The Blackbyrds Unfinished Business LP 1976 Fantasy F 9518 Donald Byrd Jazz Funk

Item Specifics

• Artist: The Blackbyrds

• Title: Unfinished Business (Original 1976 US Stereo LP Album)

• Label: Fantasy Records (Classic Terracotta Orange Center Labels)

• Catalog Number: F-9518 / F9518 / F-9518-A / F-9518-B

• Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, 33 ⅓ RPM, Stereo

• Release Year: 1976 (℗ 1976 Fantasy Records)

• Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul

• Style: Jazz-Funk, Soul-Jazz, Fusion, Disco-Funk, Rare Groove, 1976, 1970s

• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States

• Features: US Original 1976 1st Pressing LP, Terre Haute Plant Pressing (Deadwax Scribe F-9518-A & T4 - S), Produced by Donald Byrd for Blackbyrd Productions, Includes Original Lyric Inner Sleeve, Features "Time Is Movin'", "Party Land" & Title Track

Description

Vintage Original 1976 Fantasy Records Classic 70s Jazz-Funk, Fusion & Rare Groove LP Album (First US Stereo Pressing / Catalog F-9518 / Columbia Records Terre Haute Pressing with Hand-Etched Matrix Scribes F-9518-A & T4 - S / Custom Orange Fantasy Center Labels / Original Heavy Cardboard Picture Jacket Complete with Original Printed Lyric Inner Sleeve / Produced by Legendary Trumpeter Donald Byrd Featuring 'Time Is Movin'', 'Party Land' and 'Unfinished Business')

Authentic vintage original 1976 US Fantasy Records first pressing stereo LP album The Blackbyrds — "Unfinished Business" (F-9518 / F-9518-A / F-9518-B), recorded by the legendary Howard University jazz-funk ensemble founded and produced by Donald Byrd for Blackbyrd Productions Inc., featuring Kevin Toney, Keith Killgo, Joe Hall, and Orville Saunders, published by Blackbyrd Music (BMI), ℗ 1976 Fantasy Records (Tenth and Parker, Berkeley, CA 94710), pressed on heavyweight virgin vinyl at Columbia Records Terre Haute, housed in its original heavy cardboard picture jacket, complete with its original printed lyric paper inner sleeve, and cut directly from analog studio master tapes (F-9518-A / T4 - S).

• Musical, Production & Jazz-Funk Highlights:

  • The Signature Blackbyrd Sound: Perfecting the crossover blend of sophisticated post-bop harmonic voicings with tight syncopated street funk rhythms, warm Rhodes chords, and soaring group vocal refrains.

  • Track Breakdown:

    • Side 1 (STEREO SIDE 1 - F-9518-A):

      1. "Time Is Movin'" (Keith Killgo) — seminal Rare Groove anthem propelled by walking basslines and crisp flute melodies.

      2. "In Life" (Toney, Saunders, Killgo, Hall)

      3. "Enter In" (Joe Hall)

      4. "You've Got That Something" (Byrd, Toney)

    • Side 2 (STEREO SIDE 2 - F-9518-B):

      1. "Party Land" (Byrd, Saunders) — high-octane club funk track with punchy horn arrangements.

      2. "Lady" (Joe Hall) — expansive, soulful jazz ballad.

      3. "Unfinished Business" (Kevin Toney) — virtuosic instrumental jazz-fusion title track.

  • Analog Master Lineage: Pressed at Columbia Terre Haute, capturing rich low-end bass resonance, snappy analog drum transients, and warm acoustic horn imaging.

  • Packaging: Complete original presentation featuring the illustrated artwork jacket (showing authentic vintage edge wear, corner splitting, and shelf patina), original lyric inner sleeve, and orange Fantasy center labels (retaining period ink notation and small center hole decals).

Technical Data

• Matrix / Runout (Side 1 Hand-Etched): F-9518-A, T4 - S

• Matrix / Runout (Side 2 Hand-Etched): F-9518-B

• Pressing Plant: Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute, IN (Designation T in deadwax)

• Producer: Donald Byrd for Blackbyrd Productions Inc.

• Speed: 33 ⅓ RPM

• Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo

• Record Label & Rim Text: FANTASY / FANTASY RECORDS, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA (Fantasy F-9518)

Condition

Please inspect all high-resolution photos carefully. Everything is clearly visible in the photos — please evaluate the exact condition of the vinyl, orange Fantasy center labels (noting period pen markings and small center decals), deadwax runouts (including the F-9518-A and T4 - S etchings), original printed lyric inner sleeve, and the outer picture jacket (showing edge wear, corner splits, and vintage shelf patina) from the provided pictures. You will receive the exact item shown.