Elton John Tumbleweed Connection DJM UK LP Orig. 1970 First Press A1/B2 NM Play

$

56

Elton John
Tumbleweed Connection
Textured Gatefold Jacket
12 Page Book Stapled Inside Jacket
Original 1970 Issue (based on Discogs identifiers)

Item Details
Manufactured in: Great Britain
Recorded: March, 1970 at Trident Studios, London
Original Issue: October 30, 1970
This Issue: 1970
Label: DJM DLPS 410
Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
Side 1: (etch:) DJLPS 410 A1 1 E
Side 2: (etch:) DJLPS 410 B2 1 1 E
Was bought new by this seller many years ago and now offered from his private collection (you have absolutely known provenance). Has had limited plays only on an expertly setup high-end audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. Has never been exposed to heat or tobacco smoke and always stored vertically in a specially designed record cabinet (Rackit) to prevent warpage.
Was cleaned on a VPI HW 16 with Audio Intelligent solutions and ultra-pure water rinse (50X purer than distilled water) before my pre-sale sound check. I wear nitrile surgical gloves while cleaning and play testing to avoid any chance of transferring finger oils to the vinyl.
Very sensitive play testing was performed straight off my Ayre P-5xe fully balanced phono preamp over Sennheiser HD 600 headphones using a Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 tube headphone amp fitted with Voskhod Soviet matched tubes (see last photo).
Track list
1: Ballad Of A Well Known Gun, Come Down In Time, Country Comfort, Son Of Your Father, My Father's Gun.

2: Where To Now St. Peter, Love Song, Amoreena, Talking Old Soldiers, Burn Down The Mission.

This album has 3 tracks who's basics were recorded at Trident for the previous "Elton John" with overdubs added for "Tumbleweed." They are S1:T2, S1:T3, and S2:T5.
I never take "distant" photos nor the so-prevalent type with the LP sticking halfway out of the jacket. I take close-ups under photo lamps so you can see nearly everything I describe in the jacket grading. It is virtually impossible to know the true vinyl condition from any photograph. That takes very bright and close visual inspection PLUS play testing with thorough coverage on high resolution equipment.
Grading Details
Note: Record grading by text characters is subjective and does not fully describe quality levels. Please see photos and my detailed descriptions below.

Outer Jacket Inspection:
NM-/NM-
The only negative I can definitely describe is the edge and corner rubbing wear. The Flat jacket surfaces front and back still have fully preserved matte finish without any ring wear I can detect. The inside contents are in excellent preservation with no discolorations from aging. Please examine my photos carefully so you can judge the grading to your own personal opinion.

Vinyl visual inspection:
After cleaning, surface visuals were inspected under high intensity halogen light. I rotated and tilted the record in multiple angles with my eyes a few inches away from the vinyl. My notes on this inspection are very short: "both sides perfect."

Play Testing:
NM/NM
Extensive play testing was performed after visual inspection. I listened to the beginning, middle, and end of each track for a few minutes on each needle drop. I also listened to all lead-in, lead-out and transition grooves between each track. Some tracks were played all the way thru when digitizing my favorites to 192k/24-bit WAV files. Continuous written notes were taken.
First, after having completed my play testing I can say with confidence that there is a consistency in the character of the vinyl noise floor throughout. It is well below the music, and has a smooth spectral density. I hear very few ticks, at low levels, and pretty far between. Compared to all UK pressings in my collection this one is exceptionally quiet regardless of its age. Here is rundown of each track from my notes.

Side 1 Play
S1:T1 sounded clean with impressive definition. The bass lines had the same drive and energy I found on the previous 1970 self-titled LP. There is a lot of "snap" on transients, and had totally quiet vinyl. S1:T2 had one small tick right after its start but then no more. This one of my longtime favorites and sounds very "lush." Both S1:T3 and S1:T4 sound "perfect, quiet." S1:T5 has a very quiet vocal mix overall. On my sensitive headphone rig I could occasionally detect a very few and very low level ticks here and there but they did not take way anything from my listening enjoyment.

Side 2 Play
S2:T1 is my favorite Elton John track of all-time and has been on every "mix tape" media I have ever created. The audio is just gorgeous and for me musically perfect. S2:T2 is near-tied for favorability with the previous track and just like S2:T3, it was "perfect." I noted on S2:T4 that the piano has some real "in room presence." S2:T5 has a very wide stereo spread and depth. Again one the most outstanding tracks in this collection. It will get into your head in a good way and you won't want it to leave.

In summary, I sincerely doubt you will be able to find an original UK pressing of this album that is more well preserved than this one in terms of play qualities. I try hard to provide grading details that don't overlook vinyl artifacts. While testing this LP I was extraordinarily impressed with just how fresh and clean it sounded. I'm very confident that the play quality will fully satisfy nearly any potential buyer.

Packaging

• Record will be placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting.
• Original inner sleeve is included separately.
• Record has been placed into a new MFSL-style "rice paper" sleeve, as the original, even if plastic lined, may be holding onto some dust. This will keep vinyl surfaces clean during shipping and ultimate buyer usage.
• Outer jacket is contained in a new clear polyethylene protective sleeve.
• Sent in good quality record mailer with cardboard stiffeners.

• Shipping will be via USPS Media Mail for a flat charge of $3.98 per single album sale.
• A combined shipping discount is available on multiple sales completed within 5 business days($3.98 plus $0.50 for each additional LP).
• If you intend to buy more than one LP do not pay immediately but wait for my all-combined invoice. A discount for the combined items will show on that invoice. Then, once payment is received, the items will ship.