SOLD – Thanks to everyone for their interest

Recordmecca.com is proud to offer what can truly be described as one of the rarest records in the world.

We have just listed on Discogs.com a previously unknown Canadian vinyl copy of Prince’s legendary The Black Album. In the 30 years since The Black Album was cancelled by Prince, no Canadian copy has ever surfaced—and in fact this extraordinary rarity had never even been rumored to exist.

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, only eight U.S. copies of the 1987 vinyl LP have surfaced.  Remarkably, five of these were discovered in 2017 by a former Warner Bros. Records employee in their closet.

Recordmecca owner Jeff Gold, a former Executive Vice President/General Manager of Warner Bros. who worked with Prince, sold the newly discovered copies for his former co-worker; the last copy selling at auction in February 2018 for $42,298.

Reading about the newly discovered copies of The Black Album in Rolling Stone, a former Canadian pressing plant employee contacted Gold with his own incredible story. In 1987 he was working at CBS’s Toronto pressing plant, which pressed records in Canada for Warner Bros. and other labels.  When The Black Album was cancelled and the copies that had been pressed marked for destruction, he kept a single copy for himself.  He never realized its rarity or value until reading about the 2017 discovery.  After considerable research and inspecting the album in person, Gold confirmed the authenticity of this ultra-rarity, and is now offering it for sale on Discogs, in conjunction with the Recordmecca.com website.  The price is $27,500.

The all-important vinyl disc is in Near Mint condition, having been played perhaps 2-3 times.  The black card stock cover, with just the catalog number printed on the spine, has minor scuffing and a few very minor small scratches, two of which have been carefully touched up with black ink.  The original off white paper innersleeve has handwritten pressing plant notations and a “Library” stamp.  As this copy was taken off the factory floor and never shrink wrapped, there are no stickers or shrink wrap.

For Prince collectors, and record collectors in general, this is a likely once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to obtain a unique rarity.  With Recordmecca’s written lifetime guarantee of authenticity.

Links:

Canadian Black Album for sale on Discogs

Original listing for sealed US Black Album, with more information about Prince pulling the album at the last minute

Rolling Stone article on discovery of sealed Black Albums

Report on Feb. 2018 sale of sealed Black Album for $42,298