THE KINKS ARRIVE IN U.S. INSANELY RARE SEALED ORIG '69 LP w/PROMO-ONLY PRESS KIT

$

494

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 400  LISTED ITEMS

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·       THE KINKS - THE KINKS ARRIVE IN U.S. FOR FIRST NATIONAL TOUR (INSANELY RARE PROMOTIONAL-ONLY PACKAGE OF THE GROUP'S 1969 'ARTHUR (OR THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE)' ALBUM WITH A PRESS KIT  - ORIGINAL 1969 REPRISE RECORDS STEREO LP RS-6366

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

*** STILL SEALED GUARANTEED ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING ***

·       BELIEVED TO BE PRESSED ON THE ORIGINAL 2-TONE (ORANGE AND TAN) REPRISE LABEL WITH RIVERBOAT LOGO

·       *** THE ALBUM COMES WITH A PARTIAL (INCOMPLETE) PRESS KIT, CONSISTING OF:

1-   A SINGLE 11 X 11" PAGE WITH A REPRODUCTION OF THE APRIL 10,1969 VILLAGE VOICE ARTICLE ("ROCK & ROLL") BY ROBERT CHRISTGAU

2-   A SINGLE 8.1/2 X 11" PAGE EXCERPT FROM THE 'ROCK: FROM THE BEGINNING' BY NIK COHN, ON THE FINE, TEXTURED BEIGE PAPER

3-   ORIGINAL "QUEEN VICTORIA" ALBUM INSERT

4-   FOLDED (ENVELOPE-LIKE) ILLUSTRATED, CUSTOM PRESS RELEASE, WHICH DOUBLES AS A FOLIO-LIKE FOLDER WHICH HOUSES ALL OTHER INSERTS AND THE ALBUM ITSELF

·       THE THICKNESS OF THE VINYL, THE APPEARANCE AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE COVER, LABEL’S LOGO AND OTHER PERIPHERAL ELEMENTS OF THE COVER, ARE ALL PERFECTLY CONSISTENT WITH THE ORIGINAL, FIRST PRESSING OF THIS TITLE.

·       FOUR “BREATHE” (AIR) HOLES NOTED ON THE SHRINK WRAP

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

·       ORIGINAL GATEFOLD COVER, MADE OF THICK CARDBOARD (AMERICAN STYLE) 

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL 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!)

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Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) extends the British-oriented themes of Village Green Preservation Society, telling the story of a London man's decision to move to Australia during the aftermath of World War II. It's a detailed and loving song cycle, capturing the minutiae of suburban life, the numbing effect of bureaucracy, and the horrors of war. On paper, Arthur sounds like a pretentious mess, but Ray Davies' lyrics and insights have rarely been so graceful or deftly executed, and the music is remarkable. An edgier and harder-rocking affair than Village Green, Arthur is as multi-layered musically as it is lyrically. "Shangri-La" evolves from English folk to hard rock, "Drivin'" has a lazy grace, "Young and Innocent Days" is a lovely, wistful ballad, "Some Mother's Son" is one of the most uncompromising antiwar songs ever recorded, while "Victoria" and "Arthur" rock with simple glee. The music makes the words cut deeper, and the songs never stray too far from the album's subject, making Arthur one of the most effective concept albums in rock history, as well as one of the best and most influential British pop records of its era

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY STEPHEN THOMAS ERLEWINE, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

Rock's FIRST Rock opera!!!! Forget about Who's "Tommy" or Pretty Things' "S.F. Sorrow". This is the real thing! Ray and Dave outdo themselves in terms of poetic skill, sardonic wit and musical prowess on this one. Good luck finding the first pressing of this one. Track listing: Victoria - Yes sir, no sir - Some mother's son - Drivin' - Branwashed - Australia - Shangri-la - Mr. Churchill says - She bought a hat like princess Marina - Young and innocent days - Nothing to say - Arthur.

The PROMOTIONAL, RADIO STATION-, AUDITION OR DEMONSTRATION COPIES AND RELEASES (such as the one we have here) were often distributed among 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", which is to say the VERY FIRST generation and the VERY FIRST pressings of the particular title; a PROTOTYPE and the earliest known official pressing of the record.

Among the promotional releases, those that come with publicity kits (various packages comprising of photo inserts, letters of introduction from the label; typewritten biographies and/or discographies, decals, badges and alike) are generally recognized as the earliest, and most important specimens of a given title; with some  commanding astronomic prices on collectors’ market. 

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)          THE ALBUM IS STILL FACTORY SEALED AND IS BELIEVED TO BE PERFECTLY MINT. Please note: sealed items are assumed to be mint and are sold as-is, as we have no way of inspecting them. For our policy on still sealed records ►click here (PLEASE READ BEFORE PLACING A BID).

(b)          The album comes with the original insert still intact AS WELL AS THE PRESS KIT, AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.

(c)           The record is  apparently 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!

(d)          The record is believed to come in its original stock inner sleeve.

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

COVER 1 (inner jacket)

THE INNER (CARDBOARD) COVER IS NEAR MINT, STILL SEALED AND COVERED IN ITS ORIGINAL ►SHRINK WRAP

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Cover shows JUST A HINT of yellowing on back side, apparently from aging.

-         Cover has two corners slightly dinged (nothing significant)

-         Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine  (nothing significant)

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

COVER 2 (slightly oversize outer envelope which houses all inserts and the album itself)

THE EXTERNAL COVER (WRAPAROUND ENVELOPE) IS EXCELLENT TO VG++

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        Minor wear noted along the folded seams of the poster (nothing significant)

-        Envelope  has a few tiny wrinkles along the top seam  (nothing significant)

-         Envelope 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 2.

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

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE EXTERNAL COVER (envelope):

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 (BUT DO NOT INSIST) that you select USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from one region of  the world to another. 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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(please note recent changes in our policy)

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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; 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

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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