FAMILY Music in a Doll’s House UK Reprise First Press with Original Insert

$

90

Welcome! Here is a lovely first UK press of Family Music in a Doll’s House (Reprise RSLP 6312). On this 1968 debut album, produced by Dave Mason, the lineup is Roger Chapman, John Whitney, Jim King, Ric Grech, and Rob Townsend. As a first stereo press on the Reprise tri-color “steamboat” label, this album was issued in mono RLP 6312 sleeves, with a STEREO RSLP sticker on the back of the sleeve preceding the catalog number. Also present is the original Reprise inner sleeve. AND, here we also have the elusive photo insert – an original – in superb condition!

Matrix numbers and mother/stamper codes are:

Side 1: RSLP 6312 A-3G; the mother/stamper is 2 E. Scratched into the dead wax is the KT tax code.

Side 2: RSLP 6312 B-3G; the mother/stamper is 2 C. The KT tax code is again scratched in on Side B.

Using the Record Collector grading system, what do we have here?

Sleeve: The laminated flipback single sleeve grades VG. On the front, there are several laminate wrinkles, most of them minor. A longer laminate wrinkle begins underneath the word Music and extends through the first two letters of the word Family. Other than these wrinkles, the laminate is in fine shape and shows no sign of lifting.

There is a VERY faint trace of ring wear to the front, visible only in the right-side area. There is minor wear to each corner, and very minor wear to the edge where the record is inserted. The top and bottom edges, plus the spine, are very fine, with no wear at all.

There is no wear to the (unlaminated) matte back area of the sleeve. What I initially thought might be faint surface wear to the left of the doll picture is, I believe, simply the matte printing of the wavy background pattern seen in the frame on the front and the flipbacks on the back. The laminated flipbacks exhibit typical wrinkling and very minor wear to the edges at the far right. The aforementioned STEREO RSLP sticker is somewhat soiled, particularly in the upper part. It is unusual to see this still in place after 46 years! There is no trace of ringwear on the back. The sleeve is signed “Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. Patents pending”.

Vinyl: The noticeably heavy vinyl grades EX+++, with virtually no background crackle. There is a faint scuff to Song 5 on Side 2 and another that crosses Songs 5 and 6 on Side 2, but these result in no audio disturbance at all. Beyond those blemishes, all else is visually and aurally superb! It is unlikely that you could upgrade this vinyl.

Labels: There is average spindle tracking to the Side 1, less to the Side 2 label. Beyond that, both labels look very fine, with strong colors.

Inner Sleeve: This album has the original inner sleeve, although it is in rather fragile condition. There are two sizable splits along one edge, plus another one on the bottom. I will include a period UK white inner sleeve, so that you can avoid any further deterioration of the original.

Insert: Yes! It is here and it is the original! There is a very slight crease in the white border area at the upper left; this does not extend into the image. There is a VERY minor crease in the white border area at the lower left; this too does not extend into the image. There are no traces of mounting on the reverse. Really, this rare insert is in EX+++ condition.

And, in the end: If you are in the market for a strong UK example of Family’s debut album – complete with the elusive photo insert – this is it! Please email me with any questions.

A Note on the Photos: Unless otherwise stated, any bright spots or glare in my pictures is from my camera’s flash.

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Namaste, everyone!