JOHN LENNON Shaved Fish LP AUTHENTIC VERY 1st UK PRESSING 1975 MINT

	£		26
	$		34

JOHN LENNON: "Shaved Fish" LP GENUINE FIRST UK PRESSING, ISSUED 8th NOVEMBER, 1975.


APPLE LABEL: PCS 7173.
These are the mid-1970's textured labels, no different to 60's paper, re-issues of "Shaved Fish"will be discussed in depth and I
might as well as add that 1980's labels were smoother with more of a yellow tint to Side 1's green Apple label.   It's always best to
compare labels that have not been handled on Mint records, they are precisely how they were first made, they and the record have
the appearance of being brand new, even if it was 42 years ago now!


UK MACHINE STAMPED  YEX 949 -  1U  /   YEX 950 - 1U
The above is really rare, most have at least one side with a digit increase, this a very first pressing for all EMI's stampings.
Also on first UK pressings, the American Apple maitrix was scribed in the run-out grooves, Side 1 has that conveniently just to
the left of 'YEX 949 -  1U'.   That was the original mastering and Side 2's dual maitrix  is directly under EMI's machine stamped
maitrix, both sets can be can be seen in close up pictures.

USA HAND SCRIBED MAITRIX: SW - 1 - 3421 - Z9'  / 'SW - 2 - 3429 - Z9

"GIMME SOME TRUTH" (John Lennon, 1971)

I regularly see sellers on ebay offering the 1982 pressings of "Shaved Fish" while claiming they were was pressed in 1975,
this LP was a major project, personally compiled by John Lennon immediately before he 'retired' to bring up his new baby, Sean.
  The multitude of re-issues made just after his murder in 1980, can be, and must be, clearly identified because of that tragedy.
  The same applies to, "Plastic Ono Band," "Imagine", "Sometime In New York City",  "Mind Games", "Walls And Bridges" and
"Rock 'N' Roll."  I give precise details of all those titles as authentic first pressings when listing them, the vast majority of
Lennon's albums on ebay sold as 'first pressings,' are from the period immediately after John's death.  By then EMI no longer had
the coded letters in the run-out grooves at 3 'o clock, instead the actual digits were stamped to index the order of the record's
pressing position.  For example, '21' or '121' was stamped at 3 'o clock, that alone will identify the 1980 - 1982 "Shaved Fish"
re-issues made directly after John's murder.  Changes continued after the 1960's and 1970's stamping formats had established the
consistency I think were best left alone, after October,1982 even direct indexing was yet again changed with the 3 and 9 'o clock
stamping discontinued.   They were relocated onto the end of the maitrix, which were left in their original 6 'o clock position.
The 'truth' was all John was asking for,  the changes in the 1980's also concerned the quality of covers, lyric inner sleeves and
inserts, most importantly of all, the quality of the vinyl.  This record is exceptionally thick and heavyweight for 1975, John
had to fight a battle with EMI to get the sound quality to his sky high audio standards!  I cannot say for sure if that affected
the 1960's / early 1970's vinyl quality found with this record and other very first pressings, but I will relate how he had to
  insist on Master Tape mastering for "Shaved Fish" and why the first pressings are so precious in this ultimate, unplayed, true
Mint condition, I have no problem with closely connected pressings, but re-issues are from a different decade. For the whole 70's
decade, right until after the final days of of 1979, there were no changes at all made to the 1960's stamping format, which vastly
affected Pink Floyd's November, 1979 "The Wall" album.   Only the genuine late 1979 covers, lyric inner sleeves and records were
exclusive to the 1970's  decade, the charting period carried manufacturing well into the 1980's.  A subject I regularly detail, but
this time we are discussing John Lennon's 100% input to "Shaved Fish" being exclusively on the 1975 first pressing only. Today my
full concentration is on 1975, the last year when EMI lyric inner sleeves were made with a unique shape that never re-appeared in
the later 70's and positively not in the 1980's.  That applies to all the Beatles/solo albums, the above comments are found for
every record pressed and printed items released by EMI.
Incidentally, regarding the 1980's Lennon re-issues and beyond, "Imagine" and the "Plastic Ono Band"/ John's first solo albums,
did NOT have the custom lyrics/credits inner sleeves, only the first pressings did.


EMI STAMPING CODES; MA 1  / MM 1
An EMI very first pressing, the volume of pressings were indicated by the mothers represented by the digits, '1' digits on both
sides were made right at the beginning of the overall pressing,  I think I have fully covered the subject.  This also illustrates
the matrix format with actual coded letters at 3 o'clock, the perfect way to identify the genuine 1975 first pressings, but never
in isolation!  The inner sleeve's shape was exclusive to 1975 only and and I will detail  that next.  As a quick guide, the above
does not have actual digits of the early 1980's, like all the items, without any question, a 1975 very first pressed record.
 

  NOVEMBER, 1975, FIRST ISSUE ONLY, UNIQUELY SHAPED THICK CARDBOARD, RED "Shaved Fish" INNER SLEEVE,
  WITH THE FULL LYRICS ON ONE SIDE, UNUSED, UNSPLIT AND UNAGED, WITH ONLY A VERY GENTLE RECORD
IMPRESSION, IN MINT / MINT- CONDITION.  (Full details given below or I will never get to the main description.)


FIRST ISSUE ONLY, LAMINATED FRONT AND BACK COVER, ALTHOUGH THE PRINTER WAS UNCREDITED, THE INNER
  SLEEVE HAS THE FAMOUS 'G&L' CREDIT.  A FULLY LAMINATED, DELUXE QUALITY 1975 COVER, WAS ALSO MADE BY
  'Garrod & Lofthouse, ' THE SAME PRINTER WHO MADE THE BEATLES COVERS FROM 1963 - 1970.  
  UNWORN AND UNUSED, ONCE AGAIN, THE HEAVYWEIGHT RECORD HAD TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION WITH A FEW TINY
  RELATED LAMINATE EDGE LINES, IN TOTALLY UNAGED, STUNNING MINT- CONDITION.


THE RECORD IS IN UNPLAYED, MINT CONDITION.

SIDE 1
"Give Peace A Chance"
"Cold Turkey"
"Instant Karma!"
"Power To The People"
"Mother"
"Woman Is The Nigger Of The World"
(Nothing racial was intended by John Lennon or myself by typing the title exactly how it appeared in 1972, John was taking up
  the cause of the mistreatment and disrespectful attitude to women, the same man wrote "Imagine."  In 2017, I would like to think
  we have not moved backwards, should 'Big Brother' pounce, I will bring bigger attention to the 'N' word by inserting asterisks!)
 
SIDE 2
"Imagine"
"Whatever Gets You Through The Night"
"Mind Games"
"# 9 Dream"
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over )"
Reprise;"Give Peace A Chance"

1975 finally saw the release of John Lennon's "Rock 'n' Roll" album, the recording sessions had begun as early as in 1973, but an
  unbelievable and manic chain of events prevented completion, so two long years passed before it was eventually released in 1975.
  It would take much too long to explain the USA Adam's "Roots" LP version and I had better stay in 1975, let's just say Lennon had
straightened up physically and drugs no longer clouded his mind, his music received that burning intensity now. Two incidents in
  1975 spurred John into taking a reflective look back over six years of releasing singles, both during his Beatles period and the
1970's solo years.  John Lennon was well and truly in full control of his music and he personally assembled the original Master
Tapes and compiled this album,"Shaved Fish," even that involved a battle with EMI!  He had been fighting on other fronts though,
a deportation order from the USA government, it had even involved the FBI being told by President Richard Nixon,"Get Lennon!"
  That is not fiction, after Watergate, Nixon's papers and instructions to the FBI  became public records and that is a direct quote,
John's phone was tapped and he was followed by FBI agents, because his Peace campaigns and very fiercely committed political
statements had antagonised Nixon. Most of all it was John's anti-war records and outspoken condemnation of Richard Nixon's pet
project, the Vietnam war.  In August,1974, Nixon was at last impeached, the new Gerald Ford administration set about ending John
Lennon's three year long nightmare, he had been living with a 'sword of execution' hanging over his head, if he left America for a
  visit to England, he would not have been be allowed back into the USA where his home and life now was.
 
In October, 1975, John's deportation order was reversed in court and then a second major and life changing event happened only
two days afterwards. On the actual day of John's 35th birthday,Yoko gave birth to 'Sean Ono Taro Lennon' after so many long years
of them trying to have a baby.  After the unbelievable worldwide phenomenon of the Beatles in the 1960's, his next five years up
to 1975 had also been lived on the edge, extremely stressfully, even more so than during the 1960's.  John Lennon used his fame
for publicising urgent civil rights issues like never before, a commitment made so intensively, even taking to the streets with a
megaphone during demonstrations. Now with a new born son, he was determined to be the father he could never be to Julian during
the 1960's and with the knowledge he was now securely living in America, that formulated his next decision.  He wanted to ensure
Sean did not experience a childhood like his, never knowing his father or even living with his own mother, his Aunt Mimi brought
him up.  "Shaved Fish" became a really special album for him, and not the usual record company compiling of a "Greatest Hits" LP
without even consulting the artist, which is how most ebay sellers regard "Shaved Fish."  Why and when he decided to go into that
  reclusive four years of inactivity to devote everything to Sean's childhood, can be found in small printing on this back cover.
  On the bottom right rim edge, more like a printer's credit, is this cryptic message from 'Dr. Winstone O'Boogie';

A conspiracy of silence speaks louder than words.

It was John's own way of announcing his impending 'retirement' when the album was issued in November 1975, the "lost four years"
had begun and with this album compiled, completed and released, John just walked away from it all. They are the events leading up
to "Shaved Fish", I can't even remotely attempt impartiality to an album with twelve incredible tracks, how monumental can one LP
get?   The complete singles from John Lennon's late Beatles and solo years, 1969 - 1974, you do have to bear in mind how important
singles were to the young teenage Beatles collecting them, in turn as recording artists.  What really made it such a fantastic LP
was Lennon himself, not Apple, EMI or a record company executive, he was instrumental in overseeing and controlling every single
aspect of the "Shaved Fish" project. From the cover's stunning artwork with that deluxe finish, a superb lyrics inner sleeve, the
album title & concept, of most importance to me, every track's sound and original mix had the fullest attention from John Lennon.
Even his recent "Rock 'N Roll" UK  LP had been issued in a flimsy, averagely printed, unlaminated cover and for the very first time
since 1968, one of his solo LP's had been issued without any inserts or custom made inner sleeve with lyrics, credits/handwritten
messages.  John put that right by insisting EMI /Apple included a thick cardboard inner sleeve with the track's full lyrics and a
laminated cover on the the front and back, by 1975, few UK single LP covers even had a laminated front let alone back.  I have
read many accurate and authentic reports about John battling it out with EMI for the original Abbey Road master tapes, apparently
he was offered only 'dubs' of his singles, but he simply was not going to accept or allow EMI to do that.  "Shaved Fish" was too
major an LP to him and it felt like his final release, it certainly came close to being that with fate dealing the cruelest hand of
all in 1980.  John's fiercely protective control of his music was always there, even through his haze of acid in the psychedelic
late 60's, he heard the slightest difference in a mix of his songs, even the misspelling of a "Revolver" track title was spotted
and he demanded it to be re-printed correctly. Unfortunately completely misunderstood and misquoted on ebay after I revealed
  a simple spelling mistake on ONE relevant pressing!  A few more words on the specific sound of the first pressing "Shaved Fish",
the re-issues do not contain John's personally arrived at sound, even worse was to come in that same 1980's decade.  CD issues
  that came out after John Lennon's death had sound quality that was an insult to the memory of a man who made such remarkable
  records. I made the mistake of buying the CD, I'm sure many out there did the same and know how appalling they actually were.
  The first CD's not only had tracks with music clumsily chopped off from the original track's running length, there were  buzzing
noises and severe distortion, I remember thinking at the time, 'so much for the CD's promised giant strides in upgrading vinyl!'
  They were finally withdrawn after complaints poured in, only to be replaced, but now the term, "Digitally Re-mastered" arrived
with all the subtlety of a hurricane, far worse was to be heard and the noise reduction, compression and heavy equalisation etc.
has reduced the once great recordings to sounding like they had been 'flattened,' I barely recognise the music I loved so dearly,
  John's late 60's and 1970's singles hit you right between the ears!  It was during this period in the 1980's that I knew the true
  significance of original analogue vinyl, a tiny amount of vinyl's playing sound was not to be lightly sacrificed for an unnatural
clinically 'clean' sound of digitally compressed music.  Lennon always had his records mastered as loudly as the sound engineers
would tolerate, the original late 60's solo singles of his took it even further, because  as loudly as they were made to play, at
John's insistence, both sides still had "PLAY LOUD" printed in large bold black printing on the labels.  John's refusal to accept
dubs of his original's meant,"Give Peace A Chance", "Cold Turkey" & "Instant Karma!"on first pressings of "Shaved Fish,"give you
his intended mastering setting's and fullest possible impact.  For the very first time, five tracks on Side 1 were being mastered
to an album to play at 33 RPM, we should be grateful John Lennon was still with us to make certain the sound was exactly as he
orignialy wanted it.


This is the 1975 first pressing, the stamping code configuration in 1975 was yet to be altered, the full details were given above
and essential identification needed for the multitude of re-issues sold on ebay as 'first issues.'  Anyone into Pink Floyd vinyl
pressing's, will not need me to tell them how in the same 1975, "Wish You Were Here" also had the same uniquely shaped card inner
sleeves, exclusive to EMI first pressings only.  One bottom corners was cut at 45 degrees to make the replacement easier, that and
the fully laminated cover, not that thin sheen of the 1980's plasticised coating, completed a package exclusively belonging to
  late 1975 only.  Re-issues have much thinner lyric inners and the corners are curved, without the mitered top two corners and
  the bottom right finished and at 90 degrees, the bottom left at 45 degrees.
 
In January,1981, the wave of nostalgia after John's tragically sad death saw "Shaved Fish" re-issued, but without all the quality
control John insisted on and made sure was there on these first issues.  The 1975 LP made No. 8 in the UK charts but even then it
was only these initial very first pressings that were on the heavier vinyl and had fully laminated  covers, EMI were very keen to
spend much less on the covers once the sales were underway.   A No.11 postion in 1981 and several other later chart re-entries,
  means today, they are in an overwhelming majority still in top condition.  There is no point discussing their weak sound or lower
grade unlaminated covers, I am more concerned with homing in on 1975 first pressings. This is a long loved album that I still play
endlessly, in the same way as any of John Lennon's other solo albums because of how perfectly compiled it was to work as a whole
entity.  A collection of singles maybe, but like the Beatles in the 1960's, between 1969 - 1974, John always put everything into
the 45 format and his singles are masterpieces.  Lennon's music will 'get you through your nights,' as well as through your days!
 
  The Apple labels are in pristine, as new, unblemished condition, without any spindle use traces, the vinyl is also pristine and in
the ultimate Unplayed / Mint condition, very rare for such a major 39 year old record.  A really beautiful looking record and I
will honour the ultimate condition by not playing it myself, with an unused Mint first issue card inner and cover I feel that has
to be for the next owner to experience.  I fully expect the sound quality will be just stunning  from an EMI /Apple first pressing,
I love nothing more than describing John Lennon's greatest songs and performances, but this has taken me two years to locate
since since my last ebay listing of "Shaved Fish."  More than long enough to conclude how rare a Mint record, cover and inner
sleeve have become.  I avoided describing the cover and inner to leave me something else to write about here!

  The first issue laminated cover has stunning artwork with individually illustrated paintings for every one of the twelve songs
on the front.  The back has the actual track listing along with a Japanese packet of 'fish shavings,' John's own involvement can
be seen in the humour found at the bottom the packet; "NET WT. 1 LP."  Another of his addition's was to place a sub-title onto the
back cover only, the "Shaved Fish" title above the track listing has this printed underneath; "Collectible Lennon." How true that
turned out to be, after all what record collection is complete if lacking "Give Peace A Chance"?   The lovely pastel colours are
totally unfaded and in the original vivdly bright colour tones, the front's white areas and particularly for the dominating larger
area on the back, are unyellowed / unaged and still brilliant pure white. The laminate itself is undulled and still highly glossy,
without a single blemish or any wear to tell, the edges, the spine and all four corners are also remarkable, perfect and unworn.
  The record's impression was unavoidable but none of the usual related wrinkles or creases, just a few tiny edge lines, as usual,
next to the spine, adding a 'minus' to a Mint grading takes care of standing in storage traits. I believe unplayed records should
  have the covers graded differently to used covers... one day they will be!   First issues had very slim spines and a few ripples
settle in over the decades, none of the lettering is worn and all is preserved underneath the thick lamination covering the spine
and the entire cover.