STEPPENWOLF 1st ALBUM INSANELY RARE ORIG MONO WHITE LABEL PROMO LP MONARCH PRESS

$

304

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 500  LISTED ITEMS

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·       STEPPENWOLF - STEPPENWOLF (THE SELF-TITLED FIRST ALBUM) - ORIGINAL 1968 DUNHILL RECORDS MONO LP D-50029

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       *** INSANELY RARE WHITE LABEL PROMO ***

·       *** IN ADDITION,  THE PROMOTIONAL STICKER ON THE COVER CLEARLY IDENTIFIES THE ITEM AS PROMOTIONAL ***

·       MONSTROUSLY RARE MONO PRESSING, MANY TIMES RARER THAN STEREO

·       (PLEASE NOTE: BOTH SIDES OF THIS RECORD PLAY MONO; MOST "MONO" COPIES OF THIS ALBUM HAVE ONE SIDE MASTERED IN MONO, ONE IN STEREO)

·       VERY RARE WEST COAST PRESSING (MONARCH PRESSING PLANT, LOS ANGELES)

·       ORIGINAL DUNHILL PROMO-ONLY LABEL WITHOUT ANY GRAPHICS OR LOGOS

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

·       ORIGINAL, THICK CARDBOARD COVER (AMERICAN STYLE)

·       ORIGINAL MIRROR-LIKE (ALUMINUM FOIL) FRONT COVER

·       VERY RARE FIRST VERSION OF THE COVER WHICH DOES NOT HAVE A LARGE ORANGE "BLOTCH" HYPING THE HIT-SINGLE "BORN TO BE WILD"

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       MONO version of this album has NEVER been available on legitimate Compact Disc or in any other digital 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!)

Please note: original silver foil cover is difficult to capture faithfully due to light reflection; the image shown below does not do justice to the cover, which, in reality, is somewhat better than it appears on our images

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Steppenwolf entered the studio for their recording debut with a lot of confidence -- based on a heavy rehearsal schedule before they ever got signed -- and it shows on this album, a surprisingly strong debut album from a tight hard rock outfit who was obviously searching for a hook to hang their sound on. The playing is about as loud and powerful as anything being put out by a major record label in 1968, though John Kay's songwriting needed some development before their in-house repertory would catch up with their sound and musicianship. On this album, the best material came from outside the ranks of the active bandmembers: "Born to Be Wild" by ex-member Mars Bonfire, which became not only a chart-topping high-energy anthem for the counterculture (a status solidified by its use in Dennis Hopper's movie Easy Rider the following year), but coined the phrase heavy metal, thus giving a genre-specific name to the brand of music that the band played (and which was already manifesting itself in the work of bands like Vanilla Fudge and the just-emerging Led Zeppelin); the Don Covay soul cover "Sookie, Sookie," which, as a single by the new group, actually got played on some soul stations until they found out that Steppenwolf was white; two superb homages to Chess Records, in the guise of "Berry Rides Again," written (though "adapted" might be a better word) by Kay based on the work of Chuck Berry, and the Willie Dixon cover "Hoochie Coochie Man"; and Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher," an anti-drug song turned into a pounding six-minute tour de force by the band.

(REVIEW REPRINTED COURTESY OF BRUCE EDER, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

The first - and by far the greatest - of all albums by this legendary Heavy Metal/Psych/Hard Rock band, one of the most prominent 1960’s white electric blues/heavy metal bands. Unlike the heavy metal bands that would come in their wake, Steppenwolf always practiced the economy of sound, the lean, mean electric blues (just listen to their resplendent cover of Muddy Waters’ classic Hootchie Kootchie Man from this album). Plus, their judgment and songwriting could not be beat. Not to mention that this first pressing brings out the very best of their sound, as in "The Pusher" which simply sparkles, as if just having taken an acoustic shower. And then, there are such period gems such as "Born to be wild" which will have you play the air guitar in your living room in no time. Miss this awesome album now, and you will soon discover that these original MONO pressings are now near-impossible to find. 

THE WHITE LABEL PROMO, RADIO STATION-, AUDITION OR DEMONSTRATION COPIES AND RELEASES (such as the one we have here) were often distributed to the radio stations before the record was released to the public, sometimes as much as four months ahead. These records are generally considered to be the "first among equals": the VERY FIRST generation and the VERY FIRST pressings of the particular title; a PROTOTYPE and the earliest known official pressing of the record.

For additional historical or discography information on this album, including track listing ►click here

TO SEE IF WE HAVE OTHER LISTED ITEMS BY THIS GROUP OR ARTIST ►  CLICK HERE

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·       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  (WEAK) NEAR MINT. Some VERY LIGHT AND SUPERFICIAL abrasions – mostly sleeve scuffs -  are (barely) visible, but are probably inaudible,  and do not affect visual integrity or beauty of the vinyl. The original luster is very much intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          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!

(c)           The record comes in a hi-grade MFSL PVC inner sleeve, which has - apparently with success - shielded the record from the harmful impact of elements over many years!

(d)            Mono pressing of this title is much rarer, and by far more  preferable to its stereo counterpart. We think that the mix is more natural, humane, "organic" and that the mixes are somewhat different than on the stereo version. We estimate that stereo copies of this album outnumber mono pressings by a ratio of at least 20:1.

(e)             White Promo Label version of this title is much rarer that a regular, commercially released, version of this title. We estimate that stock copies of this album outnumber promo copies by a ratio of at least 300:1 (THIS IS THE FIRST WHITE LABEL PROMO WE HAVE SEEN IN 45 YEARS OF  COLLECTING).

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

·       COVER (THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, REFLECTIVE “SILVER FOIL” COVER):

THE COVER IS ABOUT VERY GOOD+(+)

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        Back cover has a small peel-off mark, probably from the careless removal of the price sticker.  (less than 1 square inch in size)

-         Cover has some ring wear.  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 5  (front side) and 3 (back side).

-         Cover shows some light yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging   (nothing significant).

-         Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine

-         Visible shelf wear noted on the seams

-         Cover has a partially split top seam (between 1 and 2 inches  / 2.5 to 5 centimeters)

-         Cover has three corners slightly worn (nothing significant)

-         The cover has a few tiny scratch marks on the front side (almost all surviving copies of this cover have them)

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        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 writing

-        No stamps

-        No stains

-        No mold or mildew spots

-        No stickers or labels  (except for the promo sticker)

-        No water damage

-        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. 

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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.

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OUR REFUND POLICY :

WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 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

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