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Things Written On Used LPs You've Picked Up


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Years ago, at a thrift store, I picked up Sgt. Barry Sadler's "Green Berets" album because of the stuff written on the back.

At the top left margin, on the back it says, "To Donna."

In the margin between the track listing and liner notes, it says:

I like

navy

army

airforce

green berets

marines

coast guard

etc.

Vietnam

At the bottom margin, it says:

"I feel sorry for the men who have to fight in war. I will write or do anything for the men and boys in war. Viet Nam."

Several words in the liner notes are underlined, such as "combat," "missions," "fighting force," etc.

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I have a number of LPs stamped "Stolen from Brother Ben", a Magic Sam autographed across the label (the sleeve is missing, I bought it in another sleeve) and I gave my brother a copy of the deluxe dbl CD of Howlin' Wolf London Sessions with an efuusive dedication from the producer, Norman Dayron, to his then new neighbours...

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My copy of the Frank Rosaly 12" has lipstick on the sleeve. The story behind that is he said he was sending me one "sealed with a kiss." And I said "okay, it'd better be." Lo and behold he put lipstick on and kissed it.

Also have a copy of Marc Levin's "Songs, Dances & Prayers" that was signed with a beautiful dedication to Bill Dixon, acquired after the maestro passed and his LP collection (i.e., not his own work) was divested.

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My copy of the Frank Rosaly 12" has lipstick on the sleeve. The story behind that is he said he was sending me one "sealed with a kiss." And I said "okay, it'd better be." Lo and behold he put lipstick on and kissed it.

Also have a copy of Marc Levin's "Songs, Dances & Prayers" that was signed with a beautiful dedication to Bill Dixon, acquired after the maestro passed and his LP collection (i.e., not his own work) was divested.

Are you sure he is the one who kissed it?

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Lots of used LPs that I bought from the Jazz Record Mart over the years are signed by their former owner. Can't quite decipher his flowing script, but it's something like "RJ Guyon." Perhaps Chuck knows who he is. Also, from the same source, a good many from a fellow who used the name "King Rip" -- a DJ, I assume, because he commented in Magic Marker on the nature of each track (e.g. "up-tempo swinger") and gave its timing.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I had Few sign my copy of his Center of the World LP, More or Less Few. He drew a big goofy smiley face on the cover. Priceless.

Used to own a copy of the Cairo Free Jazz Ensemble that was gifted to the Sun Ra Arkestra Family from Hartmut Geerken (the leader). Record wasn't very good so I flipped it for over $500 bucks. The dedication was cool but being tight on cash and not being into the music, I was glad to send it overseas.

I've got a couple of LPs dedicated to Bill Dixon from his collection.

Steve Lacy wrote a nice note when I had him sign my LP of "School Days" - sweet guy.


I have a copy of Frank Wright's "Eddie's Back in Town" dedicated to its former owner by the Reverend. He's one of my favorite saxophonists, so it's really special to have something that passed through his hands.

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That's very cool...it would be even cooler if it was the original circular FMP logo issue? Or wait..is it rather even nerdier haha?

I got Han and Peter to sign my "schwarzwaldfaht"(spelling?) LP years ago...that looks pretty nice. And the entire Monk's Dream 4tet signed my gig flyer for the show..so it's sorta cool to have Lacy, Rudd et al on the same page.

As for used Lps I've picked up...I'm probably most proud of finding an archive copy of "the living music" on Quasar with Schlippenbach's signature on it many moons ago.

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Nah, white cover issue. I wish I had the original pressing but alas mine also has a white sleeve (tho the record is crisp).

oh, my copy of Glenn Spearman's Night after Night LP has his autograph on the back, nice and discreet.

AND I bought a near mint Liberty copy of Gyllen Cirkeln vol. 1 from an online seller back in the late 90s, and it wasn't noted in the description that there was a signature on the back.... from Ornette himself! haha

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As "things WRITTEN on LPs" that we have picked up, do "things stamped or glued" on these LPs count too?

One example ... years ago I picked up a clean secondhand copy of Mose Allison's "Young Man Mose" on Prestige (period-correct Metronome pressing) and according to the stamping on the back cover it was previously owned by Hans-Wolf Schneider (HaWe Schneider to those in the know) of Spree City Stompers fame (well-known 50s-60s German revival jazz band of whom HaWe was the leader) and active as a jazz impresario.

Just like other contibutors here, I also have quite a few of those where previous owners have carefully annotated each title on the back cover with their individual Down Beat-style rating of stars or dots, and in at least one case (which I cannot locate right now) one earlier owner was displeased enough with part of the LP that he wrote out the words RUBBISH next to one or two tracks! :lol:

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Yeah I guess I could have too come to think of it but it's not really my favorite session you know?

I vastly prefer "the living music" or "nipples"...

Nipples is the only one of those three I listen to with any regularity.

There's a nice warm-up session of The Living Music with Derek Bailey added. I do like that tune "Wave."

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Not on the album cover itself, but tucked within the cover of a used LP I bought was a little cardboard card. It's printed on one side. If one were to fold this in half, it would stand up and on one side reads:

To keep up with the happenings of

The Chuck Travis Quartet

& The Big Band

Fill in your name and address below

with an area to write one's name and address. On the opposite side, it reads

Your Requests played by

The Chuck Travis Quartet

with a few lines on which one could write one's musical requests. On the back of this card, in black ink, is written

Best Regards,

Cal Tjader

I wonder if Mr. Tjader had sat in as a special guest of Mr. Travis' group one evening or if he was just sitting in the audience and some one approached him for an autograph. I'm guessing the store I bought this album (Soul Sauce by Cal Tjader) from hadn't even noticed this card stashed inside because the album was in almost perfect condition for only $4.

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Picked up this past Sunday:

George Lewis - Oh, Didn't He Ramble (Verve), with autographs of "Truly, George Lewis" & "Dave Oxley Drums & Vocals", of whom I have never heard, and who is not on the record in question, but who has a very distinctive signature.

Jazz of the Connecticut Traditional Jazz Club (Conntrad Jazz) - with autographs galore! On the front cover - "Best Wishes To Lou, John (?)" & "To Lou, Best Of Luck, Jo (?) Jr.". On the back cover - "Doc Cheatham", "Earle Warren, Alto Sax", "Dill Jones", "Benny Morton", "Thanks, Paul Quinichete (? - only one "t"!?!", and "Eddie Durham".

Appearing on the album (a complication of various live performances by various groups) in musical but not autographical form are Vic Dickenson, Buddy Tate, Bill Crow, and (surely not the "Lou" of the autographitorial dedications) Lou Levy.

$14 for the pair, easily worth FIFTY BAJILLION DOLLARS to the right buyer, at auction.

[EDIT] I would appear to be remiss in not knowing at least the name of Dave Oxley! http://www.knowla.org/entry/1846/

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Talking about records with autographs you picked up, arund the year 2000/2001 I picked up a relatively early Verve pressing of "The Tal Farlow Album" that had Tal Farlow's autograph on the front cover and despite this extra bonus wasn't even priced excessively.

And where did I pick it up? At PARIS JAZZ CORNER, of all places - the very same place that recently published the biography of Tal Farlow as their first book venture (great book, BTW).

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  • 2 months later...

On the back cover of my red vinyl (!!) copy of

pandit_tropical_magic.jpg

is written in blue ink:

to Mike

Sincerely

Korla Pandit

then, sort of beside that in black ink, but seemingly in the same handwriting is:

-- I Predict the Giants will win the Pennant

July 6, 1961

Good luck --

(A Wikipedia check shows the SF Giants finished the 1961 season in third place, eight games behind the Reds.)

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