The fact that you even started a thread asking advice shows that this record means the world to you. You don't want to sell it but you don't want to look like a fool for turning down such a large amount of cash. DON'T SELL IT, NEVER SELL IT and when you die BE BURIED WITH IT!!
since you truly in your heart do not want to sell this record, give him a price of $9000. if he says he's down to buy, SELL THAT SCHITT. unless i have an O.G. first pressing of Jesus talking to the Pharisees i'm selling ANY record I have for $9000. i have sold many grails from my collection over the years and i have not regretted letting ANY of them go, no matter how much I may have cherished them at one time. that's just me, though. as one man said, go with your heart... but as another man said, it's just a record.
since you truly in your heart do not want to sell this record, give him a price of $9000. if he says he's down to buy, SELL THAT SCHITT. unless i have an O.G. first pressing of Jesus talking to the Pharisees i'm selling ANY record I have for $9000. i have sold many grails from my collection over the years and i have not regretted letting ANY of them go, no matter how much I may have cherished them at one time. that's just me, though. as one man said, go with your heart... but as another man said, it's just a record.
I'd don't regret letting go of the few big things I've come across (although nothing even close to anything as cool or rare as the Psychedlic Aliens EP)!
No record (rare or "raer"),is not worth keeping (imo). I love records just as much as the next one but, there is a fine line. It took me many years to figure that out. I got to a point where I got satisfaction just giving records away, and seeing (or knowing) that the are happy with. These are both commons' and rares! I really have no regrets in getting rid of certain records that I have sold for an immense amount of money.
This might help you and this is something I have told myself & others on several occasions and to date,
"If it's been in your hands once. More than likely, you'll be able to find again."
Seriously, you are reissuing it Frank! That is more than enough than owning it and also, It's been documented with not only yourself, but with everyone on this open forum and beyond, that you have (or if you do decide to sell it), had this amazing record. That is something you can take with you and nobody else can take that personal experience which is rightfully yours.
Honestly, I just don't see the whole "Take it to the grave with you". If you love records just as much as anyone else on here, you'll give that opprotunity to the next cat or pass it on. I understand some people like to grip but seriously, that is a selfish thing to do and also, look at it from the groups perspective. They made that with the intention of it being heard, not lost forever. Again, the reissue you're doing, is helping on a larger scale and you feel obviously pretty strong about it, for others to hear for the first and others to recognize and remember!
Also (again..imo), It'd be dumb not to take a big offer on a record you probably paid close to nothing & the value of what you might be offered currently.
That money, could help you in the long run. Be it up and coming projects, helping out the individuals that part-took in the project, or the group, and anything along those lines.
Hope this was helpful & I'm sure you'll come to a conclusion, we all do sooner or later! Either way you look at it, it's a win/win for you
Frank, I sold one of my beloved Los Angeles records a year ago to another strutter for four figures. I did it because I was dead bent on proving to myself that I have no reason to keep something I paid a dollar for when money was offered for it - I didn't want to feel that tied to a material possession, I mean they are only records, it's not something I made.
I spent the money on whatever, it's gone and now so is the record and god dammit I'm mad I sold it. I know I'll never find it in the field again. I really regret that lesson I taught myself.
It's obvious that you are not ready to part with it. This record's legend just grows with you hanging onto it. When you ARE ready to let it go, it may command a high 4 figure / low 5 figure amount.
"If it's been in your hands once. More than likely, you'll be able to find again."
The fact there is a manufactured cover especially. I respect African covers are hard to source, but this was obviously produced in some type of quantity. Is this any more rare then Witch or Amanaz? I've seen more then one original for each of those titles in the last year or two. I know there is only 1 known cover for Aliens, but you mentioned there are 3 known copies, and it's still unknown outside of 2 forums and a blog. I suspect when the reissue drops, more people will look for it, more people will try to source it, and more will show. It doesn't matter how many places you dig or know of, someone will know someone you don't, and they'll have access to items you don't. I've sourced groups all over the world, including Iran and parts of S.E. Asia. Even in meeting band members, label heads, engineers and multiple collectors in those countries (as well as buying out a recording studio with all it's masters in Iran and private radio station in a S.E. Asian jungle), I was able to find another copy of a rarityf by mistake through someone else. Obviously this is very rare, but a manufactured cover of that caliber = found again at some point. The cover is the key. If there was no cover, I may think differently. Test Press and Promo lp's are a different story of course.
Thanx for all the input. At first, I thought I'd sell it. The idea of keeping a soon to be re-issued record that could bring in this kind of money just seemed crazy.
Something however held me back from taking any further steps because I had a problem attaching a price to it. How do you price something that's so close to being unique?
Then what really gave me to think was that I could almost already feel the regret of letting it go just thinking about it. Of course then I told myself it's crazy to feel an emotional attachment to something like a record.
I think Big Stacks hit it on the head when he said that you can't just value the object but also have to consider your feelings associated with it.
Or Dudreonomy whith "I'd keep it, because I'm sure the record is something that you will always associate with an amazing part of your life, something you wouldn't want to part with."
I found this record in a small suitcase cramped with 45s at a small drinking spot in Accra. I even took a picture there:
This was shortly after coming back from a weekend visit to NYC where by chance I had met with Jazzman Gerald and when we were talking about how much crazy and still fairly unknown stuff can be found in Africa. He mentioned the Psychedelic Aliens as an example of just how far out this stuff can get and I didn't even know about the record at the time. Gerald was referring to Malcolm Catto's copy which used to be the only copy known to exist.
When going through this crazy bag full of 45s, I found the cover at first so you can imagine my excitement and the suspense if the record would still be somewhere in there and if it would be in useable condition. Of course i was overjoyed when I finally pulled it out of there and it turned out to still play alright which is a very rare thing for 7" EPs since the grooves are so narrow and scratches and scuffs have much more impact than on a regular 45.
Later I found their other two 45s and managed to track down the organ player and bandleader who provided a lot of insight into the background of these recordings... and knowing more about these records and their history somehow makes them even more valuable to me and turns them into more than just objects which are just slightly crackely versions of what will soon be available on virgin vinyl. It would also feel wrong to just sell this one record when owning the full discography.
Another point for not selling it is that I don't really need the money. I'm not at all rich but I have no debt and I'm a man of very few material needs which I can easily satisfy by selling records that I have multiple copies of. If I would have a mortgage to pay it would be a different story. Or if selling it would be the only way I could finance my next trip back to Africa.
I have to admitt that it does feel slightly perverse having to think like this and seeing a record for more than just its monetary value but at the same time, isn't it only right to value some things higher than money?
I was genuinly conflicted here by the way and not just attempting to stir up a hype for our next re-issue.
"If it's been in your hands once. More than likely, you'll be able to find again."
The fact there is a manufactured cover especially. I respect African covers are hard to source, but this was obviously produced in some type of quantity. Is this any more rare then Witch or Amanaz? I've seen more then one original for each of those titles in the last year or two. I know there is only 1 known cover for Aliens, but you mentioned there are 3 known copies, and it's still unknown outside of 2 forums and a blog. I suspect when the reissue drops, more people will look for it, more people will try to source it, and more will show. It doesn't matter how many places you dig or know of, someone will know someone you don't, and they'll have access to items you don't. I've sourced groups all over the world, including Iran and parts of S.E. Asia. Even in meeting band members, label heads, engineers and multiple collectors in those countries (as well as buying out a recording studio with all it's masters in Iran and private radio station in a S.E. Asian jungle), I was able to find another copy of a rarityf by mistake through someone else. Obviously this is very rare, but a manufactured cover of that caliber = found again at some point. The cover is the key. If there was no cover, I may think differently. Test Press and Promo lp's are a different story of course. Of course everything is possible. As far as I know, there's one copy in England, owned by Malcolm Catto and the second copy is owned by a band member who lives in Australia. Both of those do not have the picture sleeve.
As far as African records go, I don't think that the fact that a picture sleeve was manufactured counts as evidence of a larger number of records being made.
The Psychedelic Aliens were relatively popular at their time but this also was very early. This record came out in 1969/70 and at this time only very few people in Ghana owned record players. Pretty much any Ghanaian record from this period is incredibly rare.
I have checked with all radio stations in Ghana and over the past 4 years have published over a dozen of newspaper adverts featuring a scan of the cover and never found another copy. Just last week, I had a full color ad on the front page of Ghana's biggest national newspaper. All I got was a very rough second sleeve without the record.
As far as records go, Ghana is very, very dry by now. I guess the biggest possibility for more copies to turn up would be with Ghanaians who live elswhere. I would say there definitely is a chance of more copies surfacing in the future, especially once the re-issue is out but the chance of me finding one is close to zero.
Frank, Ill put it this way...I will never sell the El Rego 45 I got from you (even though it would only bring in $50) for the simple fact that I know it came from the home and hands of the artist himself...significant provenance is one of the strongest reasons for not getting rid of things IMO.
In regards to the band member who has a copy...would it be worth passing on the lead to him, in case he might want to sell his copy (even though he might get less for it w/o cover)?
Frank, Ill put it this way...I will never sell the El Rego 45 I got from you (even though it would only bring in $50) for the simple fact that I know it came from the home and hands of the artist himself...significant provenance is one of the strongest reasons for not getting rid of things IMO.
Comments
My money's on ballin' ass Supreme.
Joni Mitchell couldn't have said it better
it's just a record
sell
Especially if the dude's talking 5k. That's an easy move in my mind.
i have sold many grails from my collection over the years and i have not regretted letting ANY of them go, no matter how much I may have cherished them at one time. that's just me, though. as one man said, go with your heart... but as another man said, it's just a record.
I'd don't regret letting go of the few big things I've come across (although nothing even close to anything as cool or rare as the Psychedlic Aliens EP)!
No record (rare or "raer"),is not worth keeping (imo). I love records just as much as the next one but, there is a fine line. It took me many years to figure that out. I got to a point where I got satisfaction just giving records away, and seeing (or knowing) that the are happy with. These are both commons' and rares! I really have no regrets in getting rid of certain records that I have sold for an immense amount of money.
This might help you and this is something I have told myself & others on several occasions and to date,
Seriously, you are reissuing it Frank! That is more than enough than owning it and also, It's been documented with not only yourself, but with everyone on this open forum and beyond, that you have (or if you do decide to sell it), had this amazing record. That is something you can take with you and nobody else can take that personal experience which is rightfully yours.
Honestly, I just don't see the whole "Take it to the grave with you". If you love records just as much as anyone else on here, you'll give that opprotunity to the next cat or pass it on. I understand some people like to grip but seriously, that is a selfish thing to do and also, look at it from the groups perspective. They made that with the intention of it being heard, not lost forever. Again, the reissue you're doing, is helping on a larger scale and you feel obviously pretty strong about it, for others to hear for the first and others to recognize and remember!
Also (again..imo), It'd be dumb not to take a big offer on a record you probably paid close to nothing & the value of what you might be offered currently.
That money, could help you in the long run. Be it up and coming projects, helping out the individuals that part-took in the project, or the group, and anything along those lines.
Hope this was helpful & I'm sure you'll come to a conclusion, we all do sooner or later! Either way you look at it, it's a win/win for you
Peace,
Adrian(age)
It's ALIENS, the record company added the other L for dubious reasons without the bands knowledge.
this.
Possessions, in the end, can entrap us. Learn to let go so that later on -if and when loss occurs - it's not unfamiliar.
And really, it's just a record. Unless it's an acetate, then well, all bets are off.
It's obvious that you are not ready to part with it. This record's legend just grows with you hanging onto it. When you ARE ready to let it go, it may command a high 4 figure / low 5 figure amount.
If you are a baller and $5k means nothing to you then of course keep it.
The fact there is a manufactured cover especially. I respect African covers are hard to source, but this was obviously produced in some type of quantity. Is this any more rare then Witch or Amanaz? I've seen more then one original for each of those titles in the last year or two. I know there is only 1 known cover for Aliens, but you mentioned there are 3 known copies, and it's still unknown outside of 2 forums and a blog. I suspect when the reissue drops, more people will look for it, more people will try to source it, and more will show. It doesn't matter how many places you dig or know of, someone will know someone you don't, and they'll have access to items you don't. I've sourced groups all over the world, including Iran and parts of S.E. Asia. Even in meeting band members, label heads, engineers and multiple collectors in those countries (as well as buying out a recording studio with all it's masters in Iran and private radio station in a S.E. Asian jungle), I was able to find another copy of a rarityf by mistake through someone else. Obviously this is very rare, but a manufactured cover of that caliber = found again at some point. The cover is the key. If there was no cover, I may think differently. Test Press and Promo lp's are a different story of course.
At first, I thought I'd sell it. The idea of keeping a soon to be re-issued record that could bring in this kind of money just seemed crazy.
Something however held me back from taking any further steps because I had a problem attaching a price to it.
How do you price something that's so close to being unique?
Then what really gave me to think was that I could almost already feel the regret of letting it go just thinking about it. Of course then I told myself it's crazy to feel an emotional attachment to something like a record.
I think Big Stacks hit it on the head when he said that you can't just value the object but also have to consider your feelings associated with it.
Or Dudreonomy whith "I'd keep it, because I'm sure the record is something that you will always associate with an amazing part of your life, something you wouldn't want to part with."
I found this record in a small suitcase cramped with 45s at a small drinking spot in Accra. I even took a picture there:
This was shortly after coming back from a weekend visit to NYC where by chance I had met with Jazzman Gerald and when we were talking about how much crazy and still fairly unknown stuff can be found in Africa. He mentioned the Psychedelic Aliens as an example of just how far out this stuff can get and I didn't even know about the record at the time. Gerald was referring to Malcolm Catto's copy which used to be the only copy known to exist.
When going through this crazy bag full of 45s, I found the cover at first so you can imagine my excitement and the suspense if the record would still be somewhere in there and if it would be in useable condition. Of course i was overjoyed when I finally pulled it out of there and it turned out to still play alright which is a very rare thing for 7" EPs since the grooves are so narrow and scratches and scuffs have much more impact than on a regular 45.
Later I found their other two 45s and managed to track down the organ player and bandleader who provided a lot of insight into the background of these recordings... and knowing more about these records and their history somehow makes them even more valuable to me and turns them into more than just objects which are just slightly crackely versions of what will soon be available on virgin vinyl. It would also feel wrong to just sell this one record when owning the full discography.
Another point for not selling it is that I don't really need the money. I'm not at all rich but I have no debt and I'm a man of very few material needs which I can easily satisfy by selling records that I have multiple copies of. If I would have a mortgage to pay it would be a different story. Or if selling it would be the only way I could finance my next trip back to Africa.
I have to admitt that it does feel slightly perverse having to think like this and seeing a record for more than just its monetary value but at the same time, isn't it only right to value some things higher than money?
I was genuinly conflicted here by the way and not just attempting to stir up a hype for our next re-issue.
The fact there is a manufactured cover especially. I respect African covers are hard to source, but this was obviously produced in some type of quantity. Is this any more rare then Witch or Amanaz? I've seen more then one original for each of those titles in the last year or two. I know there is only 1 known cover for Aliens, but you mentioned there are 3 known copies, and it's still unknown outside of 2 forums and a blog. I suspect when the reissue drops, more people will look for it, more people will try to source it, and more will show. It doesn't matter how many places you dig or know of, someone will know someone you don't, and they'll have access to items you don't. I've sourced groups all over the world, including Iran and parts of S.E. Asia. Even in meeting band members, label heads, engineers and multiple collectors in those countries (as well as buying out a recording studio with all it's masters in Iran and private radio station in a S.E. Asian jungle), I was able to find another copy of a rarityf by mistake through someone else. Obviously this is very rare, but a manufactured cover of that caliber = found again at some point. The cover is the key. If there was no cover, I may think differently. Test Press and Promo lp's are a different story of course.
Of course everything is possible.
As far as I know, there's one copy in England, owned by Malcolm Catto and the second copy is owned by a band member who lives in Australia. Both of those do not have the picture sleeve.
As far as African records go, I don't think that the fact that a picture sleeve was manufactured counts as evidence of a larger number of records being made.
The Psychedelic Aliens were relatively popular at their time but this also was very early. This record came out in 1969/70 and at this time only very few people in Ghana owned record players. Pretty much any Ghanaian record from this period is incredibly rare.
I have checked with all radio stations in Ghana and over the past 4 years have published over a dozen of newspaper adverts featuring a scan of the cover and never found another copy. Just last week, I had a full color ad on the front page of Ghana's biggest national newspaper. All I got was a very rough second sleeve without the record.
As far as records go, Ghana is very, very dry by now. I guess the biggest possibility for more copies to turn up would be with Ghanaians who live elswhere. I would say there definitely is a chance of more copies surfacing in the future, especially once the re-issue is out but the chance of me finding one is close to zero.
Unfortunately, there's no cover and it can't play due to condition issues. Who wants to buy?
Dress
thats some big league shit right there