Description IMPORTANT: FREE P&P TO UK ADDRESSES (AS REGISTERED WITH PAYPAL) WILL INCLUDE 2ND CLASS RECORDED DELIVERY. THE OFFER RELATES ONLY TO AUCTION ITEMS ENDING AT A VALUE BELOW £51 AND, ABOVE THAT VALUE, THE BUYER WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXPENSE OF SPECIAL DELIVERY P&P. isnw_ecp isnw_ecp snw_eWhat's on offer?: Almost without the need for introduction, here we have a SIMPLY LEGENDARY NUGGET from the BRITISH BLUES scene - particularly as this copy is an ORIGINAL FIRST UK FACTORY SAMPLE PRESSING in MAGNIFICENT condition!!! A SIMPLY ESSENTIAL DISC FOR TRUE BRITISH BLUES FANS and 60s COLLECTORS IN GENERAL! Artist: ALEXIS KORNER BLUES INCORPORATED (The Artwoods, The Cyril Davies All-Stars, The Graham Bond Organisation, Colosseum, The Pentangle) Title: "Sky High"Label: Spot JW 551 (UK Original FACTORY SAMPLE) Produced by JACK WINSLEY Matrices/Stampers: R-JW 551A/R-JW 551B ONE OF THE RAREST BRITISH BLUES LPs EVER RELEASED - EVERY COLLECTOR'S DREAM!! Side One: 1. Long Black Train 2. Rock Me 3. I'm So Glad 4. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting 5. Honesty 6. Yellow Dog Blues Side Two: 1. Let The Good Times Roll 2. Ooo-Wee Baby 3. River's Invitation 4. Money Honey 5. Big Road Blues 6. Louise 7. Floating 8. Anchor 5 Miles 9. Daph's Dance Alexis Korner: vocals, electric and acoustic guitarsDuffy Power: vocals, harmonicaAlan Skidmore: tenor saxChris Pyne: tromboneDanny Thompson: bassTerry Cox: drums Without doubt, what we have on offer here is one of the RAREST and MOST DESIRED of the LPs released from the BRITISH BLUES scene of the mid-1960s!!! This truly fantastic gem titled Sky High finds the legendary ALEXIS KORNER in the company of a harmonica-blowin' DUFFY POWER and a stellar host of sidemen as set out above!!!! The recordings (for some strange reason released only in MONO but actually recorded in STEREO*) were captured around late-1965 at Ryemuse Studios in West London. John Timperley was the recording engineer and JACK WINSLEY (who co-wrote Wild Winds Are Blowing for SLADE) attended to Production responsibilities. Upon its release back in 1966, sales of the LP were extremely poor in the light of a virtually non-existent promotions campaign. I remember Jack Winsley telling me, many years ago, that as few as 1000 copies would have been pressed and, sadly, many of them ended up being either committed to the 'bargain bins' of local London record stores or.......worse still.........melted down and re-cycled!! According to Jack, the SPOT label was his personal creation and was 'lifted' from the legendary 'DOT' marque that operated within the USA. Seeking a catalogue prefix for the first release on his new creation, Jack didn't let modesty get in the way and allocated 'JW551' to this fabulous LP!! This is an early pre-release SAMPLE that came from the collection of the late CHARLES FOX; a Jazz critic who for many years lodged at the house of the legendary ALEXIS KORNER. It is perfectly likely that this copy was given to Alexis by Jack and then, perhaps, subsequently found its way into one of Charles' boxes by mistake??? Anyway, who knows...... * I have a few unreleased STEREO out-takes from the sessions for this LP, including DUFFY POWER's superb and earliest known performance of Sky Blues on which he is accompanied by Korner, Thompson and Cox. Anyway, that aside, bid now to win this gem or, after the auction has ended, you can sit back in your chair and wonder how you managed to let such a MONSTER BRITISH BLUES rarity pass you by!!! Use the Auctionplayer to sample for yourself just how fantastic this LP truly is!!!!! As you'll see from the photo, this is unconditionally guaranteed to be the ORIGINAL 1966 UK 1st FACTORY SAMPLE pressing made with machine-stamped matrices, so you can forget about having to settle for one of those dodgy so-called "limited re-pressings" (many of which are actually bootlegs) that are flooding the market. A TRULY fantastic and legendary LP, any fan of Alexis Korner, Duffy Power, the Blues scene or 60s music in general will simply have to have this item in their collection!!!! Grade (labels): The classic mustard yellow labels with black print are in AWESOME condition; there is NO wear and NO spindle trails!!! The item was sourced from the collection of the late-CHARLES FOX (a long-time friend of ALEXIS KORNER and a lodger at Alexis' house in London!!!) The 'A'-side bears a FACTORY SAMPLE label, supporting the notion that this gem one one of the first copies to have emerged from the pressing plant and intended for promotional use!!! Grade (vinyl): Housed within its original die-cut poly-lined inner bag, this heavy hunk of magnificent vinyl (pressed in the POlydor Records plant) is in stunning shape and strictly graded at EXCELLENT ++++. Sitting perfectly flat on the turntable, the deep-grooved platter is in great shape with a nice sheen and it plays clear throughout. Of course, with the hyper-sensitivity of modern styli and amplifiers, any lucky winning bidder would need to accept the possibility of a 47 year-old hunk of used vinyl producing a touch of general noise and static here and there. Good luck in finding another one of these nuggets......... they just do NOT turn up very often in this shape!!!! Grade (sleeve): Printed in England by Ernest J. Day, the front-laminated sleeve is in EXCELLENT ++++ shape; nice and clean on the front and with a super-crisp and clear title spine. The back has a hint of light ageing and (as can just about be seen from the photo) there is a small strip of residue at the open edge that looks as though it is the legacy from an old piece of strengthening tape that has long since departed. All in all, this is easily the best example of the sleeve that I've ever seen!! Why buy?: This is an absolute LEGENDARY MONSTER of a BRITISH BLUES gem and always so incredibly sought-after!! Truly a KILLINGLY RARE LP and ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND in ANY condition, don't miss this incredible example as it might be your only chance to buy an ORIGINAL 1966 UK 1st LP FACTORY SAMPLE pressing of "Sky High" by Alexis Korner Blues Incorporated in magnificent condition!!! Don't forget: Look to see if I have other rare items on auction at the present time. Check out my feedback and be sure of a great product and service. Happy bidding!!! BEFORE you bid, please read the following Payment and Shipping terms very carefully and, quite simply, don't make a bid if you're not happy with them: Payment: UK cheques or UK direct bank transfers greatly preferred. Of course, PayPal is accepted but bidders must accept the associated, non-negotiable shipping terms as stated below in "Shipping". Shipping: Kindly note that the STAMP cost that appears on the label outside of a package absolutely does NOT represent the actual cost of shipping an item!!! For example, each item I sell is carefully packaged inside a PVC sleeve, with factory-cut cardboard stiffeners either side and (to ensure the item arrives in the condition it leaves) shipped individually in a brand new record mailer; unlike some other sellers I do NOT use poor packaging with scrap cardboard - or worse still NO cardboard - inside! I cannot accept any responsibility for payments/items lost or damaged and not covered by adequate insurance. If you do insist on using PayPal through the eBay checkout, the consequence of PayPal's rigid conditions is that all items must be sent by an adequately insured shipping method with proof of delivery; no exceptions. IMPORTANT: FREE P&P TO UK ADDRESSES (AS REGISTERED WITH PAYPAL) WILL INCLUDE 2ND CLASS RECORDED DELIVERY. THE OFFER RELATES ONLY TO AUCTION ITEMS ENDING AT A VALUE BELOW £51 AND, ABOVE THAT VALUE, THE BUYER WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EXPENSE OF SPECIAL DELIVERY P&P (cost £10.95). For overseas buyers, on items up to a value of £500, it will mean mean Royal Mail 'International Signed-For' Airmail at a cost of £16.95 to European Union countries and £19.95 to all other countries. Due to PayPal seller policies and Royal Mail compensation limits, items above a value of £500 will have to be shipped by international courier at a cost to determined, based upon final value and destination. I do NOT allow personal collection. Note: I'm just a private individual selling off his private record collection gathered over 30+ years. I am NOT a business!!! I unreservedly retain the right to cancel bids from known defaulters or timewasters. The items I offer for auction are rare and of the highest quality, so please bid with respect!!