DAVID BOWIE - (S/T) - 1ST LP- mono - 1967 - 1ST PRESS - Orig blue border SHRINK
$
200
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Description
DAVID BOWIE
“DAVID BOWIE”
Deram DE 16003 (mono pressing)
1967
EX / EX*
FIRST PRESSING
FIRST COVER (BLUE BORDER, NOT WHITE)
STILL IN SHRINK
ONLY MONO 1ST PRESSING ON EBAY AS OF 5-4-2017.
This is actually an amazing copy of Bowie’s first LP. It may be tough to see in the photos, but if you look closely, the only issue is the promo sticker that the label placed on the cover. Some bimbo tried to remove it with their fingernails (by cutting a hole in the shrink, I might add). They only succeeded in tearing of the edges of the sticker while the center still remains. Hat this means is that the cover remains undamaged underneath the sticker, and this sticker could be removed by either by someone with patience or pretty easily by a pro. The cover is still excellent and waiting for repair and repatriation.
The fine AllMusic web sites says of this album, “David Bowie's first ever LP -- the 1967 set that introduced the world to the likes of "Rubber Band" and "There Is a Happy Land" -- is an intriguing collection, as much in its own right as for the light it sheds on Bowie's future career. Nobody hearing "She's Got Medals," for instance, can fail to marvel at the sheer prescience displayed by a song about gender-bending. Even within Bowie's subsequent world of alligators, starmen, and astronettes, however, there are no parallels for the likes of "Please Mr. Gravedigger," with its storm-swept lament for a murdered little girl, or "Uncle Arthur," the archetypal mommy's boy, whose one stab at snapping the apron strings shatters when he realizes his new love cannot cook. Not all of the songs are such sharp observations of human frailties and failings, while the distinctly family-entertainment style arrangements make it clear that, whatever audience Bowie was aiming for, rock fans were not included among them. But songs like "Love You Till Tuesday" has a catchy irresistibility it all the same, and though this material has been repackaged with such mind-numbing frequency as to seem all but irrelevant today, David Bowie still remains a remarkable piece of work. And it sounds less like anything else he's ever done than any subsequent record in his catalog.”
The fine rateyourmusic website adds: “In the vast, ever-growing history of popular music there are a great deal of artists whose first album was something of an anomaly. However, the beginning of the epic tale of David Bowie is one of the strangest opening chapters of all. One of the most influential musicians of all time, Bowie has had his fingers in several pies ranging from Glam Rock to Funk and Soul, Avant Garde to full on pop, epic ballads to screeching dance tracks. But the 19 year old Bowie chose to introduce himself to the world with a self-titled album with its roots firmly planted in music hall and novelty.
Heavily influenced by Anthony Newley, Bowie released several singles under various pseudonyms until the success of the Monkees forced him to abandon the name he had settled on, Davy Jones, and finally become David Bowie.
His first LP was released June 1, 1967 in stereo and mono. The promo copies were in mono. The US version dropped two tracks that appeared on the UK versions. It wasn’t until his world wide popularity soared in the mid-1970s that they were repatriated (repeatedly).
Opener ‘Uncle Arthur’ is pick of the bunch, a toe tapping character song about a 32 year old mummy’s boy who leaves his wife because he misses his ma’s home cooking. Despite the thigh-slapping comedy of the subject matter, ‘Uncle Arthur’ has a winning tune stuffed with Kinks-ish English whimsy. Bowie gets sinister with the tracks like ‘Please Mister Gravedigger’. It is a totally bizarre spoken word track in which Bowie snivels and sniffs over the sound of a thunderstorm as he watches a gravedigger at work. The tale’s twist is that Bowie is a child murderer and intends to kill the gravedigger as well. It seems when this album isn’t adopting the viewpoint of a child its setting out to eliminate the little bastards completely!
This album is notable mainly for being a fascinating historical artifact. This is one of the greatest songwriters and performers of all time stepping self-consciously into the studio to record an album for the first time.
You need one if you are a fan or collector. The mono version is rarer than the stereo one.
Stored vertically in a smoke-free environment for 50 years.
price rating
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