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    Just one of inkFrog's Creations

Description

ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS

"THERE'S GONNA BE A SHOWDOWN"

1969 US PROMO ONLY MONO

RADIO STATION DJ COPY

BLACK & WHITE PROMO LABEL

THICK VINYL

ATLANTIC

8226

• ULTRA RARE US ORIGINAL PROMO ONLY MONO 1969 PRESSING on the NON FLEXIBLE "white" ATLANTIC promo label (see photo). Radio Station DJ pressings are the 1st presses from the stampers and are usually pressed on superior thick non-flexible vinyl made to withstand the heavier use from radio play. There may have only been a few hundred or so of these pressings made in 1969 for AM radio use and they sound far superior to any other pressings. The MONO punch of the promo vinyl is incredible. How many still exist is anyone's guess. This is a beautiful high grade copy of this rare LP from my personal collection.
• Please take a look at my other Soul and R & B lp auctions on the ATLANTIC, ATCO, ABC PARAMOUNT, BRUNSWICK, CARNIVAL, GORDY, HI, KING, MOTOWN, OKEH, PARKWAY, RCA, SMASH, STAX, SUE, TAMLA and UNITED ARTISTS labels.

Archie Bell & the Drells from Houston,Texas hit #1 R&B/#1 Pop with the certified million-selling dance classic, "Tighten It Up." They also scored several hits produced or supervised by Philly Soul producers Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff such as "I Can't Stop Dancing," "(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown," and "The Soul City Walk." The Drells were -- at varying times -- Archie's brother Lee Bell, James Wise, Joe Cross, Billy Butler, Lucious Larkins and Willie Pernell. Because Bell wanted the group's name to rhyme and to avoid confusion with Harvey, IL based group The Dells, he came up with The Drells.

Born in Henderson, TX on September 1, 1944, Bell grew up in Houston in a household that included seven brothers, including All-American football star Ricky Bell. His mother, Ruthie Bell, sang gospel and made sure her sons were involved in church-based activities. Because of his mother, Bell began singing in church at an early age. In his teens, he formed Archie Bell & the Drells and began performing at various talent shows around Houston. While performing, they were discovered by KCOH Radio DJ Skipper Lee Frazier. Frazier has his own record label, Ovid Records, and on a handshake-based management deal, they began recording for him. The group scored a regional hit with "She's My Woman, She's My Girl." Soon after, Bell was drafted into the Army to serve in Vietnam. While on a short leave, he recorded the single "Tighten It Up" with musical backing by The TSU Tornadoes. Issued in December 1967, "Tighten It Up" became a huge hit in Houston and was picked up for distribution by New York-based Atlantic Records.
"Tighten Up," written by Bell and Billy Butler sold more than three million copies, holding both the #1 R&B and the #1 Pop spot for two weeks on Billboard's charts in spring 1968. The Tighten Up LP hit #15 R&B and #142 Pop in summer 1968. Unfortunately, Bell was stationed in Germany while all of this was happening. With the concert offerings rolling in, James Wise sang lead in the group's concerts with Charles Gibbs brought in to add background vocals. Graciously, the Army allowed Bell to sporadically return to the US to do club dates. While performing at a New Jersey club, the group was approached by Philadelphia-based songwriting/production duo, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. After getting an OK from Frazier and Atlantic, this new collaboration hit with "I Can't Stop Dancing," "Do The Choo Choo," "Love Will Rain On You," "(There's Gonna Be a) Showdown," "Girl You're Too Young" and "My Balloon's Going Up." Their last charting single for Atlantic was the David Crawford-produced cover of the Sam & Dave hit B-side, "Wrap It Up." (AMG)

Bid according to the condition stated below
FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT MY GRADING SEE POLICY BELOW

Record Condition: Side 1 & 2: Near Mint ...the thick non flexible vinyl has full like new gloss and looks unplayed. The beautiful white promo MONO Atlantic labels are clean without wear, tears, writing, or stains (See photos).

Cover/Jacket Condition: Very Good++ ...the cover has very light age wear on the back (see photos). The spine is intact and lettering sharp. The seams show light wear mostly flaking paper on the top for a coupe of inches in from the spine (see photos).

Thanks for looking!!!

WHY BID ON THIS ITEM?

HERE'S WHY!

ALL MY LISTINGS INCLUDE:

UNDERSTANDABLE GRADING DESCRIPTIONS My cover/vinyl condition descriptions have NO AMBIGUOUS TERMS Words such as "JUST A HINT OF, ASSUMED TO BE, COULD BE, SHOULD NOT, MAY HAVE, MIGHT BE, BELIEVED TO BE, USUALLY, PROBABLY, BARELY, FAIRLY INSIGNIFICANT, MODERATELY VISUALLY DISTRACTING, WE ESTIMATE, OR WE SUSPECT THAT" do not exist in my descriptions. CLEAR PHOTOS My listings always include individual front cover, back cover (both showing the seams) and record label photos at a minimum, with no CROPPING or RETOUCHING EVER. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED RETURN POLICY No once in a lifetime return policy gauntlets to navigate through, no debates, no questions, no hassles, no problems. THE ULTIMATE GOAL Know what you are bidding on! It REALLY is the only way to bid! Don't you agree! BID WITH CONFIDENCE! PLEASE SEE THE PICTURES INCLUDED IN THIS LISTING WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET GUARANTEED! All images shown are ACTUAL PHOTOS OF THE ITEM you are bidding on. NO recycled photos of better condition copies from prior auctions to confuse you.  

Vinyl Grading Policy:

• All records and jackets are visually graded unless noted otherwise. CAUTION: Please be aware that the play grade may differ from the visual grade. If you want me to play a particular song and give you an assessment of background noise, etc. Please email me. We all have records that look worn but play great and vice versa. It is not possible to play as well as visually grade each LP listed. I TRY TO GRADE CONSERVATIVELY under the guidelines on this page, which generally follow the GOLDMINE standards. Although I try to be conscientious as a grader, there is the possibility that something could slip by me. In the event an item is not as described, REST ASSURED I will always offer a money back guarantee for purchase price of the item if returned safe and secure and requested within seven days of receipt.
• Mint = A mint item must be absolutely perfect. Certainly never been played if not still sealed. This would be an item where it was opened but not played maybe just to check the label variation.
• Near Mint = The record shows no obvious signs of wear. The vinyl should show no wear from playing only the slightest of paper scuffs are acceptable. The jacket should look as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink-wrap.
• Near Mint-/Very Good++ = The record or cover is clearly better than VG+ but not Near Mint. There should be some signs that the vinyl was played infrequently and otherwise handled P)� P)� 0previous owner who took excellent care of it. Record surfaces may show some slight signs of wear and may have light scuffs and or very minor light%2�;� �;� es that do not affect the listener experience at all. The label and spindle hole will be without flaws other than the lightest of spindle trails from being played only a few times if at all. The cover should be bright and sharp and will have only the very first evidence of discoloration or ring wear or creased corners. Although there may be some evidence of seam/spine wear, seam splits are not permitted for this grade. The jacket may be marked as a cut out by a drill hole, saw mark, cut corner or punch hole. I will try to list any cover flaws of significance.
• Very Good+ = This is equivalent of the VG+ grade in Goldmine. The record will show signs that the vinyl was played but taken care of. Record surfaces will show signs of wear including some light scratches/scuffs that do not significantly affect the listener experience. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. Spindle holes will have some wear but not be enlarged or damaged in any way. The cover will have general wear/ring wear but not to the extent that it materially impairs enjoyment of the picture cover. Slight seam splits are OK for this grade. Again I will try to list any cover flaws of significance.
• Very Good = Unless it is a rare collectible, I usually will not sell records where both the cover and vinyl are below a VG+ grade PERIOD. This grade is included since some times there may be either a cover or record that the flaws in VG+ grade above are more pronounced but the other part of the package is of a higher grade. If it is the vinyl I will play grade it to be sure that the listener can still enjoy the music.
• BID WITH CONFIDENCE! All items are FULLY GUARANTEED. If requested within five days of receipt, I will refund your full purchase price (excluding refund of shipping costs) upon return of the item if you are not satisfied, period. If you want protection related to lost or damaged shipments you must insure your winnings. I pack all records removed from the jacket, sandwiched between corrugated cardboard before insertion into the mailer box. Many times I will also use bubble wrap or a box inside a box packing method to further protect your item.
• I do not grade inner sleeves but will let you know if there are any inserts, posters, stickers or other items included with the RECORD or TAPE.
• Items that do not sell are usually not re-listed. Please contact me if interested and provide sufficient information to identify the item.

Payment and Shipping

Payment & Shipping Terms:

• All payments in US dollars only, Paypal, Cashiers Checks, Bank Checks According to ebay policy, I can also no longer accept cash by mail as a form of payment even if the buyer is using registered mail and is willing to accept the risk of loss. All non personal check acceptable payment methods get shipping within 2 business days of receipt. Personal checks are accepted if drawn on a US bank and buyer is willing to wait for me to ship until your check clears. Please contact me if you have any questions regarding acceptable payment methods.
• Please wait for an invoice before checkout. Winning Bidder must contact me or make payment within 3 days (72 hours) from receipt of my auction closing invoice..MY AUCTION TERMS ARE THAT PAYMENT IS REQUIRED WITHIN 7 DAYS FROM CLOSE OF AUCTION.
• I follow the ebay non payment rules so if you have not made payment do not be surprised if you get a eBay non paying bidder notice after 7 days. I agressively work to get my final value ebay fees back if the item is not paid for within the auction terms.
• IF YOU CANNOT PAY WITHIN THE DESIGNATED TIME FRAMES PLEASE DO NOT BID!
• All winners will receive the following: Winning confirmation (within 1 day after auction end), Payment confirmation (upon its arrival), and shipping confirmation (upon its departure).



• Buyer pays all Shipping and Handling charges. Media Mail shipping in the US generally runs $4. Priority Mail is quoted at cost upon request.
• PLEASE READ THIS: For buyer protection, I only ship priority airmail with insurance and tracking for international destinations unless the total value of the shipment is below $50. In this case, upon buyer request I will ship First Class Airmail quoted at actual postage cost based upon weight. INTERNATIONAL First class airmail generally runs $15 for the first LP and $3 for each additonal LP. CANADA runs $9 for the first LP and $3 for each additional LP.
• PLEASE NOTE: RATES MAY CHANGE WHEN SHIPPING MORE THAN 6 LP's or 4 POUNDS SHIPMENT WEIGHT. I will also require that ALL orders over $50 include the cost of registration or some form of tracking (Express international shipping) so that both the buyer and seller have a tracking number for the parcel.
• Registered mail costs $11.50 additional beyond basic shipping costs.
• I also reserve the right to require that orders are shipped via express international mail in special situations depending on details of the transaction and the buyers feedback rating.
• If you cannot agree to pay for registered mail postage or express international mail for orders over $150, please do not bid on these auctions.