Prince – Original 1987 German “Black Album” 1st Pressing LP, with Lifetime Guarantee
Recordmecca is proud to offer an original 1987 German vinyl first pressing of Prince’s ultra-rare The Black Album.
According to the comprehensive website The Black Album Info, “Of the 500,000 German copies known to have been pressed, around 50 records are likely to have escaped destruction.” This is one of those ultra rare copies, literally saved from destruction in an incinerator (more below).
Recordmecca’s Jeff Gold is a former Warner Bros. Records executive vice president/general manager who worked closely with Prince. He has located and sold a majority of the authentic copies of The Black Album to have surfaced, including five sealed copies owned by a former Warner Bros. executive (the last of which sold in 2018 for $42,298.) and the only known Canadian Black Album (which sold for $27,500.)
Prince cancelled The Black Album one week before its planned release in December 1987; and paid for the destruction of more than 500,000 copies that had already been produced. In the 30 years since, fewer than ten original U.S. copies of the vinyl LP have surfaced.
- The orange triangle must contain a “33” in white font. If “33” is printed in black, the album is a counterfeit.
- The sleeve must be all black with the no printing except for the catalog number (UK: WX 147 925 677) in orange on the spine and top edge.
- The back cover must have a black rectangular sticker with with the bar code in black and white, and the label name, address, copyright notice and catalog number printed in orange.
- At the bottom of the back cover, below the sticker, there must be an embossed Warner Communications “W” logo.
- The labels must be black with orange type, aligned exactly as in the photographs here, with no mention of Prince.
- The matrixes must contain the following stamped information:
Side A: R/S Alsdorf 925677-1-A or 1-A2
Side B: R/S Alsdorf 925677-1-B
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