Sammy Davis Jr. LPs with Maynard Ferguson


SAMMY DAVIS JR., CARMEN McRAE, PORGY AND BESS (MONO) -- Decca DL 8854

Until recently, we MF fans didn't know that Maynard was on this LP. But a CD entitled Boy Meets Girl was recently released, and in includes the tunes from this Porgy and Bess LP. Maynard is definitely listed in the album credits. Buddy Bregman is conducting, and Maynard is present on Bess, You Is My Woman Now and Oh, Bess, Oh Where's My Bess (10/9/58), and A Woman Is a Sometime Thing and It Ain't Necessarily So (10/28/58). Wow! What next?
COPY #1. The cover on this one has a couple of corner bends, a 1" seam crack at bottom center, and a small name written on the back. I'd rate it as EX-. The vinyl has quite a few light surface scratches, and it rates a VG. A decent, but not perfect copy, this one is just $7.00.
COPY #2. This one is clean and nice on the front, with just a very slight corner bend at lower right. Both seams have been repaired with clear tape, but it's hard to detect. On the back, there's a torn spot where a price sticker was removed. So the cover is just average -- VG. The vinyl has quite a few scuffs and light scratches. I test played portions and it was pretty decent, with good fidelity, and just a bit of background noise, but I did detect a skip, so I'm going to rate it as POOR. Overall, it's just GOOD (which means NOT GOOD in English). Just a space filler, but quite OK for listening, it's $2.00.

SAMMY DAVIS JR., CARMEN McRAE, PORGY AND BESS (STEREO) -- Decca DL 78854

Just like the version above, this is merely the STEREO version. The cover is slightly different graphically, and of course, the vinyl is pressed in STEREO.
COPY #1. The cover on this one is relatively clean and nice, but there's a core hole at upper right (a cut-out) and there's a little cracking to the spine and some careful repairs to the bottom seam. Due to these flaws, the cover, which is otherwise clean and nice, only rates an EX-. The disc has clean and nice labels, and the vinyl itself has a few very light surface scuffs and scratches. It rates an EX -- a solid copy. Overall, this one is EX- to EX. Due to the core hole, it's just $7.00.
COPY #2. Just in, the cover on this one has a tiny spindle hole at upper right (a cut-out item). The hole is very tiny, and otherwise, the cover is NMINT. Let's call it EX due to the spindle hole. The vinyl is a nice EX+. Overall, this copy is EX to EX+. A nice solid disc. Yours for $8.00.



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