Description: Recently discovered stowed away in his attic, a former Warner Bros Record Executive found 5 sealed first pressing copies of the 1987 Prince album that was never publicly distributed nor made available for purchase in 1987! BLUE CHIP INVESTMENT OF A LIFETIME SEALED MINT CERTIFIED AUTHENTIC US 1ST PRESSING OF PRINCE'S 1987 THE BLACK ALBUM π₯ π₯ π₯ One of the rarest vinyl records in the world!! An Original 1987 US First Pressing of Prince The Black Album LP Vinyl Record with Explicit Lyrics Sticker (Warner Bros., 9 25677-1) STILL SEALED IN IT'S ORIGINAL SHRINK WRAP WITH HYPE STICKERS AND 4 SHARP CORNERS IN MINT CONDITION Only 5 copies known to exist!...in the entire world! The Holy Grail Prince Album! ONLY 5 KNOWN original US 1st PRESSINGS EXIST!!! PRINCE β Factory Sealed 1987 U.S. βBlack Albumβ LP β One Of The Rarest Records In The World π₯ π₯ π₯ Includes Two Hand Signed Certificates of Authenticity from Warner Bros Executives in ballpoint ink!! Storied history below.. This is a very rare Mint, Sealed and Graded US first pressing of the Prince album he decided to pull before its release date due to personal reasons. Always called commercially The Black Album but it is also known as The Funk Bible, the eight-track album was to be released on December 8, 1987. The album was meant to be a surprise to the world, as no advance copies were slated for release to the press. Prince was a superstar with many hit singles and albums to his name, and this was a follow-up to Sign o' the Times. But a week before its release, the artist Prince decided to pull it, claiming the album was evil. Nearly 500,000 copies were made in the United States to be sold, and Warner Bros Records destroyed them all prior to being distributed by any stores. (A proper, two-month-only release of the album happened in late 1994.) Per the signed LOA by former VP of Production at Warner Bros. Records Richard Wietsma (which is included in this lot), his daughter opened a box of records and discovered five sealed first pressings of The 1987 Black Album 30 years later. This copy is one of the five!!! Intact on the cover is the black hype sticker, denoting "Explicit Lyrics / Parental Advisory / (1-25677)" in pink. And on the back is another hype sticker, denoting the "1-25677" catalog number above the bar code of "0 7599-25677-1 8" below it, along with small, clear lettering (in pink), denoting its copyright as "1987 Warner Bros. Records." (Note: the front hype sticker is different than the 1994 release, which denoted "Prince / the legendary Black Album / Limited Edition" and a different catalog number. The lot comes with an LOA by Warner Bros Executive Richard Wiestma (whose signature is live and in blue ballpoint ink) and an LOA by Jeffrey Gold of RECORDMECCA and former Executive VP of Warner Bros Music (also with a live signature in blue ink). Ships FREE FedEx 2 Day Fully Insured
Price: 42000 USD
Location: Saint Petersburg, Florida
End Time: 2024-12-03T05:19:02.000Z
Shipping Cost: N/A USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Artist: Prince
Composer: Prince
Record Label: Warner Bros.
Release Title: The Black Album
Color: Black
Material: Vinyl
Inlay Condition: Mint (M)
Edition: First Pressing, 1st Pressing, Authenticated, Black Album, Explicit Lyrics, Holy Grail, LOA, Prince, Sealed, US, United States, authentic
Type: LP
Format: Record
Record Grading: Mint (M)
Release Year: 1987
Sleeve Grading: Mint (M)
Era: 1980s
Record Size: 12"
Features: Original Cover, Original Inner Sleeve, Sealed, 1987, Authentic, Authenticated, Holy Grail, LOA, Mint, Prince, Rare, The Black Album, US, United States, Unopened
Genre: Pop, R&B & Soul, Rock
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States