BPI (British Phonographic Industry) Gold LP award for Electric Light Orchestra album A New World Record. The album was released on Nov. 19, 1976 and was certified Gold in the U.K. by BPI on Jan. 14, 1977 for £250,000 worth sold. The measure for BPI gold certification in the 70s was the monetary value of records sold, much like the RIAA "white matte" awards of the 60s and early 70s.
It included ELO's major hit "Telephone Line", which went to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #8 in the UK along with other charting singles "Livin' Thing", "Do Ya" and "Rockaria."
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Item Highlights:
- BPI Gold LP award with all proper components for the era: Gold metal frame, gold disc, album cover miniature, British flag and gold presentation plate with official BPI logo
- In Excellent condition
- First presentation award from sometime in the 1977 timeframe
- Presentation to ELO's management firm owned by Don Arden: Dartbill Ltd.
- All original award
- Award measures 16" x 20"
- Glass in perfect condition (BPI awards have glass fronts, unlike RIAA awards which have plexiglass)
- Beautiful and rare collector's item for any ELO fan
- FREE insured shipping (carefully packed to protect glass) to continental U.S.
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This BPI Gold award is presented to ELO's management firm owned by Don Arden: Dartbill Ltd. Arden (1926-2007) was quite a mercurial character in music, managing acts in addition to ELO including Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Air Supply, Black Sabbath and Small Faces (Rod Stewart's origins). He is also the father of Sharon Osbourne (née Arden), who became ELO's road manager for a time. Her work of course also led her to meet future husband Ozzy.
This is a first presentation BPI Gold award that would have been manufactured sometime around 1977 making it approximately 42 years old. The award is all original and in excellent condition, with only a very few minor scratches on the frame and slight fading of the matte in places.
Interested in knowing more about record awards and what makes them great to add to your collection? Read our article here.
Notes on the condition of all vintage awards like this one: Please do not buy this item if you want a brand new piece of memorabilia. These are historical artifacts from the year they were produced. As a result they may show signs of wear. Frankly, if you see a 20 to 50-year-old award purported to be in 100% perfect condition, it might be too good to be true. After all, an antique should have "good' wear. If not, you might want to question the piece.
As to where they came from, they could have been displayed in record label offices, recording studios, artist manager's offices, radio stations, private collector's homes and yes, of course, possibly the artist's or songwriter's home. Typically, we don't know all the places they may have been over the years other than what we've stated in the description.
Finally, a word on photos: Our photos are zoomable so you can get a very good look. Do let us know if you want photos of any other details on our pieces and we'll be happy to provide.
*BPI sales data source: bpi.co.uk