HORACE SILVER QUINTET BLOWIN`THE BLUES AWAY BLUE NOTE BLP 4017 47 W 63rd RVG EAR

	£		41
	$		54

THE HORACE SILVER QUINTET & TRIO - BLOWIN' THE BLUES AWAY

A nice condition and very presentable copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1959 US 1st press jazz gem, on BLUE NOTE records, MONO/microgroove, BLP 4017

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  Etched BN-LP-4017.A  with  etched P ("ear") and stamped "RVG"

Side 2  Etched BN-LP-4017.B  with  etched P ("ear") and stamped "RVG""

The overall appearance and condition of this completely flat and heavy duty vinyl is a solid very good (VG). In normal daylight the vinyl comes across as truly impressive, with a jet black sheen and no obvious marks at all although. Close scrutiny under a bright light reveals a number of hairlines on each side, however, along with a few small and very light scuff marks and two slightly more prominent hairlines on side1 (see photo) but all of these are non-feelable, appear to be only superficial and do not obviously impinge upon the excellent audio quality. Impressive, considering this is now a 61 year old antiquity and definitely a solid" very good".

The labels are each excellent (EX). All text and the famous Blue Note logo with blue and white writing remain nicely intact upon the equally impressive light matt textured blue and white backgrounds. Held up in a bright light and just a few very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole come into view on each label, and there is just a hint of some very mild blue ink smudging around the "331/3 microgroove" text on the side 1 label. Note the circular "deep groove" on each label, indicative of very early Blue Note pressings. 

The glossy front-sided thick cardboard outer sleeve is in very good plus (VG+) condition. Beautiful thick cardboard with rigid edges and virtually with the only edge scuffing being a 2cm scuff on the bottom edge adjacent to the bottom right corner and a 5mm nick on the top edge. The corners remain nicely defined right angles with minimal rubbing on each and the opening edges remain firm with no fraying. The front-side colours, art work and text remain in great shape - vibrant and excellent definition with no blemishes at all. There are some light, minor age marks on the reverse (including a small area of slight grubbiness towards the middle of the top edge) and a small sticker with "10" on it, but all of the text remains nicely intact and perfectly legible with no unwanted writing or doodles. Overall the outer sleeve remains in highly presentable condition, and "VG+" is probably a conservative estimate. Note the "43 West 61st St., New York 23" address at the bottom of the reverse side of the sleeve, again associated with very early Blue Note pressings.

Finally, the quality of the audio is excellent minus (EX-). Near excellent MONO audio quality with great tone and clarity even on higher frequencies and at higher volume. No jumps, repeats, sticks, or skips; just x3 rotational mild clicks about half way through track 4, side 1 (though there is just the very occasional mild background click which I put down to dust in the grooves through decades of storage) and only the hint of some occasional very, light background crackle during some of the quieter phases (slightly more noticeable on track 4, side 1 and track 3, side 2 but even then not intrusive to any degree) but this really is trivial and overall the MONO reproduction is beatifully clear. Actually, the audio quality of the first two tracks on side 2 is wonderful - hard to fault. Blue Note records of this era were made to last, and they do! It's not hard to see why this 1959 Blue Note LP is so highly sought after with these jazz greats on top form - BLUE MITCHELL, trumpet; JUNIOR COOK, tenor sax; HORACE SILVER, piano; EUGENE TAYLOR, bass; LOUIS HAYES, drums - and it's hardly surprising that every track makes for a great listen. Terrific stuff!

Track listing :

Side 1 

1. BLOWIN' THE BLUES AWAY

2. THE ST. VITUS DANCE

3. BREAK CITY

4. PEACE

Side 2

1. SISTER SADIE

2. THE BAGHDAD BLUES

3. MELANCHOLY MOOD New Version

Comes complete with brand new plain white poly-lined inner sleeve (not original). I will also include the original BLUE NOTE advertising sleeve containing the "43 WEST 61st ST. NEW YORK 23, N.Y." text but it is in poor condition, with a large tear and two side splits as well as a couple of other small tears.

In summary an impressive and highly presentable copy of this increasingly rare and sought after US 1959 1st press Blue Note jazz gem - worthy of gracing any serious jazz vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am now 65 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard crucifix style mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class, signed for  : UK £4.00; 

and Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for continental Europe £10, and Rest of the World £14. 

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler