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Vintage Signed Records
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When companies like Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) are asked to verify the authenticity of baseball autographs, they routinely reject more than half of the Babe Ruth signatures they are hired to review. Signatures by musicians and...
When companies like Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) are asked to verify the authenticity of baseball autographs, they routinely reject more than half of the Babe Ruth signatures they are hired to review. Signatures by musicians and singers are generally not that bad, but you definitely want to make sure you know what you are about to purchase before you drop big bucks on an LP or 45 purportedly signed by Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, or members of The Beatles, whose signatures are among the most forged in music. Make sure you are buying from a reputable seller, who enjoys positive feedback from other collectors, but don’t rely too much on Certificates of Authentication (COAs)—such documents are not worth paper they’re printed on if they don’t come with a money-back guarantee.
Signatures on vintage vinyl records tend to be on the records’ jackets, often scrawled anywhere—unlike baseballs, there is no “sweet spot” for signatures on a record jacket. This is especially true for a signature executed for a crazed fan as a musician made his or her way from a tour bus or limousine into a club or concert hall. Like a guitar being played through an effects pedal, the signature is usually distorted.
The type of record whose sleeve or jacket bears a particular musician’s signature varies based on when that artist was making records. Elvis Presley records, for example, were sold as 78s, 45s, and LPs, so you might look for the King’s signature on the sleeve of the 1954 release of “That’s All Right” released by Sun Records. RCA 78s include “Blue Suede Shoes” from 1956, which was also pressed as a 45 and featured “Tutti Frutti” as the B-side. Those two songs were also the first songs of sides 1 and 2 of Elvis’ first LP for RCA, which was titled simply “Elvis Presley.” Short of an Elvis signature, look for Elvis records signed by some of the musicians who played with him, most notably guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black.
Beatles record collectors also gravitate to that band’s source discs, such as the group’s first single, "Love Me Do," which was released in the U.K. on October 5, 1962 by Parlophone. A signed copy of that 45 is surely some sort of Holy Grail, but just as fun to collect are the early U.S. singles on Vee-Jay and Capitol Records. The sleeves for singles from “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!” also benefit by the signatures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, or Ringo Starr, as do covers labeled either mono and stereo for Beatles albums such as “Magical Mystery Tour” from 1967, which was the last mono Beatles album to be released in the U.S.
Fans of Pink Floyd’s early years search for records graced with the signature of Syd Barrett. Because the band’s first LP, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” from 1967, was also the last Pink Floyd album to featuring Barrett as the band’s leader, it’s a favorite for autograph hounds. But most Floyd fans are probably thrilled to get their hands on a copy of "Dark Side of the Moon" (1973) or "The Wall" (1979) signed by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, or Richard Wright. Similarly, a Rolling Stones record with a Brian Jones signature is a treasure, but a very good consolation prize is a vintage Stones album bearing the autograph of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor, or Ronnie Wood. If you are really fortunate, you might find a copy of the band’s 1971 classic, “Sticky Fingers,” signed by its designer, Andy Warhol, although many “Warhol” signatures were actually the work of his studio assistants.
The Stones, of course, made a career of borrowing the rhythms and riffs of African American blues and R&B artists for their repertoire, and then repackaging those historic sounds for white audiences. No wonder, then, that some collectors of vintage signed records want the real deal, from a Muddy Waters signature on a 1968 copy of “Electric Mud” to a Willie Dixon autograph on a 45 for a song he wrote, but that Howlin’ Wolf first recorded in 1961, called “Little Red Rooster” (the Stones covered that tune in 1964). Other blues and soul artists whose signatures are coveted include B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye.
The Grateful Dead also covered “Little Red Rooster,” with Bob Weir doing the vocals, but the signed copies of “Dead Set,” which features a live version of the tune recorded in 1980, that are most prized by collectors are those with the signature of Jerry Garcia. Other bands from the psychedelic ’60s whose members’ signatures are collectible include The Doors (Jim Morrison), Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin), Jefferson Airplane (Grace Slick), and Buffalo Springfield (Neil Young and Stephen Stills).
Continue readingWhen companies like Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) are asked to verify the authenticity of baseball autographs, they routinely reject more than half of the Babe Ruth signatures they are hired to review. Signatures by musicians and singers are generally not that bad, but you definitely want to make sure you know what you are about to purchase before you drop big bucks on an LP or 45 purportedly signed by Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, or members of The Beatles, whose signatures are among the most forged in music. Make sure you are buying from a reputable seller, who enjoys positive feedback from other collectors, but don’t rely too much on Certificates of Authentication (COAs)—such documents are not worth paper they’re printed on if they don’t come with a money-back guarantee.
Signatures on vintage vinyl records tend to be on the records’ jackets, often scrawled anywhere—unlike baseballs, there is no “sweet spot” for signatures on a record jacket. This is especially true for a signature executed for a crazed fan as a musician made his or her way from a tour bus or limousine into a club or concert hall. Like a guitar being played through an effects pedal, the signature is usually distorted.
The type of record whose sleeve or jacket bears a particular musician’s signature varies based on when that artist was making records. Elvis Presley records, for example, were sold as 78s, 45s, and LPs, so you might look for the King’s signature on the sleeve of the 1954 release of “That’s All Right” released by Sun Records. RCA 78s include “Blue Suede Shoes” from 1956, which was also pressed as a 45 and featured “Tutti Frutti” as the B-side. Those two songs were also the first songs of sides 1 and 2 of Elvis’ first LP for RCA, which was titled simply “Elvis Presley.” Short of an Elvis signature, look for Elvis records signed by some of the musicians who played with him, most notably guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black.
Beatles record...
When companies like Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) are asked to verify the authenticity of baseball autographs, they routinely reject more than half of the Babe Ruth signatures they are hired to review. Signatures by musicians and singers are generally not that bad, but you definitely want to make sure you know what you are about to purchase before you drop big bucks on an LP or 45 purportedly signed by Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, or members of The Beatles, whose signatures are among the most forged in music. Make sure you are buying from a reputable seller, who enjoys positive feedback from other collectors, but don’t rely too much on Certificates of Authentication (COAs)—such documents are not worth paper they’re printed on if they don’t come with a money-back guarantee.
Signatures on vintage vinyl records tend to be on the records’ jackets, often scrawled anywhere—unlike baseballs, there is no “sweet spot” for signatures on a record jacket. This is especially true for a signature executed for a crazed fan as a musician made his or her way from a tour bus or limousine into a club or concert hall. Like a guitar being played through an effects pedal, the signature is usually distorted.
The type of record whose sleeve or jacket bears a particular musician’s signature varies based on when that artist was making records. Elvis Presley records, for example, were sold as 78s, 45s, and LPs, so you might look for the King’s signature on the sleeve of the 1954 release of “That’s All Right” released by Sun Records. RCA 78s include “Blue Suede Shoes” from 1956, which was also pressed as a 45 and featured “Tutti Frutti” as the B-side. Those two songs were also the first songs of sides 1 and 2 of Elvis’ first LP for RCA, which was titled simply “Elvis Presley.” Short of an Elvis signature, look for Elvis records signed by some of the musicians who played with him, most notably guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black.
Beatles record collectors also gravitate to that band’s source discs, such as the group’s first single, "Love Me Do," which was released in the U.K. on October 5, 1962 by Parlophone. A signed copy of that 45 is surely some sort of Holy Grail, but just as fun to collect are the early U.S. singles on Vee-Jay and Capitol Records. The sleeves for singles from “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!” also benefit by the signatures of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, or Ringo Starr, as do covers labeled either mono and stereo for Beatles albums such as “Magical Mystery Tour” from 1967, which was the last mono Beatles album to be released in the U.S.
Fans of Pink Floyd’s early years search for records graced with the signature of Syd Barrett. Because the band’s first LP, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” from 1967, was also the last Pink Floyd album to featuring Barrett as the band’s leader, it’s a favorite for autograph hounds. But most Floyd fans are probably thrilled to get their hands on a copy of "Dark Side of the Moon" (1973) or "The Wall" (1979) signed by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, or Richard Wright. Similarly, a Rolling Stones record with a Brian Jones signature is a treasure, but a very good consolation prize is a vintage Stones album bearing the autograph of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor, or Ronnie Wood. If you are really fortunate, you might find a copy of the band’s 1971 classic, “Sticky Fingers,” signed by its designer, Andy Warhol, although many “Warhol” signatures were actually the work of his studio assistants.
The Stones, of course, made a career of borrowing the rhythms and riffs of African American blues and R&B artists for their repertoire, and then repackaging those historic sounds for white audiences. No wonder, then, that some collectors of vintage signed records want the real deal, from a Muddy Waters signature on a 1968 copy of “Electric Mud” to a Willie Dixon autograph on a 45 for a song he wrote, but that Howlin’ Wolf first recorded in 1961, called “Little Red Rooster” (the Stones covered that tune in 1964). Other blues and soul artists whose signatures are coveted include B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye.
The Grateful Dead also covered “Little Red Rooster,” with Bob Weir doing the vocals, but the signed copies of “Dead Set,” which features a live version of the tune recorded in 1980, that are most prized by collectors are those with the signature of Jerry Garcia. Other bands from the psychedelic ’60s whose members’ signatures are collectible include The Doors (Jim Morrison), Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin), Jefferson Airplane (Grace Slick), and Buffalo Springfield (Neil Young and Stephen Stills).
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