composers. True, but in Cipollina, with his tremolo-laden leads, they had one of the great San Francisco guitarists of the '60s. Here, the band is playing some of there greatest compositions in concert. By their second album, Happy Trails (March 1969), they had given up trying to get across in the studio and just recorded live, where they were far more comfortable. They were also more comfortable using blues and rock standards like "Back Door Man," "Smokestack Lightning," and "Who Do You Love" as jumping-off points for extended jams, or extrapolating the jazz standard "Take Five" into "Gold and Silver." Some performances age better than others -- many will find the long drum solo in the concert version of "Gold and Silver" uninspired -- but by and large, Quicksilver's live reputation stands up well. This 2 LP set is just a killer. Cipollina rules throughout and again proves he is one of the all-time greatest to have caressed the six strings. Ultimate highest recommendation. Every track is a winner. One of the top 100 albums of all time without a single doubt. Price: 150 Euro
2188. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “Live in San Jose – California - 1966” (No Label) (Record: Excellent/ Paste On Jacket: Excellent). Original early 1970s Quicksilver bootleg complete with pasted on front and back jacket. Price: 150 Euro
2189. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “Pride of Man b/w Gold And Silver” (Capitol Records – CR-2234) (EP Record: Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). WHITE LABEL PROMO!!!! Quicksilver Messenger Service first Japan release from 1969. Comes housed in Japan only picture sleeve featuring a great shot of the band with Cipollina prominently figured up front. This is the rarest version of the EP, not many of this one circulating around, for me only 2nd time I have a copy of this one. That aside, killer two-track EP. Quicksilver RULED!!!! Haven’t seen a copy of this issue for ages, let alone a white label promo one. Top condition and very rare on these shores. Price: 400 Euro
2190. QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE: “Fresh Air b/w Just For Love” (Capitol – CR-2675) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint) Rare Japan only Quicksilver Messenger Service single that comes on BLOOD RED wax and gatefold picture sleeve. Housed in a Japan only issued picture sleeve. Price: 75 Euro
2191. RADIO BIRDMAN: “Murder City Nights” (Archive Productions – ARK003) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). Amazing boot that came out in Australia way back in 1990 and documents Radio Birdman at various live settings during their illustrious 1976~78 period. The sound quality is out of this world and just stunningly crystal clear and will satisfy all of your nerdy audiophile needs. Killer material from start to finish from Australia’s finest doped up renegade band. Price: 60 Euro
2192. RADIO BIRDMAN: “Murder City Nights!” (Private - ARK003) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint) Rarest version on black wax, numbered edition. Killer set recorded live in 1975. Mayhem galore in the eye of this guitar-fuelled hurricane! Next to the Saints, best band ever to emerge from downunda!!!! Price: 50 Euro
2193. The RAIN PARADE: “Emergency Third Rail Power Trip” (Wave Records – SP25-6009) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: VG++ ~ Excellent – no defects but has foxing stains/ 4 paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: VG++). Bloody scare Japan first press original that saw the light of day in 1983. “Emergency Third Rail Power Trip” is as near perfect an album as an LP can possibly be. To these ears it ranks as an equal to Love’s “Forever Changes”, the Byrds “Younger Than Yesterday” or Television’s “Marquee Moon” and that is quite a statement I do not take lightly. It was stunning debut that has not any of its shine during the passing of years. As part of the loose affiliation known as the “Paisley Underground”, it was defiantly post-punk, neo-garage-revivalist, incestuous and psychedelic all at the same time. The scene was an incestuous amalgam of bands such as The Dream Syndicate, The Three O’Clock, The Bangles, The Long Ryders, Green On Red, True West and The Rain Parade were part of a wave of bands in a post-punk era unafraid to embrace past eras and let their sounds melt your brain and waxing your ears. The founding brothers Steven and David Roback set dark and doomy lyrics to bright, jangling guitars. The influences were clear as these former punks had in their record collections Love and Byrds albums pussyfooting with Clash and Sex Pistols slides. As David Roback states: "Rain Parade was very much a recasting of our punk interests in more musical terms, inspired by our fascination with music history." AS an outcome, they kinda redefined what "punk rock" could mean and acted as a partial inspiration behind Creation Records, embracing the idea that that psychedelia and punk rock could merge. David Roback’s guitar playing drifted on a sheet of dissonant noise, middle-eastern time signatures and together with sonics reverbed-out-to-heaven made Emergency Third Rail Power Trip so extraordinary. Yet he soon either quit the band and went on to form Clay Allison with former Dream Syndicate member Kendra Smith. But the Rain Parade had enough life, creativity and freshness within it to form wonderful and lively music. They invented nothing, they only re-invented: all the band does is to recycle all those tunes, all those tricks and styles that delighted a whole generation and put them together on one disc. It was no cheap rip-off, but a revitalization of what made psychedelic music so great. The ideas were not new, but nevertheless sounded fresh and executed with care and understanding. The album is filled up with beautiful melodies to the maximum. In a way reminds me of Pink Floyd’s debut album, every song is made up not by one or two but much more ideas than usual, they change and evolve constantly, which delivers wonderful and unique moments. A pure uncut gem! Damned rare Japan 1st press issue with obi. Price: 125 Euro
2194. RAIN PARADE: “Explosions in the Glass Palace” (Zippo Records – ZANE003) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent). 1984 UK original pressing of 2nd Rain Parade LP. Rain Parade secured their spot at the front of the Paisley Underground pack with the release of their 1984 EP Explosions in the Glass Palace, weathering the departure of David Roback with a collection of songs that rivaled their Emergency Third Rail Power Trip debut and delving even deeper into the psychedelic vibe of its predecessor. Price: 50 Euro
2195. The RAINCOATS: “S/T” (Rough Trade/ Japan Record – RTL-16) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ All Postcards Complete: Near Mint). Japan 1980 first original press issue with obi, insert and all postcards presents. Picking the "best" Raincoats is more an intellectual exercise than it is a work of thoughtful criticism. So, to make it easy for the benighted, all three studio releases are absolutely essential. Better yet, start with their debut, a soaring, daring, avant-garde-influenced folk-punk record. Don't let the words "avant-garde" scare you off – the Raincoats are not harsh or unapproachable. In fact, this music, even at its most dissonant, is stunning and captivating. There's a great cover of the Kink’s "Lola" that's so skewed and obtuse, Ray Davies probably never dreamed it could sound this way. Price: 175 Euro

2196. The RAINCOATS: “Odyshape” (Rough Trade/ Japan Records – RTL-10) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Rare Japan first original pressing, PROMO issue. "It was the late Kurt Cobain (with some help from labelmates Sonic Youth) who initiated Geffen's reissue of the Raincoats catalog. And listening to Odyshape, it's easy to see why Cobain loved them so. There's an emotional directness about these songs that hooks you from the start. Mostly you hear about emotions and situations, sometimes indirectly, almost as if you are eavesdropping on a conversation. Then it hits you: it's almost like you're talking to old friends. That's the way the Raincoats’ music works: it's deceptively simple, but extremely complicated. Also, as on this record, it makes demands of the listener. But songs like "Red Shoes" and "Dancing in My Head" say this far more eloquently." (All Music Guide). Just a stellar album, one iof the best to seep out of the late 1980s and a real head twister on so many levels. Original Japanese pressing with obi, dmned took me a while to track this baby down. Price: 175 Euro
2197. RAINY DAY: “S/T” (Rough Trade/ Tokuma Japan – 25RTL-3003) (Record: Near Mint/ jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent ~ Near Mint). The Rainy Day album is a neat one record to document the Paisley Underground scene. Those LA bands of the 1980s — of which David Roback’s bands Rain Parade, Clay Allison, Opal, and Mazzy Star were a part — was in part inspired by 1960s rock/psychedelia. This Rainy Day album was David’s project. It contains covers of nine of his favorite songs from the 1960s, and one from the 1970s (“Holocaust” by Big Star). He enlisted musicians and singers from a variety of Paisley Underground bands to collaborate on the album. Spearheaded by David Roback of Rain Parade and Opal (and later of Mazzy Star), the album was a "super session" of various members of Paisley underground groups paying direct homage to their influences, covering songs by Bob Dylan, Buffalo Springfield, the Who, Hendrix, the Velvet Underground and 70s ringer Big Star as well as "covers of covers" by way of the Beach Boys and the Byrds. It are a nice bunch covers with highlights Kendra Smith’s “Holocaust”, Michael Quercio’s “Rainy Dat, Dream Away” and the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs' take on Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine" might be the definitive version. Scarce Japanese original pressing with obi and insert. Price: 150 Euro
2198. RAMONES: “Blizkrieg Bop b/w Havana Affair” (Philips/ Nippon Phonogram – SFL-2122) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Stupidly rare 1976 Japan original first single all complete with original picture sleeve –the real deal here and one that is on any righteous punk collector’s want list. Top condition, next to impossible to upgrade upon this one here. You know how rare and sought after this baby is here so need you best shot for this one here. Price: Offers!!!!
2199. The RAMONES: “Suzy Is A Headbanger b/w What’s Your Game” (Philips – SFL-2152) (7-Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Rare Japan 1977 single issue in top condition. Comes with Japan only picture sleeve. Next to impossible to upgrade upon this one. Those mid-1970s Japanese press Punk singles have all dried up ages ago and only stick up their heads on rare occasions. Super clean original so…. Price: Offers!!!

2200. RAMONES: “California Sun b/w I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You” (Philips – SFL-2132) (Single Record: Near Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Excellent - black on black pen marking slightly visible/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Japan original WHITE label PROMO issue. Damned rare Japan only Ramones picture sleeve single. Japan only issue from 1977, Japanese Phillips 3-track white label promotional sample 7" vinyl single, also includes 'I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You' and 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend'. Housed in a die-cut company sleeve with unique textured black & white picture insert with lyrics on reverse. The vinyl and insert are in stunning perfect condition. One of the rarest Ramones releases out there. Price: 400 Euro
2201. RAMONES: “The Blizkrieg Bop b/w Havana Affair” (Sire – 6078.601) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Original Picture Sleeve: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Studidly rare 1976 UK original first single all complete with original picture sleeve – not the common reproduction but the real deal here. Top condition original so..... Price: Offers!!!
2202. RAMONES: “S/T” (Philips – RJ-7175) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Damned rare pristine 1st press original copy of the Ramones debut LP – all complete with first issue obi and insert. Rarely offered damned rare WHITE label PROMO issue. Landmark recording, every track is a killer and getting immersed into this one, it makes you gnaw the skull, suck the bones and then soak the bastard with gasoline and toss a match on it! Yes, this is as good as it gets and makes you feel your balls contract violently, crawling straight up into your belly. A sound that hits the nerves like a blast if summer lightning across the mountains. The very first Ramones slide…. It will work wonders on you, even after knowing it from start to finish and back again… Japan 1st original pressing in top shape and all complete with 1st issue obi – these babies have disappeared completely and are getting next to impossible to dig up. This one will descend like a swarm of wild bees upon you each time you dive into it. A must!!! Price: Offers!!!
2203. RAMONES: “Leave Home” (Philips – RJ-7208) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint – faint foxing on back of the sleeve/ 4 Paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Damned rare Japan first press issue all complete with obi – this being the rarely offered WHITE label PROMO issue. “Second verse, not quite like the first.... Released a mere nine months after the Ramones' groundbreaking debut, 1977's Leave Home was in many respects a continuation of the sound and attitude of the first album, with its unrelenting barrage of chunky guitar downstrokes and Mad Magazine-influenced lyrical absurdity. But even a cursory listen reveals the Ramones had made plenty of progress in less than a year. The performances on Leave Home are tighter and better focused than they were on Ramones and Tommy Ramone’s minimalist drumming gained a bit of swing that was absent on the debut. The Ramones sound more comfortable with their attack, never quite as simple as it seems, while also bearing down with a greater speed and ferocity that finds them hitting their stride in the studio. Just as importantly, the production is noticeably more polished this time out, which helps more than one might expect. Without the strict left/right separation of Ramones, Leave Home is more friendly to the ear, and the increased clarity does wonders for the passionate bleat of Joey’s vocals, Johnny’s unrelenting Mosrite abuse, and the melodic details that lurk beneath the surface of the Ramones' wall of noise. And if the first album was full of immediate classics, Leave Home has more than its share of great tunes, including the anthemic "Pinhead" and "Commando," the high-velocity teen romance of "Oh Oh I Love Her So" (certainly the greatest love story ever set at a Burger King), and the catchy invitations to bad behavior in "Carbona Not Glue" and "Glad to See You Go." Leave Home wasn't as startling as the Ramones' first album, and it's not quite as strong and consistent as their masterpiece Rocket to Russia but it was a positive step forward for the Pride of Forest Hills, and it's one of their best and most satisfying albums.” (All Music Guide) Probably the rarest Ramones LP to seep out of Japanese waters, surpassing their debut by far on the scarcity scale. Price: Offers!!!
2204. RAMONES: “Rocket To Russia” (Philips/ Nippon Phonogram – RJ-7295) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Top condition Japan very first original press issue all complete with rare 1st issue obi. “The Ramones third album, Rocket To Russia, perfected it. It boasts a cleaner production than its predecessors, which only gives the Ramones’ music more force. It helps that the group wrote its finest set of songs for the album. From the mindless, bopping opening of "Cretin Hop" and "Rockaway Beach" to the urban surf rock of "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" and the ridiculous anthem "Teenage Lobotomy," the songs are teeming with irresistibly catchy hooks; even their choice of covers, "Do You Want to Dance?" and "Surfin' Bird," provide more hooks than usual. The Ramones also branch out slightly, adding ballads to the mix. Even with these (relatively) slower songs, the speed of the album never decreases. However, the abundance of hooks and slight variety in tempos makes Rocket To Russia the Ramones’ most listenable and enjoyable album -- it doesn't have the revolutionary impact of The Ramones, but it's a better album and one of the finest records of the late '70s.” (All Music Guide). First Japanese press issue all complete with Obi and in TOP condition is getting impossible to dig up anymore, but here is a virginal copy. Fucking killer slide, and still so up-to-date…send them a rocket and rock!!!! Hell yeah!!Price: 550 Euro
2205. RAMONES: “Subterranean Jungle” (Sire/ Warner Pioneer – P-11350) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint - sticker on sleeve/ 2 Inserts: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Clean Japanese original press all complete with obi. “Tentatively returning toward punk, or at least new wave, the Ramones turned in their most enjoyable record since Rocket to Russia with Subterranean Jungle. Producers Ritchie Cordell and Glen Kolotkin were the heads of the edgy power pop and punk label Bomp!, so they steered the Ramones back toward the '60s pop infatuation that provided the foundation for their early records. It's a strategy that pays off well -- for the most part, the group's originals are so punchy and catchy that they make the pair of covers superfluous. Comprised of a set of unabashedly hook-laden songs and driven by more subtle rhythms, Subterranean Jungle may not be a punk record in the strictest sense of the word, yet the Ramones haven't sounded quite as alive in a long, long while.” (All Music Guide). Price: 125 Euro
2206. RANELIN, PHIL: “The Time Is Now” (Tribe – TRCD-4006) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). Original first pressing on green coloured Tribe label and in outstanding condition. “Phil Ranelin’s first record as a leader is worlds away from his later 1976 offering, Vibes From the Tribe. The Time Is Now is a vanguard jazz record, full of the spirit, determination, and innovation inspired by John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Cecil Taylor, Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp. Recorded in 1973 and 1974 and released at the end of 1974, the set shows Ranelin to be an imposing composer and frightfully good trombonist. The original album contained six compositions that are a deep musical brew of avant-garde improvisation, hard bop jazz esthetics, and soulful melodic ideas that were superimposed as a jump off point for both harmonic and rhythmic (read: Latin) invention. The stamp of Detroit is all over this thing. Tracks like the title and "Black Destiny" reflect the anger and vision of the era, while moving it all in a positive musical direction. Soloists on the set include the rest of the Tribe collective – Marcus Belgrave and Wendell Harrison - as well as local players who deserved far more than they received in terms of national recognitions: bassist Reggie "Shoo-Be Doo" Fields, trumpeter Charles Moore, pianist Keith Vreeland, drummer Bill Turner and others including Ranelin himself. The arrangements on The Time Is Now were ahead of their time, clustering a rhythm section as part of the horn's front line ("13th and Senate" and the title track) and a stylistic angularity that reflected both musical history and futurism in jazz and R&B ("Time Is Running Out" and "Times Gone By").  The Time Is Now is a must for any vanguard jazz aficionado or anyone interested in the strange, rhythm-oriented evolution of Detroit music.” (Thom Yurek – All Music Guide). Top condition US original. Price: Offers!
2207. RAW MATERIAL: “S/T” (Evolution – Z-1006) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint, has an occasional barely visible sleeve line visible under bright light/ Jacket: Near Mint). Original UK pressing of their completely vanished debut album. Totally clean and great condition copy. Sleeve is flawless, no defects, record is flawless as well with no signs of much handling at all, next to impossible to ever upgrade upon this one. Music-wise, it is a more psychedelic/ jazzy prog affair as opposed to their second and final LP. Record is housed in a fantastic psychedelic jacket that has no lamination creasing and the disc is also in top shape. Looks EX〜NM condition with only a vey faint hairline visible on each side condition but as you know, they never play dead quiet. That aside, record wise very hard to upgrade upon, jacket is also solid NM and without a doubt one the best copies floating around. As you know this LP is incredibly hard to come by in any condition, so a clean one like this one here is something that does not happen every other day. Price: Offers!!!!
2208. RAZORCUTS: “Big Pink Cake b/w I’ll Still Be There” (Subway – SUBWAY-5) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ 2 x Two-sided Inserts: Near Mint). Original 1986 scarce post-punk slide that comes all complete. Price: 50 Euro
2209. RAZORCUTS: “Sorry To Embarrass You b/w Summer in Your Heart” (Subway – SUBWAY-8) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Two-sided Insert: Near Mint). Original 1986 scarce post-punk slide that comes all complete. Price: 50 Euro

2210. RAZORCUTS: “I Heard You The First Time – First Day – Eight Times Around The World – A Is For Alphabet” (flying nun (uk) – fnuk-9T) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). 1987 UK original first pressing of splendid Byrds-influenced combo emerged out of an earlier attempt at recording under the name The Cinemamatics with new focus being an attempt to fuse their two biggest influences along with the 60s jangle of The Byrds, even down to the idea that Razorcuts would primarily be a singles band. Like many of their contemporaries, they got their break via the Bristol-based Subway Organisation label with two singles Big Pink Cake and Sory To Embarrass You, being issued in 1986. Razorcuts had an unusual approach to song writing in that the music came, for the most part, courtesy of Webster and the lyrics from Vass….but it was Webster who did the singing. Splendid 4 track LP that jacks down their signature sound perfectly and if you have ears glued to your head, will suck you into their vortex with surgical precision. Awesome! Price: 50 Euro

 

2211. RAZORCUTS: “Patterns On The Water” (Creation Records – CRE LP-119) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent). 1991 UK original pressing. Great retrospective LP by British finest Byrds infected band. Almost every track on this one is a winner, brimming over with heartfelt melancholia and austere intimacy that offers direct access to their collective pulsating brains. This is music so drenched in the past, yet so of the moment that marked the late 1980s. Largely overlooked band but damned they were so awesome that just hearing their name mentioned still sends shivers down my spine! Price: 50 Euro
2212. The RED CRAYOLA with the Familiar Ugly: “The Parable of the Arable Land” (United Artists – IA-LP-2) (SEALED COPY). 1st original US press. Rare SEALED MONO pressing, first original issue. “Experimental, art school psych concrete and avant form from a high-brow trio led by Mayo Thompson. The first LP is more listenable, a fun over-the-top freak out typical of the free-spirited era, with some good songs emerging out of the chaos of arrhythmic noise and revving motorcycle engines. It’s not for everyone but it did help to cement IA’s standing as a mythical weirdo label back in the 1970s, when the Krayola were adopted as early visionaries by some of the more cerebral punk bands.” (Acid Archives). 1st original and SEALED US 1st press issue - MONO. Wacked out psych dementia that has yet to be rivaled. Awesome. Price: 400 Euro
2213. RED NOISE: “Sarcelles – Locheres” (Futura – Red-01) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Excellent). Hideously rare masterpiece on the highly collectible Futura label and one of the hardest to track down titles thereon. Masterminded by Michel Bulteau, the Red Noise LP is a massive bomb. “Red Noise's one and only album was originally released on the legendary Futura label. Red Noise was an radicale and inventive avant rock band with some improvised jazz elements as well as a heavy dose of Zappa-esque humor. The first side is a bunch of interconnected tracks some of them much shorter than a minute, like the opening piece "Cosmic Toilet Ditty" which consists of footsteps and a toilet flush. Quirky songs, often with scatalogical content complete with free for all instrumental bits often with raging saxophone blasts. There is even time for some wild guitar solos on "The Galatic Swer Song" and "20 Mirror Mozarts". The lenghty closing track "Sacerelles C'Est l'Avenir" is wild and noisy avant rock free jam with energetic rhythm section blasts of electric guitar and sax, flute bleats and organ squals. The piece has a freaked out intensity that belies the silliness of earlier tracks and really ties the album together quite nicely" (All Music Guide). Hideously rare and musically totally out of this world, disjointed, defractured, doped up and utterly psychedelic. One of the best and greatest discs to seep out of camembert infested France. All time highest recommendation!! Price: Offers!!!!
2214. RED, SONNY: “Out of The Blue” (Blue Note/ EMI Music Japan – BLP-4032) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Mint/ Insert: Mint/ Inner Sleeve: Mint/ Obi: Mint) Top condition. Sonny Red, a fine altoist inspired by Charlie Parker and Jackie Mclean never really made it in jazz, and some of his recordings are rather uninspired. However, that does not hold true for his Blue Note album. Red, who is joined by pianist Wynton Kelly, either Sam Jones or Paul Chambers on bass, and either Roy Brooks or Jimmy Cobb on drums, never sounded better on records. He performs mostly little-known standards + originals and displays a fair amount of originality and a great deal of potential that was never really fulfilled. Recommended. Price: 175 Euro
2215. RED TRANSISTOR: “Not Bite b/w We’re Not Crazy” (Ecstatic Peace) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint / Picture Sleeve: Near Mint). Only 25 copies of this fabulous single exist, this being numbered as 20/25. Hand-made paste on labels, truly as home made private press as you can possibly get. The assaultive New York trio Red Transistor was comprised of guitarist Rudolph Grey, drummer Mark Edmands and VON LMO on guitar, vocals, shortwave and organ. As a trio of hopeless Brooklyn delinquents, they unleashed bloodcurdling and gruesome repetitive mantras of secretive nihilism. Both tracks exhibit a screamingly amphetamine junked up tracks. The music is just agonizingly repetitive in an almost pre-metal kind of way. This makes them even to today’s standards light years ahead of their time and no one with a normal mindset will ever catch up with these guys. They just rage and thrust with qualities of true relinquish all claim to sanity and instead opt out for total defractured mindsets. In short, stuff of genius like Van Gogh shopping of his left ear and amplifying it for all to hear. Gloriously beautiful. The single has been reissued since it was originally released but this copy here was the 1st pressing, with hand made jackets and pasted on labels, as issued in an edition of only 25 hand-numbered copies. Price: 200 Euro
2216. REDMAN, DEWEY: “Look For The Black Star” (Fontana – 888.311.ZY) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). Rare and super clean Dutch very first original and in TOP condition. Comes with PROMO factory sticker on label!!! AAlthough always a bit under-recognized and overshadowed by his contemporaries, tenor-saxophonist Dewey Redman has long been one of the giants of the avant-garde and bop. This early recording finds Redman discovering his own individual voice on five of his frequently emotional originals. Assisted by pianist Jym Young, bassist Donald Raphael Gareet and drummer Eddie Moore, this San Francisco date is quite adventurous and holds one's interest throughout. Hard to ever improve upon – best original condition copy I have seen so far!!!! Price: Offers!!!!!
2217. REDMAN, DEWEY: “Look For The Black Star” (Fontana/ Nippon Victor – SFON-7102) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan very first original all complete with insanely rare obi and in TOP condition. Although always a bit under-recognized and overshadowed by his contemporaries, tenor-saxophonist Dewey Redman has long been one of the giants of the avant-garde and bop. This early recording finds Redman discovering his own individual voice on five of his frequently emotional originals. Assisted by pianist Jym Young, bassist Donald Raphael Gareet and drummer Eddie Moore, this San Francisco date is quite adventurous and holds one's interest throughout. Price: Offers!!!!
2218. REDMAN, DEWEY: “Look For The Black Star” (Freedom/ Trio Records – PA-7084) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Booklet: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan 2nd issue - original that comes housed in Japan only cool sleeve art – promo issue. Although always a bit under-recognized and overshadowed by his contemporaries, tenor-saxophonist Dewey Redman has long been one of the giants of the avant-garde and bop. This early recording finds Redman discovering his own individual voice on five of his frequently emotional originals. Assisted by pianist Jym Young, bassist Donald Raphael Gareet and drummer Eddie Moore, this San Francisco date is quite adventurous and holds one's interest throughout. Price: 75 Euro
2219. REDMAN, DEWEY: “Tarik” (BYG Records – actuel 36/ BYG-36) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Near Mint). Rare Japanese original pressing of one of the hardest to track down BYG/ Actuel titles. PROMO issue and all complete with seriously rare OBI. This is tenor saxophonist Redman’s second recording as a leader cut for the French BYG label. He has long been one of the most accessible of the avant-garde players due to his large tone, his willingness to swing hard, and his logical if emotional ideas. At the time of this album, he was working regularly with Ornette Coleman and the altoist's free-bop approach definitely had a permanent influence on Redman. Joined by bassist AEOC Malachi Favors and the colorful drummer Ed Blackwell, Redman mostly cooks on five originals; in addition, he plays his atmospheric and often droning musette on the title track. Damned fine record. The pressing quality and sound is so far much better as opposed to the French issue. Never surfaces with obi present! Price: 275 Euro
2220. REDMAN, DEWEY: “Coincide” (Impulse – IMJ-80031) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Excellent/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent – has folding crease). Rare Japan original that comes with the always-missing OBI. A beautiful and spiritual record by Dewey with very stripped-down playing, mostly in a trio or quartet format. The players differ from track-to-track Redman is featured in a few different settings on this intriguing and generally successful album. The best cuts are the originals that match Redman's tenor with bassist Sirone and drummer Eddie Moore. Two tracks feature Redman playing zither, which sounds strange, but very nice and his trio adds trumpeter Ted Daniel and violinist Leroy for two complex originals. On another track, Redman switches to clarinet, and the remainder feature Dewey on his traditional tenor. Amazing slide from start to finish. Price: 75 Euro
2221. BOB REID – THE EMERGENCY SOUND: “Africa Calling Me” (Kwela Record – 30K010) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint) Us first original pressing from 1975 with Bob Reid on bass, plus Oliver Lake on soprano and alto sax, Gustavo Kerestezachi on piano, and Louis Armfield and Makan Milola on percussion -- as well as vocals from two singers, and a recitation from Freddy Roach! Essential black jazz slide!!! Price: 150 Euro
2222. REIGN GHOST: “S/T” (Allied Records – No.12) (Record: Near Mint / Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint - still housed in original SHRINK). Original Canadian pressing in top condition, I don’t believe they come any cleaner or better than this copy here. In 1968, the band signed with the Allied Records label. The result was a self-titled album released in January of the next year. The band led by Bob Bryden on guitar and Lynda Squires providing haunting vocals dissolved after that, but was quickly reborn under the same name. Still with Allied, the group tried once again to make a go of it, but by 1970 they gave in and moved on to other projects. This LP here – their first self-entitled effort is great Canadian West Coast styled & Jefferson Airplane influenced psych monger. Awesome soaring femme vox, acidy guitar leads, fuzz driven psych that carries the female vocals to the high skies. Housed in an awesome psychedelic cover art, this 1969 original copy of extremely scarce Canadian psych beast is a bitch to dig up, especially a clean copy like this one here. Sleeve still housed in original shrink, disc clean as a pulsating virgins ass. Killer disc and totally essential. Price: Offers!!!
2223. The REMAINS: “S/T” (Epic – XSB-114862) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). Pristine condition, Canada first original Stereo press issue from 1966. Stereo pressings are far harder to track down than mono issues. Lead vocalist Barry Tashian was an Armenian-American kid in Boston who was consumed by anger at the world. In part, perhaps, because Armenian-American kids may not have been top of the popularity scale in a town dominated by Irish-Americans and Wasps. He channeled the anger into music, leading the Remains into massive popularity in New England. But The Remains weren’t just another garage band. The songs here range from radical remakes of hits by Petula Clark (a seething “Heart”) and Charlie Rich (a “Lonely Weekend” that conjures both The Box Tops’ ragged soul and the Stones’ satanic sneer) to such balls-to-the-wall rockers as “You Got a Hard Time Coming” and the Kinks-like “Once Before.” At times, The Remains performed with a raw power that could make even The Stooges seem docile by comparison. Lead singer Tashian’s spirited rap during the break of “Don’t Look Back,” comes off like Detroit testifier Mitch Ryder backed by the dirty-ass guitar riffs of Entertainment-era Gang of Four (and this more than a decade before the punk invasion). Even The Remains’ mellowest songs, such as the gorgeous “Thank You,” burned with an edgy intensity that wouldn’t show up in pop music for another year, when The Velvet Underground released its first album. The Remains were, perhaps, a little too sophisticated to be a true garage band – they had proper arrangements and melodies, rather than just splurging their rage on to vinyl – but Don’t Look Back remains one of the most thrilling relics of mid-60s American rock, complete with a fabulous faux gospel breakdown: “I got one thing I gotta say … You know, people got some strange ideas about how life should be lived and things should be done/ But I’m here to say you gotta do just what you want!” Amen. Price: Offers!!!!
2224. RENBOURN GROUP, JOHN: “A Maid In Bedlam” (Transatlantic Records/ Nippon Columbia – YS-7019-LA) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan first original press issue with obi. “A Maid In Bedlam s credited to the John Renbourn Group, not to him alone, and that is an important distinction, since this is not another album of Renbourn’s acoustic guitar stylings. It really is the work of a group, consisting of Renbourn on guitar and vocals, his Pentangle partner Jacqui McShee on vocals, Tony Roberts on vocals and wind instruments, Sue Draheim on vocals and fiddle, and Keshav Sathe on tabla and finger cymbals. The song list consists of traditional British folk music dating back to the Renaissance, with three instrumentals mixed in with the vocal numbers and one -- the concluding hymn "Talk About Suffering" -- an a cappella performance. The most familiar number to contemporary listeners is likely to be "John Barleycorn," if only because of the Traffic recording, and the Renbourn Group is careful to present a different arrangement with an altered time signature. The arrangements are traditional, with the singers giving the words a madrigal feel. It's true that the tabla is not a traditional British instrument, but as Sathe plays it, it resembles a bodhran enough to get by. Thus, A Maid In Bedlam works as a collection of music that inspired the members of Pentangle in their contemporary folk-rock, played by some members of that band and their associates.” (All Music Guide). Larely overlooked stunning folk slide by Pentangle headpin. Top copy. Price: 50 Euro
2225. RENBOURN, JOHN: “S/T” (Transatlantic/ Victor Records Japan – SWG-7550) (Record: Mint/ Heavy Gatefold Jacket: Mint). Rare 1st original Japanese pressing from 1970. WHITE LABEL PROMO COPY!!!! “John Renbourn’s famous phrase was that "I started out trying to play like Big Bill Broonzy, and I'm still trying." On this early outing, the first to appear under his own name, you can, perhaps, detect some of the influence on traditional blues like "John Henry" and "Candy Man." But as a player, Renbourn had already very much developed into his own man, imaginative and complete in technique -- listen to the bonus instrumental take of "Wildest Pig in Captivity" to hear his very assured brilliance. Also in evidence is his love of early music, such as "Song," whose lyrics come from a John Donne poem, or his own "Plainsong." He'd already met up with fellow guitar player Bert Jansch, with whom he'd record and form Pentangle, and together they wrote "Noah and Rabbit." While hardly the greatest singer, there's an appealingly earnest quality to his voice, although he sounds a little strained on a cover of the folk classic "Blues Run the Game" (another bonus cut on the reissue). As debuts go, you'd be hard pressed to find anything much better in the folk cauldron that was London in the mid-'60s. The genesis of a master.” (Chris Nickson - All Music Guide). Amazing slide of the highest echelon of UK folk, amazing white label promo copy, housed in a Japan gatefold jacket art. Top all the way. Price: 40 Euro
2226. The RESIDENTS: “Meet the Residents” (Ralph Records – RR0274) (Record and Jacket are MINT/ SEALED). Damned clean top condition SEALED original of first ever Residents LP out of 1974 – US first original press issue. “The Residents are true avant-garde crazies. Their earliest albums (of which this is the first) have precedents in Captain Beefheart’s experimental albums, Frank Zappa’s conceptual numbers from Freak Out, the work of Steve Reich and the compositions of chance music tonemeister John Cage -- yet the Residents' work of this time really sounds like nothing else that exists. All of the music on this release consists of deconstructions of countless rock and non-rock styles, which are then grafted together to create chaotic, formless, seemingly haphazard numbers; the first six "songs" (including a fragment from the Nancy Sinatra hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'") are strung together to form a larger entity similar in concept to the following lengthier selections. The result is a series of unique, odd, challenging numbers that are nevertheless not entirely successful. The album cover is a fierce burlesque of the Beatles’ first U.S. Capitol label release, sporting puerilely doctored photographs of the Fab Four on the front and pictures of collarless-suited sea denizens on the back (identified as Paul McCrawfish, Ringo Starfish, and the like). This is an utterly bizarre platter that may appeal to very adventurous listeners.” (All Music Guide). Sealed first press original – perfection. Price: Offers!!!!
2227. The RESIDENTS: “Stars & Hank Forever” (Wave – SP25-6022) (Record: Excellent/ Jacket: Excellent/ 4 Page Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent) the Residents interpreting music by Hank Williams and John Philip Sousa was the second volume, and it turned out to be the last. The charming goofiness that buoyed the first is replaced by a slightly discomforting sense of borderline disrespect and overkill. Their rendition of "Six More Miles (to the Graveyard)" is genuinely haunting and almost even pretty, but Williams' memory and enormous talent is subjected facile deconstructions of "Hey Good-Lookin'" and "Jambalaya" in which the band indulges here.  Classic Residents goofiness. Price: 50 Euro
2228. REVOLUTIONARIES: “Sentimental Dub” (Germain - /) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent). Rare pre-release only issue complete with sleeve art + DUB STICKER. Most copies came without sleeve. Awesome condition of damned rare early Revolutionaries slide. Hardly ever comes up for sale – early Revolutionaries intoxicating dub slide. Price: Offers!!!!
2229. REVOLUTIONARY ARMY OF THE INFANT JESUS: “The Gift Of Tears” (Probe – Probe-12) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellen ~ Near Mint). This is nothing short of a fantastic privately released UK acid folk/ psychedelic head twister from 1987 that completely fell off the radar and which is totally ignored or unknown by most of the psychedelic collectors out there. The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus only cut this one LP which is as good as the best recordings of Gong, Spirogyra and Pink Floyd to give you some musical similarities but then thrown together in one big melting pot. The overall sound is blessed with a great haunting and otherworldly vibe that is deceptively intense through the use of interacting male and female vocals, exotic flutes of pan and lysergic guitar flashes all over the place. The music is so drenched in the past, yet so of the moment and filled with haunting echoes of a panoramic sounds that floats somewhere between deep underground psychedelia and pagan acid folk vibes. The record sold next to nothing and was immediately a rarity following its release back in the day. That aside, this is one of the finest LP’s to seep out of the UK during that period, pregnant with undercurrents of depth and an exploratory sound to wrap your senses around. Highest possible recommendation!!! Price: 175 Euro
2230. REYS, RITA with ART BLAKEY And The JAZZ MESSENGERS: “The Cool Voice Of Rita Reyes” (Philips/ Nippon Victor – FL-4023) (10 Inch Record: Excellent/ Flipback Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Very rare Japan very first original pressing that saw the light of day in 1961! Never seen a copy complete with obi of this first issue until now. Seriously rare and a tough one to find. If you are even vaguely into jazz singers, then it is impossible to surpass this one. The only other slide that comes even close is Chet Baker’s “Sings” LP and Rita rubs easily shoulders with the greatness of that one. Absolutely stunning and the perfect late summer evening spin with a chilled sake in hand. First time ever I encounter this first press issue from 1961 all complete with the impossibly rare obi. Price: 250 Euro
2231. RICHARDS, EMIL & THE MICROTONAL BLUES BAND: “Journey To Bliss” (Impulse – A-9166) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint). First issue Impulse pressing, red rim and with a deep groove. Great Jazz/ eastern exploitation/ cum psych disc on Impulse that tried to cash in on the neo-hippy-eastern craze that raged back then. Upon listening to it now, I must say they pull it off exceptionally well, Richards is fantastic through out and his meditative – wisdom –sprouting nasal voice actually is a mesmerizing feat set against the indo-jazz vibes. Price: 75 Euro
2232. RICHARDS, EMIL & THE MICROTONAL BLUES BAND: “Spirit of 1976 – Live At Donte’s” (Impulse – AS-9182) (Record: Near Mint/ gatefold Jacket: Mint – still housed in original shrink/ Insert: Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Mint/ Direct Import Obi: Mint). Top condition original 1st press that comes with bloody scarce Japan Direct Import Obi and insert. Never seen this one with the first issue obi flashing proudly its colors! Price: 150 Euro
2233. RIDLEY, LARRY: “Sum Of The Parts” (Strata-East – SES-19759) (Record: Excellent/ Jacket: Excellent). Original 1st pressing – PROMO issue. A rare outing as bandleader for the talented session bassist who has worked with the likes of Jackie McLean, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard. Originally released on Strata-East, one of the most consistently high-quality jazz labels of the 70's. "Sum of the Parts" ventures a little further into the realms of fusion and smooth jazz then most Strata-East titles, but the level of musicianship remains high throughout, thanks to a strong lineup that includes the unsung Sonny Fortune on sax and Grady Tate on drums. Solid from start to finish. Price: 250 Euro
2234. HOWARD RILEY TRIO: “Discussions” (Opportunity – CP.2499) (Record: Near Mint/ Hand Made Paste On Sleeve: Excellent – no defects no splits or damages, has some aging spots due to age/ Insert: Excellent). UK original 1st press issue, released in a tiny run of only 99 copies way back in 1968 and one of the rarest UK jazz slides out there. It would be a slight understatement to say that this slab of improvisational greatness is a hard one to come by so the term “rare” does hardly cover its scarcity status. The reason for putting it out in such a tiny run of only 99 copies was that due to UK tax law purchase taxes were applicable for a press run of 100 copies and more, so in order to ditch those one opted instead for a miniscule release, making this limited pressing one of the most important documents of UK free jazz. Scarcity aside, it is an impressive showcase of some of Britain’s finest improvisers initial free form aesthetic and who all would go on to become hugely influential later on. Here, Howard Riley spearheaded his very own jazz trio enlisting bassist Barry Guy and drummer Jon Hiseman, both stellar talents in their own right. Hiseman recorded with John Mayall and many others as well as becoming a forming member of Colosseum, Guy was part of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and played with about every big name in UK (free) jazz. The compositions on display are split over originals and reinterpretations of jazz standards, clearly showing the direction European jazz around that time was steering into, uncovering in the process its own avant-garde language, almost unrelated to the form of free jazz played in the US. This European approach was less based on intense improvisation and aimed instead at a slow denudation of most melodic content, while being on a quest which would encompass jazz with a whiff of contemporary European classical music of the 20th Century and assimilate it into a new musical free form rhetoric. Without stranding in rigid waters, this is deeply explorative music beyond time and space, being extremely free, fluid and loose. A thing of beauty casting a mesmerizing spell when submerged in it. Extremely rare UK first original pressing in top shape. They do not come rarer than this one here so…. Go out with all guns blazing for this one. Price: Offers!!!
2235. RILEY, HOWARD: “The Day Will Come” (CBS SONY – SONP-50405) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). Damned scarce Japan original 1st press. Howard Riley landed a deal with CBS in 1969 with only one album under his belt, he was a true composer at 25. Here, his 2nd outing for CBS following “Angle” and recorded a year later in 1970, sees Riley flanked by his usual rhythm section of Barry Guy and Alan Jackson and they are deeply in sync. The Day Will Come boasts one of the great baffling sleeves of its era, but it also has more musical clarity to it than Angle of the year before: witness the pensive Sad Was The Song and Winter. There’s less urgency here – perhaps time has given the threesome the understanding to not have to try so hard and more relaying on an intuitive approach which results in recording the best LP he canned for CBS, making it one of the all-time classic UK jazz slides of that period. Damned rare Japan original pressing in TOP shape. Price: 125 Euro
2236. RILEY, HOWARD with KEITH TIPPETT; BARRY GUY & JOHN STEVENS: “Facets” (Impetus Records – IMP-38002) (3 LP Record: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Booklet: Near Mint/ Outer Box: Excellent). Rarely seen 1981 UK original pressing, a clash of the titans of the UK jazz scene as released way back in 1981. ‘Facets’ is a collaboration between four giants of modern British jazz improvisational scene: Howard Riley, Keith Tippett (both piano), Barry Guy (double bass) and John Stevens (drums, cornet). This copy here is the original release of 1981, a monster set released as a 3-LP box, the material is sourced from three specific recording sessions, starting in October 1979 (tracks 5-7) with Riley in a trio session with Guy and Stevens (Guy having performed in numerous line-ups with Riley in the previous decade with Stevens in the Spontaneous Music Ensemble and a trio with Trevor Watts). Riley was back in Heiman Studios in London the following years to overdub three pianos into tracks 11-8. He and Tippett recorded remaining tracks (1-4) live at Goldsmith’s College, London in May of the year of release. Just massive. Price: 175 Euro

2237. RIP RIG + PANIC: “God” (Nippon Columbia – YW-7063-4-AX) (2 LP Record Set: Mint/ Jacket: Mint/ Insert: Mint/ OBI: Mint). 1982 Japan 1st original high quality pressing complete with obi. “With Gareth Sanger leading the charge, Rip, Rig & panic’s debut is much more user-friendly than anything recorded by Sanger's previous band, the always abrasive Pop Group. This record gallops along from start to finish, honking and buzzing along the way, with loads of odd vocalizing and feral, primal, repetitive rhythms. Not the most significant album to come out of the early days of English post-punk, but one that still delivers plenty of smiles 15 years later.” (All Music Guide). Sean Oliver's Funkadelic bass mashes up against the free jazz of Mark Springer's piano while Neneh Cherry shouts, Bruce Smith thumps the tubs and Gareth Sager plays the contents of an instrument shop. Fucking awesome slide. Price: 65 Euro
2238. RIP RIG & PANIC: “I Am Cold” (Nippon Columbia – YW-7065〜6 – AX) (2 LP Set: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Original Japanese first original pressing that came out in 1982. The Pop Group spin-off, Rip Rig + Panic's slightly more controlled and structured follow up to the massive financial flop "God". Somehow they managed to persuade trumpet maestro Don Cherry to add a bit of class to augment his step Daughters' whiny vocals. Basically it's more of the same anything goes kind of trendy dubby jazz-punk fusion but with less wild abandon of the first LP. Again, Virgin give them the double vinyl treatment, which ensured that they lost even more money in the vane hope that they could find the next Sex Pistols or Mike Oldfield to finance Branson's greater ambitions. Price: 50 Euro
2239. ROACH, MAX: “Max Roach + 4” (Mercury – MC-3008) (Record: VG++ ~ Excellent – nice shape with some sleeve lines visible under bright light/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint and still housed in original plastic outer). Original 1958 Japan very 1st press issue that comes with plastic outer sleeve still firmly attached to the jacket – was never issued with obi. “After the tragic deaths of trumpeter Clifford Brown and pianist Richie Powell in a car accident a few months earlier, drummer Max Roach regrouped with trumpeter Kenny Dorham and pianist Ray Bryant filling in unfillable holes. Tenor great Sonny Rollins and bassist George Morrow remained from the earlier band. Max Roach Plus Four finds Roach taking plenty of solo space, including almost all of "Dr. Free-Zee" and the climaxes of "Just One of Those Things" and "Woody 'n You." The horns have plenty of good spots, and other highlights of this worthy set include George Russell’s "Ezz-thetic" and a warm rendition of "Body and Soul." (All Music). Price: 75 Euro
2240. ROACH, MAX: “Max Roach + 4 – Newport 1958 Jazz Festival” (Mercury – MC-3017) (Record: Excellent – nice shape with some sleeve lines visible under bright light/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint and still housed in original plastic outer). Original 1958 Japan very 1st press issue that comes with plastic outer sleeve still firmly attached to the jacket – was never issued with obi. “The main reason to search for this out-of-print LP is for the playing of the great, if short-lived, trumpeter Booker Little who was the first on his instrument to emerge from the shadow of Clifford Brown and start to develop his own voice. With tenor saxophonist George Coleman, Ray Draper on tuba, bassist Art Davis and the drummer/leader (then 33 but already considered a giant for over a decade), the quintet performs six consistently enjoyable and hard-swinging numbers; highlights include "Night in Tunisia," "Tune-Up," Little’s "Minor Mode" and "Love for Sale." (All Music Guide). Price: 75 Euro
2241. ROACH, MAX And STAN LEVY With Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse Allstars: “Drummin’ The Blues” (Liberty – LBY-1018) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Sleeve: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Damned rare 1961 Japan frist original press issue – WHITE label PROMO issue that comes on RED wax! Heavy early Max Roach recording dating back to 1957 but not released in Japan until 1961…needles to say that not many copies of this one turn up, especially in this shape and as a white label promo one on red wax. But all that aside, the music swings like a bat out of hell, reminding me what heat was unleashed on some of these early jazz slides and already establishing Roach as the giant he was to become. Bloody killer. Price: 150 Euro
2242. ROACH, MAX: “Deluxe Edition” (Prestige/ Victor Records – SMJ-9005~6) (2 Lp Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Beautiful Japan only 2 LP issue with obi. Price: 60 Euro
2243. ROACH, MAX: “Percussion Bitter Sweet” (Impulse – SNY-6) (Record: Near Mint/ Fragile Flip Back Sleeve: Near Mint). Damned rare 1962 Japan very first press original deep groove issue. Never encountered before WHITE label PROMO. Dead clean. What a killer slide! Max Roach's masterpiece! This record is one of his most perfectly realized visions – and it's a marvelous album that combines politics and modern jazz, yet still manages to swing! The players are some of the hippest that Roach ever worked with – and include Eric Dolphy, Booker Little, Clifford Jordan, and Julian Priester – and the record features some of the best-ever singing from Abbey Lincoln! Abbey's incredible on the track "Mendacity", an incredibly haunting Civil Rights-era number that should go right up there with "Strange Fruit", and which features wonderful alto work from Dolphy! She also sings wordlessly on the track "Garvey's Ghost" – and then sits out the rest of the set so that Max and the group can wail on the tracks "Praise For A Martyr", "Man From South Africa", and "Tender Warriors". Incredibly hip – and a perfect blend of soul, jazz, politics, and pure righteous spirit! Price: 150 Euro
2244. ROACH, MAX HIS CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA: “It’s Time” (Impulse – AS-16) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Top condition US original ABC-Paramount stereo pressing. Stunning and a record that is hard to dig up in clean condition! This is a beautiful album that's one of Max Roach's most powerful recordings, and a record that's been the inspiration for countless other imitations over the years. Roach leads a group with Richard Williams, Clifford Jordan, and Mal Waldron -- and they're matched with a vocal chorus led by Coleridge Perkinson, who also did the arrangements for Donald Byrd's classic "with voices" albums. Unlike those, though, this set's a damn angry bunch of compositions, and the chorus wails away in a loud screaming powerful mode that will blow away any of your preconceptions about the "with voices" mode. The group sings wordless vocals (except for one cut, which has Abbey Lincoln singing in the lead), and provides a searing backdrop of sound for the band's razor-sharp playing. Every cut's a winner, and the whole thing's a masterpiece! Amazing condition! Price: 150 Euro
2245. ROACH, MAX: “It’s Time” (Impulse – NY-15) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Rare 1963 Japan first original pressing all complete with obi & in outstanding condition. MONO issue. This Max Roach date is an unusual set. The outing featured the drummer's all-star sextet (which consisted of trumpeter Richard Williams, tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, trombonist Julian Priester, pianist Mal Waldron, and bassist Art Davis) joined by a vocal choir conducted by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson and orchestrated by Roach. Unlike most other collaborations, the choir was not overly gospel-oriented and was utilized as a sort of jazz ensemble. Amazing Impulse record set and one of Roach’s finest to these ears. Hardly ever seen 1963 Japanese MONO original in top condition. Price: 250 Euro
2246. ROACH, MAX HIS CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA: “It’s Time” (Impulse – SH-3025) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Top condition Japan 1st press original all complete with OBI. Rare STEREO issue. Stunning! This is a beautiful album that's one of Max Roach's most powerful recordings, and a record that's been the inspiration for countless other imitations over the years. Roach leads a group with Richard Williams, Clifford Jordan, and Mal Waldron -- and they're matched with a vocal chorus led by Coleridge Perkinson, who also did the arrangements for Donald Byrd's classic "with voices" albums. Unlike those, though, this set's a damn angry bunch of compositions, and the chorus wails away in a loud screaming powerful mode that will blow away any of your preconceptions about the "with voices" mode. The group sings wordless vocals (except for one cut, which has Abbey Lincoln singing in the lead), and provides a searing backdrop of sound for the band's razor-sharp playing. Every cut's a winner, and the whole thing's a masterpiece! Top condition! Price: 200 Euro
2247. ROACH, MAX: “It’s Time” (Impulse – IMP-88084) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint – some foxing inside the gatefold/ Insert: Near Mint/ OBI: Near Mint). Rare Japan second pressing all complete with obi & in outstanding condition. Stereo issue and the first one to come out in Japan as a gatefold. All is in top condition. Price: 50 Euro
2248. THE MAX ROACH TRIO: “Featuring The Legendary Hasaan” (Atlantic – 1435) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint ~Mint & virginal). Rare US 1st original press issue – WHITE label MONO PROMO issue in TOP condition. A very unusual album from Max Roach – and one that continues his great 50s trend of seeking out some of the freshest players in jazz! The set's a rare trio outing for Max – and it features some incredible piano work by a musician named Hasaan – a player we only know from this set, but who's a cooking modernist with a vibe that ranks him right up there with postwar greats like Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, and Herbie Nichols! With references like those, you can bet there's plenty of sharp edges in the piano – but the tunes also have a subtle, soulful feel too – a sense of humanity that's really wonderful. A unique player whose style fell somewhere between Monk and Cecil Taylor, Hasaan actually had a rather original sound. His performances on his seven originals here are intense, somewhat virtuosic and rhythmic, yet often melodic in a quirky way. This is a classic of its kind, and it's a tragedy that Hasaan would not record again and would soon sink back into obscurity. White label PROMO MONO in virginal shape. Price: 200 Euro
2249. THE MAX ROACH TRIO: “Featuring The Legendary Hasaan” (Atlantic/ Victor Records – SMJ-7281) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ First Issue Obi: Near Mint). Impossibly scarce Japan 1st original press issue all complete with never offered for sale before first issue obi. A very unusual album from Max Roach – and one that continues his great 50s trend of seeking out some of the freshest players in jazz! The set's a rare trio outing for Max – and it features some incredible piano work by a musician named Hasaan – a player we only know from this set, but who's a cooking modernist with a vibe that ranks him right up there with postwar greats like Thelonious Monk, Randy Weston, and Herbie Nichols! With references like those, you can bet there's plenty of sharp edges in the piano – but the tunes also have a subtle, soulful feel too – a sense of humanity that's really wonderful. A unique player whose style fell somewhere between Monk and Cecil Taylor, Hasaan actually had a rather original sound. His performances on his seven originals here are intense, somewhat virtuosic and rhythmic, yet often melodic in a quirky way. This is a classic of its kind, and it's a tragedy that Hasaan would not record again and would soon sink back into obscurity. First copy ever I encounter all complete with stupidly rare obi. Price: 275 Euro
2250. ROACH, MAX – MAX ROACH QUARTET: “Speak, Brother, Speak! – Max Roach Quartet At The Jazz Workshop” (Liberty Records – LR-8819) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent). Very first 1970 original Japanese pressing all complete with obi – RED WAX & WHITE label PROMO issue. “A live set put out on Debut has two very lengthy tracks (the 25-minute "Speak, Brother, Speak" and the 22-and-a-half-minute "A Variation") featuring solos by tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist Eddie Khan and drummer Max Roach (who wrote both of the pieces). The music is somewhere between hard bop and avant-garde, and the musicians really push each other, although the results are not quite essential. Jordan fans in particular will find this to be an interesting set.” (All Music Guide). Hardly ever offered red wax promo with first issue obi. Price: 100 Euro
2251. ROACH, MAX: “Drums Unlimited” (Atlantic – SD-1467) (Record: Near Mint/ Thick Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint/ Direct Import Obi: Near Mint). Clean original US first press issue all complete with Japan only Direct Import obi. The drums are certainly unlimited here -- and the album's a really unique one, in that it shows Max Roach in 2 different settings -- one with a group, and one that's simply solo! One batch of tracks has Max in the company of a tight group of soul jazz players like Freddie Hubbard, Roland Alexander, James Spaulding, and Ronnie Matthews. The group is very tight, and they've got hard wailing sound similar to a Blue Note group, but with a bit more of a soul jazz feel. They play on two long tracks -- "Nommo" and "In the Red". The rest of the tracks -- "Drums Unlimited", "The Drum Also Waltzes", and "For Big Sid" -- feature Max playing solo, which is a rare treat for a recording of this vintage. The tracks are great, with a very musical groove, and lively playing by Max that never gets too self-indulgent. Price: 50 Euro
2252. ROACH, MAX: “Members, Don’t Git Weary” (Atlantic – SD-1510) (Record: Excellent/ Jacket: Mint – still housed in SHRINK/ Direct Import OBI: Near Mint). Fantastic stuff and a record that was virtually the blueprint for spiritual soul jazz to come in the 70s! Although Max Roach first rose to fame during the bop years, by the time of this set he'd really stretched out a lot – moving past initial righteous projects in the Civil Rights era, to even more progressive work with a group like this! The players are all youthful geniuses who would go onto shape the sound of 70s jazz tremendously – working here at a point that already shows their brilliance – Gary Bartz on alto, Charles Tolliver on trumpet, Stanley Cowell on piano, and even Andy Bey, who sings vocals on the title track. The overall style is very similar to Bartz's early albums on Milestone, or to some of the Music Inc records on Strata East, which feature Cowell and Tolliver. It's no surprise that Cowell contributed 3 tracks to the set – "Effi", "Equipoise", and "Abstrutions" – and the group also performs a great version of Bartz's "Libra"! Price: 250 Euro
2253. ROACH, MAX: “We Insist! – Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite” (Candid/ Victor Records – SMJ-6169) (Record: Near Mint/ jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ Promo inserts: Excellent). Japanese high-quality pressing – WHITE label PROMO issue! One of the most righteous albums that Max Roach ever cut and a monumental jazz release from the heart of the Civil Rights era! Judging from the cover and title, this was a very political record, served up in righteous lyrics penned by Oscar Brand Jr, and sung by Abbey Lincoln at her most biting and surpassing in just a few short years her previous role as a straight jazz singer, and firmly grabbing up territory no other female vocalists had touched up to then. For this momentous event, Roach gathered together a really special group for the record, players who include regular partners Booker Little on trumpet and Julian Priester on trombone, alongside surprising guests like Coleman Hawkins on tenor sax, Olatunji on percussion, and Ray Mantilla on congas. There's no piano at all on the record, and the tracks are all long ones, stretching out to infinity with soaring horn passages next to the vocals, and plenty of percussion at the bottom to get things moving! Absolutely fantastic slide. Virginal condition WHITE label PROMO issue with obi. Essential! Price: 65 Euro

2254. ROACH, MAX & ABBEY LINCOLN: “Sounds As A Roach” (Joker/ Teichiku Records – UPS-2056-KR) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Killer live slide that only saw the light of day as a Japan release in 1977. An obscure one from Max Roach! The set was recorded live in 1968 in Norway – and it features Max working with Steve Lacy on soprano, Red Mitchell on bass, Steve Kuhn on piano, and Abbey Lincoln on vocals. Abbey sings on a few tracks – and the group jams on others – but a certain percentage of the record features Max playing solo, in that great way he used on the Drums Unlimited album for Atlantic. The whole album's quite varied – but it also shows the range of Roach's creative explorations at this sometime "lost" time in his career. Price: 75 Euro
2255. ROCKIT: “(Blame It) On The Pony Express b/w Amblin” (Verve Records – DV-1034) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Picture Sleeve: Excellent). Totally obscure and damned rare Japan only picture sleeve issue of former West Coast Experimental Band members offshoot project. PROMO issue. Original sales were totally neglectable and Japanese issues with picture sleeve just do not surface at all, first copy to pop up in over 15 years!!! Price: 275 Euro
2256. RODRIGUEZ: “Coming From Reality” (A&M Records/ King Records – AML-149) (Record: Near Mint/ Gimmick Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent – has small lower tear that does not stand out at all). Brutally rare 1972 Japan 1st original press issue all complete with rarely seen OBI. Top condition copy. Back in 1971, Coming From Reality was Rodriguez’s last gasp, the follow-up to Cold Fact and the final album he was allowed to record for the Sussex label. Rodriguez’s vision of a perfect pop album. Coming From Reality found Rodriguez decamping from Detroit to London’s Lansdowne Studios, where the album was recorded with some of the UK’s top talent including Chris Spedding and producer Steve Rowland (The Pretty Things, PJ Proby, who recalls Coming From Reality as his favorite ever recording project. Highlights include the super-poppy “To Whom It May Concern”, the “Rocky Raccoon”-inspired “A Most Disgusting Song” and period piece “Heikki’s Suburbia Bus Tour”. Damned rare Japan original all complete with obi …top condition. Price: Offers!!!!
2257. ROGER NICHOLS & THE SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS: “S/T” (A&M Records – SP-4139) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint – still housed firmly in original shrink/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Top condition – just pristine – US 1968 first original stereo pressing on first issue brown colored label. What a brilliant record, a landmark piece of 60s pop that easily rubs shoulders with the best work by Brian Wilson, Millennium, Gary Usher, Van Dyke Parks, or any of those other California sunny-eyed hipsters! The album is a lot of things at once. Soft pop, a smattering of rock, and a heavy dose of easy listening. The group itself has a great vocal blend, resulting in a sweet A&M Records vocal pop style -- with an emphasis on groovy harmonies in a male/female style that is not unlike We Five or The Free Design -- but a lot hipper too, as its more adult in its themes -- with this way of bringing innocence into play with mature thoughtfulness, but in subtle modes that are perfect for the unique album's placement on A&M! Nichols would later be known for his songwriting with Paul Williams, and was also part of a core group of underground LA pop luminaries that included the whole Warner crew under Lenny Waronker -- and this album definitely has some of the sly undertones of some of the hippest late 60s Warner work as well. The album unfortunately didn't do very well at the time of its release, which is an incredible injustice. The music, though, holds up extremely well today, and is an authentic slice of California pop. Delicious. Top shape!!! Price: 375 Euro
2258. THE ROLF KUHN JAZZ GROUP: "Going To The Rainbow" (BASF/ Teichiku Records - UPS-548-B) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ OBI: Mint). First original 1971 high quality Japanese pressing complete with always-missing obi. Great free Improvisation with spiritual undertones influenced by Miles davis "Bitches Brew". One of Kuhn's best recordings for which he got assisted by heavy weights like John Surman, Alan Skidmore and Chick Corea. Absolutely stunning free improv with an addictive rolling groove that really puts the funky cat out there. Highest recommendation - rare Japanese original in mint condition. To lick your decalls off baby!!!. Price: 75 Euro
2259. ROLF & JOACHIM KUHN QUARTET: “Re-Union” (CBS – S-62407) (Record: Near Mint - Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint - Mint). One of the rarest free inspired German jazz albums out there, this copy here is an original 1965 1st pressing in TOP condition, never seen a better copy anywhere. Tremendous work from the brothers Rolf and Joachim Kuhn – and exactly the kind of record that will have you completely rethinking your opinion about the clarinet in jazz! Rolf's a player with roots in more traditional modes, but by the time of this mid 60s session he was a very committed modernist – and uses the instrument here in modes that feel a lot more like the soprano sax spirit of John Coltrane or Steve Lacy at the time – open, free, unbridled – and often set to a modal groove that bubbles up perfectly from Joachim's work on piano! Sometimes Joachim's totally out there, let loose on a rampage, but he still manages to hang nicely onto his brother’s clarinet playing – not entirely straight, but always working with a sense of rhythmic progression, which gets support from Klaus Koch on bass and Reinhard Schwartz on drums. Yet Rolf's the real star of the show – as he blows with a fantastic range of sounds and phrasing – searing at some points, soulful at others – and blowing us away on titles. Utterly fantastic and bewilderingly beautiful lyrical, yet well balanced free jazz slide. One of the rarest German jazz records out there and this copy is just perfect on all fronts, strictly graded at NM〜M all the way. Awesome!!! Price: Offers!!!!!
2260. ROLLING STONES: “Heart of Stone – What A Shame b/w The Last Time – Play With Fire” (London/ King Records – 17M-100) (4 Track 7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Excellent – has a folding crease on left side along spine/ Company Inner Sleeve: Excellent). Damned scarce 1965 Japan only Rolling Stones 4 track EP that is a bitch to find in decent condition. This one here is exceptionally clean for the disc and the sleeve is solid EX with only a folding crease along the left side. Hard to ever find a better one. Price: 125 Euro
2261. ROLLING STONES: “The Last Time b/w Play With Fire” (London/ King Records – HIT-485) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). 1968 Japan original picture sleeve issue. This is the 2nd sleeve variation and the rarest of the two – just surfaces only once in a blue moon there were the first sleeve issue is common and clogs up the 2nd hand bins for cheap. Top shape. Price: 200 Euro
2262. ROLLING STONES: “I Wanna Be Your Man b/w Stoned” (London/ King Records – HIT-323) (7 Inch Single Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Gatefold Picture Sleeve: Mint – comes still housed in original plastic outer/ Company Inner Sleeve: Mint). The first Stones single to be released in Japan that comes housed in insanely rare 2nd sleeve variation from 1967. The first sleeve variation from the previous year 1966 pops up from time to time and is not that rare. However, this version is…bloody fuckin’ rare. Then there is the condition, probably played only once by the original owner, still housed in original plastic outer sleeve – this is a time capsule condition copy. Impossible to ever upgrade upon or find in better shape. One of the rarest Stones releases out there. Insane!!!! Price: Offers!!!!
2263. ROLLING STONES: “Golden Rolling Stones Dai 4 Shu – Jumpin’ Jack Flash – Child of the Moon b/w She’s a Rainbow – The Lantern” (London/ King Records – LS-159) (4 Track EP Single Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Picture Sleeve: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Insert: Mint) Top condition – absolutely virginal of classic Stones slide. Japan original pressing from 1968 that comes housed in unique hard card picture sleeve. Price: 45 Euro
2264. ROLLING STONES: “The Rolling Stones – 1” (London/ King Records – SLC-231) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert Portrait Poster: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan only issue from 1969 all complete with the Pin Up Poster and OBI. Top shape, hardly ever turns up these days anymore in top shape and all complete. Price: 150 Euro
2265. ROLLING STONES: “6” (London/ King Records Japan – SLC-236) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint / Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Insert: Mint/ Attached Poster: Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Original 1969 Japan first original pressing all complete with OBI & Poster. Maybe the best of the 6 Japan only Stones LP’s released in Japan, comes all complete. Top condition, and getting quite tough to find these buggers in good shape with all present. Price: 300 Euro
2266. ROLLING STONES: “Their Satanic Majesties Request” (London – NPS-2) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Gatefold Jacket with 3-D Artwork: Mint – without any wrinkles or minor blemishes, just perfect/ Japan Direct Import Insert: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Original Inner Sleeve: Near Mint/ Direct Import Obi: Mint). UK original 1st pressing for EXPORT on the green colored London label with silver lettering and “ffrr” reference on label for direct export from the UK to ONLY Japan. Comes complete with rare and real direct import OBI. Sometimes I forget how fucking brilliant ordinary, well-known records are and upon “revisiting” this one, I was again flabbergasted by its sheer brilliance and inventiveness. The Stones most psychedelic outing, injected with lethal shots of African flavored rhythms, mellotron, odd orchestrations, trippy effects, creepy uneasy mood swings… in short possibly the best Stones LP out there. Sure shoot me, but people who denounce this one and slag it off have the integrity of a hyena and the style of a poison toad. Prove me wrong if ya can. “Satanic Majesties Request” is sheer brilliance, a psychic maze that unknowingly set your nuts on fire and pushes down a silent scream down your throat. Hell yeah, I ride for that…. Top condition, never seen a better copy out there, absolutely perfect with the REAL (not fake) direct import obi, insert and imprinted inner sleeve accounted for. Top condition and all complete. Price: Offers!!!!
2267. ROLLING STONES: “Their Satanic Majesties Request” (King Records/ London – SLC-192) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Circular Obi: Near Mint/ 2 Inserts: Mint). Very first original Japanese pressing of 1968. Complete with first issue circular obi in TOP condition. Hardly ever surfaces in such immaculate state as this copy here. Price: 300 Euro
2268. ROLLING STONES: “Their Satanic Majesties Request” (London – NPS-2) (Record and Gatefold Jacket: Mint – still SEALED). Very first original US stereo pressing of 1967 – still SEALED. Complete with first issue 3D gatefold cover art in TOP condition. Hardly ever surfaces in such immaculate state as this copy here. Price: 600 Euro
2269. ROLLING STONES: “Sticky Fingers” (Warner Pioneer Japan – P-8091S) (Record: Near Mint/ Andy Warhol’s designed Jacket with Zipper: Near Mint/ Rock Age Flower Obi: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Lyrics Insert: Near Mint/ Picture Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Without a question, this one is one the rarest Japan released Stones LP around, complete with the hideously rare “ROCK AGE” flower obi in top condition. Hideously much in demand recently, which had as result that copies are hard to come by here in Japan especially in good condition as most copies were enjoyed and played to death! This copy is just in stunning shape. Also, what makes this copy so special is the presence of the 1st limited edition original version of the Rock age flower obi!! Only a handful of times I have come across a copy with this obi where all is in amazing shape. Price: 575 Euro
2270. ROLLING STONES: “Sticky Fingers” (Toshiba Records – ESS-63001) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ jacket with Zipper: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Imprinted Photo Inner Sleeve: Near Mint/ 4 Page Insert: Mint/ Yellow Promo only Insert: Mint/ Obi: Mint) Virginally clean top condition Japan press stock copy all complete with obi and inserts + comes with additional promo insert present. Impossible to ever upgrade upon. Price: 150 Euro
2271. ROLLING STONES: “Love You Live” (Toshiba EMI – ESS-50047~48) (2 LP Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ 2 Imprinted Inner Sleeves: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Scarce 1977 pressing WHITE label PROMO issue. Price: 100 Euro
2272. ROLLING STONES: “Goats Head Soup” (Toshiba EMI – ESS-63002) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Goat Head Soup Insert Print: Near Mint/ 4 Page Insert: Near Mint/ Imprinted Inner Sleeve: Near Mint/ Additional Bonus Hit Makers Rolling Stomes Poster Booklet: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent). Japan 1979 pressing all complete WHITE label PROMO issue. Price: 125 Euro
2273. ROLLING STONES: “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll” (Toshiba EMI – ESS-63003) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Page Insert: Near Mint/ Imprinted Inner Sleeve: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Scarce Japan 1979 pressing all complete with obi and inserts and rarely seen WHITE label PROMO issue. Price: 100 Euro
2274. ROLLING STONES: “Made In The Shades” (Toshiba EMI – ESS63004) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Page Insert: Near Mint/ Imprinted Inner Sleeve: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan 1979 press issue all complete with inserts and obi + rarely offered WHITE label PROMO issue. Price: 100 Euro
2275. ROLLING STONES: “Black and Blue” (Toshiba EMI – ESS-63005) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ 2 Inserts: Near Mint/ Imprinted Inner Sleeve: Near Mint/ OBI: Excellent). Japan 1979 pressing all complete with inserts and obi + rarely seen WHITE label PROMO issue. Price: 100 Euro
2276. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Moving Out” (Top Rank/ Prestige – RANK-5016) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint). One of a kind issue – Japan 1961 first original pressing – WHITE label PROMO pressing & housed with a Victor Records record executive only designed sleeve – only used for internal use before the printing of the actual sleeve art was finished. I got this copy from a retired record company executive who worked for Victor Records back in the day and he assured me there were not more that possibly 5 copies that circulated in the company at that time of this beauty. “The collaborations between Sonny Rollins and any given trumpet player were few and far between, but they did include such notables as Miles Davis, Don Cherry, Clifford Brown and in this case, his first tandem partnership with Kenny Dorham. At the time, both of them were also members of the Max Roach Quintet and thus quite familiar with each other's strengths. Add to the mix drummer Art Blakey, bassist Percy Heath and emerging modern jazz pianist Elmo Hope and this shapes up to be one of the more potent combos of 1954. It's pretty straightforward music featuring Rollins with little involvement from Dorham except solos. The fast title track, based on the changes of "Donna Lee" or "Indiana," has the briefest melody line before Rollins leaps into eighth-note madness, while the very fleet "Swingin' for Bumsy" does the same, repeating the slimmest phrase three times. An all-time classic, "Solid" does have the two horns together, playing an established, bluesy unison thought, a beauty in economy, while the obligatory ballad "Silk 'n' Satin" is all Rollins wrapped in a fabric of sheen and softness. There's one track that features an entirely different band for some reason, as "More Than You Know" encompasses a full 11 minutes of this program, which in total is just shy of 32 minutes. This unmistakable melody is enveloped by Rollins and Thelonius Monk, with bassist Tommy Potter and drummer Art Taylor in support for a tune that is unlike the others in style and texture. Moving out contains some fine music, especially for the time period.” (All Music Guide). Very unique item, one off chance to own maybe one of the rarest Rollins issues out there… Price: 400 Euro
2277. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Moving Out” (Top Rank/ Prestige – RANK-5016) (Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). The first Japanese press original – housed in a fragile flip back sleeve and all complete with obi. Another rarely seen Rollins Japan pressing from the early daze! Price: 175 Euro
2278. ROLLINS, SONNY: “With The Modern Jazz Quartet with Art Blakey and Kenny Drew” (Prestige/ Victor Records – SMJX-10146) (Record: Near Mint ~ Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint ~ Mint – still housed in Shrink/ Insert: Mint/ Obi: Near Mint ~ Mint – still housed in Shrink). Clean and mean Japanese pressing in absolutely virginal condition! Early Sonny Rollins work for Prestige, recorded in the years 1951 and 1953, in a variety of settings! 4 tracks on the album features Rollins blowing with the MJQ, one more has him working with a Miles Davis group, and the last 8 feature a quartet with Kenny Drew, Percy Heath, and Art Blakey. The tunes are shorter than you might be used to hearing Rollins, but there's still plenty of power and imagination in the grooves -- very economical solos, crafted with a great deal of imagination. Awesome. Price: 50 Euro
2279. ROLLINS, SONNY: “The Standard Sonny Rollins” (Victor Records – SHP-5484) (Record: Near Mint/ Fragile Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint). Scarce 1965 Japan only issue that comes housed in Japan only sleeve art. Rarely seen WHITE label PROMO issue. There's nothing standard about this one – as the record's an excellent batch of work from Sonny and his "& Co" lineup that featured Jim Hall on guitar and Herbie Hancock on piano! The format's a bit unusual for Rollins, in that not all the players of the group play at once – so that the album features shifting assemblages of instruments behind Sonny's tenor, running through extremely creative versions of tracks like "Travelin' Light", "Night & Day", "Three Little Words", "My Ship", and "It Could Happen To You". Rollins is at the height of his powers here, and although the session is deceptively simple, his work on the tenor is incredible! Price: 100 Euro
2280. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Our Man In Jazz” (Victor Records – RA-5201) (Record: Near Mint/ Fragile Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Excellent/ Obi: Near Mint). Rare Japan very first press issue all complete with rare obi. This one here marks Sonny Rollins’ first recording ever with Don Cherry, as well as one of the earliest LPs made by the saxophonist following his three-year long self-imposed musical exile. It was all recorded in a piano-less quartet format with Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Henry Grimes replaces Cranshaw on three short tunes taped by the same formation shortly after for a compilation album. Essential!!! Price: 150 Euro
2281. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Sonny’s Time” (Riverside/ Nippon Victor – SR-7087) (Record: Near Mint/ Fragile Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan 1st original press issue housed in fragile flip back sleeve and complete with rare obi. Comes housed in Japan only sleeve art. Another essential Rollins slide featuring an all-star lineup consisting out of Kenny Dorham, Hank Jones, Oscar Pettiford, Max Roach and Betty Glamman. Rare 1st Japanese press issue from 1962 in top shape and with rare obi present! Price: 175 Euro
2282. ROLLINS, SONNY: “What’s New” (Nippon Victor – SHP-5120) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan first original pressing all complete with rare obi. “Rollins returned from a self-imposed two-year sabbatical in 1962 with a fury, recording prolifically and exploring various directions from outside to inside. The five cuts on this LP were originally recorded in New York, with Rollins mixing standards and originals and providing his take on what was then an exploding trend, the bossa nova. Rollins’ characteristically huge tone, relentless harmonic and rhythmic inventiveness, and fierce solos were consistently impressive. Not only did he state the melody clearly and superbly, but his ideas and pacing were remarkable; no solo rambled and his phrases were lean, thick and furious. While this wasn't in the class of Rollins’ late-'50s epics, it was a well-done date.” (All Music) Top condition. Price: 250 Euro
2283. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Now’s The Time” (Victor – SHP-5379) (Record: Near Mint/ Fragile Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan original press issue with obi. Rarely seen Japanese 1st pressing in exquisite condition. “In his playing on these standard forms throughout Now’s the Time!, Sonny shows us how he mixes it up to keep his solos engaging: short phrases, long phrases, long tones, fast notes, space, melodies, intervallic structures, thematic development. He uses everything, and it keeps us interested. He never gets bogged down. He’s really on fire on this record.” (John Scofield) Right on! Price: 250 Euro
2284. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Sonny & The Stars” (Prestige/ Nippon Victor – SMJ-7113) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Rare Japan 1st press issue all complete with rare OBI. Fantastic work from Sonny Rollins – a strong batch of sessions from from when Sonny was still in his early twenties when this was recorded, with the assistance of big shots such as Milt Jackson, Kenny Drew, John Lewis, Miles Davis, Percy Heath, Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke and Roy Haynes. Juvenile fire indeed!!! Top condition! Price: 150 Euro
2285. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Sonny Rollins Plus 4” (Prestige/ Top Rank – RANK-5025) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Rare very first Japanese press issue all complete with obi and damned rare first issue obi. “1956, Sonny Rollins was spiritually and physically rejuvenated. And on Sonny Rollins Plus 4, he's clearly inspired by Max Roach and Clifford Brown’s depth of spirit. Multi-dimensional re-arrangements of popular songs were a Brown-Roach trademark. "Kiss and Run" is treated to a stop-and-go intro, then settles into a brisk 4/4, as Rollins, Brown, and the perennially underrated Richie Powell fashion long dancing lines. "I Feel a Song Coming On" creates tension by alternating a vamp figure with a swinging release. Rollins takes an immense solo, contrasting chanting figures and foghorn-like long tones with Parker-ish elisions, and Brown answers with buzzing figures and daring harmonic extensions. Then Roach takes things out with sweeping melodic choruses and polyrhythmic fanfares, setting the stage for a torrid tenor-trumpet duel. On "Valse Hot," there's an early example of a successful jazz waltz as Rollins offers up one of his most charming themes. Max Roach treats the European three with the dancing elan of an American four, and Rollins responds by floating in between the beat, syncopating in Monk-ish stabs and thrusts, as Brown answers with the kind of rhythmically complex, sweetly articulated melodic lines that have inspired every modern trumpeter.” (All Music). Rare and in top shape with OBI. Price: 300 Euro
2286. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Sonny Rollins At The Music Inn” (Metro Jazz/ Nippon Columbia – SL-3038) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Top shape of damned rare Japan very first press issue – comes housed in extremely flimsy flip back sleeve and complete with rare obi. First time ever I could lay my hands on a true first press issue – flip back sleeve all complete with obi and in pristine condition. Damned rare one! Price: 275 Euro
2287. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Saxophone Colossus” (Victor Records – SMJX-10039) (Record: Near Mint/ gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Gold Obi: Near Mint). Japanese top condition issue of Rollins’ opus Saxophone Colossus. Comes all complete with obi. Hard to improve upon stellar Japanese press issue. Quite possibly THE greatest Sonny Rollins album of the early years – or at least the one that has received the most accolades over the years! The record is a brilliant batch of quartet tracks that reinvents bop through Sonny's complicated, yet seemingly automatic solos – an excellent showcase for his razor-sharp talents for improvisation and invention, played with effortless ease, yet still one of the great bar-setting performances of 50s jazz. The group features Tommy Flanagan, Max Roach, and Doug Watkins. Killer and complete with gold-toned OBI!!! Price: 75 Euro
2288. ROLLINS, SONNY: “The Sound of Sonny Rollins” (Riverside/ Nippon Victor – R-5007) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Scarce Japan very first original MONO pressing all complete with rarely seen very first issue obi. “A new phase in Sonny Rollins' career began in 1957. He started what was at the time an almost blasphemous trend of recording for a number of different labels. His pioneering spirit yielded a few genre-defining albums, including this disc. His performances were also at a peak during 1957 as Down Beat magazine proclaimed him the Critics' Poll winner under the category of "New Star" of the tenor saxophone. This newfound freedom can be heard throughout the innovations on The Sound of Sonny. Not only are Rollins' fluid solos reaching newly obtained zeniths of melodic brilliance, but he has also begun experimenting with alterations in the personnel from tune to tune. Most evident on this platter is "The Last Time I Saw Paris" -- which is piano-less -- and most stunning of all is Rollins' unaccompanied tenor solo performance on "It Could Happen to You." Indeed, this rendering of the Jimmy Van Heusen standard is the highlight of the disc. That isn't to say that the interaction between Sonny Clark (piano), Roy Haynes (drums), and bassists Percy Heath and Paul Chambers, who is featured on "The Last Time I Saw Paris" and "What Is There to Say" -- is not top-shelf. Arguably, it is Rollins and Heath -- the latter, incidentally, makes his East Coast debut on this album -- who set the ambience for The Sound of Sonny. There is an instinctually pervasive nature as they weave into and back out of each others' melody lines, only to emerge with a solo that liberates the structure of the mostly pop standards. This is a key component in understanding the multiplicities beginning to surface in Rollins' highly underappreciated smooth bop style.” (All Music) All is in impeccable condition. Price: 250 Euro
2289. ROLLINS, SONNY: “The Sound of Sonny Rollins” (Riverside/ Polydor Japan – MW-2024) (Record: Near Mint/ Heavy Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Rare Japan 1st original press issue all complete with rarely seen obi and in TOP condition. “A new phase in Sonny Rollins’ career began in 1957. He started what was at the time an almost blasphemous trend of recording for a number of different labels. His pioneering spirit yielded a few genre-defining albums, including this disc. His performances were also at a peak during 1957 as Down Beat magazine proclaimed him the Critics' Poll winner under the category of "New Star" of the tenor saxophone. This newfound freedom can be heard throughout the innovations on The Sound of Sonny. Not only are Rollins’ fluid solos reaching newly obtained zeniths of melodic brilliance, but he has also begun experimenting with alterations in the personnel from tune to tune. Most evident on this platter is "The Last Time I Saw Paris" -- which is piano-less -- and most stunning of all is Rollins’ unaccompanied tenor solo performance on "It Could Happen to You." Indeed, this rendering of the Jimmy Van Heusen standard is the highlight of the disc. That isn't to say that the interaction between Sonny Clark (piano), Roy Haynes (drums), and bassists Percy Heath and Paul Chambers -- who is featured on "The Last Time I Saw Paris" and "What Is There to Say" -- is not top-shelf. Arguably, it is Rollins and Heath -- the latter, incidentally, makes his East Coast debut on this album -- who set the ambience for The Sound of Sonny. There is an instinctually pervasive nature as they weave into and back out of each other’s melody lines, only to emerge with a solo that liberates the structure of the mostly pop standards. This is a key component in understanding the multiplicities beginning to surface in Rollins’ highly underappreciated smooth bop style.” (All Music Guide). Price: 75 Euro
2290. ROLLINS, SONNY QUARTET: “Tenor Madness” (Prestige/ Top Rank – RANK-5020) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint). Pristine condition Japan very first press original. Essential original pressing!!! Price: 150 Euro
2291. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Tenor Madness” (Prestige/ Victor Records – SMJX-10091M) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Mint – still housed in original shrink/ Capsule Obi: Mint, still housed in the shrink/ Insert: Mint). Rare Japanese press, all complete with rare CAP OBI still housed in the original shrink. “He wasn't scheduled to play, but John Coltrane had his axe in hand when he came to watch Miles Davis' rhythm section record with Sonny Rollins. Trane not only played on the date, but the resulting duet is the centerpiece of Tenor Madness. Theoretically, Coltrane's appearance on the title track should be legendary Saxophone Colossus meets Interstellar Space, in a way. However, this was 1956: Kind of Bluewas still three years away, and Trane's historic Impulse! recordings were not yet even in the realm of possibility. In short, Coltrane had not found the voice that called us to worship on "Transcendence and mesmerized the Vanguard with the stream-of-consciousness "Chasin' the Trane. That said, Coltrane's fearlessness is front and center as he takes the first solo, firing flurries and fusillades from the high end of his tenor sax. He is definitely on his game for the time. He's a willing teammate as he trades fours with Rollins on an ending dialogue where the two players happily finish each other's thoughts. The proof of the pudding is in Rollins' first solo. Taking the tonal low road to Coltrane's high attack, Rollins' tenor has a shape and substance Coltrane lacks. This not only adds to the contrast that should otherwised elude this instrumental airing, but also demonstrates the scope of Rollins' sound. At this point Trane had chops, but Rollins had soul, and the disparity is conspicuous. For better or worse, the collaboration ends at the conclusion of the one track, leaving us with four quartet pieces that are pure meat and potatoes. Rollins shows his romantic-ballad side on "When Your Lover Has Gone and "My Reverie, gets playful on "Paul's Pal (his tribute to bassist Paul Chambers), and upends Rodgers and Hart's "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World when he switches mid-stream from a waltz to a fast 4/4. Philly Joe Jones and Red Garland briefly morph "Lover into a mid-tempo piece when they do double time over Rollins' final chorus, pulling back just before Rollins makes way for one of Garland's trademark dancing solos. Jones' following solo evokes Blakey's "Blues March with a military cadence, spurring Rollins to take a harder ending tack. Chambers' foundation work is exemplary throughout the date, and his bowing solo on "Beautiful Girl is just one of many great spotlight moments.” (All About Jazz) A recording that should stand proudly alongside Saxophone Colossus as some of the best work of Rollins in his early years, it's also a testament to the validity, vibrancy, and depth of modern jazz in the post-World War era. It belongs on everybody's shelf. Rare Japan original, all complete with insert and obi and in impeccable shape! Amazing sound quality as well! Price: 100 Euro
2292. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Sonny Rollins In Japan” (Victor Records – SMJ-6030) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint – still housed in Shrink/ Cap Obi: Mint – still housed in Shrink/ Insert: Near Mint). Spotless 1973 Japan original pressing – Japan ONLY issue. One of Sonny Rollins' best albums of the 70s – a Japanese-only live date that features some excellent work on both tenor and soprano sax! The group has a really great feel – thanks to congas by Mtume and guitar from Yoshiaki Masuo – both of whom bring some new elements to Rollins' groove, alongside electric bass from Bob Cranshaw and drums from David Lee. Sonny's solos are all well-blown and quite extended – put together with a strong sense of fire, and a bit less of the hoke that could sometimes show up on other US domestic albums. Price: 50 Euro

 

2293. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Sonny Rollins Vol. 1” (Blue Note - BLP-1542) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ OBI: MINT/ Insert: Mint/ Inner Sleeve: Near Mint) Immediately Out Of Print in the flash of an eyelid…. Japan’s uber-quality super limited deluxe high-quality reissue of some of jazz finest titles. All is done with an extreme eye for details – EXACTLY sleeve reproduction up and down to the original coating, texture, label’s first address, choice of carton and paper used for printing – simulating the perfect real-time artifact etc…exact same labels and micro groove deep groove pressing, 200-gram vinyl. The jackets are all imprinted in Japan – hence the almost neurotic perfection of the whole job that makes the jackets identical in thickness and quality of the materials used as to the fist press originals & also they used the same lettering as the originals, all is just state of the art. The vinyl was pressed in the US using the original pressing machine that was used for the originals in order to create the exact same quality of vinyl and sound!!!! Flat edged press and cut from the original master tapes as well. And to close it all off, reproduction of the original inner sleeves and liner notes as well. This borders on the insane as far as near perfection is concerned. Glorious MONO to boot, sold out on the spot. Best possible project ever to restore this masterpiece to its original form!!! Sold out almost instantly!!! Price: 175 Euro
2294. ROLLINS, SONNY: “Vol.1” (Blue Note/ King Records – GXK-8016) (Record: Near Mint/ jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint) Scare King Records pressing from 1977 all complete with obi. Amazing early work from Sonny Rollins -- the first of his tremendous Blue Note albums -- and a record that really shows him taking off at the time! The record captures Rollins at a key turning point -- emerging from his firey bop years, moving into a much more complicated, introspective tenor style that was a perfect showcase for his developing genius for improvisation -- not as far out as in a few years to come, but already awash in imagination and creativity. The group here includes Donald Byrd on trumpet, Wynton Kelly on piano, Gene Ramey on bass, and Max Roach on drums -- but as with all Rollins Blue Note sessions, his tenor is the dominant force. Price: 75 Euro
2295. ROLLINS, SONNY: “A Night At The Village Vanguard” (Blue Note/ King Records – BLP-1581) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Best sounding high quality Japanese pressing of classic Sonny Rollins slide for Blue Note. Total audiophile sonic bliss. Price: 50 Euro
2296. ROLLINS, SONNY: “East Broadway Run Down” (Impulse/ King Records – SR-3072) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan very first original Impulse pressing from 1970 all complete with obi. “Around the ten-minute mark of the title track, things get very interesting indeed -- moody and spooky as Jimmy Garrison hangs on a single note, making his bass throb along while Elvin Jones widens the space and fires drum and cymbal hits in all directions. Coming off bass and drum solos that never seem to fit anywhere in the piece, it's a supreme moment of tension-building, one that gets repeated after Rollins and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard restate the theme in unison. This is the sound of Rollins’ group working in unity. For much of "East Broadway Run Down," though, the rhythm section is off doing their thing, usually together, while Rollins meanders about in limbo, seemingly trying to figure out what it is that he should be doing. That Rollins was having an off day for this recording is a suspicion that's strengthened by Hubbard’s part – where Rollins is wandering, Hubbard is charging ahead, focused and tight, fitting with the rhythm section, keeping the tension up. The remainder of the album is more on the mark, with "Blessing in Disguise" being quite enjoyable -- it starts out in a cheerfully traditional vein and gradually, subtly, starts to slide off into an improvisational area only to come back again to the traditional, and so back and forth. Rollins floats his sax line around the melody with only occasional excursions toward the outer regions. "We Kiss in a Shadow," though, is charmingly straightforward, a ballad rendering supported by Jones and Garrison locking together on a nice rhythm construction that lets Rollins float around the melody.” (All Music Guide) Price: 100 Euro

2297. ROLLINS, SONNY: “East Broadway Run Down” (Impulse – IMP-88074) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan original Impulse pressing all complete with obi. WHITE label; PROMO issue. “Around the ten-minute mark of the title track, things get very interesting indeed -- moody and spooky as Jimmy Garrison hangs on a single note, making his bass throb along while Elvin Jones widens the space and fires drum and cymbal hits in all directions. Coming off bass and drum solos that never seem to fit anywhere in the piece, it's a supreme moment of tension-building, one that gets repeated after Rollins and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard restate the theme in unison. This is the sound of Rollins’ group working in unity. For much of "East Broadway Run Down," though, the rhythm section is off doing their thing, usually together, while Rollins meanders about in limbo, seemingly trying to figure out what it is that he should be doing. That Rollins was having an off day for this recording is a suspicion that's strengthened by Hubbard’s part – where Rollins is wandering, Hubbard is charging ahead, focused and tight, fitting with the rhythm section, keeping the tension up. The remainder of the album is more on the mark, with "Blessing in Disguise" being quite enjoyable -- it starts out in a cheerfully traditional vein and gradually, subtly, starts to slide off into an improvisational area only to come back again to the traditional, and so back and forth. Rollins floats his sax line around the melody with only occasional excursions toward the outer regions. "We Kiss in a Shadow," though, is charmingly straightforward, a ballad rendering supported by Jones and Garrison locking together on a nice rhythm construction that lets Rollins float around the melody.” (All Music Guide) Price: 75 Euro
2298. ROQUES, MICHEL: “Chorus” (Saravah – SH-10 030) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint). Top condition original first press issue copy of totally vanished French masterpiece. “Although his albums are full of the same qualities as those of many other star saxophonists/flutists playing spiritual jazz, Frenchman Michel Roques is often classed as a "supporting artist" or a "musicians’ musician", forever in the background, and often left out of the reference books. Adding to this lack of recognition is the fact that Michel Roques was seriously under-recorded: five albums as leader in a career of almost twenty years does not amount to much! Thankfully, in 1972, Pierre Barouh, boss of Saravah, records made up for the injustice by offering him the opportunity to record ‘’Chorus’’ in studio, providing a continuity with the equally brilliant ‘’Safari’’ made four years earlier. An ambitious work, ‘’Chorus’’ owes much to the unusual ‘augmented’ rhythm section, the inner structure of which is none other than that used in the Parisian trio of pianist Mal Waldron at the end of the 1960s: namely Patrice Caratini on bass (completed by the cello of the amazing Jean-Charles Capon) and Franco Manzecchi on drums (seconded by the percussion of Humberto Canto). Another notable singularity is that Michel Roques had the excellent idea of excluding the piano, traditionally employed in this kind of context. This didn’t prevent ‘’Chorus’ from being played on French TV in 1973 with a piano replacing the cello, and a different voice reciting the beat-style poems of Nicole Roques, that of actor Jacques Degor, occasional collaborator with Jef Gilson but far less convincing than Bachir Touré, wisely chosen for this recording for his style inherited from Afro-American preachers and capable of holding his own with the wild improvisations. In its own way, ‘’Chorus’’ is one of the key albums mixing free jazz and spoken word ‘à la française’. It is also a militant concept album which has lost nothing of its political force.” (Souffle-Continu). Stunning slide and one of the rarest in the Saravah catalogue. Top condition original 1st pressing up for grabs. Price: 400 Euro
2299. ROSENBOOM, DAVID: “Brainwave Music” (A.R.C. Records – ST1002) (Record: Mint/ Jacket: Mint) Canada press, original 1975. David Rosenboom has been experimenting with using EEG output to create or enhance performance art and music. In the 1970’s, Rosenboom began using biofeedback devices such as EEG to allow performers to create sounds and music using their own brainwaves. In his 1973 installation, Vancouver Piece, a pair of participants would see their faces superimposed on each other’s bodies whenever their brainwaves were in phase with one another. In a later piece, “Brainwave Music”, an EEG device monitors a performer’s brainwave activity, creating a dynamical musical composition. The end effect is s stunning piece of electronic/ minimal music you will ever hear. Extremely hard to come by these days, highest recommendation. Price: 250 Euro
2300. ROSINA DE PEIRA: “S/T” (Revolum – REV-005) (Record: Near Mint/ Laminated Jacket: Near Mint/ Lyrics Insert: Near Mint/ 5 additional Inserts: Near Mint). 1975 French original pressing all complete with full set of inserts! One of the hardest to track down Rosina De Peira records is this early one from 1975. Stunningly beautiful female acid folk brought in the highly original Occitan style that originated out of the Langue D’Oc region in France. This was her 2nd album and was released on her own label. Stunningly beautiful female folk psych. Price: 50 Euro
2301. ROSWELL RUDD: “Everywhere” (Impulse – A-9126) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Original US first MONO WHITE label PROMO pressing in great nick. Comes housed in matching Monaural gatefold sleeve. “Recorded in the land of “fruits, nuts and flakes”, in San Francisco 1966, Rudd’s debut album as leader. The almighty All Music assign it the kiss of death on both cheeks, damned with the faintest of praise :“.. rambles a lot…but has some moments of interest. Rudd plays reasonably well…an intriguing but far from essential date” Sort of thing you would not want to read on your feedback from a Lonely Hearts Agency, or indeed on your tombstone: “He played reasonably well”. In review-speak I think it means they didn’t like it, but you be the judge. The trombone is a powerful emotive instrument in a free jazz setting. The brassiest of the brass instruments, brooding, dark and full of menace. It creates a pungent harmony with Kenyatta’s alto, quite different from the usual elegant instrument pairings, almost modern-classical in its atonal rendering. Charlie Haden’s bass adds a note of ambient waywardness.” (London Jazz Collector). Spot on in my opinion and a much-underrated LP. Price: 125 Euro
2302. ROSWELL RUDD: “Flexible Flyer” (Freedom/ Trio Records – PA-6075) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint/ Loft Jazz Obi: Near Mint). Japan original 1st pressing – Promo issue. For this set, trombonist Roswell Rudd (who doubles on French horn) heads a quintet that also includes pianist Hod O’Brien, bassist Arild Anderson, drummer Barry Altschul and, most interestingly, singer Sheila Jordan. The repertoire includes "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life," Herbie Hancock’s "Maiden Voyage" and a few originals, including three Rudd tunes that are played as a medley. The trombonist plays quite well; the rhythm section is tight yet adventurous; and the use of Jordan as part of some of the ensembles helps make the date something special. Price: 50 Euro
2303. ROUSE, CHARLIE: “Bossa Nova Bacchanal” (Blue Note/ Toshiba EMI – BN-4119) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ 4-Paged Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent). Long-gone high-quality Japanese pressing all complete with obi and insert that saw the light of day in 1990. “This 1962 date by tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse celebrates a grander and funkier scale of what Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd did earlier in 1962 with the bossa nova. Unlike Getz, Rouse didn't feel he needed to be a purist about it, and welcomed all sorts of Afro-Caribbean variations into his music. His choice of bandmates reflects that: a three-piece percussion section with drummer Willie Bobo, conguero Carlos “Patato” Valdes and Garvin Masseaux on chekere (a beaded percussion instrument that is played by being shaken). Add to this bassist Larry Gales and a pair of guitarists, Kenny Burrell and Chauncey Westbrook along with Rouse and it is an unusual and exotic sextet. Burrell and Masseaux were part of Ike Quebec’s band on Soul Samba, but the two recordings couldn't be more different. For his part, Rouse’s embrace of bossa nova, as well as other Latin and Caribbean music, is firmly rooted in jazz -- and not American jazz trying to be Brazilian. Rhythmically, Rouse, who is a hard bopper if there ever was one, takes the rhythmic and harmonic concepts of the samba, marries them to Afro-Caribbean folk styles, and burns it all through with the gloriously unapologetic swing of jazz. The standout selections here are a pair of Luiz Bonfa tunes, "Velhos Tempos," and his classic "Samba de Orfeu." On the former, both guitarists play unamplified guitars in rhythmic counterpoint as Rouse offers first the melody, and then an improvisation in the upper register of the horn, on the latter, nix the counterpoint and listen, as both guitarists shimmer through the changes, one playing just behind the beat for a reverb effect. The percussion interplay is startling in its complexity, but seamless and warm in its balance, resulting in a fine section solo in the middle of the cut that is infectious. Ultimately, this is one of Rouse’s finest moments as a leader.” (All Music Guide). Another classic Japanese press Blue Note slide that is getting thinner on the ground…. Price: 75 Euro
2304. ROXY MUSIC: “Both Ends Burning b/w For Your Pleasure” (Island/ Toshiba EMI – ILR-10933) (7 Inch Single Record: Excellent ~ Near Mint – small tiny inaudible scuff on side A/ Picture Sleeve: Excellent – has upper right corner folding crease) Rare 1975 Japan only picture sleeve issue – WHITE label PROMO. Released at the time of the “Siren” album, the title track is a cut from that album there were the B-side, “For Your Pleasure” is a scorching live version recorded at the Wembley Empire Pool in October 1975. Does not surface all that often, comes at rock bottom price so… Price: 100 Euro
2305. ROXY MUSIC: “S/T” (Island Records/ King Records – ICL-43) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Mint/ 4 Paged Insert: Mint/ Additional Insert: Near Mint/ POSTER: Mint). Rare Japanese 1st original pressing, complete with 1st issue obi. This copy here comes with the seldmly seen POSTER present, which was only distributed as a promo gimmick at the time. “Falling halfway between musical primitivism and art rock ambition, Roxy Music’s eponymous debut remains a startling redefinition of rock's boundaries. Simultaneously embracing kitschy glamour and avant-pop, Roxy Music shimmers with seductive style and pulsates with disturbing synthetic textures. Although no musician demonstrates much technical skill at this point, they are driven by boundless imagination – Brian Eno’s synthesized "treatments" exploit electronic instruments as electronics, instead of trying to shoehorn them into conventional acoustic patterns. Similarly, Bryan Ferry finds that his vampiric croon is at its most effective when it twists conventional melodies, Phil Manzanera’s guitar is terse and unpredictable, while Andy Mackay’s saxophone subverts rock & roll clichés by alternating R&B honking with atonal flourishes. But what makes Roxy Music such a confident, astonishing debut is how these primitive avant-garde tendencies are married to full-fledged songs, whether it's the free-form, structure-bending "Remake/Remodel" or the sleek glam of "Virginia Plain," the debut single added to later editions of the album. That was the trick that elevated Roxy Music from an art school project to the most adventurous rock band of the early '70s.” (All Music Guide) One of the greatest records of all time possibly, Roxy truly ruled! Spotless 1st original Japanese press with 1st issue obi & promo POSTER, in archival condition. They don’t come any better than this one here. Killer with no filler!!!! Price: 500 Euro
2306. ROXY MUSIC: “For Your Pleasure” (Island/ King Records – ICL-55) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 Paged Illustrated Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent). Japan 1st original pressing – white label PROMO issue. Possibly one of the all time greatest records ever released? “On Roxy Music’s debut, the tensions between Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry propelled their music to great, unexpected heights, and for most of the group's second album, For Your Pleasure, the band equals, if not surpasses, those expectations. However, there are a handful of moments where those tensions become unbearable, as when Eno wants to move toward texture and Ferry wants to stay in more conventional rock territory; the nine-minute "The Bogus Man" captures such creative tensions perfectly, and it's easy to see why Eno left the group after the album was completed. Still, those differences result in yet another extraordinary record from Roxy Music, one that demonstrates even more clearly than the debut how avant-garde ideas can flourish in a pop setting. This is especially evident in the driving singles "Do the Strand" and "Editions of You," which pulsate with raw energy and jarring melodic structures. Roxy also illuminate the slower numbers, such as the eerie "In Every Dream Home a Heartache," with atonal, shimmering synthesizers, textures that were unexpected and innovative at the time of its release. Similarly, all of For Your Pleasure walks the tightrope between the experimental and the accessible, creating a new vocabulary for rock bands, and one that was exploited heavily in the ensuing decade.” (All Music Guide). This is a record that just never disappoints one tiny bit, no matter how many times you give it a spin. It only grows deeper and deeper and reveals slowly its many layers as well as the great song writing ability of Ferry. In Every Dream House A heartache hits home heavy every time as it unravels the perfect companion to your solitary live. Stuff of legends that makes me hit the Quaaludes heavy each time I blast this one through the neighborhood, to great consternation of the people living close by, but I guess that by now they grew used to it… brilliant!!! Getting damned rare with obi. Price: 450 Euro
2307. ROXY MUSIC: “Country Life” (Island Records – ILS-80070) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint). Original Japanese 1st press issue in top condition of subliminal Roxy slide. “Continuing with the stylistic developments of Stranded, Country Life finds Roxy Music at the peak of their powers, alternating between majestic, unsettling art rock and glamorous, elegant pop/rock. At their best, Roxy combine these two extremes, like on the exhilarating opener "The Thrill of It All," but Country Life benefits considerably from the ebb and flow of the group's two extremes, since it showcases their deft instrumental execution and their textured, enthralling songwriting. And, in many ways, Country Life offers the greatest and most consistent set of Roxy Music songs, illustrating their startling depth. From the sleek rock of "All I Want Is You" and "Prairie Rose" to the elegant, string-laced pop of "A Really Good Time," Country Life is filled with thrilling songs, and Roxy Music rarely sounded as invigorating as they do here.” (AMG). Price: 150 Euro
2308. RUDOLPH GREY: “Transfixed” (New Alliance Records – NAR-050) (Clear Vinyl LP: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint – Still in Shrink). Original 1988 pressing and till this day not reissued in any form. "Ghosts" is mildly reminiscent of the work Doyle and Grey were doing back when they were together in The Blue Humans. "1,000 Luminous Flowers" and the title track are blasts of pure guitar energy with the amps cranked up to 11. Only "Whirl" provides anything close to relief, and even it, which I believes features Crane on piano, is extremely dissonant. Definitely not for the faint of heart. Bloody awesome record that is in urgent need for reappraisal and reevaluation. So largely overlooked it almost hurts! Price: 50 Euro
2309. RUDOLPH GREY: “Mask of Light” (New Alliance Records – NAR-036) (Clear Vinyl LP: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint). Long gone and deleted 1991 release by this virtuoso free form avant-garde guitar player. On this one Rudolph Grey teams up with a heavy cast of characters in order to punch wholes in the sky. Side A sees him getting flanked by Jim Sauter of Borbetomagus on saxophones and Rashied Ali on drums. Their trio set was recorded live at the Musique Action festival in France way back in 1990. Side B sees Grey teaming up with Rashied Ali again and getting assisted by Jim Sauter and Alan Licht for the occasion. In all, the whole of this LP has just all the qualities for being a free form jazz pioneering classic if only it hadn’t been disregarded and slipped into the cracks of oblivion for all this time. So now might be the perfect time to reinstalling this monster into the Hall of Fame, the hall of monster free jazz head on collision discs that helped to shape a generation. This one sure helped to shape me. This is “ecstatic jazz” similar in spirit and execution to the BYG and Shandar labels of the time. Grey and cohorts revamped the spirit in the late '80s on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The combo here on the disc brings forth a true battle royal of free improvisation that does not have to do under for classics such as Interstellar Space, Arthur Doyle’s 1st disc or Takayanagi’s Action Direct period. It is just that gooood. Price: 50 Euro
2310. RUSH: “Exit … Stage left” (Epic - 36 3P-325~6) (2 LP Record: Near Mint/ gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ 4 page Inert: Mint/ Obi: Mint) TOP condition 1st press original all complete with OBI & 4 Paged Insert. Epic, Anthem Japan Audiophile pressing from 1981. Price: 125 Euro
2311. RUSSEL, ARTHUR: “Tower of Meaning” (Chatham Square – CLS-145) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint). Stupidly rare US first original press issue that came out in 1983 in a tiny run of only 320 copies. Tower Of Meaning was Russell’s first LP, one of four he released in his lifetime, alongside seemingly innumerable 12-inch EPs which appeared under a range of aliases. A epic minimalist orchestral composition conducted by the late Julius Eastman. Stunningly beautiful, mercurial, and moving. The transcendental, ephemeral soundscape originally intended for theatrical performance. This is the very first pressing from 1983 on Chatham Square. 'Almost medievally pure music in which tone combinations of two or three notes tuned to modal/raga scales are played by various instrumental groups. There is a love of listening to the pure combinations per se, as they are delivered at a regular, moderate pace...then, unpredictably, rich or dissonant chords will be held that open your mind's ear, and take your breath away....the sudden ceasing of the music at certain points also has a similar effect.'—(Blue' Gene Tyranny) Julius Eastman conducting an almost medievally pure music in which tone combinations of two or three notes tuned to modal/raga scales are played by various instrumental groups. There is a love of listening to the pure combinations per se, as they are delivered at a regular, moderate pace...then, unpredictibly, rich or dissonant chords will be held that open your mind's ear, and take your breath away....the sudden ceasing of the music at certain points also has a similar effect. Top condition, impossible to ever improve upon. Price: Offers!!!
2312. RUSSEL, GENE: “New Direction” (Black Jazz/ Toei Geion – OPL-2001) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Insert: Near Mint). 1972 Japan original pressing in top shape. WHITE label PROMO issue. The first album released by highly in demand label among jazz collectors! And since keyboardist Gene Russell was at the artistic helm of Black Jazz, it was only natural that the label's debut record featured Russell himself, with the fitting title New Direction. Oft-bootlegged, with original copies not turning up that often, New Direction, while a fairly straight-ahead piano trio outing, sets the tone for the entire label with its modal and soul jazz flourishes, and features such sidemen as double bassist Henry 'The Skipper' Franklin and drummer Steve Clover. The Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975. Killer. Price: 175 Euro
2313. RUSSEL, GENE: “Talk To My Lady” (Black Jazz/ Toei Geion – YX-6061) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Excellent ~ Near Mint – some foxing on back/ Insert: Near Mint/ Obi: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Hopelessly rare Japan original all complete with obi – WHITE label PROMO issue. Some of the hippest sounds to come from pianist Gene Russell with this LP that features a heavy use of Fender Rhodes and a soulful, solid, rhythmic core that comes from the basslines of Henry Franklin, guitar of Calvin Keys, and drums of Ndugu Chancler! The set's one of the greatest in the legendary Black Jazz catalog and is a perfect illustration of the righteous ways the label's players helped to update soul jazz styles of the 60s. Here Russel reworks things with a fresh 70s vibe, and a sense of conscious energy that flows effortlessly out of his the keys! Most numbers feature added percussion, which really furthers the spirit of the session. Amazing slide and complete with rarely seen OBI. Price: 475 Euro
2314. RUSSELL, GEORGE And His Orchestra Featuring BILL EVANS: “Jazz In The Space Age” (Decca Records/ Teichiku Records – SDL-43) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Very first Japan original pressing housed in fragile first issue flip back sleeve. WHITE label PROMO issue. “George Russell’s third release as a leader combines two adventurous sessions. The first features two pianists, Bill Evans and Paul Bley and a large ensemble including Ernie Royal, Dave Barker, Walt Levinsky, Barry Galbraith, Milt Hinton and Don Lamond among others. The three-part suite "Chromatic Universe" is an ambitious work which mixes free improvisation with written passages that have not only stood the test of time but still sound very fresh. "The Lydiot" focuses on the soloists, while incorporating elements from "Chromatic Universe" and other Russell compositions. The second session adds trumpeter Marky Markowitz, valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, alto saxophonist Hal Mckusick and drummer Charlie Persip to the earlier group, in the slow, somewhat mysterious "Waltz From Outer Space," which incorporates an Oriental-sounding theme, and "Dimensions," described by its composer as "a sequence of freely associated moods indigenous to jazz.” (All Music Guide). Never encountered before very first pressing housed in flip back sleeve – promo issue. Damned rare! Price: 150 Euro
2315. RUSSEL GEORGE SEXTET with Guest DON CHERRY: “At Beethoven Hall II” (MPS/ Columbia Records – YS-2202-MP) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Excellent/ Obi: Excellent ~ Near Mint). Original Japan press issue from 1969. This intriguing LP was innovative composer George Russell’s first recording after breaking up his young combo of the early '60s. Recorded in Germany at a concert, Russel is joined by cornetist Don Cherry, trumpeter Bertil Lovgren, trombonist Brian Trentham, tenor saxophonist Ray Pitts, bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Albert Tootie Heath for explorations of several lengthy pieces and a remake of "You Are My Sunshine." Price: 50 Euro
2316. RUSSELL, RAY: “Live at I.C.A” (RCA – RCA-6086) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint/ Obi: Near Mint). Original 1973 Japanese pressing on high quality vinyl. White label promotional copy – complete with NEVER SEEN OBI! “Following the release of Rites and Rituals in 1971, Ray Russell's sextet was offered the chance to be recorded live during a concert at the ICA. That show, on June 11, 1971, was issued as an album. As intense as the Dragon Hill and Rites and Rituals LPs are, they do little to prepare the listener for the experience of the intense telepathic communication these musicians were capable of in front of a live audience. The colors are so much deeper, so much brighter, and the spaces so much more open in concert, that it's easy to hear where the sextet preferred to spend its time. Tracks one through four are all at the ICA and contain virtually the same personnel from Rites and Rituals minus Nick Evans. The standout is the four-part blowing session suite "Stained Angel Morning," where Russell reveals how deeply into the free jazz and heavy metal camps he really was. His stabbing, singing notes and psychotic runs up the fretboard have nothing to do with scalular architecture, but rather with viscera and tonal exploration. Harry Beckett and Tony Roberts were both moving away from the traditional scenes they'd grown up in, and further into areas inhabited by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the Sun Ra Arkestra. They were hearing Lester Bowie, Marshall Allen, Anthony Braxton, and Roscoe Mitchell, and moving into free jazz with open eyes. The awesome tonal and harmonic assaults and transformations that occur among the musicians in "Stained Angel Morning" cannot be overstated. There is music on this suite that had never been made before and hasn't been heard since. The tonal explorations that this sextet undertook were wild, unruly, and literally savage. The musicians' ability to generate harmonics from inside the frame of a given improvisation and manage simultaneous consonance and dissonance was remarkable. And they rocked like champions while doing it. Each track is more outrageous and more profoundly disturbing than what came before. All of the current noise freaks -- Keiji Haino, Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo, Rudolph Grey, Masaki Batoh, Alan Licht, and even Jim O'Rourke -- owe a great debt to Russell and this band; they showed beyond all doubt that a perfect "fusion" of free jazz and hard rock was the most natural thing in the world.” (Thom Jurek, All Music Guide) Price: 250 Euro
2317. RUSSELL, RAY: “Live at I.C.A” (RCA – RCA-6086) (Record: Near Mint/ Flip Back Jacket: Near Mint). Original 1973 Japanese pressing on high quality vinyl. Stock copy in awesome condition and since the obi is missing this one comes drop dead cheap. Price: 75 Euro
2318. RUSSELL, RAY QUARTET: “Dragon Hill” (CBS – M-52663) (Record: Excellent; has a few faint scuffs/ Jacket: Excellent). Original UK mono pressing of this torcher. Ray Russel is not an unknown borderline gunslinger to most readers of these mumbo jumbo pages. Apart from appearing on some earth shattering recordings by Bill Fay, he also carved out a ear-shattering recording career as a free jazz sonic terrorist. “Dragon Hill” was released by CBS in 1969 and sees Russell teaming up with Roy Fry (piano), Ron Mathewson (bass), Alan Rushton (drums), Harry Beckett (trumpet & Fluegel Horn), Bud Parkes (trumpet), Lyn Dobson (Tenor Sax) and Donald Beichtol (Trombone). One of cornerstones of British free jazz extravaganza with Russell at helm, ripping through chords and bending the strings in mercurial ways while bolstering out tidal accumulations of high energy. The other members provide a spontaneous rhythmic framework that gets exploited in return by Russell who deals in approaching direct free rock as well as in acidic free jazzing moves. In short relentless jackhammer stuff of extended blowout jams that have enough lyrical economy and unrepentant force to take you through corrosive blasts of sound and alchemical magic to keep you puzzled for weeks in a row. Stuff of legends. Highest possible recommendation and dead cheap. Price: 150 Euro
2319. RUSSELL, RAY: “Rites & Rituals” (CBS – S-64271) (Record: Near Mint/ Jacket: Near Mint/ Company Inner Sleeve: Near Mint). Original UK pressing out of 1971, top shape! “Two years after the release of Dragon Hill, Ray Russell had completely rethought his approach to jazz and free improvisation. The only remaining member of his quartet was drummer Alan Rushton, and added were the horn section of Harry Beckett, Nick Evans, and Tony Roberts from the four-piece choir that were featured sporadically on that album. Rites and Rituals focuses solely on exploration and power. The only player holding the floor in this new band was bassist Daryl Runswick. Russell was into playing the hell out of his guitar, employing effects combining scales in angular, edgy ways and trying to undo the notion of time. Rushton never played slower than double-time on anything, and often threw all notions of tempo and meter into the dustbin to make room for a "pure rhythm," one that danced alongside a soloist rather that provided his pulse. Inside the line was the deep funk groove that the horns created and Russell painted with fat, stabbing chords. Evans used his trombone like Maceo Parker played a saxophone. As the groove reached a fever pitch, as it did on "Sarana," the tune broke apart and evolved into a series of spacious yet frantic solos complete with studio distortion. On the title track, Roberts' whispering flutes and shifting timbres from Russell's heavily reverbed guitar create a spacious tension that is tread upon, lightly at first, by Rushton and Runswick, and answered harmonically by Beckett and Evans. They build chord structure and harmonic sequence in order to open a tonal space for improvisation by everyone simultaneously. Once it's open, it is explored tenuously at first, and then with the anger that only that era could produce. Each tune here -- there are four -- is a journey into that anger and into the question of how improvisation could engage jazz but be free of its historical entanglements, and was there a way to extend the boundaries of rock music, whose visceral power was enviable but presented a limited palette of expression. Rites and Rituals is an awesome exercise in the joy of freedom and a wonderful example of the changing face of electric jazz as it more fully embraced rock and funk's vocabularies.” (Thom Jurek, All Music Guide). A classic, riding high on my personal all incinerating free jazz list. Top original UK copy. Price: 250 Euro
2320. RUSSELL, RAY: “Secret Asylum” (Black Lion – 2460-207) (Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint). Top copy! Original 1973 UK Black Lion pressing! This is one of the UK’s best ever roaring hardcore free jazz gems with top guitarist Ray Russell at helm as a leader. Russell has been blessed with an idiosyncratic guitar sound marked by emotional depth (just check his incendiary play on Bill Fay’s “Time of the Last Persecution”) and unbridled free-roaming wildness. Often compared to Takayanagi Masayuki and the late Sonny Sharrock, Russell himself claims to be influenced by Hendrix’ legacy. That and the unbridled testosterone impregnated moves that make up most of rock’s appeal, jazz’ fluxility and improvisation’s momentaneousness and promptitude became key elements that crossbred and mutated into a new strand of playing that in turn birthed out his signature sound. He became a much in demand session player but in stark contrast with the recordings on which he appears as a “hired gun” Russell’s shake off the shackles and chain that confine most artists to easy categorization and instead veered off into a stratosphere of sonic waves he could call his own where he explored the far edges of guitar extravaganza and “transplanted rock’s bold sound into the fluid and often spacious frameworks of jazz”. CBS released Russell’s 1st solo LP, Turn Circle, in 1968. Dragon Hill, his 2nd outing as a leader was credited to the Ray Russell Quartet and saw the light of day in 1969. By the time CBS released his 3rd LP, Rites & Rituals (1971), Russell had come fully into his own as one of free jazz/ fusion’s most original voices. But it wouldn’t be until “Secret Asylum” that he went totally overboard and entered previously uncharted hardcore jazz and avant-garde waters. Here he was by the crème of that day’s UK top players being drummer (and poet) Alan Rushton, bassist Daryl Runswick, trumpeter Harry Beckett and reedman Gary Windo. The latter opens “Spinetree” with an ear-shattering shriek, a burnished split-tone growl that splits open the earth and parted the heavens. Windo was beyond any doubt at the top of his game then, fully capable of unleashing a whole litany of squawks, blats and shouts, bristling and sparkling over with pure free expression. Rushton fits in nicely and his playing acts like a counterweight to all the heavy maelstrom action floating around. One of the highlights of the LP – actually the whole LP is one continuous highlight according to my ears – is “These That I Am,” which treats you to a totally over-the-top duel off Russell and Rushton who let’s his freak flag out and flying high and wide on this one. The two of them engage in some heavy trench warfare like action by firing off rounds of sickening midrange noise, heavy feed backing waves, tremolo dementia, piercing monstrous fretting and mercurial string action by Russell unleashing the demons of the apocalypse while colliding head first with erratic skin action and pillaging drum pounding. Heavy, hardcore free playing with an apocalyptic undertone. To these ears, “Secret Asylum” is an important album in terms of what a cross-fertilization of free form jazz and rock can encompass without losing its identity as a musical form. It is that it introduces and puts on display an artist of greater vision than there has been for many moons. It never sold many copies – hence the rarity status it enjoys these days – it never infiltrated the lives of many people but its existence means that that there is some record of the most arrestingly bizarre set of perceptions of a disenfranchised musical genius. Once exposed and open to it you may find an album of extrovert, ferocious ingenuity that is somewhat unnerving. Just plain massive!!!! One of the best records ever!!! Price: 150 Euro
2321. RYUKYU FESTIVAL ’75 HARU – YOZAKURA CONCERT: “S/T” (Victor Records – SJV-2026~27) (2 LP Record: Near Mint/ Gatefold Jacket: Near Mint/ Attached Booklet: Excellent/ Obi: Near Mint). Japan 1975 first original pressing of amazing live concert recorded in 1975 of Okinawan musicians. Okinawan music can be categorized into four main groups according to its island of origin: Okinawa-honto, Miyako, Yaeyama and Amami. Songs of Okinawa-honto tend to be sophisticated, smooth and rich with the classic tunes of the people. Miyako’s music is filled with elegant melodies and tales of the natural disasters that fill the island's history. The music of Yaeyama includes many festive songs, while Amami tends to have music that is somewhere in between Japanese and traditional Okinawan, leaning more towards an Okinawan singing style. Okinawan music includes many old work songs, heartrending ballads and lively kachaashii dance tunes as well as more modern experiments which are often the result of overseas influences. The songs also vary greatly from island to island. In addition to Okinawa itself, the outer island groups of Miyako and Yaeyama as well as Amami to the north all have their own distinctive songs and individual sounds. The music of Miyako is notable for its plaintive, beautiful melodies. Many of these variations can be found on this stunning record, filled with especially high-pitched addictive female vocals, lightly feathered percussive undertones and sunny upbeat rhythms. Okinawa Minyo is very popular in Japan, making that the records documenting the old styles are hard to get. Top copy  and killer live recordings of various Okinawan musical styles. Comes with rare obi. Price: 200 Euro