Level One - The Eleventh House (1975) (1LP Vinyl) - Near Mint (NM)

Level One by The Eleventh House.

"Level One" by The Eleventh House arrives as a promotional pressing, a white label copy stamped "Promotional Copy, Not For Sale," released on Arista Records in 1975. It captures the group led by guitarist Larry Coryell at a point when jazz fusion was pushing hard into new textures, blending electric fire with the harmonic sophistication that Coryell carried through his entire career. This is a record built for players and listeners who want their jazz charged with voltage.

The lineup here is lean and formidable. Larry Coryell handles guitar, with Mike Mandel on keyboards and John Lee on bass guitar laying down the harmonic and rhythmic foundation. Alphonse Mouzon drives the music on percussion, while Mike Lawrence adds trumpet and flugelhorn, giving the horn lines a bright, burnished presence that lifts the ensemble beyond a straight guitar band. It is a tight unit, each voice audible and purposeful across the sides.

Side A opens with the title track "Level One" and moves through "The Other Side," "Diedra," and "Some Greasy Stuff," closing with "Nyctaphobia." The song titles alone signal the range on offer, from the groove-heavy swagger of "Some Greasy Stuff" to the more atmospheric leanings suggested elsewhere. Side B carries a "Suite," followed by "Eyes Of Love," "Struttin' With Sunshine," and "That's The Joint," a run that balances lyrical warmth with the strut and drive the band did so well.

The record was produced by Skip Drinkwater for the Eleventh House Inc., with Tom Paine and Vince Cirrincione credited as executive producers. Ralph Moss handled the recording engineering, and the sound reflects the care taken behind the board, with each instrument given room to breathe. The white factory labels carry the production credits at the bottom, noting the executive producers and Drinkwater's work for the group.

The packaging reflects the era's attention to presentation. Robert L. Heimall provided the design, and Ed Caraeff, a photographer whose work defined many notable album covers of the period, supplied the photography. The result is a sleeve that suits the music inside, a snapshot of mid-seventies Arista at its most ambitious.

This particular pressing sits within a family of releases sharing the same catalog and sleeve, distinguished by small label variations. It is the promo counterpart to the version carrying the "℗ & © 1975 Arista" credit, matching that layout exactly but presented on a white label with "Promotional Copy" set in circled text at the top. For collectors tracking the finer points of Arista's 1975 output, this promo stands as a distinct and desirable variant of a genuine fusion landmark.

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Level One
A2. The Other Side
A3. Diedra
A4. Some Greasy Stuff
A5. Nyctaphobia
. Suite:
B2. Eyes Of Love
B3. Struttin' With Sunshine
B4. That's The Joint

Credits:
John Lee (3) - Bass Guitar
Robert L. Heimall - Design
Ralph Moss - Engineer [Recording]
Tom Paine (2) - Executive-Producer
Vince Cirrincione - Executive-Producer
Larry Coryell - Guitar
Mike Mandel - Keyboards
Alphonse Mouzon - Percussion
Ed Caraeff - Photography By
Skip Drinkwater - Producer
Mike Lawrence - Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Notes:
Promotional Copy - Not For Sale

White factory labels state at bottom:
Exec. Prod.: Vince Cirrincione and Tom Paine
Prod. by Skip Drinkwater for the Eleventh House Inc.

℗ & © 1975 Arista Records Inc., 1776 Broadway, New York. New York 10019

These are all releases with same cat# and same sleeve, only minor label differences:

On the first 4 the production notes in bottom area of label are aligned on the left - and also the Executive Producer is mentioned 2nd:
[url=http://www.discogs.com/release/4809939]This[/url] is the only one with "TM" beneath Arista logo and scans might indicate also it is in a darker blue tone - no circled text on label.
[url=http://www.discogs.com/release/6775111]This[/url] looks almost like the one above, but playing times are aligned in a line on the right as only the last two verions in this list have it - no circled text on label.
[url=http://www.discogs.com/release/7302409]This[/url] is the only one with "(P) & (C) 1975 Arista..." on label (Others have only "(P) 1975 Arista...") - white circled text.
[url=http://www.discogs.com/release/7987835]This[/url] [THE CURRENTLY VIEWED VERSION) is the promo version of the above (exact same layout) - white label & "Promotional Copy" circled text on top.

For all the following the production notes in bottom area of label are aligned centered, not left - and also the Executive Producer is now mentioned 1st:
[url=http://www.discogs.com/release/997260]This[/url] is the only one with black circled text and it has very oldschool thin fonts.

All following have no circled text:
[url=http://www.discogs.com/release/7680252]This[/url] is the only one with "Stereo" on left and 2nd cat# "AL 5052 SA" on right side, also looks generally more "modern".
[url=http://www.discogs.com/release/1454193]This[/url] is a promo release, but also has another unique layout with "Stereo" & 2nd Cat# now again on left side, but also modern fonts/layout as the above.
[url=http://www.discogs.com/release/10282588]This[/url] has exactly the same layout as above, without the Promo text note - but still a promo/cut-out version. It also has different runout as above and no indicator for pressing plant (PRC).

Artist: The Eleventh House

Supporting Artists: Larry Coryell

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Arista

Catalog Number: AL 4052

Release Year: 1975

Country: United States

Condition: Used

Media Condition: Near Mint (NM)

Sleeve Condition: Near Mint (NM)