ORPHEUS 1st ALBUM RARE ORIG '67 MGM BOSTON PSYCH STEREO LP w/STICKER BLACK LABEL

$

43

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  NEARLY 300  LISTED ITEMS

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·      ORPHEUS – THE SAME-TITLED FIRST ALBUM ("ORPHEUS")  – ORIGINAL 1967 MGM RECORDS STEREO LP SE-4524

·      ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·      ORIGINAL BLACK  MGM LABEL WITH MULTICOLORED “ROARRING LION” LOGO, EARLY-TO-MID 60’S STYLE  (BLACK LABEL PRESSINGS OF THIS TITLE ARE INORDINATELY RARE; THIS IS THE FIRST SUCH SPECIMEN WE HAVE FOUND IN A LIFETIME OF COLLECTING).

·      DEEP GROOVE PRESSING

·      ORIGINAL, THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE)

·      THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

·      CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·      COVER HAS A NIFTY 'HYPE' (ADVERTISEMENT) STICKER STILL AFFIXED TO THE FRONT PANEL

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

·      THE RECORD HAS A 'BELL SOUND' STAMP IN THE TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) AREA, WHICH IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED A PROOF OF AUTHENTICITY OF THE FIRST PRESSING.

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

·      As far as we know, this album is currently out of print and unavailable on Compact Disc, or in any other format.

(►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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Wow. Where do I begin? Well, let's start with my rating. I give this album five stars. Yes folks. That's as high as it goes and it's a rating that I've rarely bestowed, (most recently on The Beatles' 1966 masterpiece, Revolver). This album is as refreshing now as it was in 1967.

Mojo magazine recently wrote, "the debut album was Bruce Arnold and Orpheus at their best, 'Can't Find The Time'...just beautiful." I could not agree more, however, as gorgeous as Arnold's hit single is - with it's R&B influenced chord progressions, (a passing resemblance to Billy Stewart's "Sitting In The Park") and very tasteful yet refrained orchestral arrangement, "Can't Find The Time" is not the best song on this album. Although I was duly impressed with Arnold's intricate guitar work on the "Uncovered" version (included on Big Beat's 1995 "Best of Orpheus" compilation), I have begun to appreciate just how well producer Alan Lorber understood this band - or more importantly, understood Bruce Arnold.

Imagine how easily Orpheus could've fallen into the hands of some amateurish 60's producer with formulaic arranging skills such as Wes Ferrell, (whom the band wisely turned down). The results would have been a sound closer to the horrific 1971 arrangement of "Can't Find The Time" by Rose Colored Glass. Let's face it, Bruce Arnold was not writing rock songs. He was and is a far more sophisticated composer. However, as soon as this album hit the shelves in 1968, a small yet vocal group of music critics and "would be" fans objected to what they called "over-orchestration". They complained that the band's true sound was drowned out by Lorber's MOR treatment. Interestingly, this view has been adopted by subsequent generations, most of which have never actually sat down and listened to an Orpheus album in it's entirety.

Because of this fact, it's extremely difficult to determine whether the seemingly widespread disdain for Alan Lorber is due to his key role in the Boston Sound debacle or if listeners actually believe his influence ruined the music of Orpheus. Either way, one thing is clear; in 1968, very few people could complain that the band's true sound was lost since very few people had actually heard them play live. It was recently revealed by bassist, Eric Gulliksen that Orpheus only played two gigs before flying to New York to begin recording - and perhaps even more surprising is the recent revelation that despite the LP credits, neither Gulliksen or drummer Harry Sandler even play on this album!

Bruce Arnold, either alone or with Gulliksen, was composing music for the masses. The problem was that his instrumental compositions and vocal harmonies were so sophisticated they could not be categorized - at least not yet. In a few years, bands like Chicago, Bread and even Steely Dan would help define the sound but for now, Alan Lorber was without a doubt the best man to, as he put it, "distill their symbiotic harmonies."

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ANONYMOUS ONLINE REVIEW)

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·                          CONDITION:

·                          THE 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. The original luster is very much intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)         The record comes in the original stock inner sleeve.

(c)         The record has a "deep groove" (an indent in the label about 1/2-inch from the edge of the label, which on SOME labels is associated with very early or first pressings).

(d)         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!

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

·                          THE COVER

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD+++.

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-       Cover has JUST A HINT of 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.

-       Cover has a tiny, barely visible cutout hole in one of the corners

-       Cover shows JUST A HINT of yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging (BARELY VISIBLE)

-       Minor shelf wear noted on the bottom seam (nothing significant)

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

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FINE (BUT IMPORTANT!) PRINT

 (1) The year indicated in the title bar is the year of the original release,  NOT necessarily the year of the actual pressing; for the actual generation of the pressing, please see our item description (top section, text in red letters). (2) Please do NOT bid based on the title bar, subtitle bar or item specifics box alone; instead, please read the entire description and grading before bidding; (3) Absolutely NO order cancellations after the auction closes. ever, under any circumstances. We can ONLY cancel bids before the item closes. (4) We are unable to cancel bids in the final 12 hours of the auction; if you need to do so, please contact eBay for help (5) We are unable to provide matrix-, stamper- or other pressing  information in the final 24 hours of the auction. If you require this information, please contact us well before the final day of the auction. (6) Yes, we DO combine shipments. Please click on "Shipping and Payment" tab on top of the auction page for additional details. (7)  All Paypal payments must be made from confirmed Paypal shipping addresses. NO third party shipping addresses will be honored  (8) Absolutely NO partial refunds: if you are unhappy with the merchandise you received, please return it for a full refund, postage included (9). Civilized people can disagree without accusing each other of being indecent or dishonest; if you need proof of this seller's personal integrity, please check our eBay feedback, which speaks for itself  (10) All disagreements and miscommunications can be - and will only be - solved in a civil and mutually respectful manner;  please avoid puerile, offensive, abrasive or menacing language (attempted humor is fine and usually appreciated, although overused-to-death sarcasms can be really, really tedious. (11) This seller will accommodate all reasonable requests and is generally a flexible and agreeable person (12) Our love & appreciation for your trust, loyalty and business, always and forever;  Thank You & Good Night!

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