ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER - VARIATIONS: NM VINYL ALBUM + SIGNED INNER SLEEVE & £0 UK P

	£		18
	$		23

PLEASE, READ THE FULL ITEM DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE DECIDING IF YOU WISH TO BID OR BUY.

 

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER - VARIATIONS
 
Near mint [sound] original 2nd pressing vinyl album + 2 signatures + FREE POSTAGE TO UK ADDRESSES


This buy-it-now auction is for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Variations, a single stereo vinyl album, released on the MCA label (MCF 2824, with matrix Nos: MCF 2824 A-2U & B-2U) in 1978, manufactured in Great Britain, and including two signatures - from Jon Hiseman and Barbara Thompson - on the inner sleeve.

Though Andrew Lloyd Webber and his younger brother Julian were always very close, the different nature of their careers - the elder a rock musical composer and the younger a classical cellist - limited the probability of their working together to any serious degree.

And, apparently, it took Julian winning a bet on a football match before his elder brother would agree to write a cello composition for him: such was the unlikely background to the resulting piece of music - named Variations as it was based on Paganini’s 24th caprice and comprised no less than 23 variations written not just for Julian’s cello but also a fully participative rock/jazz band, in this case Colosseum II (the above-noted Jon Hiseman [dms], Don Airey [kbds], the late Gary Moore [gtr] and John Mole [bs]) supplemented by a friend, Rod Argent [kbds] and Barbara Thompson [sax/flt], Hiseman’s wife and, still, widely and deservedly regarded as Britain’s top female horn player. Variations premiered at the 1977 Sydmonton Festival and was subsequently rearranged for recording which took place in 1978.

It is reminiscent of other rock-classical hybrids of its time, being a slightly uneasy union highlighted by both charming and delightful moments, as well as some bracing moments for the band. With some rather economical scoring, it’s not only somewhat less bombastic than much of the period’s progressive rock but there’s also some evidence of a sense of humour, especially in the quotations hidden within the scoring.

The rock musos get their moments - especially on “Variation 7? which is Moore’s great showcase - and while it’s a little more involved than the typical Yes or Emerson, Lake & Palmer recording of the era, there was also something there for the high school or college youngster just looking for music to get high to.
From the senior Lloyd Webber’s perspective however, it was a relatively minor work, but even so it’s enjoyably unpretentious, even fun, to listen to, and having attracted the attention of TV personality Melvyn Bragg, then the presenter of The South Bank Show, part of the opening variation was soon adopted as the theme/intro to that show, a development which did much to give it so real publicity.

This recording comes with a laminated outer sleeve and an inner sleeve (which features photos of the artists involved on one side and a special Paganini “A Minor Caprice” family tree on the other) which itself contains a poly-lined inner sleeve to protect the record.
And the inner sleeve has a special bonus because it has been signed - see photo - by two of the artists involved, Jon Hiseman and Barbara Thompson.

15 Tracks
Side 1:
Introduction; (Theme - Paganini Caprice in A Minor No 24) and Variations 1 - 4; Variations 5 and 6; Variation 7; Variation 8; Variation 9; Variation 10 & Variations 11 to 15 (including the Tributes).
Side 2:
Variation 16; Variations 14 and 15 Varied; Variation 17; Variation 18; Variations 19 and 20 Varied; Variations 21 and 22 & Variation 23.

Condition:
The vinyl has been well looked-after, having been played relatively few times and kept in a poly-lined inner sleeve - included here - and, as a result, the playing surfaces are still very shiny and, when viewed in direct light, have no obvious surface marks.
And a pre-auction play-through shows that, from the moment the needle enters the run-in groove on each side to the time it leaves the run-off, you hear a full-bodied and clear sound which is every bit as pleasing as its appearance, with no obvious extraneous sounds during the tracks and just minimal - if any - surface noise on the run-ins/run-offs and between the tracks. [Mint -]
The labels - the then classic MCA “rainbow” style - have no wear to the spindle hole, just the odd light mark around it, no writing, stains, labels or any other kind of blemish. [Exc +]
The outer sleeve, which has been kept in a sturdy plastic cover since purchase, is a laminated single pocket designed by Cream [not the group!] and probably made by Garrod & Lofthouse who are credited for the inner sleeve. At 38+ years old, it inevitably shows some signs of wear though these are limited to a little minor creasing, a sprinkling of surface marks/scuffs/edge rubs, a few very small instances of laminate lift and minimal open edge feathering near the bottom. Otherwise though, it is exceptionally good condition for its age, with clear vibrant colouring, no seam splits, a clear and well-formed spine, no ring-wear, straight/clean edges and smooth, clean - almost glassy - surfaces with no colour fade, no tears, no writing, no stains or any other noticeable deterioration. [Exc +]
The buff, round-cornered, light card inner sleeve is also made by Garrod & Lofthouse (G & L) and, like its outer counterpart, shows very little in the way of wear or deterioration: the odd small (edge) crease, a few light surface mark and, just about visible in direct light, just a hint of ring-wear. Otherwise though, it too is in exceptionally good condition for its age. [Exc +]
 

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PLEASE, READ THE FULL ITEM DESCRIPTION CAREFULLY AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE DECIDING IF YOU WISH TO BID OR BUY.