Campoli Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Ataulfo Argenta Decca SXL.2029 Classical LP

	£		124
	$		165

CAMPOLI

TCHAIKOVSKY

ATAULFO ARGENTA

LAMINATED FLIP BACK  SLEEVE 

WELCOME MUSIC LOVERS

After forty years of collecting I am reluctant and excited to be making the move to sell my entire record collection. One record at a time.

Played before listing. Rare Record Price Guide used for grading.

SATISFACTION OR YOUR MONEY BACK

CAMPOLI

TCHAIKOVSKY

VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR

CONDUCTED BY

ATAULFO ARGENTA

UK Pressing (first press) on the DECCA label. 1958

o  Catalogue number: SXL 2029

o  Matrix & stampers

A. ZAL 3475 2E. SM  . C1 hard to make out a couple of numbers or letters then RT

B. ZAL 3475 2IE . C over CB. 12 1 15. RT 1E

 SLEEVE. Very Good Minus

INNER. Excellent minus

LABELS. Excellent

o  VINYL LOOKS 
A. Good
B. Good

o  SOUNDS
A. Good
B. Good plus

Now here is a detailed overview of this records condition.

SLEEVE REVIEW

FRONT. 

The cover looks pretty good. No names or stickers. No sticker marks. The thin laminate coating still have a very good, unmarked sheen to it. There is some wear around the openings edge; some laminate loss, laminate lift. Grades as Very Good

BACK.

Flip back cover, non laminated. You can see it suffers from being a white surface. Grubby marks and stains are present. Ring wear is also present. No names or sticker which is one thing. It does not look as if it has been misused, just has got the traces of time. Grades Good Plus

SPINE.

Is in excellent minus condition. A couple of small chips, no rubbing and no splits. Looks good. 

OPENING. 

 It has no bad tears. A couple of small ones of a couple mm. Some softening and curling to the opening edge. Some feathering. Not perfect but acceptable for the age.

CORNERS. 

Not too bad. Top right has a little rubbing to the tip. Top left looks good, just a little rubbing. Bottom left a moderate amount of rubbing and loss of surface paper. Bottom right. Very rubbed, opened into a split 10mm by the opening edge.

COOL FEATURES. 

Quite a sought after release. I actually don’t know what it is about this pressing that makes it so collectable. It is certainly a brilliant recording both for the playing and the recordings quality. 

INNER SLEEVE REVIEW

 It is a plastic lined inner from Decca with blue print. Made in GT Britain Foreign patents pending. In excellent minus condition. No marks or stains, no splits just a couple of small tears by the centre window on one side.

LABELS

Both look great. No bad marks or stickers. No major ring wear. Both grade as Excellent

VISUAL GRADES

SIDE ONE.

I can see it isn’t that bad, it is not perfect either. Plenty of unmarked surface, descent gloss, a little dusty. Plenty of fine superficial marks present from sleeve removal, cleaning, light needle slips, the usual. These are very fine and don’t particularly appear during playback. They are mostly short marks with the exception of a couple of long but very feint marks. The vinyl has been cared for but has succumbed to some moderate scratches of which there are a handful. A couple are about one inch long, some about 1cm, and one or two inbetween. They are obviously scratches. It is not like someone has hacked at it, rather had a little accident. If they affect play back I will have mentioned it in the audio grading section. I grade this side as Good

SIDE TWO.

Plently of mark free and glossy surface. Numerous fine superficial marks like side one. One long one that covers the width of the side; centre to start. It’s visible but superficial too. There are some moderate scratches collected into a cluster , there are many in one 50p sized area. No idea what could have caused this. This may well be the cause of the flurry of background crackle I heard. All this being so I am grading this side as Good.

AUDIO GRADINGS (typed as I listen)

SIDE ONE.

T1. First Movement. Allegro Moderato.

Fantastic sounding build up just after the intro, sounds very loud and full. Some crackle in the quieter intro, but as things build it fades away. A lovely warmth to the recording. No distorted frequencies in loud moments. A testament to the recording qualities of a bygone era. About a quarter of the way through there is a bit more pronounced crackles. Some repeat for a few revolves. They are not so loud, but are there. You could use the term velvety to describe the tone of the recording. The orchestra really jumps out at you about halfway through the side, sounding amazing. Crackle evident when it settles down. It is just the violin by itself at this point. Three quarters trough I just heard a pop, then some repeating crackles, moderate in volume. A sweet sounding side with some thrilling moments. The audio is generally very good. There is background crackle throughout as would be normal for a record this old. I grade this side as conservatively as Very Good minus

SIDE TWO.

T1.Second movement. Canzonetta Andante.

The first thing that strikes you is the warmth in the sound quality if this recording. There are no distorted or muddy top notes and the bottom end is warm and full sounding. The violin makes your ears and heart melt. There is some background crackle in parts in the lead in and intro, some odd crackles pop up here and there throughout sporadically. Just less than halfway though there is a short flurry of crackles that are more pronounced for a couple of seconds. 

T2. Third Movement. Allegro vivacissimo.

From the big instrumental stab on there is a more noticeable crackle. It is still in the background but a little more noticeable than during the first half. Things do settle down after a minute or so. I still cant get over how rich the violin sounds, the playing is beautiful. It is an enjoyable listen that sounds great. The sound as the instruments built to the finale is fantastic. There is background crackle throughout, sometimes noticeable some times not. I’m sure some noise is caused by marks and others by removable dust. Very Good

FINAL THOUGHTS

What is to say. It was an enjoyable listen. I found the recording quality to be very good; very warm, rich in tone and intimate. There is some crackle in the background. Sometimes you notice it for a second, sometimes you don’t hear it at all. The sleeve is not trashed and shows signs of living a long life, with plenty more years left. Visually the vinyl is not as good as you may want but how many pressing are out there now? It is an acceptable playing copy, not a final upgrade. 

GRADING YOUR VINYL

I use the classic U.K Rare Record Guide grading system. Detailed below are their guidelines.

MINT

The LP or single is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items are in perfect condition.

EXCELLENT 

The LP or single 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 LP or single has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and an occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover and contents without any major defects.

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 edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

POSTAGE

All records come with a protective poly sleeve, and new white inner. Records are shipped outside of the sleeve within reinforced cardboard packaging to ensure safety during transit.

I post to most locations worldwide. Please check before bidding if I can send it to you. Prices in GBP

U.K - 1-3 single LPs 4.00 Royal Mail Second Class Signed for

Europe -12.95 Royal Mail International Signed for. For each additional LP or 12" add 2.20

USA - Australia, Japan -18.95 International Signed for. For each additional LP or 12" add 3.80

Overseas orders valued over 80 will be insured for an additional 3.90

PAYMENTS

Paypal

Is accepted from all buyers. Payment must be made no later than three days after the sale closes. If payment has not been made within this time I reserve the right to re-list the item.

Cheque or Postal order

UK buyers are also welcome to pay by cheque or postal order. Payment should be received no later than five days after the sale closes. Please allow one week for cheques to clear once being received.

I hope I have covered everything you need to know. Message me if you have any questions. I am happy to help. 

Thanks for stopping by!