The Smiths That Joke un released sleeve Morrissey

	£		82
	$		109

The Smiths.
"That Joke isn't Funny Anymore"
Gloss card Paper "Proof" Sleeve. U.K Issue RT 186
Sleeves were issued by condor litho printers whom were Rough Trades Official printers of these proof sleeves.
Printed on thick gloss paper stock i.e. what a normal 7" proof from the 80's would have been printed on  . The card measures  15" by 8" and shows the front and back of this iconic sleeve which features an unknown Italian child actor as the cover star but it was actually taken from a Ukrainian movie from 1965 titled "The Enchanted Desna" by Julia Solntseva. 
This sleeve is un released in this guise and is different to the released cover as the back of this proof is a light Salmon Pink and not a red colour like the released sleeve, plus the image of Italian child actor is sharper and the colours brighter in contrast to the released sleeve. I suppose you could look at the copies on ebay to see the differences or you own copy of the single to see the difference. 
Only 4 were printed to this stage none went into full production.
The condition of the sleeve is near mint as i have kept them in professional storage boxes in a cool,dark and damp free environment. Also an added bonus is all my items come from a smoke and pet free home. 
Up for auction is a proof sleeve for the above release for the sole purpose of seeing what the sleeve would look like aesthetically before they went to print. These mock sleeves were printed up for Joe Slee who was the art co-ordinator for Rough Trade Records. I came across these pieces of historic art around 1998 and was just bold over by the history of it all its not everyday you come across items like these and there so stunning to look at and hopefully my pictures will try to allay this to you.
I purchased these items from a person who i cannot name but they did work at Rough trade up and till they closed in the 1990's. These pieces of art pop history are genuine, not re-worked prints i can and will 100% guarantee this and anything else i will be selling.
Hopefully these items will appeal to you as much as they did to me over a decade ago and i think there's something here for every kind of enthusiast and every type of collector from the completest to the occasional collector but i must stress that these individual proofs are very rare and were not made in the 100's they were very limited mostly to only 6 or 7 of each and others that i own are less than that number as they were only made so that Caryn Gough,Joe slee and Morrissey could view them to see if they had the finished product they all liked or to view alternate versions of sleeve. These are very rare items indeed and it's unusual to find any bands proof sleeves never mind The Smiths proof sleeves. Here's a chance to be the envy of the Smiths collecting world.

"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" is a song by British rock band The Smiths. It first appeared on their album Meat Is Murder, and was released as their eighth single. It was composed by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer-songwriter Morrissey. A unique single, it is the lowest-charting Smiths single, reaching only #49. The repetition and sad tone conveyed are unusual for a Smiths single. This has raised suspicions that the song is about a journalist with whom Morrissey had a relationship. According to Dave Simpson in his Uncut article (August 1998), the unnamed journalist steadfastly refuses to discuss Morrissey to this day. The artwork depicts an unknown Ukrainian child actor who appeared in an unknown 1965 film. A still from the film appeared in a book owned by Morrissey, and the cover art is a crop from that (the original picture also features the child's mother). It is not of Italian origin as rumoured.
7" RT186 No. Title Length 1. "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" (edit) 3:49 2. "Meat is Murder" (live) 5:34



The artwork proof sleeves will be posted flat and posters will be sent out in plastic tubes all carefully packaged to help prevent damage.
I will also combine postage costs to multiple winners where possible and i welcome bids from all over the world as i will ship items worldwide.
 All items and/or multiple items over the value of £40 will be sent recorded mail. Sorry no exceptions can be made as then we are all covered if things get damaged or lost GOD FORBID that would be tragic.
If i have missed something out that you need to know however large or small please email via ebay and i will get back to you as soon as i can with an answer.


*******As for the postage and packaging prices please wait for me to send you an invoice after the auctions end with an exact price, possibly the NEXT DAY.  I can assure you it will be at cost. Its only the insurance that will have to be factored in.You never know it could be less than quoted********
Thanks to all who read this and good luck to you all in collecting and life.