BILLIE HOLIDAY SOLITUDE ULTRA-RARE ORIG 1956 CLEF/COLUMBIA (UK) MONO LP STUNNING

$

141

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 300  LISTED ITEMS

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·       BILLIE HOLIDAY - SOLITUDE – ORIGINAL BRITISH PRESSING - ORIGINAL 1956 COLUMBIA/CLEF SERIES (UK) MONO LP

·       ORIGINAL U.K. PRESSING

·       ULTRA-RARE ORIGINAL WHITE COLUMBIA/CLEF SERIES (UK) LABEL WITH DAVID STONE MARTIN’S TRUMPETER LOGO AND COLUMBIA PRINTED IN RED

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

·       ORIGINAL, THIN CARDBOARD COVER (EUROPEAN STYLE)

·       ORIGINAL LAMINATED COVER

·       ORIGINAL FLIP-BACK COVER (1/2-INCH MARGINS OF THE FRONT PANEL ARE FOLDED AND PASTED ONTO THE BACK PANEL)

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

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

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH '-2N/-2N'

(►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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Billie Holiday's first recordings for Norman Granz' Clef Records present a vocalist truly at the top of her craft, although she would begin a rapid decline soon thereafter. This 1952 recording (originally issued as a 10" LP, Billie Holiday Sings) places Holiday in front of small piano and tenor saxophone-led groups including jazz luminaries such as Oscar Peterson and Charlie Shavers, where her gentle phrasing sets the tone for the sessions, evoking lazy evenings and dreamy afternoons. The alcoholism and heroin use that would be her downfall by the end of this decade seems to be almost unfathomable during these recordings since Holiday is in as fine a voice as her work in the '30s, and the musical environment seems ideal for these slow torch songs. Solitude runs as the common theme throughout these 16 tracks; the idle breathiness of "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" finds the vocalist casually reminiscing, and Barney Kessel's warm guitar lines frame the title track beautifully. Several of Holiday's best-known recordings came from this session, including outstanding versions of "I Only Have Eyes for You" and a darkly emotional "Love for Sale," making this album far and away the best work of her later years, and certainly a noteworthy moment of her entire career.

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY ZAC JOHNSON, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

THE GODDESS of blues/jazz sings her heart out on this album out with such unprecedented intensity and genuine, heartfelt emotion, that you will be left standing before your speakers, stunned and mesmerized, unable to move. This is not an album; this is a torrential rainstorm of emotions, affections, heartaches, longing…think of this timeless 1956 Norman Granz-produced masterpiece as a monsoon of human feeling. Lady Day's voice sounds as if her vocal cords are somehow directly connected to your eardrum (via an optical fiber or high speed modem, shall we say). Her voice literally becomes a part of your inner soundscape. An eerie listening experience, not to be missed. This original 1956 UK pressing of the album captures Billie Holiday at the VERY PEAK of her vocal prowess, with her voice still intact and potent, and with the intensity of her self-destructive lifestyle and emotions still years away. Billie sings a variety of standards and evergreens, backed  by a jazz combo of some of the best, and most competent, jazz musicians of the day such as Oscar Peterson, Barney Kassel, Charlie Shavers and many other. But, mostly, the lady sings like the day of her demise is infinitely far away (it wasn't - -  mere three years down the road, Lady Day would be no more).

Originally released as a 10-inch LP in 1952 as Billy Holiday Sings (Clef MGC-118), in 1956 this album was repackaged as a 12-inch album with additional tracks as Solitude (Clef MGC 690)

Charlie Shavers (trumpet) Flip Phillips (tenor sax) Oscar Peterson (piano) Barney Kessel (guitar) Ray Brown (bass) Alvin Stoller (drums) Billie Holiday (vocals)

Radio Recorders, Hollywood, CA, March 26, 1952
East Of The Sun
Blue Moon
You Go To My Head
You Turned The Tables On Me
Easy To Love
These Foolish Things
I Only Have Eyes For You
Solitude

J.C. Heard (drums) replaces Stoller
Los Angeles, CA, April, 1952
Everything I Have Is Yours
Love For Sale
Moonglow
Tenderly

For additional historical or discography information on this album, including track listing ►click here

TO SEE IF WE HAVE OTHER LISTED ITEMS BY THIS GROUP OR ARTIST ►  CLICK HERE

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·       CONDITION:

·       RECORD

 (IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

(a)          WE GRADE THE VINYL  AS  NEAR MINT. Some VERY LIGHT AND SUPERFICIAL abrasions – mostly sleeve scuffs -  are (barely) visible, but are probably inaudible,  and do not affect visual integrity or beauty of the vinyl. The original luster is very much intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          The record comes in the original poly-lined “Made in Great Britain” stock inner sleeve.

(c)           The record is pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording!

(d)          True Stereo copies of this album are NOT known to exist.

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

·       COVER (THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, LAMINATED, GLOSSY COVER):

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT VERY GOOD++ (VG++).

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        A visible water stain  (VISIBLE ON BACK SIDE ONLY)  affects the area about an inch wide along the bottom seam and the opening side; there is no structural damage to the cover, and both cardboard base and paper slick are intact, however, the stain is faintly visible and has caused a slight warp in the affected area, which has absolutely NO effect on the record or the playing.

-         Cover has some light ring wear (nothing significant); On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least, and  10 being the most severe), we assess the severity of ring wear as 1  (front side) and 3 (back side)

-         Cover has a tape residue (yellowish discoloration from the removed piece of old and aged scotch tape)    (less than 1¼ square inch in size)

-         Cover shows some light yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging.

-         Back cover has a small original price sticker, which may be possible to remove with a little effort (we did not attempt to)

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        No split seams

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No dirt/dust rubbing stains (friction marks caused by rubbing against other covers)

-        No writing

-        No stamps

-        No tearing: no chips, dents or nicks on the seams

-        No peel-off marks

-        No mold or mildew spots

-        No water damage

-        No razor marks, scratches, pressure marks, lines, streaks, or  cuts.

-        No bar codes

-        No RIAA stamps or stickers. 

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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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