ASTERIX (LUCIFER'S FRIEND) 1st PRESS 1970 (GERMAN) VG+ COVER & Superb NM AUDIO
£
94
$
125
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Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.
Asterix (Lucifer's Friend) : Asterix 1st Press (Germany) 1970
This rare and collectable first pressing plays to a superb standard with hardly any interference. S1 is so close to perfect and S2 has only a couple of static clicks, one of which you might miss. The clarity, depth and power of the audio on both sides is stunning and there is no background static to be heard. The vinyl is in excellent condition also.
This was the only album they released and was a pre-cursor to them becoming the more famous Lucifer's Friend. John Lawton features heavily on vocals and not surprisingly many of the tracks have a distinct Uriah Heep 'sound'.
The cover has some wear mainly on the back in the form of some laminate wear / splitting. The front over is very clean. The plain white inner is in excellent order.
SLK 16 695-P // D-015871 / D-015872 // Manufactured in Germany stamped on both sides The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T2 intro Near Mint / T3 outro Near Mint)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T2 Near Mint- / T3 Near Mint)
The laminated cover is VG+
The original inner sleeve is Ex
The labels are Near Mint
Visual description
The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy look with no obvious marks or scratches. Under a bright light I can see a couple of very small faint blemishes, a few faint hairlines and some minor 'speckling' but there is nothing that stands out. There is no groove or surface wear and it is clear this vinyl has only been lightly played. The Decca labels are near perfect - S1 has one small faded out section below the Decca logo and barely any spindle wear. S2 is unmarked with only a couple of spindle lines / marks.
Play grading
The intro on 'Look Out' plays deep and strong with no intrusion and the opening vocal section is just as impressive. This is definitely melodic driven rock and it continues to play with superb audio. I don't know who produced the album but sonically it is stunning - deep and resonant. The mid instrumental is so strong and powerful and from start to finish there are only a couple of barely audible statics and light static right at the end of the fade out. Mint-
'Gone From My Life' has a couple of background static ticks on the intro and the opening vocal is perfect. The instrumental bridge is equal to that and thereafter plays with stunning precision. For example the piano section plays with sublime clarity there is not so much as a dust tick. Perhaps I should grade as Mint- but I will say Near Mint for the intro and Mint from then onwards.
The quieter percussive intro on 'Broken Home' has no interference - I only detected a handful of mega quiet statics and by that I mean you can hardly hear them! The opening vocal section is flawless and the mid instrumental is nigh on perfect with only a handful of barely audible statics at the start. As I often say I write down any background even if it isn't noticeable. The remainder plays with great power and depth and the outro has only a couple of minor ticks. Let's say Mint- with a Near Mint outro.
'Time Again' plays with faultless audio from start to finish with no intrusion. There are a couple of quieter passages here, notably Hecht on piano, and they play to perfection. This is a Mint version including the fade out.
The intro on 'Jump Into My Action' is deep and powerful with zero background and the first vocal from Lawton is of the same standard. The sound is very Uriah Heep like which is not surprising of course. It continues to play with very clean powerful audio for a final track and there is no distortion on the top end. The mid instrumental is superb and Horns bass really comes through strong. The final vocal section and fade out have no intrusion and Mint is again deserved.
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'Open Up Your Mind' begins S2 in fine style with phenomenal audio all the way through. The intro is 'as new' and the opening vocal / chorus are of the same high end standard. Again it has a strong Heep feel and is easily one of the best tracks on the album. There is one very quiet dull tick at the end of the fade out and it seems a little harsh to downgrade it because of that so Mint it is :-)
The intro on 'Corner Street Girl' is perfect and the opening vocal is close to that with just one static click sound. Aside from that it plays with stunning clarity and depth, there is no other intrusion. Near Mint- 'Change In You' is stunning from the word go. The only intrusion is one easily missed light click towards the end so I will grade as Near Mint accordingly. I do not want to repeat myself but this is again so Heep'ish!
The gentler intro on 'Morning At My Dawn' plays with great clarity and the opening vocal is equal to that. The longest track on the album and it displays a greater finesse and a more varied sound. The first instrumental is 'as new' - the next vocal comes at the halfway mark and again there is no intrusion. It proceeds in the same precise way and again for a final track the sonic quality is superb. Every note so crisp and clear and the remainder has no background including the quieter end section. This is easily a Mint- version.
The Cover & Inner Sleeve,
The cover is in very good condition with not too much shelf wear. The top edge feels a little rough but has no obvious wear apart from a small tear in the top right corner. The bottom edge is in great shape and the thin spine is similar albeit slightly compressed. The top corner of the spine has only light wear and the bottom two corners are actually very clean. The opening edge has some handling wear but not an excessive amount. The front cover is in lovely condition with just one faint crease near the top left corner but the back cover does have a little more wear. The laminate is a little loose in a couple of places, mainly by the left edge in the centre and above and a small section near the bottom edge. Aside from that it is very clean with no actual marking and overall VG+ is a fair grade.
The original plain white inner sleeve is in excellent condition with no side splits or tears and only a little creasing.
Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine
SLK 16 695-P // D-015871 / D-015872 // Manufactured in Germany stamped on both sides
I grade according to "Record Collecter'' guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
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Postage & Packaging
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item
EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra
USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £22.95 then £2.50 per extra
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra
If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed. If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!
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