EARTH AND FIRE.1971 NEPENTHA.SUPERB 1ST PRESS+1Y/2Y+CLEAN DIE-CUT GATEFOLD COVER

	£		442
	$		586

ATTENTION 1970s PROGRESSIVE ROCK MUSIC COLLECTORS!     

HERE IS AN ORIGINAL UK 1971 STEREO 1ST AND EARLIEST ISSUE OF THE MAGNIFICENT DEBUT SELF TITLED LP BY EARTH AND FIRE WHICH SOUNDS EXCITING AND FRESH ALL THESE YEARS LATER.

MUSICALLY IT IS ONE OF THE BEST EARLY 1970s PROG.ROCK LPs I HAVE EVER HEARD WITH GREAT MEMORABLE SONGS,FANTASTIC GRACE SLIK/JEFFERSON AIRPLANE TYPE FEMALE VOCALS LEADING MOST OF THE TRACKS(A COUPLE HAVE MALE LEADS)WITH MALE HARMONY BACK UP.ADD TO THAT SOME TRULY BRILLIANT GUITARWORK AND DRUMMING THROUGHOUT AND THE ALL IMPORTANT POWERFUL,RICH HAMMOND ORGAN SOUND.THERE ARE SOME BEAUTIFUL MORE DELICATE PASSAGES WITH FLUTE SOLOS BUT MOST OF THE TRACKS ARE UPTEMPO.

THIS IS THE REAL DEAL AND THE GENUINE FIRST EVER UK EDITION FROM 1971.   

  PHILIPS PRESSED NEPENTHA LABELS WITH THE EARLIEST POSSIBLE 1Y/2Y MATRIXES. CATALOGUE NUMBER 6437004 NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH LATER REISSUES!

HOW MANY WERE SOLD IS NOT 100% KNOWN FOR SURE BUT ESTIMATIONS FROM LONG TERM COLLECTORS AND DEALERS GENERALLY SUGGEST 500-1000 COPIES AS THERE WERE MANY OTHER SIMILAR RECORDS TO CHOOSE FROM AND THIS ONE HAD MINIMAL PROMOTION,ATTENTION OR SALES IN THE U.K. DESPITE THE BAND'S HUGE POPULARITY IN HOLLAND FROM WHERE THEY WERE BASED.DON'T FORGET MOST BUYERS WERE USING PRETTY BASIC EQUIPMENT OR WERE PLAYED AT PARTIES WHERE CAREFUL HANDLING WENT OUT OF THE WINDOW IN FAVOUR OF A GOOD TIME!

THE MAJORITY OF COPIES THAT SURVIVE 50 YEARS LATER IN ANY DECENT CONDITION PROBABLY AMOUNT TO A FEW HUNDRED AND MOST OF THOSE ARE SAFELY IN THE HANDS OF PRIVATE COLLECTORS RELUCTANT TO EVER SELL!

THIS COPY WAS BOUGHT WITHIN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF RELEASE BY THE ONE PREVIOUS OWNER WHO PLAYED HIS LPs ONLY A HANDFULL OF TIMES ON EXCELLENT HI-FI EQUIPMENT RECORDING THEM ON CASSETTES FOR PLAYING DURING HIS TIME IN THE NAVY WITH THE RECORDS KEPT FOR MOST OF THE TIME IN CAREFUL STORAGE AWAY FROM LIGHT AND HEAT. THE PREVIOUS OWNER WAS NOT A SMOKER SO NO HORRIBLE "SMOKE STINK" AND NO "DAMP SMELL" THAT OFTEN PERMUTATES OLD ALBUM COVERS! THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST OF THE EARLY 1970s PROG.ROCK LPs WITH GREAT MUSICIANSHIP AND PRODUCTION-A VERY WORTHY AND ESSENTIAL ADDITION TO ANY SERIOUS COLLECTION OF FIRST PRESSINGS OF RARE PROGRESSIVE ROCK ALBUMS.

THIS IS A NEAR MINT CONDITION RECORD WITH AN EXCELLENT CONDITION COVER-VERY STRICTLY GRADED FROM START TO FINISH. MANY WOULD EASILY CLASS THIS AS NEAR MINT! OTHER SELLERS WILL STATE A GENERAL GRADING,SOME WILL JUST STATE "GOOD FOR IT'S AGE" OR JUST A VISUAL GRADE.NOT WITH ME SO PLEASE READ ON!

BASED ON MY LONG TERM 34 YEARS AS A DEALER EXPERIENCES AND OVER 18 OF THOSE AS A MAJOR SELLER ON EBAY,YOU WILL NOW READ AN HONEST AND CAREFULLY CHECKED COPY THAT WILL HOPEFULLY COVER ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE DECIDING TO BID ON THIS ONCE IN A BLUE MOON OPPORTUNITY! 

THE JET BLACK SURFACES HAVE A LOVELY GLEAM TO THEM AND ARE NOT "DULL" OR SCUFFED AS WITH MANY LPs OF THIS AGE. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF VERY FAINT AND TINY SURFACE MARKS ONLY VISIBLE UNDER VERY STRONG LIGHT BUT THIS IS EXTREMELY MINIMAL.

I STRUGGLED TO HEAR MUCH SURFACE NOISE APART FROM A LITTLE FAINT SURFACE CRACKLE AT HIGH VOLUME DURING A COUPLE OF THE QUIETER PASSAGES AND THE ODD ISOLATED SOFT POP ELSEWHERE HOWEVER THE DISC HAS VERY CLEAR SOUND INDEED WITH NO DISTORTION,NO LOUD CLICKS AND OF COURSE NO STICKS AND NO JUMPS/SKIPS.LOTS OF BASS AND A WARMTH AND DEPTH THAT IS LACKING ON SUBSEQUENT PRESSINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PRODUCED.

I HAVE LISTENED TO IT TWICE  BEFORE LISTING TO BE SURE I DIDN'T MISS ANYTHING ON DECENT EQUIPMENT WITH THE TREBLE FULL ON AND NO FILTERING TO HEAR ANYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE DESCRIBED.

IT IS POSSIBLY THE BEST COPY YOU MAY FIND,50 YEARS ON FROM IT'S RELEASE AND WILL BE A HIGHLIGHT IN YOUR PROG.ROCK COLLECTION. 

PLEASE EXAMINE THE CLOSE UP PHOTOS OF THE LABELS WITH A NAME IN BIRO PEN ON ONE OF THEM BUT THERE IS NO OTHER DEFACEMENT-NO RIPS,FADING OR STAINING.SOME FAINT SPLINDLE LINES BUT BARELY ANY SPINDLE WEAR-I DO NOT "TOUCH IN" OR "INK IN" LIKE SOME SELLERS!

HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL CURVED EDGES INNER SLEEVE WITH THE "MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN" WORDING.AN ADDITIONAL POLYLINED INNER WILL BE PROVIDED.

 THE DIE CUT GATEFOLD COVER HAS A FEW TINY EDGE CREASES AND SOME SLIGHT "AGE STAINING" BUT THERE IS NO WRITING,RIPS,SPLITS OR REPAIRS! THERE IS NO MAJOR STAINING! YES THERE IS A LITTLE BUT THIS IS NOTHING MAJOR AND AGAIN I WOULD SAY BETTER THAN MOST THAT TURN UP!  PLEASE SEE ALL THE PHOTOS SHOWING THE FRONT AND BACK OF THE COVER AND BOTH LABELS! NOTHING TO HIDE! PLEASE ZOOM IN AND SEE EVERY POSSIBLE DETAIL!

THE STARTING PRICE OF £200 IS ACTING AS THE RESERVE WITH NO OFFERS ALTHOUGH BE PREPARED FOR LAST MINUTE BIDDING AS SO OFTEN THE CASE. THIS IS A SOUND INVESTMENT AS RECORDS OF THIS RARITY ARE INCREASING IN VALUE YEAR UPON YEAR!

THERE IS NO BUY IT NOW OPTION ON THIS RECORD.

THE DISC WILL ONLY BE SENT SPECIAL DELIVERY OR INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR IF OVERSEAS.

MY PACKING WILL BE SOLID WITH THICK CARD AND AN ADDITIONAL RECORD EITHER SIDE TO ALLOW FOR SAFE ARRIVAL.SEE MY FEEDBACK FOR MANY GREAT COMMENTS!

I REGRET THAT I WILL NOT POST TO THIS RECORD TO MEXICO OR BRAZIL DUE TO THE RISKS OF LOSS IN THOSE COUNTRIES ERRATIC POSTAL SYSTEM.

BIDDERS WITH NO FEEDBACK WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO BID.

THERE SHOULD BE NO NEED FOR ANY QUESTIONS BUT DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME VIA EBAY MESSAGES AND I WILL REPLY AS SOON AS I CAN.

Over the years I have helped to add to the collections of many  collectors and given my experience, I am aware of the titles that are GENUINE RARE ITEMS.

Now of course for those who are"chained"to the record collector price guide books,for whom I am one of the main consultants, the prices are still a SUGGESTION and as we all know ACTUAL prices SOLD can vary.

The sellers on ebay who continually put"listed"or "list price"on everything should be aware of this!!!!     

This is my honest grading!!!

Please see my listening policy below. 

I test on a lightweight pickup of approx 2 grammes and listen with the treble full on and no filtering or mono switch used.As both a collector and dealer,I AM VERY STRICT ON GRADING but DO CHECKOUT MY FEEDBACK FOR GRADING PROOF!!!!  

Checkout my  feedback of over 26,000 comments of my standards and service many from some of the world's most respected collectors and dealers.Always adding quality Records, cd's and related items to ebay several times a week. Customers from all over the world regard my ebay selections as the #1 for QUALITY,VARIETY AND SERVICE.

UK Customers are very welcome to collect ebay winnings by prior email  arrangement.OVER 18 years on ebay  and many more before as a keen collector! Thanks for looking and good luck.

OTHER STYLES OF MUSIC ON EBAY FROM ME-SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE-LOOK NO FURTHER!!!!!

MORE DIFFERENT LPs,EPs AND 45s FROM ME EVERY WEEK ON EBAY FOR AUCTION AND MANY AT LOW,REALISTIC BUY IT NOW PRICES!

DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO OWN THE VERY FIRST EVER UK PRESSING OF THIS MAGNIFICENT ALBUM! GOOD LUCK!