SPEAKERS CORNER LP TEST PRESSING 40032: Etta James - At Last, 2011 NEVER PLAYED
$
65
$ 65
Sold For
Apr 24, 2016
Sold Date
Nov 13, 2015
Start Date
$ 100
Start price
1
Number Of Bids
USA
Country Of Seller
eBay
Sold at
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
****Welcome to our listing, thanks very much for looking!
****Check out our website! We have lots of out of print LPs and CDs! You can find us on the world wide web at -
hearthedifference.net
****Please check out our other listings for more great LPs and CDs - new items added daily!
****To access our eBay store either click on the little red door at the top right section of any of our eBay listings or, click on -
http://stores.ebay.com/Hear-The-Difference
Background -
- This is a Speakers Corner LP TEST PRESSING!
- It comes in a plain jacket with no artwork.
- It has NEVER BEEN PLAYED, in mint condition.
- Inside the jacket there is an insert with information about the LP.
- The record labels are WHITE with "ONLY FOR PROMOTION" written on them.
- The dead wax around the record labels has the correct stamper information for this issue.
- Please note that the picture we have included with this listing is of a generic white jacket test pressing title. The actual item for sale is in a BLACK jacket.
- We have also included pictures of what the LP artwork looks like, for reference only.
Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) was an American singer. Her new style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, R&B, soul, rock and roll, jazz and gospel. Starting her career in 1954, she gained fame with hits such as "The Wallflower", "At Last", "Tell Mama", "Something's Got a Hold on Me", and "I'd Rather Go Blind" for which she wrote the lyrics. She faced a number of personal problems, including drug addiction, before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album Seven Year Itch.
James is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and was the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.
At Last! is the debut studio album by American blues and soul artist Etta James, which includes the title song "At Last". The album was released on Argo Records in November of 1960 and was produced by Phil and Leonard Chess. The original release contained four of James' hits on the Rhythm and Blues Records Chart between 1960 and 1961. It was her first of five studio albums James would release on the Argo label. At Last! was ranked at #119 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in 2012.
The original release of At Last! was issued as a 12-inch LP, consisting of ten tracks, with five songs on each side of the LP. Phil and Leonard Chess believed that James's voice had crossover pop potential, and therefore with her debut album, they both backed her with orchestral arrangements on many of the album's tracks, including "At Last" and "Trust in Me". At Last! spawned four singles to the R&B and pop charts between 1960 and 1961: "All I Could Do Was Cry", "Trust in Me"; "At Last", and "My Dearest Darling". It includes covers of pop and jazz standards, such as "Stormy Weather" and "A Sunday Kind of Love", as well as "I Just Want to Make Love to You”.
Since its release, At Last! has been praised by many music critics. Stephen Cook of Allmusic gave the album five out of five stars, and, about James, wrote, "one hears the singer at her peak in a swinging and varied program of blues, R&B, and jazz standards." Cook also praised the material that was recorded for the album, saying that At Last! had "strong material throughout." He also went on to say that James's voice, "expertly handles jazz standards like "Stormy Weather" and "A Sunday Kind of Love," as well as Willie Dixon's blues classic "I Just Want to Make Love to You." James demonstrates her keen facility on the title track in particular, as she easily moves from powerful blues shouting to more subtle, airy phrasing; her Ruth Brown-inspired, bad-girl growl only adds to the intensity."
It’s as though the title "At Last" is trying to dupe one into believing that Etta James had experienced all the ups and downs that life could offer her by the year 1961. Performing on great stages under the influence of drugs, her exodus from the scene, appalling jobs in seedy clubs and dives, and a brilliant comeback with an earthy voice in Montreux followed by a tour of the USA with the Rolling Stones. In truth, "At Last" should be seen as the potent motto of a debut LP by a vocalist who had just emerged from her beginnings as a gospel singer, and had now recorded promising single songs.
Two of the numbers, the bittersweet "All I Could Do Was Cry" and the lounge-worthy "Trust In Me", promptly landed in both the R&B and Pop charts. But the more carefree, candy rock ’n’ roll ("Tough Mary"), the weird and languishing song ("Girl Of My Dreams") and the stuff of finest ballads ("Stormy Weather") are all found in this highly diversified mainstream mix. An unobtrusive background of gentle strings and chorus, so typical of the times, sensitively enhances the carefully chosen numbers, somewhere between Rhythm & Blues, Soul, and Standard Jazz. The result is a timeless, highly accomplished and variegated LP from the beginning of Etta James’s lengthy discography.
When Etta James signed with Chess Records in 1960, the label decided to pair her raw, bluesy singing with a full backing band and lush orchestrations. AT LAST!, her Chess debut, shows the formula working to fine effect, as it highlights the singer's facility with different approaches including torchy balladry, jazz crooning, growling blues, and R&B shouting. She sounds equally at home on Willie Dixon stompers ("I Just Want To Make Love To You"), standards (“Stormy Weather"), and down-tempo soul workouts (the beautiful title track). James performs several duets with Moonglows vocalist (and then-boyfriend) Harvey Fuqua, including Dixon's "Spoonful," the duo’s self-penned "My Heart Cries," and the chart-hit "If I Can't Have You.” The emotionally wrenching "All I Could Do Is Cry" (the lyrics have the singer watching her beloved marry another), and soothing, romantic "Trust in Me" were hits on both the pop and R&B charts, assuring the singer's name recognition and paving the way for her future successes. AT LAST! is a fine set of R&B, blues, and jazz songs that showcase James's versatility and powerhouse pipes.
Speakers Corner obviously wanted to retain as much of the atmosphere and flavor of the original recording as possible, keeping James’ signature strength, power, and “bad girl” delivery. You can effortlessly hear James’ rasping, guttural power on the remaster. At the same time, however, you can also hear the German imprint wishing to push the technical boundaries as much as possible. And the label accomplishes this goal with a vastly improved sound stage as well as a richer, broader vocal. James really flowers here, her emotional texture conveying a deep understanding of the lyrics and a close relationship to the song itself.
But the real magic happens when the audiophile imprint’s two aims clash. Sparks fly; you can clearly hear James play with the microphone. She moves around it like Cassius Clay dancing around his opponent in his prime. Listen to her stand away from the mic, giving some distance as she strikes a high note and before moving back in to tackle a softer line. Then, she surprises you. She darts in and hits you with a massive, volcanic eruption—a primeval shout that literally whacks the needle into the red and slams the signal to the ceiling. Even the Speakers Corner remaster can’t cope, and this is the point where the mastering engineer must think, “OK, that’s it. This is the line. This is where we stop.” Because, to process and develop the signal any further would take away James’ passion.
And that’s what we have here: Pure, unadulterated passion. There’s no covering, no skin, no protection. It’s bare, vulnerable. It could shrivel up in front of you or blast you in a moment’s notice. Etta unleashed. – Paul Rigby
This TEST PRESSING LP was made by SPEAKERS CORNER (Germany) // ARGO Records - this is a highly collectible title from their catalog, featuring -
Etta James
LP title -
At Last!
Performers on this title include -
- Etta James, vocals
Harvey Fuqua, vocals
Riley Hampton Orchestra
Track Listing -
1. We're Off To See The Wizard 2. Over the Rainbow 3. The Jitterbug 4. The Merry Old Land of Oz 5. If I Only Had a Brain 6. Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead 7. My Shining Hour 8. Get Happy 9. Blues In The Night 10. Let's Fall In Love 11. That Old Black Magic - See more at: http://www.soundstagedirect.com/shorty-rogers-the-wizard-of-oz-180-gram-vinyl-records.shtml#sthash.H2xLwsgw.dpuf Side 1:1. Anything To Say You're Mine
2. My Dearest Darling
3. Trust In Me
4. Sunday Kind Of Love
5. Tough Mary
Side 2:
1. I Just Want To Make Love To You
2. At Last
3. All I Could Do Was Cry
4. Stormy Weather
5. Girl Of My Dreams (Rendered as Boy Of My Dreams)
For best results, always properly clean your LPs before playing them - even brand new ones!
The LP is an audiophile quality pressing (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).
Don't let this rarity slip by!!!
price rating
