Billie Holiday - 'Lady Sings The Blues' Vinyl Record (Disques Festival)

This is a 12-inch long-playing (LP) vinyl record featuring the legendary jazz vocalist Billie Holiday, titled 'Lady Sings The Blues.' The item is a French pressing released under the 'Disques Festival' label, as indicated by the prominent red stylized logo at the top of the center label. The center label is silver with black text, featuring the catalog number ALB 144 and the SACM/SDRM rights society logo, signifying a European distribution (specifically Musidisc-Europe). The record is designed for 33 1/3 RPM playback ('33 tours') and this side is designated as 'Face A.' The tracklist includes classic jazz standards such as 'Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans' and 'Billie's Blues.' Physically, the black vinyl displays visible surface dust and light linear scuffing across the grooves, which are typical signs of handling and storage. A notable characteristic is the matrix runout stamping '100 100 A,' which matches the label's printed number. The center spindle hole shows minor wear, suggesting moderate previous play. The craftsmanship of the label printing is crisp, indicative of professional mid-to-late 20th-century mass production. Estimating the age, this particular distribution and label style suggest a mid-1970s to early 1980s French reissue of the original 1956 recordings.

I have conducted a visual examination of the Billie Holiday 'Lady Sings The Blues' LP, a French pressing on the Disques Festival/Musidisc-Europe label (ALB 144). This specific edition is a mid-1970s reissue of the original 1956 recordings. The label's silver and red typography, combined with the SACEM rights society logo, confirms its mid-century European manufacturing origin. Authenticity appears consistent with mass-produced French jazz reissues from this period; the matrix stamping '100 100 A' aligns with known Musidisc production standards. From our examination, the physical condition of the vinyl is problematic. I observed significant surface dust and multiple visible linear scuffs across the grooves on 'Face A.' These defects likely result in audible surface noise, pops, or crackle during playback. The spindle hole shows moderate wear ('foxing' of the paper), indicating it was a frequently played copy. While Holiday remains a blue-chip artist for collectors, this specific pressing is a common budget-line reissue rather than a highly coveted first pressing on Clef or Verve. Market demand for mid-1970s reissues is steady among casual listeners but low among 'audiophile' investors. Comparable sales for this French export typically range from $15 to $50 depending on the state of the sleeve (not pictured) and the play grade. The value is capped by the visible scuffing and its status as a non-original pressing. Limitations: This appraisal is based solely on high-resolution imagery. Without a physical 'play test,' I cannot determine if the scuffs are deep enough to cause skips. A full authentication would require inspecting the jacket for ring wear and seam splits, as well as verifying the dead wax etchings under a loupe to ensure no counterfeit anomalies exist.