1958 Space Age fantasy, from the golden age of stereo, still sealed in its original package. Capitol ZC-46. 2-channel. 7½ IPS. In-line heads. A wonderful tape, an iconic cover, and an exceptional audiophile recognized.
**sold sealed and must be returned sealed. there was quite few sealed acetate tapes in this collection and all had no issues so I expect this to sound exceptional +
This is an extraordinary survivor and one of the special tapes from my personal collection.
Les Baxter’s Space Escapade, original Capitol ZC-46 2-channel stereo tape at 7½ IPS for in-line heads, still sealed in its original wrap.
I came across this copy roughly ten years ago in an exceptionally well-cared-for collection. I already owned a playing copy and bought this one intending to keep the sealed example and sell mine.
Well... that never happened.
My playing copy stayed in the collection, this sealed copy went carefully onto the shelf, and there it remained for about a decade. I am finally letting it go.
Space Escapade is one of those wonderful records that captures an entire moment in American culture: hi-fi, stereo, cocktails, bachelor pads and the absolute conviction that the Space Age was about to make everything cooler.
Les Baxter was one of the architects of exotica, and here he takes the concept into outer space. Instead of imaginary tropical islands, we're headed for the moon.
The titles say it all: Shooting Star, Moonscape, Mr. Robot, The City, A Distant Star, The Commuter, Winds of Sirius, The Other Side of the Moon, Somewhere in Space, Earth Light, The Lady Is Blue and Saturday Night on Saturn.
And then there is that cover. Astronauts, brilliantly colored women, cocktails and a wonderfully optimistic 1950s vision of interplanetary nightlife. It's one of the great covers of the Space Age Pop era.
Beyond its importance to exotica and Space Age Pop collectors, Space Escapade has developed a real following among audiophiles and collectors of early stereo demonstration recordings.
And this is arguably the format to have:
Original Capitol 2-channel stereo
7½ IPS
For in-line heads
Stereo was still new and exciting when this music was created, and Baxter treats the stereo soundstage almost like another instrument. Percussion, orchestral colors and wonderfully strange effects occupy a large, theatrical soundscape.
This isn't subtle stereo. This was the era when stereo was supposed to make your friends sit up and ask, "Did you hear THAT?"
I know what this tape can do because I own another copy and have listened to it for years. It sounds absolutely stunning.
Big, open, dynamic and wonderfully three-dimensional, it is one of those early stereo tapes that immediately reminds you why collectors became obsessed with prerecorded reel-to-reel.
A ¼-inch 2-track tape gives each stereo channel roughly half the tape width rather than dividing the tape into the four narrower tracks used on later quarter-track consumer releases. Running at 7½ IPS, the great early two-track releases can deliver remarkable presence, dynamics and low noise.
This sealed copy, however, will NOT be opened or play tested. After surviving nearly seven decades like this, that decision belongs to its next owner.
The original outer wrap remains present.
The wrap itself shows its age, with wrinkles, scuffing and some openings and looseness around the edges. Please look carefully at the photographs.
What is remarkable is the condition of the package underneath. The artwork remains vivid, the cover presents beautifully and the spine is exceptionally clean.
I would rather describe this accurately as an exceptional sealed survivor than throw the word "Mint" around simply because it remains unopened.
I am deliberately putting a very high Buy It Now price on this tape.
I'm not in a hurry to sell it.
After keeping it for roughly ten years, I'd much rather see it go to a serious reel-to-reel collector, Les Baxter collector, exotica collector or audiophile who understands exactly what it is.
Serious offers are absolutely encouraged.
There really isn't a simple price guide for a surviving sealed example like this. If this belongs in your collection, make me a sensible offer and let's talk.
If the right collector doesn't come along, I'm perfectly happy to put it back on the shelf.
But if you've been waiting for an exceptional example of Les Baxter's Space Escapade on original Capitol 2-track 7½ IPS stereo tape, this is a very special opportunity.
1958 Space Age fantasy from the golden age of stereo.
Capitol ZC-46. 2-channel. 7½ IPS. In-line heads. Still sealed.
An audiophile favorite, an iconic album and cover, and an extraordinary survivor from the birth of stereo hi-fi.