BRIAN ENO 'OBSCURE' GAVIN BRYARS, MICHAEL NYMAN (7 LPs)

	£		70
	$		93

In 1975, Brian Eno set up the ‘Obscure’ record label. Its purpose was to provide a venue for ambient, avant guard and experimental music and make it more known and accessible to the public at large. By associating his name with it and acting as producer of all the releases, he enabled hitherto virtually unknown composers to enjoy a larger possible audience. Among those who he rescued from obscurity (pun intended) were Harold Budd, Michael Nyman, the Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and Gavin Bryars. The first group of three releases included his own composition, ‘Discreet Music’ (undoubtedly one of his finest ambient pieces) and the now famous ‘The Sinking of the Titanic’ by Gavin Bryars.

Between 1975 and 1978 only 10 albums were released on the ‘Obscure’ label, 7 of which I have for sale here from my private collection. I have Obscure numbers 1- 4 & 6-8 and am therefore missing Obscure number 5 (Jan Steele and John Cage, ‘Voices and Instruments' 1976)  number 9 (Tom Phillips, Gavin Bryars and Fred Orton ‘Irma - An Opera’ 1978)  and number 10 (Harold Budd ‘The Pavillion of Dreams’ 1978) to complete the entire set.

*Please note that several of these LP’s are listed in the ‘Record Collector: Rare Record Price Guide 2006’* I am therefore looking to attract sensible bids on this item from serious customers/collectors and I’ve placed a reserve on these items to reflect this. Make no mistake, these LP’s are incredibly rare and collectable on this format and would be a considerable asset to any serious music lovers collection.

Most of the album sleeves have suffered general wear and tear over the years in the form of scuffs and creases and are therefore not in near mint condition like many of my other items for sale are. However, the most important thing about this set is that the vinyl discs themselves are still in remarkable shape. I have provided a more detailed analysis of each LP below.

1) OBSCURE 1 (1975) – Gavin Bryars ‘The Sinking of the Titanic / Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet’. The record sleeve is in good overall condition given its age although it does have the following flaws: scuffs to the edges & outer corners, a crease to the top and bottom right-hand corner and some blue biro marks across the name ‘Gavin Bryars’ on the front. The vinyl disc itself is in very good condition, having only a couple of surface marks (NOT scratches) on either side of the disc near the beginning. Other than that, for a record over 30 years old, it is still in marvelous shape.

2) OBSCURE 2 (1975) – Christopher Hobbs / John Adams / Gavin Bryars – ‘Ensemble Pieces’. The record sleeve is in good overall condition but there is noticeable scuffing to the edges and outer corners as well as a crease to the top left & bottom right hand corners. The vinyl disc itself is in near mint condition, having only one tiny superficial scratch on the B side. Other than that, the LP is in remarkable condition.

3) OBS 3 (1975) – Brian Eno - ‘Discreet Music’. The record sleeve to this LP is in better shape than the previous two, having suffered no noticeable scuffing to the edges or outer corners. It does however, have 2 creases on the front, one to the top right hand corner and one which runs along the width of the sleeve about three quarters of the way up. The vinyl disc itself is in absolutely mint condition (ie: there are NO scuffs, scratches or marks that impair the audio quality whatsoever), having only been played once to record the LP to audio cassette.

4) OBSCURE 4 (1975) – David Toop / Max Eastley – ‘New and Rediscovered Musical Instruments’. The record sleeve is in good overall condition although it does have some general creasing and wear to the edges and a couple of small creases to the front. The vinyl LP itself is in near mint condition, having only one scratch on the B side near the end of the disc. Other than that, it is in A1 condition.

5) OBSCURE 6 (1976) – Michael Nyman – ‘Decay Music’. The record sleeve is in near mint condition, having only a few tiny creases to the edges and front. There is no major scuffing to the outer corners and edges on this sleeve. The vinyl disc itself is in near mint condition, having only a couple of tiny superficial surface marks on the A side. Other than that, the LP looks clean, incredibly glossy and in fantastic shape.

6) OBSCURE 7 (1976) – Music From the Penguin Café (Performed by Members of the Penguin Café Orchestra). The record sleeve is in good overall condition but has suffered some general scuffing to the edges and outer corners over the years and has some white marks on the front where the surface has worn away in certain places. The vinyl disc on the other hand, is in absolutely mint condition (ie: there are no scuffs, scratches or marks that impair the audio quality whatsoever) having only been played on one occasion to tape the LP to audio cassette.

7) OBS 8 (1978) – John White / Gavin Bryars – ‘Machine Music’. The record sleeve is in good condition but has some general scuffs and creases to the edges and corners as well as one ‘c’ shaped crease to the front of the cover. The vinyl LP itself is in near mint condition, having only one tiny superficial scratch on the B Side about half way into the disc. Other than that, it is in unbelievably fine shape.

All of my items are posted via Royal Mail packaged in cardboard to ensure that no damage is caused to them during transit. *These particular items will be posted via ‘Airsure’ to overseas customers, meaning a slightly higher postage cost but with that comes increased speed and security.*

Full payment must be received within 7 days of the auction’s end. Appropriate feedback will then be left.

If you have any questions regarding this item, please do not hesitate to ask. Please note that I ONLY accept payment via paypal. Thank you for looking and happy bidding!!!

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