Newbury, Mickey

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

	'Frisco Mabel Joy Used - LP - EKS-74107 1971 US original Santa Maria pressing housed in a EX die-cut jacket with original custom photo printed inner sleeve. "Mickey Newbury jumped from Mercury to Elektra and in 1970 recorded the second album of his amazing trilogy that began with It Looks Like Rain, and concluded with Heaven Help the Child. Produced by songwriter Dennis Linde and recorded at Cinderella Sound, the same converted garage studio where It Looks Like Rain had been made, 'Frisco Mabel Joy adapts its title from a song on the previous album. Once again, texture, atmosphere, and above all mood and mystery are the central tenets of what would become Newbury's trademark sound. The album opens with Newbury's arrangement of what he called, "The American Trilogy," a suite containing three songs that have their origin in the Civil War. If this sounds familiar, it is: Elvis Presley made a much more bombastic version of this the centerpiece of his Vegas shows. Newbury's version, full of soft strings, guitars, Charlie McCoy's haunting harmonica bleeding into a muted brass section, is full of drama and pathos. 'Frisco Mabel Joy moves into an entire series of songs that talk of dislocation, emptiness, and endless searching through regret, remorse, and ultimately acceptance and resignation. And Newbury's vocal abilities are just astonishing. He has a different voice for literally every song. It is tempting to write about every single song here, but it would be fruitless because Newbury's tunes are so slippery, enigmatic, and mercurial. They shift shape and disappear the moment one tries to pin them down. And if the stories and arrangements aren't enough to confound and inspire the listener, the melodies, all of which have their roots in country music, are even much more simply deceptive, they turn in on themselves and extend each measure with complex phrasing and mode changes, that they extend far beyond their conventionally notated margins. Frisco Mabel Joy is a masterpiece." All Music Guide – Thom Jurek more
	Frisco Mabel Joy Used - LP - DC-475 2011 US Reissue with die cut cover and printed inner sleeve. Shrink wrap still intact with custom hype sticker. more
	Frisco Mabel Joy New - LP - EQ-4107 Sealed 1973 Original With Pacific Stereo Sticker On Wrap. Acclaimed Recording Artist, And A Member Of The Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Mickey Did His Time Writing Songs For Many Popular Acts And Produced Many Of His Own LPs. Includes His Most Famous Song, "An American Trilogy," Later Made Famous By Elvis Presley. Tiny Corner Rubs. more
	Frisco Mabel Joy New - LP - EKS 74107 Sealed 1971 Die-Cut Cover Original. more
	Frisco Mabel Joy New - LP - EKS 74107 Sealed 1971 Die-Cut Cover Original. more
	Heaven Help The Child Used - LP - EKS-75055 Beautiful 1973 US original Santa Maria pressing; EX/NM- copy overall. Few rub spots on spine edge. Housed in the original custom die-cut jacket & printed card stock inner sleeve. "After issuing two solid critical successes that went nowhere commercially, Mickey Newbury was more determined than ever to get the idea of his music across to the American public. He was also hellbent on challenging Nashville's stolid, conservative way of recording, producing, marketing and selling music. He failed on both counts but left another stunner of an album along the way. Heaven Help the Child opens with the title track, a wondrously arranged and gorgeously sung three-generational American Odyssey that offers, despite its tragedy, the clearly visible line of hope on a distant yet attainable horizon. Also included here are three definitive interpretations of songs from his very first album, Harlequin Melodies: "Sunshine" "Sweet Memories," and "Good Morning Dear." These songs haven't been re-recorded so much as reinvented from the ground up. Newbury changes pace with an awesome dobro-drenched, country-rock singalong, "Why You Been Gone So Long." "Cortelia Clark," a tale of a young man and an older, blind black musician coming to the train yards in Georgia, is one of Newbury's great achievements as a songwriter. Acoustic guitars and strings woo each other through his mellifluous tenor, and offer a coming of age tale that is both morally instructive and imagistically evocative; only Newbury could tell a story that echoed the blues of the '20s and '30s and the folk songs of the '40s and '50s. The album closes with the Bob Beckham-produced reinvention of "San Francisco Mabel Joy" and it's a punch-in-the-gut way to conclude an album. With Heaven Help the Child, Newbury, for the third time in as many recording sessions, came up with a record that defies categorization. And for the third time in a row, he had done the impossible, created a masterpiece, a work of perfection." All Music Guide – Thom Jurek more
	His Eye Is On The Sparrow New - LP - HA 44011 Sealed 1978 Original With MCA Embossed Catalog Number On Jacket. “His Eye Is On The Sparrow Is One Of Mickey Newbury's Prettiest Records. It's Intimate In A Way That None Of His Others Are; It's A Lonely But Not World-Weary Set. The Songs Are Fraught With A More Fragile And Tender Beauty, And Are Underscored By His Production Team's Subtle Nuances And Textures. The Album Shows A Return To The Sound Effects (Particularly The Rainstorm) Of His Earliest Sides. "Westphalia Texas Waltz" Is A Country Waltz Showcasing A Beautiful Chamber String Section Set Against Charlie Mccoy's Harmonica And The Endless Sound Of Rain Falling. Newbury's Version Of The Title Track — Arranged Here By Film Score Producer Alan Moore — Is An American Classic In The Public Domain. It's A Gospel Song That Isn't Gospel, A Sacred Song That Is Secular Enough To Include The Sounds Of Gulls (And, One Supposes, Sparrows). "The Dragon And The Mouse"'S Deep Metaphorical Narrative Is Missed Because Of The Deceptive Simplicity Of The Arrangement And Instrumentation. Another Pleasant Weirdness Is The Brief "St. Cecelia," With Its Church Bell And Stacked Choirs Courtesy Once Again Of The Nashphilharmonic. It's A Country Hymn To Everything That Has Passed Away Except For The Burden Of Inspiration To Do What's Right. The Disc Closes With A Reprise (Of Sorts) Of Its Opener. But "Juble Lee's Revival Shout" Is No Gospel Song; It's A Small, Bleak Testament To The Most Intimate Kind Of Loneliness — The Kind Found In The Mirror At The End Of The Day. It's A Chilling Way To End A Record That Began So Tenderly, So Simply, If Not Optimistically. But That's Newbury. The Most Horrible Truths Are The Ones That Are Gorgeously Told To Us By Sages And Well-Meaning Hucksters, And He's Both. It Is A Truly Awesome And Off-Putting Finish.” – Thom Jurek, All Music Guide more
	I Came To Hear The Music New - LP - EKS 7E 1007 Sealed 1974 Original, Clean COH. more
	I Came To Hear The Music Used - LP - EKS 7E-1007 1974 US original. Solid VG++ copy all the way around. I Came to Hear the Music is one of Mickey Newbury’s most direct and emotionally resonant statements. Moving slightly away from the sweeping, atmospheric production of his earlier trilogy, this album leans into clarity and melodic strength while retaining his signature poetic introspection. The arrangements are tasteful and restrained, giving space to Newbury’s distinctive voice and carefully shaped phrasing. Themes of longing, faith, and reflection unfold with quiet dignity, never overstated yet deeply affecting. A beautifully crafted mid-’70s release that highlights Newbury’s gift for marrying lyrical depth with enduring melody. more
	Looks Like Rain New - LP - SR 61236 Sealed rarity; 1969 Original. Tiny hole punch and light corner creasing. "In sonic terms, It Looks Like Rain sounds as far from the studio slickness of the "countrypolitan" machine that rock & roll was from Lawrence Welk. In fact, Newbury's sound held more in common with Tim Buckley's or Simon & Garfunkel's or Fred Neil's. But even here, comparisons fail. Aided by co-producers Bob Beckham and guitarist Jerry Kennedy, Newbury created an album so haunting, so elegant, so full of melancholy and mystery, it sounds out of time, out of space and is as enigmatic in the 21st century as it was when it was released in 1969. The album's sound seems to come from inside the mind of the listener, rather than from the speakers on the stereo. The album commences with the sounds of thunder and rain that introduce "She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye," and rather than just a cheap effect, they sound integral to both song and album, placing the listener inside them. One understands implicitly that they are entering a song cycle. Newbury's stories are so vivid, and so picaresque even with their lyric economy, they feel like movies. He can move back and forth in time while changing images to suit his evolving narrative. "San Francisco Mable Joy" is a long tale of dispossession, dislocation, failure, and death, but so poetically beautiful, it resounds deep in the heart of the listener. The thunderstorm becomes more prevalent but never gets in the way; it is the very frame this song fills and becomes part of; Newbury's sung lyrics are like sheets of rain pouring down as he understatedly and powerfully emotes. Suddenly, a gunshot cuts just loudly enough to jar from the reverie. At six-minutes-and-forty-three seconds, the song's drama creates a tension that is countered by a sadness so mournful it becomes nearly unbearable. And even though you know what's coming as the story winds down, the song's ending is totally devastating. The rest of It Looks Like Rain follows suit; it is masterfully and deliberately articulated. It is fine and accurate in its execution yet so carefully soft and spacious in its pace, it is brimming with strangeness balanced by charm; it defies any attempt at categorization or criticism. While it was regarded with nearly complete commercial disinterest in its day, it has been suitably regarded as a rare work of genius that has influenced countless songwriters in its wake." All Music Guide - Thom Jurek more
	Looks Like Rain Used - LP - SR 61236 1969 US original. Cover shows ring wear, small tear to paste-on rear cover. "In sonic terms, It Looks Like Rain sounds as far from the studio slickness of the "countrypolitan" machine that rock & roll was from Lawrence Welk. In fact, Newbury's sound held more in common with Tim Buckley's or Simon & Garfunkel's or Fred Neil's. But even here, comparisons fail. Aided by co-producers Bob Beckham and guitarist Jerry Kennedy, Newbury created an album so haunting, so elegant, so full of melancholy and mystery, it sounds out of time, out of space and is as enigmatic in the 21st century as it was when it was released in 1969. The album's sound seems to come from inside the mind of the listener, rather than from the speakers on the stereo. The album commences with the sounds of thunder and rain that introduce "She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye," and rather than just a cheap effect, they sound integral to both song and album, placing the listener inside them. One understands implicitly that they are entering a song cycle. Newbury's stories are so vivid, and so picaresque even with their lyric economy, they feel like movies. He can move back and forth in time while changing images to suit his evolving narrative. "San Francisco Mable Joy" is a long tale of dispossession, dislocation, failure, and death, but so poetically beautiful, it resounds deep in the heart of the listener. The thunderstorm becomes more prevalent but never gets in the way; it is the very frame this song fills and becomes part of; Newbury's sung lyrics are like sheets of rain pouring down as he understatedly and powerfully emotes. Suddenly, a gunshot cuts just loudly enough to jar from the reverie. At six-minutes-and-forty-three seconds, the song's drama creates a tension that is countered by a sadness so mournful it becomes nearly unbearable. And even though you know what's coming as the story winds down, the song's ending is totally devastating. The rest of It Looks Like Rain follows suit; it is masterfully and deliberately articulated. It is fine and accurate in its execution yet so carefully soft and spacious in its pace, it is brimming with strangeness balanced by charm; it defies any attempt at categorization or criticism. While it was regarded with nearly complete commercial disinterest in its day, it has been suitably regarded as a rare work of genius that has influenced countless songwriters in its wake." All Music Guide - Thom Jurek more
	Looks Like Rain Used - LP - SR 61236 1969 Original In Shrink, COH. "Aided By Co-Producers Bob Beckham And Guitarist Jerry Kennedy, Newbury Created An Album So Haunting, So Elegant, So Full Of Melancholy And Mystery, It Sounds Out Of Time, Out Of Space. It Is A Sound That Seemingly Comes From Inside The Mind Of The Listener Than From The Speakers On The Stereo. When The Sound Of Thunder And Rain Appears At The Beginning Of "She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye," You Are Hardly Surprised. Newbury's Stories Are Movies; All The Settings Are In Place Before The Story Begins. He Can Move Back And Forth In Time While Changing Images To Suit The Evolving Narrative. "San Francisco Mable Joy" Is A Long Tale Of Dispossession, Dislocation, Failure, And Death, But So Poetically Beautiful It Can't Help But Be Heard, Then Echoed, Deep In The Heart Of The Listener. The Thunderstorm Is In Full Flood Now, Running Through Each Track, From Speaker To Speaker In One Long Line, Sheets Of Rain Pouring Down Around The Place The Singer Emotes From. Suddenly A Gunshot Cuts Just Loudly Enough To Jar Us From The Reverie. At Six-Minutes-And-Forty-Three Seconds, There Is Plenty Of Room For The Song's Drama To Create A Tension So Mournful It Becomes Nearly Unbearable. And Even Though You Know What's Coming As The Story Winds Down, The Song's Ending Is Totally Devastating. It Looks Like Rain Is So Fine, So Mysterious In Its Pace, Dimension, Quark Strangeness And Charm, It Defies Any Attempt At Strict Categorization Or Criticism; A Rare Work Of Genius." - AMG. Gorgeous Sound On This Rarity. more
	Lovers New - LP - 7E-1030 Sealed 1975 Original. Clean Cut Out Hole. “Given The Sadness, Melancholy, And Even Grief Expressed On His Earlier Recordings, Newbury's Familiarity With The Shadow Side Of The Soul Is Well-Known, But None Of His Recordings Cuts Such A Deep Furrow Into Pain, Pessimism, Heartbreak, And Futile Longing As Lovers…..” All Music Guide - Thom Jurek more
	Lovers Used - LP - 7E-1030 1975 US original Santa Maria pressing with original inner. “Given The Sadness, Melancholy, And Even Grief Expressed On His Earlier Recordings, Newbury's Familiarity With The Shadow Side Of The Soul Is Well-Known, But None Of His Recordings Cuts Such A Deep Furrow Into Pain, Pessimism, Heartbreak, And Futile Longing As Lovers…..” All Music Guide - Thom Jurek more
	Recorded Live At Montezuma Hall Used - LP - EK-PROMO 20 Rare 1973 White Label Promo Only LP. Not Commercially Released. Appears Unplayed. more
	Rusty Tracks Used - LP - AH-44002 1977 US Original, Still In Shrink With Original ABC Company Inner. VG++/NM- Vinyl. "Newbury Hooks Up With Bobby Bare As A Producer And Puts Out Rusty Tracks, A Record Full Of Pedal Steel Guitars, Fiddles, Cut Time Rhythms, And Lyrical Darkness, For His First Album For Abc/hickory. This Concentration On One Music And Its Classic Themes And Rougher-edged Production Proved To Be As Great As Anything He Had Done Since His Early Records. "Makes Me Wonder If I Ever Said Goodbye" Answers In True Loner Fashion His Early '70s Classic "She Never Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye," And The Whispering Gospel Prayer "Bless Us All" Takes The Darkness Newbury Held So Firmly In His Grasp And Opens It Up For All Of Us To Be A Part Of; It Expresses Our Own Longing And Wish For Fulfillment. But It's The Close Of The Album That Knocks The Listener Out Of Her Chair. Mirroring His Own "American Trilogy" Of Half A Decade Before, Newbury Strings Together -- Once More Without Seams -- Four Pieces Of Classic Americana With Breathtakingly Gorgeous Arrangements: "Shenandoah," "That Lucky Old Sun," "Danny Boy," And "In The Pines." On This Set, The Orchestra Appears And Newbury's Singing Is As Good As Anybody's Ever Was. He Doesn't Merely Sing These Songs -- He Is Them, A Part And Parcel Of The Fabric Of The Notes Themselves And What They Represent. Just When Americans Were Trying To Forget Who They Were By Embracing European Disco And Punk Rock As Well As Dumbed-down Versions Of Both Country And Jazz, Newbury Reveals -- Much To His Own Commercial Detriment -- Who And What We Are As A Nation. There Is No More Stunning Finish To A Newbury Record -- Maybe Anybody's Record." All Music Guide – Thom Jurek more
	Rusty Tracks Used - LP - AH-44002 1977 US Original, Still In Shrink With Original ABC Company Inner. Jacket close to NM. "Newbury Hooks Up With Bobby Bare As A Producer And Puts Out Rusty Tracks, A Record Full Of Pedal Steel Guitars, Fiddles, Cut Time Rhythms, And Lyrical Darkness, For His First Album For Abc/hickory. This Concentration On One Music And Its Classic Themes And Rougher-edged Production Proved To Be As Great As Anything He Had Done Since His Early Records. "Makes Me Wonder If I Ever Said Goodbye" Answers In True Loner Fashion His Early '70s Classic "She Never Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye," And The Whispering Gospel Prayer "Bless Us All" Takes The Darkness Newbury Held So Firmly In His Grasp And Opens It Up For All Of Us To Be A Part Of; It Expresses Our Own Longing And Wish For Fulfillment. But It's The Close Of The Album That Knocks The Listener Out Of Her Chair. Mirroring His Own "American Trilogy" Of Half A Decade Before, Newbury Strings Together -- Once More Without Seams -- Four Pieces Of Classic Americana With Breathtakingly Gorgeous Arrangements: "Shenandoah," "That Lucky Old Sun," "Danny Boy," And "In The Pines." On This Set, The Orchestra Appears And Newbury's Singing Is As Good As Anybody's Ever Was. He Doesn't Merely Sing These Songs -- He Is Them, A Part And Parcel Of The Fabric Of The Notes Themselves And What They Represent. Just When Americans Were Trying To Forget Who They Were By Embracing European Disco And Punk Rock As Well As Dumbed-down Versions Of Both Country And Jazz, Newbury Reveals -- Much To His Own Commercial Detriment -- Who And What We Are As A Nation. There Is No More Stunning Finish To A Newbury Record -- Maybe Anybody's Record." All Music Guide – Thom Jurek more
	Sailor New - LP - HB 44017 Sealed 1979 Original With MCA Embossed Catalog Number On Jacket. “Who Would Have Thought That Mickey Newbury Would Issue A 100%, Crackling Fresh Country-Pop Record In 1979? Produced By Ronnie Gant With (Massive) String Arrangements By Alan Moore At Cowboy Jack Clement's Studio, The Sail Reveals That Newbury Knew What It Took All The Time, But By The Time He Let His Muse Follow Him Down The Commercial Country Rabbit Hole, It Was Too Late. The First Track, "Blue Sky Shinin'," Is A Country Love Song Arranged And Exquisitely Performed As If Written For Patsy Cline. Next, "Let's Have A Party" Is Perhaps Newbury's Anthem, Not Because Of Its Title, But Because It's One Of The Most Beautiful Confessional Songs He's Ever Written. The Production By Gant Is Straightforward And Newbury's Voice Is Clearly In The Foreground. The Sound Effects Are Replaced With Layers Of Instrumentation And Backing Vocals. Newbury's Relaxed Delivery Offers The Listener A Way To See Just How Sincere These Songs Are. While There Are No Weak Cuts, The Aforementioned Stand Out. So Does "Let It Go," Done In 2/4 Time, Beginning As A Country Song And Ending By Transforming Itself Inside Out Into A Gospel Shouter. The Sailor, Once Again, Refused To Sell, Perhaps Because It Was Too Late, Perhaps Because It Was Too Early — Merle Haggard And George Jones Made Records That Sounded Exactly Like This Only Three Years Later And Scored Big. As Great As This Record Is, And As Good As Newbury Knew It Was, It Was The Same Old Story. Nashville's Radio Machine Wasn't Having It, And Therefore The Public Never Got The Chance To Make Up Its Mind. In Fact, The Way Newbury's Entire Career Was Handled By Nashville Is Evidence Enough To Raze The Entire Town And Start Over. – Thom Jurek, All Music Guide more
	Sailor New - LP - 44017 Sealed 1979 Original. “Who Would Have Thought That Mickey Newbury Would Issue A 100%, Crackling Fresh Country-Pop Record In 1979? Produced By Ronnie Gant With (Massive) String Arrangements By Alan Moore At Cowboy Jack Clement's Studio, The Sail Reveals That Newbury Knew What It Took All The Time, But By The Time He Let His Muse Follow Him Down The Commercial Country Rabbit Hole, It Was Too Late. The First Track, "Blue Sky Shinin'," Is A Country Love Song Arranged And Exquisitely Performed As If Written For Patsy Cline. Next, "Let's Have A Party" Is Perhaps Newbury's Anthem, Not Because Of Its Title, But Because It's One Of The Most Beautiful Confessional Songs He's Ever Written. The Production By Gant Is Straightforward And Newbury's Voice Is Clearly In The Foreground. The Sound Effects Are Replaced With Layers Of Instrumentation And Backing Vocals. Newbury's Relaxed Delivery Offers The Listener A Way To See Just How Sincere These Songs Are. While There Are No Weak Cuts, The Aforementioned Stand Out. So Does "Let It Go," Done In 2/4 Time, Beginning As A Country Song And Ending By Transforming Itself Inside Out Into A Gospel Shouter. The Sailor, Once Again, Refused To Sell, Perhaps Because It Was Too Late, Perhaps Because It Was Too Early — Merle Haggard And George Jones Made Records That Sounded Exactly Like This Only Three Years Later And Scored Big. As Great As This Record Is, And As Good As Newbury Knew It Was, It Was The Same Old Story. Nashville's Radio Machine Wasn't Having It, And Therefore The Public Never Got The Chance To Make Up Its Mind. In Fact, The Way Newbury's Entire Career Was Handled By Nashville Is Evidence Enough To Raze The Entire Town And Start Over. – Thom Jurek, All Music Guide more