"Dead Can Dance"--by Dead Can Dance, 1984 UK, 1st Pressing, NEW

$

105

Dr. John's Spin Factory spins the vinyl Time Machine back to 1984, when the Australian duo (Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard) that comprised the musical outfit, Dead Can Dance, released their eponymous (self-titled), first album on the 4AD record label in England.  
Now, before we continue there is something I want the potential buyer of this LP to understand.  The record currently up for sale was made in Great Britain.  In the 1980's, new vinyl records made in Great Britain were not shrink wrapped as they were in the USA.  Record stores in the UK would display new, empty, album covers for shoppers to touch, read, and examine while keeping the accompanying, new vinyl in their new sleeves behind the counter to protect them from customer mishandling.  So, did I fly to England to buy this fine record?  No.  I bought it at 'The Vinyl Solution' in Grand Rapids Michigan, a store that specialized in imports from Europe. (When I lived in Michigan, this record store was one of my three favorites.)  And it was there at the Vinyl Solution where all new imported records were fitted with plastic slip covers that had flaps that store staff taped down (just as you see in the photos).  
The cynics and skeptics among you will no doubt wonder if I am attempting a "fast one' in the form of having played the album then simply put it in a fresh plastic slip cover with new tape so that I could sell it as new.  There is no empirical evidence I can provide that would unequivocally establish that this is not true and prove what I know to be true, which is...  After purchasing this record, I never removed it from its slip cover to play it.  It's been a fairly frequent scenario with me and the records I've bought, mostly because I've bought so many (1000's over the past 50+ years) and I still had to work full time!  No time to listen to all the new stuff!  One thing I would point out: I know of no source of slipcovers that have the type of flap that this one does.  And, when you pull the tape off this type of flap to open the slipcover, that act tends to distort or stretch the plastic a small but noticeable amount.  Look closely at the pictures, and you will see the slipcover's flap appears completely undisturbed (which it is).  
In any case, if you decide to purchase this record, and upon opening or playing it appears to have been used previously (spindle tracks, finger prints), message me immediately and I shall make it right, as you would wish.  
In the meantime, what about this record?  I am going to step aside and let a reviewers from our friends at Allmusic describe what is embedded in the grooves of this 41-year old, unplayed disc (BTW, CDs oxidize and go the heck over time; vinyl does not!): 
"Dead Can Dance combine elements of European folk music -- particularly music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance -- with ambient pop and worldbeat flourishes, touching on everything from Gaelic folk and Gregorian chant to avant-garde pop and darkwave. Originating in Australia, the group relocated to London in the early 1980s and signed with 4AD, for which they released a string of acclaimed albums..."
"Early punk backgrounds and the like behind them, Perry and Gerrard created a striking, dour landmark in early-'80s atmospherics on their first, self-titled effort. Bearing much more resemblance to the similarly gripping, dark early work of bands like the Cocteau Twins and the Cure than to the later fusions of music that would come to characterize the duo's sound, Dead Can Dance is as goth as it gets in many places. Perry and Gerrard's wonderful vocal work -- his rich, warm tones and her unearthly, multi-octave exaltations -- are already fairly well established, but serve different purposes here. Thick, shimmering guitar and rumbling bass/drum/drum machine patterns practically scream their sonic connections to the likes of Robin Guthrie and Robert Smith, but they still sound pretty darn good for all that. When they stretch that sound to try for a more distinct, unique result, the results are astonishing. Gerrard is the major beneficiary here -- "Frontier" explicitly experiments with tribal percussion, resulting in an excellent combination of her singing and the rushed music. Then there's the astonishing "Ocean," where guitar and chiming bells and other rhythmic sounds provide the bed for one of her trademark -- and quite, quite lovely -- vocal excursions into the realm of glossolalia. Perry in contrast tends to be matched with the more straightforward numbers of digital processing and thick, moody guitar surge. The album ends on a fantastic high note -- "Musica Eternal," featuring a slowly increasing-in-volume combination of hammered dulcimer, low bass tones, and Gerrard's soaring vocals. As an indicator of where the band was going, it's perfect."
I leave you with a musical wish: 'May every day lead you to fresh and beautiful music.'  Be well, and keep dancing!!  Dr. John