Chasin’ The Bird on Savoy
The other day I posted an item about a 10-inch Charlie Parker LP on Savoy selling for more than $1,300. I mentioned that I’d had two copies of these LP and was never sure which was the original cover. I figured that the one that sold for $1,335 was the original, but was not sure. So here are the two covers, side by side, and I’m still not sure which is original. Based on the packaging, I have a feeling the one on the right is the original. This is not the one that sold for $1,335. The one on the left has liner notes on the back, plus listings of other Savoy releases, including a bunch of 12-inch LPs, all the way up to Savoy 15021. The one on the right has a blank back. It also has the title: New Sounds in Modern Music. So our bet is that the Bird selling for $1,335
was not necessarily a first pressing. Anyone out there have the definitive answer? Also, since the free item I posted yesterday is Bird-related, and this post is as well, I dug into my old, old, old archives and will have another interesting Bird post later in the week. Please stay tuned.
thanks Al for the reproduction of the second cover. For the reasons you gave: a) no liner notes on the green one and the subtitle “New sounds in modern music”, b) liners on the Burt Goldblatt one with catalogue numbers even for 12″ LP’s, there is no doubt that the original first pressing is the green one. I for one am very happy to have the second version, which is more appealing.
What I like about the green cover, though, is the tagline: “As played by its Creator.” Especially, with the capital C on Creator, which is quite the nice touch.
I overlooked that detail: on the base of that preposterous tagline, I would say that the green MG-9000 is 1949-’51 vintage and thus definitely older than the Burt Goldblatt which went for over $ 1000.
Yes, the $1,300 record would be 1955, 1956 at the earliest. I would happily sell my copy for $1,300 if someone is interested. I’d even let it go for $1,250. 🙂
so would I, even having only one copy, whereas you have 2!
I wonder whether the Summer holiday period is ideal for sales of records. People may have other priorities to spend their money.
Euclid has a nice collection of 10″ Bird albums for auction at EBay. Closing in 2 1/2 days. The Savoy black and white and their coloured versions are listed. Wonder whether they will pass the 1000 dollar threshold. Or was the 1300 price a one off? We will know soon.
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I have a copy of the version of this 10″ record with the green cover but the back is not blank. It has listings of other Savoy records. Is this just a later printing? Hence less collectable and less valuable?
Does anyone know?
I looked at my copies. On volumes 1 and 2 there is no writing on the back, on volume 3 there is. These are definitely early pressings, because the next press had a different cover. I don’t know if they would have printed two different back covers at the beginning, so I would take a guess and think that perhaps the ones with the writing are very early second presses, but that is just a guess. The other thing is, the ones with the writing include a few 12-inch LPs, which really didn’t come around until 1955, so that would also lead me to believe the ones with the writing are perhaps a bit later.
I also noticed that the front cover picture is actually a picture glued to the cardboard cover. Do you or anyone else know if this is the way it was issued?
Aloha, I also found a Charlie Parker record no cover #6 songs like Millstone and Little Willy Leaps? Good record great music. Do not know much about Charlie Parker never saw him but liked his sax. It is for sale. Thanks. Mary
I have all four 10 inch Savoys in good order and all four 10″ Dials too in good order!
The original Savoys were in the coloured jackets (green, blue, red and yellow respectively) and had no advertising on the back – same with the Dials.
My Volumes 1-3 Savoys have no advertising on the back but my volume 4 has.
Were all Savoy MG 9000 series records first released with nothing on the back? If not which record did they start printing on the back of the covers?