Deep Purple FIREBALL 197 UK LP 1st Press Gramophone Co PROMO MINT AUDIO HEAR

	£		647
	$		857

DEEP PURPLE - FIREBALL

THE BEST COPY IS HAVE EVER SEEN - MINT AUDIO
PROMO COPY

ASTONISHING MINT MINUS SLEEVE

COMPLETE WITH INSERT
FINAL UPGRADE ARCHIVE COPY

• CATALOGUE:HARVEST SHVL 793
• MATRIX: SHVL793 A-2U / B-3U
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS:2 OL / 1 OD
• PEK ETCHED INTO THE DEAD WAX SIDE 1

THE VINYL

FIRST PRESS FIREBALL VINYL IS FAR HEAVIER THAN THE LATER ISSUES, AND THIS ONE IS REALLY SOLID.

THE ORIGINAL SHEEN HAS BEEN RETAINED AND LOOKS FLAWLESS IN DAYLIGHT

AND EVEN WHEN PLACED UNDER A MAGNIFYING LED HALO THERE IS NOTHING VISIBLE. A TOTALLY MINT DISC

THE LABELS

CORRECT 'GRAMOPHONE CO' RIM WORDING

DEEP RICH INKS THAT FULL STRETCH INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE

A CLOSE EXAMINATION REVEALS BARELY ONE MINUSCULE SPIDER LINES B THE SPINDLE HOLE

GENUINE FIRST PRESS LABELS WITH 'THE GRAMOPHONE CO' RIM WORDING. LATER PRESSES HAD EMI RECORDING AT THIS POINT.

BOTH LABELS ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION. THE GREEN HARVEST BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND IS UNMARKED . THE PROMO LABEL IS FIRLY AFFIXED TO SIDE ONE

THE TEST PLAY

THE FIRST THING TO SAY IS THAT THERE IS NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND WHATSOEVER, AND EVERY NOTE IS LOUD, CLEAN AND CRISP, JUST HOW IT WAS INTENDED TO BE HEARD.

THERE IS CRACKLE, NOR ARE THERE ANY LOUD CLICKS

THE STEREO REPRODUCTION IS PURE FIRST PRESS

ABSOLUTELY SILENT IN THE DEAD WAX AND LINKING GROOVES

NO POPS OR TICS WHATSOEVER

NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE EITHER

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS AUDIO MINT

DON'T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT THOUGH, TAKE A LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

THIS COPY OF FIREBALL HAS WITHOUT QUESTION ONE OF THE BEST SLEEVES I HAVE COME ACROSS

IT IS WORTH SPENDING A FEW LINES DETAIL JUST HOW RARE IT IS TO FIND THIS SLEEVE IN THIS SORT OF CONDITION

IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT EBAY AUCTIONS OF THIS ALBUM YOU WILL FIND THAT 99% OF ALL FIREBALL SLEEVES ARE IN POOR CONDITION

THE REASONS FOR THIS IS VERY SIMPLE. IT WAS MADE OF A VERY SOFT CARD, THEN COVERED IN A DELICATE DARK (DEEP PURPLE) COLOURED FINISH, THEN TEXTURED!! AND FINALLY LEFT UNLAMINATED.

 LOOKED ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC WHEN BRAND NEW, BUT SOON BECAME TATTY WHEN FILED WITH OTHER ALBUMS

THE FIRST THING THAT USUALLY GOES IS THE TEXTURED SURFACE WHICH RUBS AND LEAVES WHITE SHOWING THROUGH THE COLOUR, AND BECAUSE THE BASE COLOUR IS VERY DARK, ANY WHITE SHOWING STANDS OUT LIKE NOTHING ELSE. 

THE VULNARABLE AREAS ARE THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES, THE SPINE, THE PERIMETER EDGES OF THE FRONT AND BACK SURFACE, AND IN PARTICULAR RINGWEAR CAUSED BY THE PRESSURE OF THE RECORD AGAINST THE SOFT CARD LEAVING HIDDEOUS WHITE CIRCLES

THE SECOND ISSUE WITH MOST FIREBALL SLEEVE IS SEVERE CREASING, PARTICULARLY ON THE SPINE , BECAUSE OF THE SOFT CARD AND BEND WOULD INSTANTLY TURN INTO AN UNSIGHTLY CREASE AND USUALLY THE COLOUR WOULD GO AS WELL MAKING IT AN UNSIGHTLY WHITE CREASE. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SLEEVES WITH WHITE LINES PROTRUDING FROM THE SPINE OUT INTO THE FRONT SURFACE.

AGAIN THE SOFTNESS OF THE CARD ALSO ALLOWED AND SLIGHT BEND TO TURN INTO A DEEP CREASE WITH EASE.

THE FINAL PROBLEM IS THE SPINE WHERE 99% OF ALL COPIES ARE FLATTENED, WHICH CAUSES ONE OF THE FAR EDGES TO OVERLAP THE OTHER AND CAUSE MORE WEAR TO THE EXPOSED EDGE

THIS SLEEVE HOWEVER IS IN AMAZING NEAR PERFECT CONDITION

IT IS ABSOLUTELY SQUARE WITH THE STRAIGHTEST SPINE I HAVE EVER SEEN ON THIS SLEEVE

SO HAVING THIS KEPT INSIDE PLASTIC FROM NEW HAS RESULTED IN A TRULY JUST OFF MINT EXAMPLE OF THIS SLEEVE

STARTING WITH THE FRONT SURFACE. AS SOON AS YOU HANDLE IT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL. 

THE TEXTURED SURFACE IS JUST PRISTINE. NO MARKS, NO SIGNS OF ANY BENDS OR CREASES OR CREASE LINES. 

NO WHITE AREAS, NO RUBBING WHATSOEVER. EVERY TINY BIT OF THE COLOUR IS 100% RETAINED AND LOOKING PRISTINE. NO FADING AT ALL

THE VERY TIP OF THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER HAS A PIN PRICK OF RUBBING

THERE ARE THREE TINY PRESSURE LINES AGAINST THE SPINE AT ALL. NONE ON THE TOP EDGE, NONE ON THE BOTTOM EDGE AND NO THUMB LINES NEAR THE OPENING EDGE

THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE BOTH NEAR PRISTINE. 

THE TOP EDGE HAS JUST A PIN PRICK OF WHITE SHOWING ON THE RIGHT CORNER TIPS, WHILST THE BOTTOM EDGE  HAS JUST THE LIGHTEST COLOUR LOSS ON THE CORNERS ONLY

THE SPINE IS ALSO IN MINT CONDITION, 

TOTALLY FLAT AND CLEAN AND THERE IS NO FINGER TO THUMB SQUASHING WHICH IS VERY RARE. ONE SLIGHT  DENT JUST BELOW THE BAND NAMW. EVERY LETTER OF THE RED TYPEFACE IS PERFECT AND LEGIBLE.THERE IS NO COLOUR LOSS HERE AT ALL

THE REAR SURFACE LIKE THE FRONT HAS RETAINED ALL OF THE RICH DARK COLOUR. IT IS HERE USUALLY WHERE THE SLEEVE SUFFERS MOST FROM RING WEAR, BUT ON THIS SLEEVE THERE IS JUST THE BAREST SHADOW OF RECORD SHAPE NEAR THE TOP AND BOTTOM  EDGES ONLY 

THREE TINY PRESSURE LINES BY THE SPINE

THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL RAZOR SHARP 

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PERFECTLY CLEAN AND UNRUBBED TEXTURED INNER SURFACE. 

NO LOSS OF COLOUR AT ALL. THIS IS REALLY BECAUSE THE SLEEVE WAS PROTECTED FROM NEW, AND POSSBLY NOT OPENED SINCE IT WAS PLACED INSIDE

THE ADVERTISING INNER HAS BEEN REPLAVED BY THE ORIGINAL OWNER WITH A DIFFERENT POLY LINED INNER SLEEVE

FINALLY THE SLEEVE IS COMPLETED WITH THE INCLUSION OF THE ORIGINAL INSERT SHEET. THIS IS IN MINT CONDITION, NO CREASES

THIS REMARKABLE SLEEVE IS IN MINT MINUS CONDITION