Budgie : Never Turn Your Back On A Friend 1st Press 2L/1L 1973 (Silver / Black MCA label)

This very collectable first pressing on the original silver & black MCA label plays with superb definition and is so close to being a final upgrade album.  There are just a few seconds of light interference on S2 and the remainder plays with a quality that is rarely found on these first pressings.

The vinyl is also visually in superb condition and with barely any spindle wear it has only been lightly played.

The gatefold is in excellent condition with only minor shelf wear and the original inner is in great shape also with no splits.

Please wait for the invoice before making payment as the item may have to sent via tracked shipping, conditions below.

MCA // MDKS 8010 // 7 - LNMG - 277 - 2L / 7 - LNMG - 278 - 1L // CU 1 / M 1

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / Track 2 VG+ for a few seconds)

The audio on S2 is Mint-

The gatefold is Ex

The labels are Near Mint

The inner sleeve is Near Mint-

Visual grading

The vinyl is in beautiful condition with no marks or scratches and only a few very faint sleeve removal hairlines.  It has been so well preserved down the years and with only minimal spindle wear it is clear it has not often been on a turntable.  It retains a stunning glossy sheen and the run out grooves and labels are also extremely clean.  A fantastic example!

Play grading  

The classic 'Breadfan' plays superbly from start to finish.  The opening riff / intro has no interference and it continues in the same manner with great power and definition.  It plays loud and true and even the quiet acoustic section has barely any static, the clarity is very impressive here.  The final section has no 'background' whatsoever and overall a Near Mint is a fair assessment of the 'high end' audio on offer here.  There is not one click or pop!

'Baby Please Don't Go' plays to a very high standard and it's only in one of the instrumental sections where you can hear 6/7 static ticks.  They are certainly not loud and not what I would deem intrusive.  The remainder is nigh on perfect and again it's the depth of the audio that really stands out and from this you can tell the record has not been overplayed.  This is Near Mint with that short section grading as VG+

The acoustic 'You Know I'll Always Love You' plays beautifully with only a minimal amount of barely audible static here and there.  There is no intrusive 'background' at all and it plays very 'cleanly' indeed.  This is Near Mint for sure.

The percussive intro on 'You're The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk' is 'as new' with no interference whatsoever, it is Mint with not even a dust tick!  As Bourge enters the scene the playback is equally as good and continues in the same way.  His long solo in particular is absolutely stunning!  The sonic quality on this track is so strong and that is very evident on the classic 'What kind of a woman...' section.  It has to be played loud!  There is no distortion and the depth of the bass and the overall definition of the audio is as good as the day when it was released back in '73.  The closing section is of the same quality with not one iota of interference.  What a version!  This easily qualifies as Mint- it could hardly play any better.

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The intro on 'In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter's Hand' plays with perfect precision and aside from one light tick is of the same quality throughout.  You cannot fail but be impressed by the clarity and power on offer here and the 'high octane' end section is a prime example of that.  It is immaculate and having played every second (as I always do) I am confident in grading it as Mint- the playback is outstanding.

'Riding My Nightmare' is so impressive for such a quiet track with no interference.  The only 'background', if you can call it that, is a handful of mega light dust ticks, something you would find on a new vinyl let alone one that is 47 years old!  The audio is so 'clean' and Mint- is again fair.

The long intro on 'Parents' is 'as new' with stunning clarity and definition and thereafter plays to the same wonderful standard.  There are so many acoustic sections and yet the playback is so strong and clear.  The mid guitar section plays beautifully, 'as new' again and that applies to the entire track.  The final vocal and guitar solo is superb and whilst I know I am repeating myself audio just does not get any better than this!  The 'seagull' ending has no 'background' apart from some dust ticks right at the end of the fade out and this is quite simply an exceptional version of this classic.  Mint- for certain.

In summary you could hardly wish to find a better first pressing.  Yes there are a few seconds of minor interference on S1 but the rest of the audio is superb with no intrusion at all.  It plays with not only great power and depth but also with a very delicate touch in the quieter moments.  As stated this record has not been played very much at all and that is reflected in the audio quality.

The Gatefold

The cover is in excellent condition with only minimal shelf wear.  The edges have very little rubbing and the wide spine is in near perfect condition with only a small amount of corner wear.  The other corners again have only light wear.  The opening edge of the front cover has some handling wear but the opening edge on the back cover is in perfect shape.  The front cover is very clean with only three faint marks top left (not easy to spot!) and a couple of minor creases and the back cover has no obvious wear, just two faint red bands running down the centre of it which I have seen before.  The inside of the gatefold is in superb order with no marking.

Inner Sleeve

The original 'Stereo' poly-lined inner has no side splits or marking and barely any creasing.  It could hardly be any better!

The Labels

The silver/black MCA labels are beautifully clean with no marking or writing and very little spindle wear.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

MCA // MDKS 8010 // 7 - LNMG - 277 - 2L / 7 - LNMG - 278 - 1L // CU 1 / M 1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

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