CARAVAN - IN THE LAND OF GREY AND PINK. RARE EX UK 1st pressing w/Decca inner

	£		17
	$		22

Hello there. 

A short preamble before we get down to the nitty gritty, so you know something about who/what you are dealing with!

About me

I am an English PRIVATE COLLECTOR now living in Denmark, who has been a lifelong music fan collecting, buying, selling and swapping albums well, all my life.

I have also been heavily involved in creating music as a performer and sound engineer sometimes professionally, for over 30 years. Along with this I have been involved in presenting music on the radio, firstly in the 90’s on 'wunnerful' Radio Caroline, remember them? Latterly around the world via the internet and satellite on a station called The Album Zone based in London - www.albumzone.co.uk - if you’re interested.

I never really got beyond the idea that the vinyl format is the best medium on which to hear good music and I think the same way in the studio. Digital technology is without doubt a flexible, convenient, sometimes quick and unlimited way of storing and managing a musical product, but does it sound good? Well OK yes it does, but not as good as analogue. In my opinion digital lacks warmth, depth, width and lots of other words ending in th! Of course this puts entirely into question my involvement with an internet radio station but it is here to stay, like it or not.

So it follows that a well recorded, well mastered piece of analogue music sounds best on well pressed, quality vinyl. There are also the benefits of great artwork and the feeling that you actually have something special in your possession. I’ve yet to hear a remastered, digital version of frankly anything that really cuts the mustard and as for downloading well, it just sounds poor & will no doubt kill the music industry if you don't pay something for it! 

About you

The above should of informed you that I am pretty fussy about the quality of vinyl and music generally. This can only be a good thing for you, as the stuff I’m auctioning will be *graded aurally on a good system, whatever format it happens to be on. My aim is to provide the best quality that I can, graded fairly, so please bid with confidence. 

*NOTE!!

I DO listen to rare items all the way through. However, I simply do not have the time to listen to all items individually all the way through. I will play the openings of tracks to get an idea plus I’ll carefully grade them visually under strong light. Should I see anything suspect, I’ll play that part of the record and report to you on it. 

Finally for the erm, record - I hold no candle to U.K. pressings being superior to any other pressings. In certain cases it's true, but it's not a golden 'rule-of-thumb' in my opinion. I have American, German, Dutch, Scandinavian and Greek pressings that sound totally awesome. In grading (fully explained at the end) I won't be adding a million + + + or - - - or !!!!! Totally unnecessary. It is what it is right?  

So enough already, up for auction about now……….

CARAVAN - IN THE LAND OF GREY AND PINK. 12" stereo LP on the Decca Deram Record label cat. no. SDL - R1.

RARE U.K. 1st pressing released in 1971 w/original blue Decca inner.

The ‘Canterbury Scenes’ favourite sons here on their 3rd & perhaps best album.

About as whimsical & English as prog ever got, plus a rich seam of stoned mirth running throughout, I don’t think Caravan ever quite got their just deserts. Side 1 is rammed full of great melodies & songs, why either Golf Girl or Love To Love You weren’t huge hits I’ll never know. Then on side two we have the 22 minute organ opus of Nine Feet Underground.  

A wonderfully warm sounding album & brilliant cover too. You simply need this classic LP. 

Outstanding & essential listening.  

Matrix no's/stampers:

Side One; ZAL - 10424.P - 1D I U 1 (machine stamped)

Side Two; ZAL - 10425.P - 1D K K 1 (machine stamped)

Track Listing:

Sides One & Two:

See pictures of labels

GRADING:

VINYL:

Side One: EXCELLENT. Visually very clean with light hairlines & superficial scuffs. Pressed on medium to heavy weight vinyl.

Plays through with light surface noise & a crisp, clean sound. There is a touch of very light distortion present on the quiet opening of Winter Wine & during the title track. But it doesn’t detract from the overall listen & I’ll grade these as VG.

Side Two: EXCELLENT. As above visually & aurally no problems at all.

SLEEVE & SPINE:

Laminated gatefold:

FRONT outside: EXCELLENT. Light creasing mainly along spine edge. Laminate 100% intact. No shelfwear.  

BACK outside: EXCELLENT. As above plus light feathering & one larger crease on opening edge. 

FRONT inside: EXCELLENT. No wear as such, just a touch grubby.

BACK inside: EXCELLENT. As above plus light feathering on opening edge.

SPINE: VERY GOOD. A bit discoloured with mostly light creasing & rubbing, a touch heavier at the very top & bottom. Laminate has cracked in a couple of places. Text 100% legible.

INNER: VERY GOOD. Original blue Decca company inner. Bit discoloured with some creasing. An old name has been tipexed out & the plastic sleeve is missing. No splitting though.  

LABELS:

Red Derams: 

Side One: EXCELLENT. Virtually spotless.

Side Two: EXCELLENT. As above.

If for any reason (within reason!) you don't agree with my grading of this LP then I will provide a refund on it's return, excluding return shipping.

* PLEASE NOTE THESE POINTS BELOW *

*Shipping prices: £3.95 in Denmark. £5.90 to the UK and Europe. £7.90 to the U.S.A., Canada and the rest of the world. If in doubt, please contact me for a price. If you require shipping insurance then please let me know BEFORE paying for the item as it's extra. I can include a shipping discount for multiple purchases.

*Payment: I will send an invoice with the total amount, so please wait for that before you pay. Please pay within 7 days of the auction ending, thank you.

Non-payers & time-wasters will be dealt with swiftly & effectively by whatever means necessary!

Packing: All items will be carefully packed using stiff card, strong mailers etc. Wherever possible I'll recycle packaging. It's cheaper for you & better for the planet.

Feedback& problems: *PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK once you have received and heard/seen your item. It's the only way I know you have got it and are happy with it. I WILL THEN LEAVE FEEDBACK FOR YOU.

If there are any problems at all then I want to hear from you & get it sorted.

Please don't just leave negative feedback.

That's it.

Check my other listings, good luck, thanks for your interest and above all enjoy!

Gilster. 

About my Grading

I use the U.K. Record Collector Grading System which is: 

Mint: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any items such as the lyric sheet are in perfect condition. Sealed or unplayed records should be mint.

Excellent: The record shows some signs of being played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have light 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 many times that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of the edges, spine splits, discolouration etc.

                                                                        * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Beyond here lies madness! I won’t be auctioning anything graded below unless they are really rare or sought after:

Fair: The record is just still playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

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

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

CD/DVD Grading:

As a general rule, CD’s and DVD’s either play perfectly - Mint - or they don’t, in which case their value is minimal. They are difficult to grade visually, as they can look perfect but be faulty and visa versa.

CD/DVD inlays and booklets should be graded in the same way as vinyl covers and sleeves, as should the cover if made from card.