dazzling 1969 industrial musical - Dolls Alive - International Paper

$

300

If you've seen "Bathtubs Over Broadway" or read "Everything's Coming Up Profits," you know that these private pressing "industrial musical" souvenir albums are some of the rarest and weirdest records in existence. These motivational musicals were only for dealers, salesmen, distributors and other industry insiders at sales meetings and conventions, and the souvenir vinyl records were not available to the public. And many of these shows boasted outstanding music and performances along with the bizarre corporate subject matter.
"Dolls Alive!," the 1969 International Paper Co. musical created for their sales and marketing team, is one of the blue chip examples of the genre.  The songs about paper and the International Paper company, composed by Skip Redwine, are arrestingly tuneful, beautiful, strange, and compelling.  Gorgeously recorded with talented singers (uncredited, sadly) handling the improbable vocals, and ace musicians vividly bring the material to life.
If this record were in a plain sleeve, it would still be a notable example of the genre.  But the unique cover takes "Dolls Alive!" to a level that no other industrial show has ever ascended to.
It stands to reason that International Paper would want to show off with the paper packaging.  They engaged an up-and-coming graphic artist and designer named Ernie Cefalu to create the album cover.  Ernie would go on to design a slew of legendary album covers (Google him), but this was his first attempt at a record jacket, and he came up with a psychedelic hexagonal confection, one of the world's first non-standard album covers.
The record label is worth a mention too.  A year or two after "Dolls Alive!", Ernie brought his portfolio to a meeting with the Rolling Stones' management, who were looking for new talent to up the band's graphics game.  They looked at his International Paper record label and said "Now THAT'S interesting... could you maybe adapt that for the Stones?"  Ernie said sure, added a tongue, and the rest is history.
According to Ernie, the show played only one time in late 1969 to International Paper personnel in New York City, and only 500 copies of the souvenir album were pressed. 

How do I know all this?  I'm the collector and historian profiled in the documentary "Bathtubs Over Broadway," and the co-author of "Everything's Coming Up Profits - The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals."  I'm thinning out my stash of duplicate albums.  Check out my other listings for more treasures.
The vinyl on this example is pristine and possibly unplayed.  The cover has some bent corners, which is the case with every copy of "Dolls Alive!" I've seen, since the design means they stick out from other records and are prone to getting bumped.  But the overall condition is extremely presentable, and the colors are bright and clear, with minor wear on the front and a small amount of fading on the back.  The flaps were originally sealed with tape, some of which remains.

This is a very rare opportunity to acquire an extraordinary example of one of the strangest, little-known genres of music.  A great audiovisual document of the collision of art and commerce at the end of the 60's.

The record will be carefully packed and shipped.  It won't fit in a standard record mailer box, but I'll make sure it's boxed up robustly.  I want it to reach its appreciative new home safely.