Ultra rare white label test pressings of albums from Genesis, Camel, Mike Oldfield, Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, Rick Wakeman and the Moody Blues are all up for grabs as part of this year's White Label Auction in Aid of The BRIT Trust - the world’s only known auction of 'white label' test pressings – which takes place next month on Tuesday, June 6.
UK record labels, from majors such as Universal Sony and Warners through to the likes of Cherry Red and Domino join forces each year to raise money for The BRIT Trust, which promotes education and wellbeing through music and the creative arts to support causes that include the BRIT School and Nordoff and Robbins.
Increased demand and sales on vinyl records has meant an increase of white label test pressings – so called because there is no sleeve artwork at this early stage – which record labels produce ahead of the full release of an album to ensure its audio quality. These discs rapidly become valued collector's items.
Although the White Label Auction caters for all music tastes, this year's prog content is certainly eye-catching. Highlights include: Seconds Out, Wind & Wuthering, Foxtrot, Nursery Cryme, Duke, We Can't Dance and Calling All Stations from Genesis, Rick Wakeman's Myths & Legends Of King Arthur, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII and No Earthly Connection, Mike Oldfield's The Killing Fields, The 1984 Suite and Discovery, Tangerine Dream's Rubycon and Phaedra and Camel's Music Inspired By The Snow Goose, Nude and debut album Camel, The Moody Blues' Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Octave and Seventh Sojourn and two signed albums, The Eve Of Disruption and Forever Voiceless, by Brian Eno.
You can view the entire auction catalogue online here.
