R.E.M. MURMUR INSANELY ORIG '83 I.R.S. TEST PRESSING LP+DIFFERENT TRACK TIMINGS

$

421

WE CURRENTLY HAVE   MORE THAN 1,000   LISTED ITEMS.   TO DISPLAY ALL OUR AUCTIONS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (BY ARTISTS' NAMES)    ►CLICK HERE

►Click here to see ALL our ROCK auctions ►Our PSYCH & PROGRESSIVE  auctions ►Our PUNK & NEW WAVE  auctions ► Our  JAZZ auctions ►Our BLUE NOTE JAZZ auctions  ►Our BLUES auctions ►Our CLASSICAL auctions ►Our COUNTRY auctions ►Our FUNK auctions ►Our LATIN auctions ►Our METAL auctions►Our REGGAE auctions ►Our SOUL auctions ► Our STILL SEALED ITEMS  ►Our PROMO auctions  ►Our AUDIOPHILE auctions

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

·       R.E.M. – MURMUR (R.E.M.’S FIRST ALBUM) – ORIGINAL 1983 I.R.S. RECORDS STEREO LP SP-70604  (PRESSING BY ELECTROSOUND PRESSING PLANT, SHELBYVILLE, IN)

·       *** ULTRA-RARE ORIGINAL TEST PRESSING ***

·       ULTRA-RARE TEST PRESSING WITH DIFFERENT DURATIONS OF SOME SONGS LISTED ON THE COVER SHEET FROM THOSE FOUND ON THE RELEASED VERSION OF THE ALBUM; PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE SIDE 2 OF THE ALBUM - WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FIRST TRACK (CATAPULT) IS DIFFERENT. HERE ARE THE TIMING DIFFERENCES: SITTING STILL (RELEASED VERSION CLOCKS IN AT 3:18, THIS VERSION IS LISTED AT 3:04); NINE-NINE (RELEASED VERSION CLOCKS IN AT 3:03, THIS VERSION IS LISTED AT 3:15);  SHAKING THROUGH (RELEASED VERSION CLOCKS IN AT 4:30, THIS VERSION IS LISTED AT 3:02); WE WALK (RELEASED VERSION CLOCKS IN AT 3:01, THIS VERSION IS LISTED AT 4:00); WEST OF THE FIELDS (RELEASED VERSION CLOCKS IN AT 3:19, THIS VERSION IS LISTED AT 3:07); THERE ARE ALSO TIMING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ALL OTHER SONGS, BUT THEY CONSISTENTLY VARY BETWEEN 2 AND 4 SECONDS AND CAN PROBABLY BE DISMISSED AS EITHER MEASUREMENT OR ROUNDING ERRORS.; OF THE SONGS ON THE FIRST SIDE, THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS A SIX SECONDS DIFFERENCE FOUND ON PERFECT CIRCLE (RELEASED VERSION CLOCKS IN AT 3:29, THIS VERSION IS LISTED AT 3:23; PLEASE NOTE, HOWEVER, THAT OUR OWN (VERY AMATEURISH) MEASUREMENT OF TRACKS ON SIDE 2 COULD NOT CONFIRM THE LENGTHS GIVEN ON THE TYPEWRITTEN SHEET; IT APPEARS THAT THE ACTUAL LENGTHS OF THESE TRACKS ON THE RECORD ARE MORE OR LESS IN LINE WITH THOSE ON THE RELEASED VERSION OF THE ALBUM, ALTHOUGH SOME MINOR DISCREPANCIES (OF UP TO 10 SECONDS PER TRACK) CAN BE IDENTIFIED, PROBABLY AS A RESULT OF LONGER OR SHORTER FADES

·       PLAIN, GENERIC WHITE I.R.S. TEST PRESSING LABELS WITH HAND-WRITTEN TITLE AND ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER DETAILS

·       INCLUDES TYPEWRITTEN DATA SHEET, WITH A TENTATIVE TRACK LISTING,  PROPOSED TITLE, ARTIST- AND OTHER CREDITS, TAPED TO THE FRONT PANEL

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       PLAIN WHITE TEST PRESSING COVER

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

·       FAIRLY THICK VINYL PRESSING On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least, and  10 being the most severe), we assess the thickness of the vinyl as 6.

·       PLEASE NOTE: THE MATRIX NUMBER IN THE TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) OF THE RECORD IS CONSISTENT WITH THE ORIGINAL, FIRST, 1983 PRESSING OF THIS RECORD ;  THIS IS NOT A TEST PRESSING FOR ONE OF THE LATER REISSUES, SUCH AS A&M PRESSING!

(►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!)

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

Amazing !!! An unbelievable piece: What we have here is an unheard-of TEST PRESSING of this classic Post-Punk Indie Alt-Rock masterpiece with versions of some songs significantly different than on the officially released version.

The album comes with the neatly typewritten album data sheet (scribbled on and commented on by the previous owner) which contains all the details of the test pressing, including artist name, , song titles, timings, label name and address, etc. However the generic test pressing label is mostly blank, except for the name of the pressing plant and A/B side designation.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS TEST PRESSING APPARENTLY NEVER HAD A CUSTOM COVER;  THE ALBUM WILL BE SHIPPED IN A PLAIN, GENERIC [WHITE] CARDBOARD COVER. . TEST PRESSINGS ARE RARELY – IF EVER – FOUND IN CUSTOM (STOCK) COVERS.

***

Leaving behind the garagey jangle pop of their first recordings, R.E.M. developed a strangely subdued variation of their trademark sound for their full-length debut album, Murmur. Heightening the enigmatic tendencies of Chronic Town by de-emphasizing the backbeat and accentuating the ambience of the ringing guitar, R.E.M. created a distinctive sound for the album — one that sounds eerily timeless. Even though it is firmly in the tradition of American folk-rock, post-punk, and garage rock, Murmur sounds as if it appeared out of nowhere, without any ties to the past, present, or future. Part of the distinctiveness lies in the atmospheric production, which exudes a detached sense of mystery, but it also comes from the remarkably accomplished songwriting. The songs on Murmur sound as if they've existed forever, yet they subvert folk and pop conventions by taking unpredictable twists and turns into melodic, evocative territory, whether it's the measured riffs of "Pilgrimage," the melancholic "Talk About the Passion," or the winding guitars and pianos of "Perfect Circle." R.E.M. may have made albums as good as Murmur in the years following its release, but they never again made anything that sounded quite like it.

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY STEVE HUEY, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

Reflecting the historical importance of this album, as well as its popular and critical acclaim, The Rolling Stones Magazine selected this album as on of the top-200 Rock albums of all time in their recent global poll. (►click here for more details).

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

·       CONDITION:

·       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 STRONG VG++, just a notch below NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions (probably just sleeve scuffs inflicted in storage over the years) ARE VISIBLE, but they appear fairly  insignificant relative to the overall condition of the vinyl, and are only moderately visually distracting. For most part, the vinyl looks impeccable, without any MAJOR visual flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          The record is pressed on a RELATIVELY  thick, inflexible vinyl. This is NOT a thin, flimsy ('dynaflex' type),  vinyl, but not the thickest, most rigid vinyl, either.

(c)           This is believed to be an ANALOG recording (we are not entirely sure)

·       COVER : This reference pressing comes in a plain white generic test pressing cover with typewritten data sheet still affixed to it (not separately graded but in rather decent condition; some wear and yellowing noted)

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        No split seams

-        No ring wear

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No dirt/dust rubbing stains (friction marks caused by rubbing against other covers)

-        No wrinkles or creases

-        No yellowing from aging

-        No writing

-        No stamps

-        No tearing: no chips, dents or nicks on the seams

-        No peel-off marks

-        No stains

-        No mold or mildew spots

-        No stickers or labels

-        No water damage

-        No razor marks, scratches, pressure marks, lines, streaks, or  cuts.

-        No warping

-        No wax, glue, paint or liquid drops on the cover

-        No glue traces or wax residue.

-        No bar codes

-        No RIAA stamps or stickers. 

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

We offer THREE postage rates for both Domestic and International Mail: Media Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail for domestic, and First Class, Priority International Mail, and Express International Mail for international orders. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: WE RECOMMEND that you pay for USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment in order to obtain tracking information, which is NOT available for First Class International shipments.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from country to country. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage rates ►click here. While you can be rest assured that ►our packaging is careful, sturdy and impact-proof, please note that damage, loss or theft in transit is always possible, and in the case of some countries even PROBABLE. To discuss this potential problem and ensure flawless delivery, please contact us thru eBay BEFORE placing a bid.

WANT A DISCOUNT ?!? 

IT’S EASY: CLICK ►HERE TO see HOW!

(please note recent changes in our policy)

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

FOR OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION, CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW:

►OUR VOLUME DISCOUNTS AND POSTAGE REBATES ►OUR GRADING POLICY ►ITEMS WE DO NOT GRADE ►HOW TO ACKNOWLEDGE WINNING BID OR RESOLVE A DISPUTE ►OUR PAYPAL “CHARGEBACK” POLICY ►ACCEPTABLE PAYMENT METHODS ►OUR REFUND POLICY ►POSTAGE RATES AND DISCLOSURES ►PAYMENT DEADLINES ►FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

OUR REFUND POLICY :

WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 7 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED (THE BUYER PAYS FOR THE RETURN POSTAGE); Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund Some restrictions apply. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►Click here  for the full text of our policy

© 2001,2007 MDJ. All rights reserved.