Lot 99WHAM (GEORGE MICHAEL AND ANDREW RIDGELEY) - MAKE IT BIG -1984-SECOND PRESS UK/EU-HOLLAND -EPIC-NMINT/NMINT

WILLY TOKAREV - OVER THE HUDSON-1983-ORIGINAL PRESS 2015 -EU-MIRUMIR-MIR100469. A rare anniversary edition of the iconic album. "Over the Hudson" is the third studio album by Soviet, American and Russian author-performer Willy Tokarev, released in 1983 on the Sava Recording Corporation label in the USA. The producer is Willy Tokarev. At the age of 40, in 1974, Willy Tokarev emigrated to the United States with $100 in his pocket. He was sheltered for 2-3 weeks by the Tolstoy Foundation, whose head was Alexandra Tolstaya, daughter of Leo Tolstoy. There he was a courier, a cleaner in a bakery, sorted through the Russian library of a millionaire, a newspaper deliveryman, became unemployed because he did not know English well, so he began to learn the language by reading American newspapers, graduated from a nurse's course, learned to drive a car, passed a taxi driving test and began working as a taxi driver to earn money for recording records, writing songs in his spare time, he was robbed four times (once, on Christmas Day, he was almost killed by a black man). He played at Carnegie Hall on a balalaika, which he bought at a souvenir shop on Fifth Avenue for $ 50, then played and sang in restaurants and nightclubs.  In 1979, the first record "And life is always beautiful!" was released, which was not particularly noticed. In 1981, the second album "In a noisy booth" was released, which brought Tokarev fame among Russian-speaking emigrants. In the 1980s, he worked at the Russian restaurant Sadko, and then at the restaurants Primorsky and Odessa, accompanied by Irina Ola. He was called the "honorary Jew of Brighton." Willy founded his own label, One Man Band, and recorded about twenty albums there.In 1989, Willy Tokarev flew to the USSR with concerts. A major role in the organization of these tours was played by the famous entrepreneur Viktor Shulman, who himself also performed "Odessa songs" from the repertoire of Leningrad "tape recorder" bards, Boris Sichkin and other veterans of the genre. 70 concerts throughout the Soviet Union were a success. ...more

SINATRA, FRANK -SINATRA SWINGS-1961-FIRST PRESS (STEREO) UK-REPRISE-R9-10002.  A rare British original of a cult album. Sinatra Swings (originally titled "Swing with Me") is an album by Frank Sinatra featuring Billy May and his orchestra, released in 1961. The two album titles stem from the fact that Capitol believed that this album, originally titled "Rock with Me," was so close in sound and title to Sinatra's earlier Capitol album, "Come Rock with Me!" what the label sought and was satisfied with was a court order requiring Reprise to change the name of this, only his second Reprise album, to Sinatra Swings. Reprinting was not required to recall the already shipped records, but new labels and covers had to be printed, and the album cover announced that it contained "twelve of the most uninhibited Sinatra pieces ever recorded." The tracks were arranged and conducted by Billy May and his orchestra. Sinatra had a minor hit with the single "Granada" included on this album. ...more

BEATLES-SGT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND-1967-FIRST PRESS (STEREO) UK-PARLOPHONE-PSC7027 Matrix Numbers: Side 1: YEX 637-1; Side 2: YEX 638-1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth album by the British rock band The Beatles. Many critics refer to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is among the most influential rock albums of all time. In particular, it was named the best album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine (2003). According to a vote conducted by the BBC radio station among its listeners for the fiftieth anniversary of the British charts in 2006, the album ranks first in popularity in the UK. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ranks ninth in the list of albums-the world's leading sales with a result of more than 30 million copies.The album was recorded over a 129-day period beginning on December 6, 1966, and released on June 1, 1967 in the United Kingdom (the album went on sale in the United States on June 2 of that year). The album won 4 Grammy Awards in the following categories: 1. Album of the Year, 2. Best Contemporary Performance by a Band, 3. Best Album Sound Design, 4. Best Album Cover. ...more

COLOSSEUM-THOSE WHO ARE ABOUT TO DIE SALUTE YOU-1969-FIRST PRESS UK-FONTANA-STL5510. A very rare British original of the cult album.The debut album of Colosseum, released in 1969 by Fontana label. This is one of the innovative albums in the style of jazz fusion. The name is a translation of the Latin phrase morituri te salutant, which, according to popular belief (but not academic agreement), gladiators addressed to the emperor before the start of a gladiatorial duel. The original vinyl album had the name "Colosseum" on the record label and on the spine of the cover, but the album is better known as "Those Who are About to Die Greet You". The album reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart. ...more

GENESIS-WIND AND WUTHERING-1976-THE FIRST UK PRESS-CHARISMA - CDS4005. Matrixes A-2/B-3. A rare British original of the cult band.  Wind and Wuthering is the eighth studio album by the English progressive rock band Genesis. It was released on December 17, 1976 on Charisma Records and is their last studio album featuring guitarist Steve Hackett. After the success of their 1976 tour in support of their previous album, A Trick of the Tail, the band moved to Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands to record their next album, their first recorded outside the UK. Writing and recording caused internal friction, as Hackett felt that some of his contributions had been rejected in favor of material by keyboardist Tony Banks. The album received a positive response from critics and boosted the band's popularity in the United States. It reached No. 7 in the UK and No. 26 in the US and sold steadily, eventually receiving Gold Certification from the British Phonographic Institute and the Recording Industry Association of America. The single "Your Own Special Way" became the band's first single on the US charts, peaking at 62nd place. ...more