VELVET UNDERGROUND &NICO BANANA CVR ORIG MONO LP wTORSO

$

567

WE CURRENTLY HAVE MORE THAN 300 LISTED ITEMS. TO DISPLAY ALL OUR AUCTIONS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (BY ARTIST’S NAME) ►CLICK HERE

►Click here to see our ROCK auctions ►See our JAZZ auctions ►See our BLUES auctions►See our CLASSICAL auctions ► See our STILL SEALED ITEMS ►See our PROMO auctions►See our SOUL auctions ►See our AUDIOPHILE auctions

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

·       VELVET UNDERGROUND - VELVET UNDERGROUND AND NICO (1ST ALBUM) - ORIGINAL 1967 VERVE MONO LP V-5008 WITH BANANA STICKER AND THE UNCENSORED, ORIGINAL "TORSO" BACK COVER (STEVEN EMERSON TORSO IS UNCOVERED, UNAIRBRUSHED AND CLEARLY VISIBLE ON THE BACK COVER)

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       THE INFAMOUS PEELABLE BANANA STICKER IS ALMOST COMPLETELY INTACT – MORE THAN 95% OF THE STICKER IS UNPEELED (ONLY A SMALL TIP OF BANANA IS MISSING)

·       NOTE: THIS IS A MONSTROUSLY RARE “FIRST STATE” VERSION OF THE COVER WITH THE COVER PHOTO OF THE TORSO OF ACTOR STEVE EMERSON HANGING UPSIDE DOWN ON THE BACK PANEL. THIS SHORT-LIVED ORIGINAL VERSION SEEMINGLY WAS IN PRINT FOR ONLY A NANOSECOND: PRACTICALLY IMMEDIATELY UPON RELEASE, VERVE WAS FORCED TO APPLY A LARGE STICKER WITH ALBUM TITLE ON THE BACK COVER TO CAMOUFLAGE THE PROBLEMATIC “TORSO” SECTION IN ORDER TO AVERT A COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT LAWSUIT (THESE SECOND VERSIONS ARE USUALLY REFERRED TO AS “SECOND STATE” COVERS). SUBSEQUENT PRESSINGS – WITH OR WITHOUT BANANA STICKER, ALL HAVE THE OFFENSIVE TORSO AIRBRUSHED (THESE ARE KNOWN AS “THIRD STATE” COVERS. WE PROUDLY OFFER THE RAREST VERSION OF THEM ALL: THE BRUTALLY RARE FIRST STATE “TORSO” COVER.

·       ORIGINAL BLUE VERVE LABEL WITH SILVER PRINT AND LARGE T-SHAPED VERVE LOGO

·       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)

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       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!)

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

This is the legendary - and much coveted - first version of the Velvet Underground's "Banana Cover" album, WITH AN UN-AIRBRUSHED image of the actor Steve Emerson's torso hanging upside-down, above the band performing on stage. As a result of the legal dispute between Verve Records and Emerson (who asked to be paid for his 'cameo' appearance), ALL subsequent pressings and reissues of this album have the superimposed image of Emerson's torso indelicately retouched and wiped out. These, first versions of the Velvet's legendary first album are infinitely harder to find than the 'standard', retouched covers.

Then, there is the classic Warhol cover: The mind-teasing cover is a sort of a Rorschach test: what exactly is this pink banana? Hmmmm… Andy, what were you thinking…?

What else can be said of this album that hasn’t already been told? The album which defined an era; the music that shattered conventions, the production that influenced everyone over the next three decades, the lyrics that sound fresher today than they did in 1967 and the Andy Warhol artwork which still captures the imagination.This is a sexy, moody, brilliant and occasionally violent work which would be impossible to reproduce today, in the age of political correctness gone amok. Most importantly, the music. THE MUSIC!!!. This is the only album which will make you a honorary resident of New York City, without you ever having to set foot in it. From the opening track ("Sunday Morning"), to the last one ("European son"), Lou Reed, John Cale, Nico and the rest of the crew take you through the kaleidoscope of emotions, settings, ambients, situations, moods and rhythms, not all of which are for the faint of heart. The album includes some of the most beautiful, poetic imagery ever committed to a disc (I’ll be your mirror; Famme Fatale; Venus in Furs). Whether you are into singers-songwriters, pre-punk, beatnik poetry, or ‘60’s rock, this is a must-have.

This is the album for all people, and all seasons, and one of the very few "Rock" albums that actually not only aged with dignity, but also improved with age. If you wish to know just how much meaningful this music was to the artists who followed in Velvets’ footsteps, just ask Jonathan Richman who, by his own admission, was present at every single one of the band’s East Coast concerts between 1969 and 1971 (some 70 or so concerts, in all). This may be your last opportunity to acquire this legendary album and a great piece of work.

***

For its extraordinary contribution to the contemporary music, superb production, craftsmanship, fine musicianship, revolutionary significance and influence it exerted on numerous generations of musicians, songwriters and general public, or for some other inherent quality, this album was voted one of top-200 albums of all time in one of the largest poll of critics, music reviewers, show business professionals and producers ever organized: the poll, which was conducted by Paul Gambaccini, the legendary BBC Radio A&R man, surveyed more than 50 top music professionals (including Roy Carr, Jonathan Cott, Robert Christgau, Cameron Crowe, Chet Flippo, Ben Fong-Torres, Charlie Gillett, Greil Marcus, Murray the K., Lenny Kaye, Bruce Morrow (a/k/a "Cousin Brucie"), Tim Rice , Lisa Robinson, Robert Shelton, Ed Ward, Joel Whitburn, Pete Wingfield, etc.). For more details, see: "Critics Choice: Top-200 albums" , Omnibus Press, Library of Congress Catalog No.7855565 (or ► click here for the complete album listing)

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

THIS IS A NO-RESERVE AUCTION!

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

·                               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 EXCELLENT. This is one of those albums that are somewhat difficult to grade. It is somewhere between VG++ and NEAR MINT, just a notch below NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions ARE visible, but they are extremely shallow, superficial and only moderately visually distracting (nothing significant).For the 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. THE ALBUM PLAYS WITH ONLY MINOR, LIGHT AND VERY INFREQUENT, SURFACE NOISE.

(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)             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 15:1.

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

·       COVER

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD++ (VG++).

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine

-         Minor piece of the banana sticker is missing; also; minor wrinkling noted on top section of banana sticker (nothing significant)

-         Inside gatefold has some light 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 2. Inside gatefold has some light ring wear also.

-         Cover shows JUST A HINT of yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging.

-         Minor shelf wear noted on the seams (nothing significant)

-         Cover has some minor wear along the opening slot.

-         Back cover has a few yellowish dust speckles here and there (these tiny spots are not overly obtrusive or distracting)

-         Cover has some small, faded writing (a faded 1-inch pen mark in one corner)

-         Cover has two corners slightly worn / frayed / bent (nothing significant)

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-         No split seams

-         No cut-out (drill) holes.

-         No cut-out corners

-         No saw-marks or indents

-         No stamps

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

-         No peel-off marks (except a small peel-off on banana sticker)

-         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 bar codes

-         No RIAA stamps or stickers.

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

Generally, US POSTAGE is $5.80 FOR THE FIRST ITEM shipped via USPS PRIORITY MAIL (this includes a small $1.00 packaging surcharge).

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE- and insurance rates vary from country to country. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage and insurance rates ►click here. While you can be rest assured that our packaging is careful, sturdy and impact-proof, please note we are NOT responsible for uninsured items.

Media- and Surface Mail rates are available ONLY to orders of $200.00 or more. NO EXCEPTIONS.

WANT A DISCOUNT ?!?

IT’S EASY: CLICK ►HERE TO FIND OUT HOW.

FOR OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION, CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW:

►VOLUME DISCOUNTS AND DISCOUNT RATES ►OUR GRADING POLICY ►ITEMS WE DO NOT GRADE ►HOW TO RESOLVE A DISPUTE ►ACKNOWLEDGING A WINNING BID ►OUR FEEDBACK POLICY ►ACCEPTABLE PAYMENT METHODS ►OUR REFUND POLICY ►POSTAGE AND INSURANCE RATES ►PAYMENT DEADLINES

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

OUR REFUND POLICY :

Cash refund will be granted only for DEFECTIVE items, but we are flexible and reasonable in reviewing the merits of each individual case. We do NOT play-grade records and can only make reasonable inference on the item's condition based on its visual appearance. Every bid carries a risk that purchased item might play worse than its visual grade may indicate. Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►Click here for the full text of our policy .

© 2001,2004 MDJ. All rights reserved.