US III ULTRA OBSCURE USA GEORGIE FAME STYLE 60's R&B LP AWESOME LOST MASTERPIECE

	A$		32
	$		21

ARTIST:      US III -
TITLE:          "US III"

FORMAT:     …vinyl LP…
LABEL:        FINE RECORDS, of ROCHESTER, N.Y.  .
CAT. #:         LPS-503/504  .
DATE OF RELEASE:   1968 .
PRESSED IN:    USA .
ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING?   Yes, it is...

This is one of the items found in the 'infamous' Fine Studios 'fire-sale' (see here: http://www.finerecordingstudio.com/ ), and although on the Fine label, it was the ONLY copy found amongst all that humungous amount of original vinyl.

And what a find!

You won't find anything by them on Youtube, and Google-ing won't help...but how I wish I could steer you to a soundclip of the first track, an original called "Somethin's Up" - the entire album is worth it for this track alone, I promise you.

The line-up is basically organ, sax, and drums...and the sound takes loads from the style of Georgie Fame's early recordings (1964-66 period), and Booker T and the MG's as well. "Somethin's Up" is their masterpiece - it's utterly the equal of the very best of anything recorded by the likes of Georgie Fame, or the Grahame Bond Organization - and yep, I'd even put it up as an equal to Booker T's "Green Onions" - I could play it 20 times over (in a row) and never get sick of the wailing melodic-as-all-hell sax, and driving, swirling, occasionally stabbing, hook-laden keyboards. There's 14 tracks on this LP - 10 covers, and 4 originals - they go real smooth on some tunes, but those are still wonderful (Goffin-King's "Goin' Back" is dreamy and superb!) - they cover the Staple Singers, it's one of the other highlights!, as is their version of Al Kooper's "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", plus covers of Wilson Pickett, a Beatles tune ("This Boy"), Ben E. King, and a mighty, almost funky version of the theme to "Hang 'Em High".

I cannot implore to you how much of a classic this LP is - you simply gotta hear "Somethin's Up", though. Really.

What's also quite interesting, is the early mock-up of the back cover design, which I found enclosed inside the LP cover. The wording of the band bio is close the same as what ended up on the back, but there are some words changed, and as you can see, the original basic design changed somewhat on the finished product. As if the LP wasn't rare enough as it is, this mock-up makes it very much a one of a kind.

CONDITION:

COVER: (VG++)...just has very basic edge-wear (minor scuffing), and a small tear on the back in the top right corner...see pic...

VINYL: (VG++)...has a LOT of original shine still, with a few light-ish marks only - nothing heavy at all...plays with some crackles, but nothing that deters from the music too much...it's a very nice copy!...

LABELS:   Side One:  M-,   Side Two:  MINT ...

Thanks for considering this item....Cheers, Jules.

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The Small Print

(it's a good idea to read this)

POSTAGE:

: first class airmail to UK / all of Europe / Israel / South America / Central America / Africa / Continental Asia (Russia, Turkey, etc.): AU$19.95

: first class airmail to Japan / Asia-Pacific (China, Thailand, Korea, Singapore, India, etc.): AU$15.95

: first class airmail to New Zealand: AU$13.95

Combining Postage

...take note:
..postage costs come down considerably per LP/12" if you happen to win more than one...(for instance, to the UK/USA/Europe, etc., winning extra LPs/12"s means adding AU$6.90 extra postage for the second, and even less for a third....or AU$2.00 within Australia for each extra LP)...

PAYMENT

WITHIN AUSTRALIA:
Pay by Paypal, MoneyOrder, BankCheque, PersonalCheque (allow 5 days for clearance)...or DirectDeposit/Internet Transfer into my account (quickest method, along with Paypal).. .. .. 

OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA:
You can pay by:

1. Paypal......easiest and cheapest way

2. MoneyyOrderr - no fees if made out in Aussie dollars
3. CASHif you like (but must be sent in a registered envelope ONLY)

PACKING:
Don’t worry - we pack anything you buy VERY CAREFULLY to make sure it arrives in EXACTLY the condition it left here. More specifically, in the way we'd like to receive parcels ourselves.

RECORDS: All vinyl is taken OUT of the cover to avoid seam splits and then both cover and vinyl are sealed in a SAFE plastic bag (ie one that can have NO effect on either cover or vinyl). Then packed in well-padded cardboard for shipping. We've NEVER had a damaged item yet.

WE MAIL OUT 3 TIMES A WEEK.