FAIRPORT CONVENTION - UNHALFBRICKING 1st UK press PINK "I" ISLAND 1969 EX++

	£		71
	$		94

FAIRPORT CONVENTION -  

UNHALFBRICKING

ISLAND

ILPS 9102

1st PRESS UK 1969

Witchseason productions. Produced by Joe Boyd.

Stamped matrices A//1 and B//1.  Mothers  1 1  2 1 and  11  1  8

Beautiful original 1969 album on the ‘white i’ pink label - from a large UK archive collection - I guarantee the record has not been played before I checked it (with the very greatest of care and on high quality equipment) - it is near mint in every way.  My stylus negotiated the virgin grooves this afternoon for the first time ever, the incredible, and oh so beautiful, music literally sprang out with startling clarity - Sandy Denny’s gorgeous voice almost shocking in its purity and strength - I will not enthuse at great length about the music or resort to hype to sell this remarkable barely played treasure - almost all of you will already know just how truly essential and special this record is - and to find it like this with a simply incredible as-new sleeve (always so prone to wear due to its fragile unlaminated finish and largely black rear cover) is frankly astonishing - totally unmarked and undamaged - a perfect spine with crisp seams and razor-sharp opening edges - there is not even any circular wear to the front OR back! 

The record is housed in the immaculate creamy white poly-lined original inner bag with mid blue lettering - never exposed to air, dust or sunlight and completely unyellowed and unfaded - the entire package represents a fabulous archive copy! - second of the two pink label variations for ‘Unhalfbricking’ although this one still constitutes an original 1st pressing as is evidenced by the dual ‘//1’ and ‘//1’ stamper numbers in the blank matrix areas of both sides - the ‘black block’ label was extremely short-lived and used for some, but not all, UK Island pressings in late July, August and early September 1969 - I believe that some initial pressings of this LP had the ‘black block’ label applied while others received the ‘white i’ - the subtle and really pale pink colour of these labels is certainly nothing like the strong hot pink tone favoured by Island’s design team and printing technicians as this particular label variation progressed - whatever - the album is super RARE in this untouched condition - please bid early and with enthusiasm as befits such a stunning folk / psych / rock gem.

The absolute rarity of this album is not to be underestimated. It hardly ever surfaces nowadays. This has a lovely deep glossy sheen!! Hauntingly beautiful songcraft!!! Immense quality prog/psych/folk album that ticks all the right boxes and incredibly hard to find.

BACK IN 1969 WHEN THIS LP WAS FIRST RELEASED, IT ONLY EVER SOLD IN ABSOLUTELY TINY AMOUNTS - AND WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY DELETED!!!!  AS A RESULT IT IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND INCREDIBLY HARD TO LOCATE TODAY!!!! 

Unhalfbricking was, if only in retrospect, a transitional album for the young Fairport Convention, in which the group shed its closest ties to its American folk-rock influences and started to edge toward a more traditional British folk-slanted sound. That shift wouldn't be definitive until their next album, Liege & Lief. But the strongest link to the American folk-rock harmony approach left with the departure of Ian Matthews, who left shortly after the sessions for Unhalfbricking began. The mixture of obscure American folk-rock songs, original material, and traditional interpretations that had fallen into place with What We Did on Our Holidays earlier in the year was actually still intact, if not as balanced. Sandy Denny's two compositions, her famous "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?" and the far less celebrated but magnetically brooding "Autopsy," were among the record's highlights. So too were the goofball French Cajun cover of Bob Dylan's "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" (here retitled "Si Tu Dois Partir," and a British hit) and the magnificent reading of Dylan's "Percy's Song," though the bash through Dylan's "Million Dollar Bash" was less effective. Richard Thompson's pair of songs, however, were less memorable. The clear signpost to the future was their 11-minute take on the traditional song "A Sailor's Life," with guest fiddle by Dave Swarbrick, soon to join Fairport himself and make his own strong contribution toward reshaping the band's sound.

Vinyl: EX++.  A sensational find and properly looked after vinyl!!! I have played this in FULL twice over> The replay is ASTOUNDING!!! I first played for a general listen and a second time for a more detailed observation. Only one faintest wispy hairline can be seen when studied from a very close distance, it has no effect on the audio at all.  A great listen on a heavy glossy slab of quality vinyl. The vinyl still has its fantastic over the counter glossy lustre and has only been played sparingly. Some vinyl debris from the production plant is still attached in the spindle hole, indicating very limited play at all, possibly as little as once or twice. This comes from a fantastic folk and prog collection and has always been stored with great care and under the right temperature and humidity conditions. NO skips, sticks or jumps. This is an extremely heavy vinyl the way they used to make them before the oil crisis of the early seventies. It weighs in at a respectable 142 gr.

Sleeve: EX++.  A supreme single sleeve without any damage or wear, possibly the best you will ever find for this album. An ultra vulnerable sleeve which has stood the ravages of time really well. The opening is still super crisp. There is no writing or damage. A tiny right hand bottom crease. The top and bottom edges are still in fantastic shape without any storage wear. NO tears and NO seam splits. The spine is still a full100% and of course fully legible. The opening is absolutely super crisp. A fabulous sleeve in the very best condition imaginable, this will suit a serious folk/prog collector and is also a serious investment object which will vastly appreciate in value. A very obscure album in this condition that rarely shows up these days. 

****ELUSIVE PROGMONSTER!!!****PERPLEXING SONGCRAFT!!!***AN INSPIRATION TO MANY SUBSEQUENT TOPACTS!!!***

!!!!A VERY HARD FIND!!! Most have been bought up by collectors!! This is hardly offered these days!!

 Sensational sound quality, I have played this through in its entirety and it was a great joy!!! NO skips or jumps. NO clicks , this is really a stunning heavy glossy jet black vinyl .The audio is impeccable. Inspected under an intense light source and angled.

For international postage, if this album sells for over £30.00 a fee for tracking and insurance will be added to the invoice. It is the actual Royal Mail fee and I do not profit on postage at all.

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.