BREAD LOVE AND DREAMS S/T 1969 UK 1st press unboxed Decca SKL 5008 RARE FOLK GEM

	£		87
	$		115

BREAD, LOVE AND DREAMS - S/T

An impressive and sought after copy of this increasingly rare 1969 original UK very first pressing progressive folk gem, on the unboxed DECCA label, STEREO SKL 5008

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  ZAL-8981.P-1W  with stampers "1" and "U" at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively

Side 2  ZAL-8982.P-1W  with stampers "1" and "C" at 9 o'clock and 3.30 o'clock respectively

Note also the "JT" tax code stamped at 1 o'clock on each side of the dead wax areas - indicative of a very first UK pressing

The appearance of the vinyl is excellent. Both sides of the vinyl (nicely heavy and completely flat, by the way) have retained their original beautiful, jet black lacquered sheen and impressive luster - gorgeous! In normal daylight the vinyl looks near perfect and it's only under a bright light and with close scrutiny that a few wispy hairlines and very light paper scuffs come into view, but these are superficial and there is nothing here that is either "feelable" or below the surface, and certainly nothing to intrude upon the overall wonderful audio quality. I have no hesitation in grading the overall condition of this vinyl as excellent, quite remarkable for such a sought after 50 year 1st pressing antiquity such as this which originally sold in such small quantities.

The labels are excellent plus (EX+) - difficult to fault, in fact, with all of the silver text completely intact as is the dark blue matt textured background. No marks, no scuffs, no "nicks"and no even the usual very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole - just perfect! 

The Clout and Baker front sided only laminated outer sleeve is a solid very good. Each edge remains firm with barely any scuffing and each corner remains a nicely defined right angle with just a little rubbing on each.The spine is nicely intact with all text perfectly legible but there are x7 horizontal 1cm laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the spine on the front side, three of which do impinge upon the spine itself; and similarly there are x11 (each less than 1cm) horizontal creases adjacent and perpendicular to the spine on the reverse side, five of which do slightly impinge upon the spine. There is also some light, mild vertical laminate lifting adjacent to the spine on the front side and some slightly more obvious laminate creasing located at the bottom right corner. There is also some mild ring wear on the reverse side and although both opening edges remain firm there is just the hint of a little occasional fraying (this is very trivial). All colouring and photos remain rich and vibrant and all of the text on the reverse side remains remains perfectly intact, with no unwanted writing or doodles. 

Finally, the quality of the audio is excellent. Impressive tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies, which along with it's generally excellent appearance and condition suggests that this record has been underplayed. No nasty clicks or skips or background interference though there is just some occasional, mild background (but audible) crackle on track 2, side 1 and (coincidentally) again on track 2 side 2 and also during a couple of the interludes - a professional clean may go a long way to curing this though even these minor aberrations do not detract from the overall impressive audio quality with every track making for a great listen. What an interesting LP this is, with a mixture of folk, rock, and even full orchestration all gelling together to form a unique set of brilliant songs.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. Switch out the sun

2. Virgin kiss

3. The least said

4. Falling over backwards

5. Lady of the night

6. Main Street

Side 2 :

1. Artificial light (of all the living lies)

2. Until she needs you

3. Mirrors

4. Poet's song

5. The yellow-bellied redback

6. 95 octane gravy

Comes with blue and white Decca inner sleeve with no splits, tears, creasing or fraying and just a little mild age discolouration towards the top edges and still in excellent+ and fully functional condition. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a very nice copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1969 UK very first press progressive folk classic - a worthy addition to any serious vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value. 

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 64 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £3.00, Royal Mail 1st class, signed for; 

Continental Europe £10 and Rest of the World £14, both Royal Mail 1st class/Airmail, tracked and signed for

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler