The Musicians Guide Volume 1 - Various (1982) (1LP Vinyl) - Near Mint (NM)

The Musicians Guide Volume 1 by Various.

There is something wonderfully immodest about a record that calls itself a guide. "The Musicians Guide Volume 1" does exactly what its cover promises, offering a guided musical tour through the first album release on Elektra / Musician Records. Rather than committing to a single artist or mood, it functions as a sampler, a doorway into a catalog, inviting the listener to follow the thread from one release to the next.

The pleasure of this kind of compilation lies in its geography. Every track here is a signpost pointing back to a fuller album, and the sequencing carries you across a broad stretch of terrain. Side A opens with the eternal "Take The A Train," drawn from Echoes Of An Era, before moving through "Fine And Dandy" from One Night In Washington and "Sophisticated Yenta" from Spirit Within. It closes with "Why Wait" from The Griffith Park Collection and a reading of "Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat" pulled from My Goals Beyond, a title that instantly summons the ghost of one of the most mourned melodies in the music.

Flip to Side B and the tour keeps its momentum. "Rainbow" arrives from Lee Ritenour's Rio, followed by "This Is It" from Ride Like The Wind and "Mako D'Amour" from Blue Horizon. The set ends on "Upriver," lifted from Material's Memory Serves, a fitting final destination that leaves you with somewhere new to explore once the needle lifts.

For collectors who care about the objects as much as the sounds, this pressing carries the fingerprints of a serious design team. Ron Coro handled art direction and John Kosh contributed the design, a pairing whose work has graced some of the most recognizable album packages of its era. Victor Chirel takes the producer credit, shaping the flow of a record built entirely from other records.

The details are here for those who like to read the fine print in the run-out grooves. Side A carries the etching B-16498-A2, while Side B bears B-16499-B3, small marks that anchor this copy to its origins. The release is stamped ℗ 1982 Elektra / Asylum Records for the U.S., placing it firmly in a moment when the Musician imprint was staking out its territory.

As a promotional and introductory artifact, this is a record with a purpose beyond simple listening. It was meant to send you further, to make you curious about nine different albums by tempting you with one track apiece. Decades on, that same quality makes it a rewarding find, a compact map of a label's ambitions and a fine listen in its own right.

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Take The A Train
A2. Fine And Dandy
A3. Sophisticated Yenta
A4. Why Wait
A5. Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat
B1. Rainbow
B2. This Is It
B3. Mako D'Amour
B4. Upriver

Credits:
Ron Coro - Art Direction
John Kosh - Design
Victor Chirel - Producer

Notes:
Quoted from front cover:
"The Musicians Guide Volume 1"
"a guided musical tour through the first album release on Elektra / Musician Records"

Track info:
A1: Take The A Train - From: Echoes Of An Era
A2: Fine And Dandy - From: One Night In Washington
A3: Sophisticated Yenta- From: Spirit within
A4: Why Wait - From: The Griffith Park Collection
A5: Goodbye Pork - Pie Hat - From: My Goals Beyond
B1: Rainbow - From: Lee Ritenour Rio
B2: This Is It - From: Ride Like The Wind
B3: Mako D'Amour - From: Blue Horizon
B4: Upriver - From: Material Memory Serves

Additional Run-out Etching. Side A: B-16498-A2
Additional Run-out Etching. Side B: B-16499-B3

℗ 1982 Elektra /Asylum Records for the U.S.

Artist: Various

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Elektra Musician

Catalog Number: E1-60043

Release Year: 1982

Country: United States

Condition: Used

Media Condition: Near Mint (NM)

Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)