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Cressida : Cressida 1Y1 / 2Y1 1st Press 1970

This very collectable first pressing plays to a fantastic standard with no interference.  Ok there are three light static ticks on S2 but I'm not sure that qualifies as interference!  The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is absolutely outstanding!  It plays like it has never been played before and there is no background static to be heard and obviously no clicks or pops either.  I cannot put into words just how incredible the sonic quality is on both sides.  This is a FINAL UPGRADE time warp classic i.e. the audio could not play any better - a bold statement to make but I am confident in saying it.  This album is so rarely found with audio as STUNNING as this and there certainly cannot be many around like this today.

I am of course very honest with my gradings as my feedback testifies.  There are numerous faint 'lines' and 'bag rash' on both sides caused by the poly-lined inner but they have no affect on the pristine audio.  The good thing is that they are only faint and can only be seen when you tilt the vinyl at a certain angle.  On the turntable it looks perfect!  If you are happy with Mint audio but a vinyl that only visually grades as VG+ then this is the one for you!

The gatefold is in very good condition with some wear the most obvious of which are some crease lines next to the spine.  This is a prime example of a vinyl that has hardly been played (barely any spindle wear) but the cover itself has probably been involved in various house moves!  Of course one of the main functions of the cover is to protect the vinyl which it has done admirably, you cannot blame the cover for the 'lines' on the record!  The original inner happens to be in great condition with barely any wear.

6847904  1Y // 1 ▽  420   1 1  1 6

6847904  2Y // 1 ▽   420    1 1 6

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (T3 intro Near Mint)

The gatefold is VG

The labels are Mint-

The original swirl inner is Ex++

Visual grading

The vinyl itself is in excellent condition as it has no marks or scratches.  However, due to both sides sticking to the poly-lined inner at some point (a common problem sadly!) it does have various contour type lines / 'bag rash' but as you can see they are purely superficial as they have no affect on the stunning audio.  When the vinyl is sat on the turntable it does look perfectly clean and it's only when you hold it at a certain angle that you can see the numerous faint 'lines'.  There is no groove wear and the Vertigo labels are near perfect with hardly any spindle wear.

Play grading  

The intro on 'To Play Your Little Game' plays so clearly with barely any static and as the volume increases the audio is stunning.  The next quiet section has no background static at all and the remainder plays with flawless precision also.  There are no ticks, clicks or pops and Mint- is a fair reflection of the audio.

'Winter Is Coming Again' continues this fine form and plays with genuine quality from the get go.  The intro is 'as new' and the first vocal is equally as good.  It progresses in the same way and already you can tell this vinyl has hardly been played as the original sonic quality is still very much there.  How do I describe the clarity and depth of the audio?  Perfect, faultless etc!  This is audio of the highest standard and from start to finish there is no interference whatsoever.  The vocals are so clean and precise and the second half of the track encompassing the guitar and organ solos are sensational!  There is no background static etc and only ONLY one mega light static tick near the end!  This easily grades as Mint- although I would be forgiven for omitting the minus I believe!

With complete silence in the dead wax the acoustic intro on 'Time For Bed' plays with perfect clarity and as the track 'kicks into gear' there is no let up in quality.  Every section plays as well as the last with no intrusion on the audio.  This is Mint in so many ways.

'Cressida' is 'as new' from the opening note and proceeds in the same way with no interference.  Once again I cannot praise the audio highly enough as it plays 'as new' throughout.  Yes I use the 'as new' tag quite a lot but only when necessary I hasten to add.  I listen to each track in full so as to provide a comprehensive grade and if there is literally no 'background' with a clarity to match then Mint is deserved.  This is Mint from start to finish.  The clarity and definition could not be bettered and you would not be disappointed if you had just purchased this album 'new' from a record shop.

'Home And Where I Belong To Be' keeps up the standard and plays with 100% precision throughout with no interference. Mint

Honestly the clarity on this side is unbelievable!  The quiet organ intro on 'Depression' has no dust ticks let alone anything more and it then plays with sublime clarity and depth from then onwards.  There is no inner groove distortion and there are no negatives.  Heyworth's solo sounds like it was 'pressed' yesterday and that applies to every track on the side!  The organ solo rounds off the side perfectly - the powerful end section is stunning with a fade out that has no 'background'.  What a finish and what a side!  Mint

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'One Of A Group' begins S2 with that familiar clarity and depth we have come to expect now.  The intro is flawless as is the first verse and it continues to play with superb audio and of course...no interference.  It is proving difficult to describe each track in an individual way but needless to say this is Mint from the first note to the last.

The intro on 'Lights In My Mind' is so 'clean' with only a couple of barely audible dust ticks and thereafter plays 'as new' with no intrusion.  The power and depth on this track is just incredible!  No need for a minus it is Mint

The intro on 'The Only Earthman In Town' is faultless and the opening vocal has just three minor static ticks which you get on new vinyl let alone one that is over 50 years old!  That is the nature of vinyl.  From then on it plays with sublime quality and again the audio is 'as new' in every regard.  Let's say a Near Mint start but the rest is Mint- with just a couple of ticks right at the end of the fade out.

'Spring '69' plays with stunning clarity on the intro and Cullen's opening vocal has no 'background' either.  It continues to play with a clarity that defies the age of the album and despite being a quiet track there is no interference anywhere.  Mint

The intro on 'Down Down' is of course so quiet and yet all I picked up was one dust tick.  The clarity on this track is just unbelievable!  Each note is again so sharp and precise and as I often say the original sonic quality is still there.  I cannot emphasise enough how STUNNING the audio is.  Every vocal, every instrumental section is Mint and I wish I could say something other than 'as new' but that does sum it perfectly.

'Tomorrow Is A Whole New Day' plays with exceptional quality with no sign of any interference.  No ticks, clicks or pops and no annoying static either!  Once again I cannot find any faults and the clarity is immaculate throughout even during the many quiet sections.  The powerful closing section is so strong and has no inner groove distortion.  A superlative Mint track to end this fine album.  Again you will notice no minus is there!

In summary this first pressing is becoming rarer with each passing year and especially with audio quality as impressive as this.  The vinyl may not be the best visually but as stated the markings are purely superficial and in essence it has that 'as new' sonic quality from beginning to end with only three minor static ticks on S2.  This is another album that was pressed in limited numbers and there cannot be many around today with audio like this!  It provides so many reasons why the first Vertigo pressings are so collectable - this level of clarity, depth and warmth just cannot be replicated by any other medium.  Not on subsequent pressings, not on CD and let's not even mention streaming etc!  This is clearly a FINAL UPGRADE album i.e. no need to purchase another as you could not improve on this audio.

The Gatefold & Swirl Inner

The cover is in very good condition I would say with some shelf wear but not an excessive amount.  The edges have some rubbing and the wide spine whilst it remains 100% legible does have some 4/5 white crease marks and some rubbing on the corners.  The right hand corners also have a little wear but, and this is to be expected, the opening edge has hardly any handling wear.  The front cover has some very light fading around the edges and one small mark but the most obvious thing are the crease lines next to the spine.  The back cover has hardly any fading or creasing and has just two small marks.  The inside of the gatefold is in excellent condition with only some minor fading around the edges but no actual marking.  The cover also has a slight 'wavy' feel to it but it is very minor I have to say.  Not a perfect cover but it is the vinyl that is the real star of the show!

The original poly-lined swirl inner is in great condition with no side splits or tears, hardly any age related fading and only minimal creasing.  A fine example.

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

6847904  1Y // 1 ▽  420   1 1  1 6

6847904  2Y // 1 ▽   420    1 1 6

At the moment eBay do not allow shipping to Russia due to the ongoing crisis.  Apologies to my Russian customers, you know who to blame.

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

I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF £250 SO IF AN ITEM SELLS FOR MORE A COURIER SERVICE WILL BE USED (e.g. Parcelforce, DPD).  AN EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUM WILL BE REQUIRED BUT I WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT UNTIL THE FINAL SALE PRICE IS KNOWN.  HOWEVER, SOMETIMES I WILL ESTIMATE A COST AND THIS WILL BE STATED IN THE LISTING.  PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH.  MANY THANKS.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

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LPs/12" singles : £5.95 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £12.95 then £2.00 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £20.95 then £2.50 per extra

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE, NONE OF THIS WAITING BEFORE I RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM YOU - I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MY LISTINGS!  IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND THE ITEM BACK I WILL OF COURSE OF COURSE PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING COST IF I AM AT FAULT.  I AM ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL!