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1970s BN Rainbow cover LPs vs. Japanese King LPs


Dmitry

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I am trying to find on Ebay all the titles of the LT series that haven't been released by King but it turns out to be a tricky business. These titles seem to have been reissued several times with the same jacket. How can I tell the originals and the reissues apart? What is the address on the jacket of the original pressings? What about the label? Any other way to distinguish them? The Goldmine guide is a bit confusing when it comes to the most recent BN titles... :mellow:

Edited by ASNL77
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I am trying to find on Ebay all the titles of the LT series that haven't been released by King but it turns out to be a tricky business. These titles seem to have been reissued several times with the same jacket. How can I tell the originals and the reissues apart? What is the address on the jacket of the original pressings? What about the label? Any other way to distinguish them? The Goldmine guide is a bit confusing when it comes to the most recent BN titles... :mellow:

I pulled a half dozen off the shelf and these six all have dark blue labels, with a white note on the upper right, below it says Blue Note a division of Liberty/United Records, Inc.

On the back cover, at the top, there is a copyright (these examples range from 1979-1982), then it says Liberty/United Records, Inc. Some include an address of 6920 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles. Others omit the street address and just say Los Angeles, California 90028.

All of these were purchased new many years ago.

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There have been recent new Scorpio pressings of some LT "Rainbow" series Lps. I've picked up Mother Ship & Vertigo. They're just so-so soundwise...

You'll see these listed as new/sealed with list prices from $8.99 to $12.99...

You'll see 'em on eBay or places like vinyl.com...

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  • 2 years later...

Those LT covers are so much more honest than the pretend-vintage looks of what they do now.

"Hey, let's make it look like a Reid Miles cover because Reid Miles covers were SO cool and besides, that's the way a Blue Note cover SHOULD look, even though it never did" just doesn't do it for me. That's just another attempt to institutionalize.

Screw the Alamo - Remember The LTs!

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Those LT covers are so much more honest than the pretend-vintage looks of what they do now.

"Hey, let's make it look like a Reid Miles cover because Reid Miles covers were SO cool and besides, that's the way a Blue Note cover SHOULD look, even though it never did" just doesn't do it for me. That's just another attempt to institutionalize.

Screw the Alamo - Remember The LTs!

It is obvious that none of these records, were they released in their time, would have had covers in any way similar to the LT covers. Imho, LT covers are a testament to their time, late 1970s-early 1980s, first and foremost. They don't bother me, Kings don't bother me, the new Analogue Production covers don't bother me. It's all good.

Edited by Dmitry
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LT covers tell the truth of what really happened to the label and its music. Those photos and that layout are not comforting.

The other stuff is just feelgood make-believe, visual revisionist hisrtory to make it all good. In their world, Lion did release everything in its time, everybody always loved Blue Note, and you the consumer doesn't need to know anything other then The Blue Note Look & The Blue Note Legend & The Blue Note Mystique.

One more lie to get you to buy the past instead of evaluate it.

Remember the LTs!

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If Kevin is still in touch with M.Cuscuna, perhaps he would be willing to ask him about the history of the LT covers.

If one discounts the metaphysical meaning of the photographs, they have a significantly more modern look to them, as opposed to the Lion-era BNs, which could have appealed to the younger consumer, ca.1978-1982.

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$7.98 list for the LT, iirc.

Was that an average price for a new LP back in 1980?

Dug up these stats on what things cost in 1980.

Money and Inflation 1980's

To provide an estimate of inflation we have given a guide to the value of $100 US Dollars for the first year in the decade to the equivalent in today's money

If you have $100 Converted from 1980 to 2005 it would be equivalent to $243.45 today

In 1980 a new house cost $68,714.00 and by 1989 was $120,00.00 Check Examples of Some of the Houses and Prices For Sale In The 80s in Our 80s Homes Section

In 1980 the average income per year was $19,170.00 and by 1989 was $27,210.00

In 1980 a gallon of gas was $1.19 and by 1989 was 97 cents

In 1980 the average cost of new car was $7,210.00 and by 1989 was $15,400.00

A few more prices from the 80's and how much things cost

Camaro Coupe $7,571 From Car Prices in the 80's

Pontiac Grand AM $9,965

Nike Air Force Basketball Shoes $54.90

Tailored Style Silk Blouse $15.99 From Prices for clothes and fashions in the 80's

Amiga 500 with Color Monitor $849 From Our 80s Electrical and Electronic Prices in the 80's

Hands Free Operating Car Phone History of Mobile Phones $788

Leg O Lamb $2.19 per pound

Milk 85 cents 1/2 gallon From Our 80s Price of Food Section

Bunk Beds with Mattress $148

Chrome Sling Chair $76.00 From Our Furniture Prices Section in the 80's

Cheer Laundry Detergent $1.59

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While w3're at it, let's not forget the Prestige 10" covers...they were a bit of a revelation for me....

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$7.98 list for the LT, iirc.

Was that an average price for a new LP back in 1980?

That and $8.98. I don't think that list hit $9.98 until a year or two later. Chuck would know for sure better than I.

Of course, that was list. Only chumps paid list.

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If Kevin is still in touch with M.Cuscuna, perhaps he would be willing to ask him about the history of the LT covers.

If one discounts the metaphysical meaning of the photographs, they have a significantly more modern look to them, as opposed to the Lion-era BNs, which could have appealed to the younger consumer, ca.1978-1982.

I remember really liking them when I first picked these up 'back in the day' when I was in that demographic. 'Very sophisticated' and sort of cryptic.

They look a bit of a period piece now but I still quite like them !

The first series at least was issued in the UK too (by UA/Transatlantic I think) and they were available for £2.99 (I paid £1.99 for many of them as deletions). The later issues were US-only, more expensive (£3.99 and up).

Edited by sidewinder
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Thing is, though, I don't think they were "marketing" them towards anybody. No ads, only occasional reviews, nothing even semi-resembling marketing going on.

I just pulled a random selection out to check the credits, and although the photography cedits varied, the art direction credit was consistent - Bill Burks. Anybody know him or about him? Just as Reid Miles created a consistent & identifiable style out of the necessity of economy, so did, under what I'm sure was a totally different dynamic, Bill Burks, albeit in a significantly more limited time.

And it looks like he was already working with BN before the LTs: http://www.discogs.c...t/Bill+Burks+(2) With an entirely different look, for an entirely different BN product.

If the look and feel - the what I find to be an unmistakable mood - of the LT covers was an "accident" it was a very fortunate one. But I bet there's some kind of story there....

Edited by JSngry
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