MANASSAS (STEPHEN STILLS): 1972 UK DEBUT 1st PRESS NM

	£		32
	$		42

 
MANASSAS (STEPHEN STILLS): 1972 UK DEBUT 1st PRESS NM w/POSTER + 2 PICTURE INNERS - AN OVERLOOKED MASTERPIECE

MANASSAS
Manassas

ORIGINAL UK ATLANTIC (K 60021) FIRST PRESSING (May 1972) OF MANASSAS / STEPHEN STILLS' CLASSIC, EPONYMOUSLY TITLED DOUBLE LP SET - ALL IN BEAUTIFUL, BARELY PLAYED CONDITION AND DELIVERING PRACTICALLY FLAWLESS AUDIO THROUGHOUT (ON MY SYSTEM - AT A VERY LOUD VOLUME!) WITH A CRYSTAL CLEAR, DEEP, RICH AND DETAILED SOUND - GREAT COPY

THE RECORDS HAVE THE FIRST ISSUE ORANGE/GREEN ATLANTIC LABELS (which are a much darker orange than later presses and do not carry the WB logo - which appeared on all Atlantic/Reprise labels from 1975 onwards)
AND ARE HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL MATTE, GATEFOLD SLEEVE "Printed and made by Tinsley Robor Group Ltd"
COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL LARGE, EIGHT PANEL GLOSSY POSTER WITH FULL LYRICS ON ONE SIDE AND BAND PORTRAITS ON THE OTHER "Printed in England by Richard Davis Ltd."
THIS COPY ALSO HAS TWO INNER SLEEVES PRINTED WITH STEPHEN STILLS' PROFILE PHOTOGRAPHS (these were issued with US copies and do indeed have the US catalogue numbers printed in their corners - SD 2-903 - so quite what they are doing in a UK first pressing is unclear but they are a very nice bonus and they are NEAR MINT with no splits or marks)
FIRST UK MATRIX NUMBERS: K 60021 A1 / K 60021 D1 (record one) and K 60021 B1 / K 60021 C1 (record two) (side one is backed by side four, side two with side three)

A sprawling masterpiece, akin to the Beatles' White Album or The Stones' Exile on Main St., in its makeup, if not its sound.
Rock, folk, blues, country, Latin, and bluegrass have all been styles touched on in Stephen Stills' career, and the skilled, energetic musicians he had gathered in Manassas played them all on this album.
What could have been a disorganised mess in other hands, though, here all gelled together and formed a cohesive musical statement.
The songs are thematically grouped: Part One (side one on the original vinyl release) is titled "The Raven," and is a composite of rock and Latin sounds that the group would often perform in full live.
"The Wilderness" mainly centres on country and bluegrass (Chris Hillman's and Al Perkins' talents coming to the forefront), with the track "So Begins the Task" later covered by Stills' old flame Judy Collins.
Part Three, "Consider" is largely folk and folk-rock. "Johnny's Garden," reportedly for the caretaker at Stills' English manor house and not for John Lennon as is often thought, is a particular highlight. Two other notables from the "Consider" section are "It Doesn't Matter" (later redone with different lyrics by the song's uncredited co-writer Rick Roberts on the first Firefall album) and "Move Around," which features some of the first synthesizer used in a rock context.
The closing section, titled "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay," is a rock and blues set with one of the landmarks of Manassas' short life, the epic "The Treasure." A sort of Zen-like meditation on love and "oneness," enlivened by the band's most inspired recorded playing it evolves into a bluesy groove washed in Stills' fierce electric slide playing.
The delineation lines of the four themed song groupings aren't cut in stone, though, and one of the strengths of the album is that there is a lot of overlap in styles throughout.
Unfortunately, the album has been somewhat overlooked over the years, even though Stills considers it some of the best work and Bill Wyman (who guests on "The Love Gangster") said he would have quit The Rolling Stones to join Manassas

Side One: The Raven
"Song of Love"
"Rock & Roll Crazies"
"Jet Set (Sigh)"
"Anyway"
"Both of Us (Bound to Lose)"

Side Two: The Wilderness
"Fallen Eagle"
"Jesus Gave Love Away for Free"
"Colorado"
"So Begins the Task"
"Hide It So Deep"
"Don't Look at My Shadow"

Side Three: Consider
"It Doesn't Matter"
"Johnny's Garden"
"Bound to Fall"
"How Far"
"Move Around"
"The Love Gangster"

Side Four: Rock & Roll is Here to Stay
"What to Do"
"Right Now"
"The Treasure (Take One)"
"Blues Man"

LABELS: Clean and bright with just a couple (literally) of light spindle marks - this fantastic set has clearly hardly ever been played
VINYL Visual: Both records have their original deep glossy sheen and are practically unmarked - there is one small mark on side four and some light blemishes (mostly original pressing marks) but these have no audio consequence - sounds great
VINYL Audio: This is a really sensational set - outstanding audio quality throughout, beautifully recorded with a deep, rich, warm and detailed sound and on playback at a loud volume (which is how I always listen to my LPs prior to listing) there are no scratches, no sticks or jumps, barely any clicks or pops (hardly any, and nothing which is either intrusive or rises above background level) and no surface noise - even the quieter acoustic passages play as beautifully and silently as vinyl possible can. The whole LP sounds sensational and plays to just about the highest possible standard with great clarity, no groove-wear and no distortion (it's hardly been played) and is strictly graded EXCELLENT++/NEAR MINT for audio (it's practically flawless) - great copy of this largely overlooked, superb piece of work - very highly recommended indeed
POSTER: The large glossy poster is untouched - I don't think it has ever even been opened-out before my photos and it's in MINT condition
INNERS: Both inners are clean, fresh, unmarked and unsplit - NEAR MINT

PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT MY PICTURES - I USUALLY TAKE QUITE A FEW SO YOU CAN GET A CLEAR INDICATION OF EVERY DETAIL OF THE ITEM
I HAVE UPLOADED AS MANY AS I CAN BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SUPPLY ANY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ON REQUEST
AS WITH ALL MY RECORDS THIS HAS A LOW START PRICE AND NO RESERVE
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 332 (GS 5.4.1 (332))