CREAM DISRAELI GEARS 1967 UK MONO A1/B1 1st press Windfall+Apple+full lamination

	£		47
	$		62

CREAM - DISRAELI GEARS

A truly impressive and sought after (especially in condition as good as this) copy of this increasingly rare 1967 original UK very first pressing prog/psych rock classic, on the Reaction label, MONO 593 003

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  593003 A 1  with stampers "1 1 1 1" at 6 o'clock 

Side 2  593003 B 1  with stampers "1", "1" and "6" at 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock and 5.30 o'clock respectively

The indicators for this being a true UK 1st pressing copy are :

1. Full outer sleeve lamination, on each of the front and reverse side;

2. The label publishing credits : A1, A2, A4, A5 - Dratleaf Ltd., B1 to B3, B5, B6 - Dratleaf, A3 - Windfall Music, B4 - Apple Publishing. Later pressings had "immediate Music" and "Copyright Control" publishing credits.

3. The "A1" and B1" dead wax matrix endings.

4. On the side 2 label, the second track "SWLABR" should be in upper case.

The appearance of the vinyl is excellent (at least). Both sides of the vinyl (nicely solid and completely flat, by the way) have retained their original beautiful, jet black lacquered sheen and impressive luster - gorgeous! Under a bright light and with close scrutiny, a some light wispy hairlines and small, very light scuffs come into view but these are superficial (there is nothing here that is "feelable"), there is nothing below the surface and nothing to intrude upon the wonderful audio quality. I have no hesitation in grading the overall condition of this vinyl as excellent.

The labels are also excellent. Really nice labels with all silver text intact and clearly legible on the solid dark blue matt background. The only blemishes are a few very fine spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label. Note the "Windfall" and "Apple" publishing credits which are indicative of a very first UK pressing.

The Ernest J Day fully laminated (front and back) outer sleeve is very good plus (VG+).  Such an iconic sleeve, and this one still looks so good with all of the artwork, photography and colouring remaining nicely intact and still appearing rich, vibrant and clear. The edges remain firm with barely any scuffing - just the very occasional tiny "nick"; the corners remain nicely defined right angles with minor rubbing, and the opening edges remain firm with no fraying. The spine is also firm with all text clearly legible though there are two laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the spine on the front side (one about a quarter of the way up and the other three quarters of the way) which do slightly impinge upon the spine itself. There is a small area of very light laminate lifting and creasing located at the top right corner on the front side, some vertical light laminate creasing towards the opening edge on the reverse side, and a few x1cm laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the spine on the reverse side. Each of these blemishes are minor, and the only other blemish of note is a very subtle repair in the middle of the top edge where a 4.5cm scuff (including a 1cm split) has been sellotaped over with a 7cm strip of tape folded over the edge from the front to the reverse side. It took me a while to spot this, so well has the repair been done - the strip of sellotape gels into the laminate very nicely and makes the scuff/split much less visible. Note that there is a small, circular red sticker on the reverse side indicating where this record was previously bought : "THE ISLAND RECORD CENTRE 19 Queen St. Jersey C.I." - this small sticker is peelable but I have deliberately left it in position simply because I think it adds charm and authenticity to this record's history! Impressive overall condition.

Finally, the quality of the audio is excellent (EX). Wonderful 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. I noticed a single mild click towards the end of track 4, side 1 and a further single mild click about a third of the way through track 3 on side 2, but even close scrutiny under a bright light did not show up an obvious cause for either - presumably a speck of dust in the grooves through decades of storage. Other than that, no skips, no clicks, no "pops", no "smudging", and no background crackle - just the merest hint of a little background interference right at the beginning of each side  and at the end of side 2.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. Strange Brew

2. Sunshine of Your Love

3. World of Pain

3. Dance The Night Away

4. Blue Condition

Side 2 :

1. Tales of Brave Ulysses

2. Swlabr

3. We're Going Wrong

4. Outside Woman Blues

5. Take It Back

6. Mother's Lament

Comes with original poly-lined plain white inner sleeve with "MADE IN ENGLAND" and "British Patent" text and correct earliest date stamp of "107" (1967), with no splits or tears but there is some mild age discoluration and and creasing towards each corner.. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a lovely copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1967 UK very first pressing prog/psychedelic rock 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; 

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