Moody Blue was initially issued on blue vinyl, with a first run of 250,000 copies when released on July 17, 1977. When the album sold more briskly than expected, RCA started printing another batch on short notice in early August 1977. For some reason, perhaps short supply of the blue vinyl in the timeframe in which it was printing, RCA printed this batch on traditional black vinyl. As fate would have it, on August 16, 1977, Elvis passed away. With demand for Moody Blue surging after Elvis’ death, RCA went back to the blue vinyl for the ensuing very large run. Because of this chain of events, the black vinyl examples printed in that brief, early-August 1977 period are extremely scarce. The offered vinyl’s matrix numbers and RCA labels indicate that the record was indeed made in the original year of release, 1977, and more importantly and specifically, its matrix numbers correlate with known examples of the second pressing black vinyl copies. Side A: AFL1-2428-A-1S A4C Masterfonics GAM, and Side B AFL1-2428-B-1S A2C Masterfonics GAM. This is a highly sought-after rarity. The disc measures 12 inches (30.48 cm) in diameter and is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Graceland Authenticated.

Auction Notepad