ARETHA FRANKLIN UNRELEASED ORIG 1968 ATLANTIC 3-TRACK LADY SOUL-ERA MONO ACETATE

$

311

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  NEARLY 200  LISTED ITEMS

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·       ARETHA FRANKLIN & THE SWEET INSPIRATIONS - UNKNOWN AND UNRELEASED RECORDING – ORIGINAL (APPARENTLY ATLANTIC) 3-TRACK ACETATE CIRCA THE 'LADY SOUL' ALBUM ERA (1968); NO NUMBER ON THE LABEL AND NO MATRIX STAMP -- ACETATES TYPICALLY DO NOT HAVE MATRIX STAMPS); WE BELIEVE THAT THE ACETATE IS MONO; WE COULD NOT DETECT ANY CHANNEL SEPARATION.

·       ORIGINAL US PRESSING

*** INSANELY RARE ORIGINAL 1968 (?) ATLANTIC ACETATE WITH UNRELEASED -  COMPLETELY DIFFERENT - LIVE VERSIONS OF THREE ARETHA FRANKLIN TRACKS (CHAIN OF FOOLS,  YOU SEND ME AND GENTLE ON MY MIND) AND NEVER AVAILABLE IN THIS FORM, EVER, ANYWHERE!!!

·       ACCORDING TO OUR SOURCE, THE ACETATE COMES FROM THE ESTATE OF THE LEGENDARY PROMOTER AND  TALENT SCOUT ►RUTH BOWEN AND WAS AT ONE TIME APPARENTLY THE PROPERTY OF LADY SOUL HERSELF  (SEE THE NOTE ON THE SLEEVE) WHO MAY HAVE PASSED IT TO RUTH BOWEN AS A TOKEN OF HER APPRECIATION.

·       THIS ACETATE COMES IN ITS PLAIN, YELLOW,  GENERIC AUDIODISC SLEEVE ADDRESSED TO ARETHA FRANKLIN'S ROOM AT THE CENTURY PLAZA HOTEL,  NOW KNOWN AS THE LEGENDARY ►PLAZA HOTEL, A POST-DIVORCE PROPERTY OF IVANA TRAMP.

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, U.S. ACETATE ; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

 (►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get.  GUARANTEED!)

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Well folks, if this is not one of the weirdest items we have ever offered on eBay, we don't know what is.

What we have here is the UNRELEASED acetate containing three LIVE versions of Aretha's well-known tracks ('Chain of Fools', 'You Send Me' and 'Gentle on My Mind') in form, with mixes and durations significantly different from the released studio versions.

But before you get all hot and bothered, take a deep breath and count to ten,  because we have a spoiler: in the interest of full disclosure, we must report that we do not actually hear Aretha's voice on these recordings, despite the fact that the announcer (speaking in English) clearly announces Aretha.  Either she is completely absent (very unlikely) or her voice is so totally suppressed in the mix as to make it virtually inaudible (more likely -- we will explain in a moment). On the other hand, Aretha's classic Muscle Shoals band circa the Lady Soul phase, and The Sweet Inspirations are clearly audible and easily identifiable.

After about a week of intense head-scratching and exploring all possible theories, we think we finally understand what this is.

Our theory is that in 1968, immediately following the release of Aretha Now album, Atlantic's Jerry Wexler sought to have a live album by Aretha (and indeed, one was released mere weeks later -- but not this one).  These three tracks (one from the Lady Soul album, one from Aretha Now album and one that would eventually turn up in studio form on Aretha's next album ("Soul '69") were picked as trial balloons for inclusion in the live set. These three live tracks were then deliberately stripped of Aretha's vocals and only instrumental track (with the Sweet Inspirations as backing vocals) was left. The instrumental tracks were apparently meant to be overdubbed by Aretha's studio-recorded vocals in order to create half-live, half-studio recording (it seems that Jerry Wexler didn't deem her concert performances good enough to be released as-is) and acetate was then rushed to Aretha's hotel room for her approval of the instrumental tracks. To her credit, Aretha must have rejected the acetate  for one reason or another (it is easy to see why -- the instrumental tracks are way inferior and much cruder than what you hear on her studio albums) and the tentative live set was briefly canned. But not for long -- later that very same year (1968), Atlantic went on to release poorly recorded and even more poorly received 'Aretha in Paris', a live album recorded in Paris' legendary Olympia concert hall, which immediately became a near-complete commercial and artistic flop).

It should be noted that extensive vocals overdubbing was a standard Atlantic's (and more specifically: Jerry Wexler's) practice at the time. This is how, for example, Dusty Springfield's legendary 'Dusty in Memphis' album was created: Dusty actually never set foot in Memphis: her entire performance was recorded in New York and grafted onto the instrumental tracks received from Memphis. If you think that the whitebread Caucasian lady would enthusiastically rub shoulders and exchange catcalls with low-brow African-American crowd from Memphis,  you would be YUGELY  mistaken. You see, back in 1968/69, American music business was about as racially sensitive and subtle as David Duke.

Another, alternative, explanation is that these were instrumental tracks prepared for Aretha's appearance on the Andy Williams Show (1969) but this theory does not seem to hold much water, for the reasons too numerous to elaborate.

So there you have it, folks. One of the singularly important Rhythm & Blues artifacts we have ever held in our hands.  We would be entirely disingenuous  if we didn't tell you that our hands were trembling and shaking like a little kid's while holding this precious object, a veritable sacred relic or an object of veneration. This was like touching Elvis Presley's first guitar.

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PLEASE NOTE: THIS ACETATE APPARENTLY NEVER HAD A CUSTOM COVER;  THE ALBUM WILL BE SHIPPED IN A PLAIN, GENERIC [WHITE] CARDBOARD COVER. ACETATES AND REFERENCE PRESSINGS ARE RARELY – IF EVER – FOUND IN CUSTOM (STOCK) COVERS.

While this acetate is in a very nice  state of preservation, we do expect bidders to understand that the aluminum-based, shellac-coated acetates can never be graded by using the exact, same stringent standards used by collectors for modern long-play, hi-fi LPs or singles. The buyer – if not familiar with acetate (reference) recordings - should be cautioned that these discs were intended for brief, limited use only; they were meant to be played only a few times, then discarded or destroyed. In view of this, the surface layer of the disc is manufactured in such a manner that it will wear off pretty quickly, even under normal conditions -- and specially if not handled with due care. Each subsequent playing increases wear and tear of the disc’s surface layer and diminishes the disc’s playability. This disc appears to have been unplayed recently and the grooves are still well-formed and fully visible.

This acetate is in about VERY GOOD+ (VG+) condition, with some superficial but visible   scuffs on the surface, and some light loss of surface sheen and lustre (nothing major). Absolutely NO part of the shellac (surface layer) of the disc is  missing, and the surface layer is NOT dented, chipped, broken or otherwise compromised.  The disc plays with audible surface noise, but in full frequency and dynamic range and without any distortion whatsoever.

ON A SCALE FROM 1-10 (where 10 is the best), WE GRADE RECORD AS 5, POSSIBLY 5.5

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·       COVER : This acetate comes without any custom jacket, and will be shipped in a plain, generic, yellow Audiodisc sleeve and generic white cardboard cover.

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

We offer THREE postage rates for both Domestic and International Mail: Media Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail for domestic, and First Class, Priority International Mail, and Express International Mail for international orders. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: WE RECOMMEND that you pay for USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment in order to obtain tracking information, which is NOT available for First Class International shipments.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from country to country. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage rates ►click here. While you can be rest assured that ►our packaging is careful, sturdy and impact-proof, please note that damage, loss or theft in transit is always possible, and in the case of some countries even PROBABLE. To discuss this potential problem and ensure flawless delivery, please contact us thru eBay BEFORE placing a bid.

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