COLOSSEUM VALENTYNE SUITE RARE ORIG '69 BRITISH VERTIGO SWIRL LABEL LP NR MINT

$

59

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  MORE THAN 300  LISTED ITEMS

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·       COLOSSEUM – VALENTYNE SUITE (THE GROUP'S SECOND U.K. ALBUM, RELEASED IN THE UNITED STATES IN A SIGNIFICANTLY MODIFIED FORM AND UNDER DIFFERENT TITLE ("THE GRASS IS GREENER")  – ORIGINAL BRITISH PRESSING  - ORIGINAL 1969 VERTIGO RECORDS STEREO LP VO-1

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL BRITISH VERSION OF ALBUM ISSUED IN THE UNITED STATES UNDER DIFFERENT TITLE ("THE GRASS IS GREENER") AND WITH SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT TRACK LISTING

·       ORIGINAL U.K. PRESSING

·       ORIGINAL WHITE VERTIGO LABEL WITH BLACK PRINT ON ONE SIDE / “SWIRL” LABEL ON THE OTHER

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.K. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

·       ORIGINAL GATEFOLD COVER

·       THICK, HEAVY VINYL PRESSING

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       MACHINE-STAMPED MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) OF THE RECORD

·       MATRIX NUMBER IN TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) ENDS WITH '-1Y/-2Y'.  ON SOME LABELS,  SUFFIX '–1' DENOTES THE VERY FIRST, ORIGINAL PRESSING)

(►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get.  GUARANTEED!)

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One of England's prime jazz-rock -- or, more accurately, rock-jazz -- outfits, most of the members of Colossuem had apprenticed in blues bands, and it shows very strongly on some of the material here. Both "The Kettle" and "Butty's Blues" are essentially tarted-up 12-bar blues, although they work well in a grander context; in the latter case much grander, as a brass ensemble enters for the last part, drowning out everything but the guitar, an indication that this recording is in dire need of remastering. "Elegy" is a fast-paced, minor-key blues that stretches guitarist James Litherland's vocal abilities. Things do get far more interesting with "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice," which offers solo opportunities to organist Dave Greenslade and sax player Dick Heckstall-Smith before re-emerging in what can only be called a proto-industrial style, all heavily treated clattering percussion. The album's real joy comes with "The Valentyne Suite," which takes the band out of their bluesy comfort zone into something closer to prog rock. Bandleader Jon Hiseman is a stalwart throughout, his busy drumming and fills owing far more to jazz than the studied backbeat of rock. Greenslade proves to be a largely unsung hero, his only real solo in the suite something to offer a challenge to vintage Keith Emerson, but with swing. As to criticism, bassist Tony Reeves has very little flow to his playing, which severely hampers a rhythm section that needs to be loose-limbed, and Litherland's guitar playing is formulaic, which can be fine for rock, but once outside the most straightforward parameters, he seems lost. In retrospect this might not quite the classic it seemed at the time, but it remains listenable, and for much of the time, extremely enjoyable.

(EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY CHRIS NICKSON, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

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·       CONDITION:

·       THE RECORD:

(IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

(a)          WE GRADE THE VINYL AS EXCELLENT. This is one of those albums that are somewhat difficult to grade. It is somewhere between VG++ and NEAR MINT, just a notch below NEAR MINT. A few light abrasions ARE visible, but they are extremely shallow, superficial  and only moderately visually distracting (nothing significant).For the most part, the vinyl looks impeccable without any MAJOR visual flaws or imperfections. Much of the original luster is intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          The record comes in the original poly-lined Vertigo  stock inner sleeve.

(c)           The record is pressed on a beautiful, thick, inflexible vinyl, which was usually used for the first or very early pressings. Usually, the sound on such thick vinyl pressings is full-bodied, vivid, and even dramatic. Do not expect to obtain such a majestic analog sound from a digital recording!

(d)          Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

·       THE COVER

THE COVER IS NICE --- ABOUT VERY GOOD++ (VG++).

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-        Cover has a small, rectangular, sticker residue (small yellowish discoloration from the removed price sticker)

-        Cover has some light ring wear (nothing significant); On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least, and  10 being the most severe), we assess the severity of ring wear as 2  (front side) and 3 (back side); Inside gatefold has some light ring wear also.

-        Back cover has circular tarnish (grayish, dust-covered sections, which closely follow the contour of the record),  probably caused by friction or by rubbing against other covers during the storage. The tarnish is similar in appearance to a common ring wear, but, UNLIKE ring wear, these grayish areas may be possible to clean up with a minor effort and with a right cleansing solution.

-        Cover shows some light yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging   (nothing significant).

-        Cover has a few tiny wrinkles along the spine   (BARELY VISIBLE)

-        Visible shelf wear noted on the top and bottom seams

-        The cover has a few tiny scratch marks on the front side

NO OTHER VISIBLE FLAWS OR IMPERFECTIONS ON THE  COVER

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

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