Lot 4SHADOWS-DANCE WITH THE SHADOWS-1964-FIRST PRESS (MONO) UK-COLUMBIA-NMINT/NMINT

NIRVANA -LOCAL ANAESTHETIC-1971-THE FIRST UK PRESS-VERTIGO-SWIRL-6360031. A mega rare original of one of the masterpieces of the British rock prog. Originally released on the Vertigo label in 1971, Local Anesthetic was the first album released under the NIRVANA name featuring only half of the original songwriting duo, Patrick Campbell-Lyons, who had been left alone after amicably parting ways with Alex Spyropoulos a few months earlier, disappointed by the band's lack of success, especially after the disastrous previous opus, and decided to pursue a career as a composer for the television and film industry. On Local Anesthetic, Campbell-Lyons chose a more “progressive” direction: the album consists of two long suites featuring saxophonist Mel Collins (KING CRIMSON) and the band JADE WARRIOR, among others. To be fair, it's worth noting that this CD wasn't a success either. The first track was a kind of psychedelic trance, with rather nondescript arrangements and the absence of any highlights, which cannot be said about the second side. The epic ”Home", consisting of five parts, is simply amazing, with its signature melodic lines and musical diversity - hard rock, blues rock, and psychedelia have not gone away, and the influence of jazz is palpable. A true feast for fans of the so-called proto-prog! ...more

DEEP PURPLE-IN ROCK-1970- THE FIRST UK PRESS-HARVEST- SHVL777. Matrices A-2/B-1. Contract press at the Gryphon APS factory. There are no stampers. Experts note the great sound of this edition.  A rare British original contract press in top condition. Deep Purple in Rock is the fourth studio album by the British rock band Deep Purple, released on June 5, 1970 on Harvest Records. This is the first studio album recorded with the classic band line-up called "Mark II" (a little earlier, this line-up recorded the live album Concerto for Group and Orchestra). Since this album, the band's style has changed dramatically. Deep Purple started playing hard rock almost simultaneously with such bands as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, and are considered one of the founders and classics of this genre. According to the music critic, "the record became the epicenter of destruction, a fresh stream in the rock of the 1970s and a turn in history, in which the roots of the heavy metal style were laid." Deep Purple in Rock became the band's breakthrough album in Europe and reached number four on the UK national charts, remaining on the charts for over a year. His accompanying single "Black Night" reached the 2nd line. It has been included in various lists of the best albums, including Classic Rock magazine's list of the "100 Greatest British Albums of All Time" and Q magazine's list of the "50 Best Albums of the 70s." In 2015, the American website Ultimate Classic Rock ranked the album at the top of its ranking of Deep Purple's best works. Certified as a gold disc in the UK, USA, France, the Netherlands and Argentina. ...more

PRINCE -SING "O" THE TIMES (2LP'S)-1987-FIRST PRESS UK/EU-GERMANY-WARNER-WX88/925577-1. A very rare original of the cult album. Sign "☮" The Times (pronounced Sign of the Times) is the 9th album by American singer and musician Prince. Released on March 31, 1987. The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) called the album "Prince's best album, the most holistic example of the breadth of his artistry, and perhaps the best album of the 1980s." The reviewer of Afisha Daily in a retrospective review gave the album a similar assessment. In 2017, the album Sign "☮" the Times was inducted into the Grammy Award Hall of Fame. The album reached number six on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) four months after its release. It also entered the top 10 in Austria, France, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the UK and took first place in Switzerland. "Sign o' the Times", "U Got the Look" and "I Can never Take Your Man's Place" all made the top 10 hits of the Billboard Hot 100. After Prince's death in 2016, the album re-entered the Billboard 200 at number 20. ...more

IAN CARR WITH NUCLEUS-SOLAR PLEXUS-1971-THE FIRST UK PRESS-VERTIGO SWIRL-6360039. A mega rare original of the iconic jazz-rock progressive British band. Solar plexus is the third album by legendary musicians. On the previous two Nucleus albums, Carl Jenkins was the main songwriter. Now bandleader Ian Carr, who single-handedly wrote all the material for this album, has finally decided to take the reins. As a result of his conceptual approach, more spontaneous, groove compositions (reminiscent of the band's second album) alternate with more static and "compositional" ones (in the spirit of the first disc). Thus, the material here turned out to be, although without bright themes (Jenkins could not be surpassed), but more balanced and high-quality than on the previous disc. Yes, it is quite possible to blame Carr that his playing is devoid of Miles's emotional depths, but both he and the rest of the uncles from Nucleus have both individuality and a serious level of skill, which does not kill the music. Despite the seriousness of the ambitions, this is a very lively, diverse and mobile jazz-rock with a good game. In terms of mobility, a separate respect should be expressed to drummer John Marshall - it is always interesting to listen to him. Guitarist Chris Spedding doesn't do much solo, but he expertly maintains rocking rhythms. The final 15-minute Snakehips Dream is especially good: a cool groove and a real expanse for all musicians and listeners. ...more

KANSAS-MONOLITH-1979-THE FIRST HOLLAND-KIRSHNER PRESS-KIR83644. A rare European original of a cult album.  Monolith is the sixth studio album by the American progressive rock band Kansas, released in 1979.  Monolith initially sold about 800,000 copies, giving it gold status, but it eventually went platinum in the early 1990s. Kerry Livgren donated his platinum plate to the Kansas Historical Society. The album reached number 10 on the Billboard Albums Chart, becoming their third consecutive (and last) studio album to reach the top ten. The album remained on the Billboard Albums chart for a total of 24 weeks and was one of the top 100 albums of the charts (#100) for the calendar year 1979. ...more