Bob Dylan Blonde On Blonde US Orig’66 Columbia Mono Withdrawn Cover Hi-Fi Baggy

$

1,825

VERY EARLY 1ST MONO CIRCA MAY/JUNE 1966 PRESSING COLUMBIA RECORDS PITMAN, NJ

BOB DYLAN ~ BLONDE ON BLONDE (1966)

1ST WITHDRAWN COVER VERSION WITH 9 PHOTOS INCLUDING THE ONE OF THE ITALIAN ACTRESS CLAUDIA CARDINALE

INCREDIBLY RARE “BOB DYLAN’S NEW ALBUM DELUXE 2-RECORD SET” LARGE PROMOTIONAL HYPE STICKER

RARE 2 LP PROTECTIVE DISTRIBUTOR “HI-FI” BAGGY   

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Incredibly rare in such condition and combination copy, very early Mono, circa May/June 1966, pressing of Bob Dylan 7th studio album “Blonde on Blonde” released on May 16, 1966. The promotional campaign of this album that lasted for the first two months after the release date included the placement of a hype sticker on the front cover of the album. This large promotional sticker not only informed that it was a “Deluxe 2-Record Set” of Bob Dylan’s New Album but also advertised two singles “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” and “I Want You”. The bottom part of this rarest sticker measuring 4” x 4.5” lists all of the tracks included on the album. Usually, this sticker was affixed to the shrink wrap, but this copy’s sticker is affixed directly to the cover because it’s a distributor copy. This cover also contains another sticker that could be found only on Columbia Records issues, a neon red sticker reading “Deluxe (2) Two Record Set”. The 1st batches of this album were spread among the distributors and this is another proof of this copy being the very early true 1st issue pressed in Pitman, NJ at the Columbia Records plant. This is only the second copy that I’ve come across with that would remain in the preserved original distributor Hi-Fi baggy. This rarest 2LP baggy type (not a single-type) allows to open the gatefold cover and become certain that this copy’s cover is the very early 1st version featuring the photo of the Italian actress Claudia Cardinale which was quickly withdrawn. There is a common misconception that the photo of Cardinale was removed from the initial pressing's cover at the request of the actress. However, the photographer Jerry Schatzberg refuted this statement saying that it wasn't Cardinale's lawyers who insisted that Columbia Records remove the photo, but instead it were Dylan's agents who refused to use it. Original 1st print red Columbia Records 2-eye “360 Sound” “Non-Breakable” label with the Mono banner, catalog number C2L 41 (with the additional catalog number CL 2516 for Side 1 / 2 vinyl and CL 2517 for 3 / 4) and the Pitman pressing plant’s 2.69” diameter main pressing ring. The full matrix numbers featuring the machine-stamped “P” identifier of the Pitman plant are as follows: Side 1 - o XLP113761-2A I P  A3; Side 2 - o XLP113762-3B I P  B5; Side 3 - XLP113763-4F T  P  B1. Side 4 - o XLP113764-2E I P  A4. This amazing copy comes with two original dark blue inner sleeves having stripes running vertically and the Columbia Records logo in the middle. Final upgrade true very early 1st pressing copy with the withdrawn cover and the rarest distributor baggy.

★

I grade the gatefold cover as Near Mint Minus. It has never been taken out of the original distributor baggy as the top left corner still has an intact staple that is attached to the front panel. The original Columbia Records inner sleeves are in Excellent condition and don't have any splits or tears. I grade the vinyl as Side 1 - Near Mint Minus, Side 2 - Near Mint Minus, Side 3 - Excellent Plus, Side 4 - Excellent Plus. The labels are very clean, scuff- and wear-free, with only a couple of barely noticeable spindle marks that could be seen only under a strong light source, and are graded as Near Mint Minus. The vinyl sounds great with a soft vivid Mono sound only having some very light occasional static that most likely could get reduced or go away completely if the record is professionally cleaned using a VPI cleaning machine.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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