GENTLE GIANT ? THREE FRIENDS ? 1972 UK Vertigo swirl heavy prog ? FEEL THE PAINT

$

240

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Original first UK press of their third masterpiece. It is the earliest issue with the uncorrected misprint on the label which lists "Feel The Paint" instead of "Peel The Paint", plus no "Made in England" under the 1972 copyright. The core for most of GG's tenure was Gary Green (guitar), Kerry Minnear (keys, vibes, percussion), and the multi-talented Shulman brothers; Ray (bass, violin), Phil (sax) and Derek (lead vocals). The revolving door of drummers finds Malcolm Mortimore on skins, and in addition to their formidable instrumental talents every member is given a vocal credit, which shows in the complex harmonies and vocal acrobatics that liberally appear on any GG recording. This is their first concept album, dealing with three childhood friends whose lives take them very different places, but none of them are satisfied with their new lives and eventually reunite to achieve their goals. It was also their first self-produced album, after having their first two produced by genius Tony Visconti. It has a harder rock sound without sacrificing any of the group's progressive intentions, and there are some softer moments here, such as the playful, sprightly first half of "Schooldays". "Peel The Paint" has one of Gary Green's best electrifying guitar solos, and overall the harmonies and arrangements still have a distinctly medieval feel. The melodies, though a little harder to discern here, are as always quite engaging. These songs showcase the combination of esoteric styles and complexity that makes GG unique, yet they remain very accessible to the casual listener as individual songs. Somewhat less dense than the extravagant, complex work that would become their trademark, Three Friends is among the most mainstream set of songs they ever wrote (not that they could ever be considered mainstream), and is the perfect introduction to this monumental band.



Artist: GENTLE GIANT

Title:

THREE FRIENDS

Year: 1972

Label: Vertigo

Catalog Number: 6360 070

Mono/Stereo/Quadro: stereo

Country: England

Dead Wax Numbers: 6360070 1Y//2?420 117 04  / 

6360070 2Y//2?420 114 04  (stamped)

Weight: 123 grams

Cover Format: sturdy matte gatefold

Cover Condition: VG+ (sharp, crisp, vivid & tight, nearly perfect edges, a few little edge-creases, close to NM if not for mild shelf wear in the upper dark areas only on the outside, inside is NM but overall this cover is one of the cleanest specimens we've come across for this fragile design, truly fantastic)

Vinyl Condition: PLAY-GRADED VG+ (nearly perfect gloss, some light surface scuffs but it looks borderline NM, there is light background crackle in some spots thanks to slight groove wear however which thankfully doesn't produce any distortion or other artifacts, most of the music obscures this & there are no clicks or pops anywhere just the occasional tick, it looks gorgeous & plays clean overall)

Label Condition: s1 is perfect, s2 has 1 squiggly spindle mark

We clean every record on a VPI HW-17F using Audio Intelligent Vinyl Solutions multi-step process (every disc goes into a brand-new poly-lined inner sleeve).

Everything is strictly graded using the classic Goldmine Standards that we have been applying since 1983: 

M (rarely ever used unless still sealed)/ NM / EX / VG+ / VG / VG- / G+ / G (please see bottom of auction for specific grading information).

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We visually grade all records using the classic Goldmine Standard, to which we have added EX (as have many others), but we do not use any other variant from the classic scale.  No NM- or EX+ (which are both EX), EX- VG+++ or Near Excellent (which are all VG+), or any such other nebulous grades here!  We feel that nearly every collector will be more than pleased with anything listed EX or above in our auctions; they will all be top-shelf, archive quality items which will play M- throughout.  A VG+ record will truly satisfy all but the most critical curator.  On the very rare occasion we actually grade an opened LP as straight MINT, we can guarantee you’ll never find a nicer copy anywhere!

We will play-grade any LP if there is any reason to do so; any questionable mark, scuff or noteworthy artifact of any kind will be sampled to determine its true significance (which may obviously impact the grade ).  We will also gladly play-grade anything upon request; if you are curious about the actual pressing characteristics or any have other questions about its actual performance please feel free to ask.

MINT :  Absolutely perfect.

This record looks like it has just left the plant, with no flaws whatsoever.  It appears unhandled and unplayed, with no marks of any sort.  Usually only sealed or (sometimes) unplayed LPs will warrant this grade.

The cover does not appear to have had a record inside it; there is no wear or distraction of any kind.

 NM : Virtually flawless, top copy.

The record is virtually identical to the moment it was opened, but may have a few faint paper, packaging or pressing scuffs which will produce no sound whatsoever and are very hard to see without critical inspection.  It was very carefully handled and played, likely only once or twice.

The cover is as close to perfect as can be expected given its age.  There may be minor impressions due to the outer edge of the vinyl (no ring wear), the lightest possible corner bumps, or a few tiny laminate creases (mainly on imports), but no wear or whitening of any kind whatsoever.

EX : A beautiful specimen, which will please most critical collectors and not need to be upgraded.

The record has no scratches or significant blemishes, and will play NM throughout.  It retains 100% of the gloss, sheen and luster, but may have a handful of faint superficial scuffs, hairlines or light spindle marks which will not produce any sound whatsoever.

The cover is nearly perfect.  There may be the absolute faintest suggestion of ring wear or possibly a light touch of dulling on the corners (nothing wrinkled or obtrusive in any way), but no notable seam or spine wear, writing or sign of tape anywhere.

 VG+ : Plays perfectly nearly all of the time, with only a few minor distractions.

The record still retains nearly all of the gloss, sheen and luster, but there may be a handful of inaudible superficial marks or scuffs, a mild scattering of light hairlines (which would only be faintly audible between tracks or in some very quiet passages), or a few stray marks which may mildly sound for a few revolutions. Each flaw is very minor, barely noticeable to the naked eye, and will not detract from the enjoyment in any way.

The cover is still very clean and crisp, but may look slightly more aged and have a few minor flaws such as small unobtrusive writing, minor wear to the seams and spine (no splits), slightly worn corners, very light ring wear or minor creasing.  No flaw is at all distracting in and of itself.

 VG : A nice play copy, which will perform without much significant distraction.

The record appears well played, but still has the majority of the luster.  It will not have been abused, though there will be some audible sound defects which will not overpower the dynamics of the music, such as mild surface noise in the quietest sections, a handful of stray isolated pops and clicks (which are brief and occasional), or possibly some very mild groove wear; still no skips, repeats, or anything deep or seriously pronounced.  It will play through quite nicely most of the time, with very minimal distraction.

The cover looks somewhat used and shows some mild wear.  There may be some minor seam splitting, ring wear (which still doesn’t overwhelm the cover), discreet writing (not large magic marker), or mild yellowing due to air contaminants. It is still nice, just a few notable flaws away from VG+.

We will never sell anything less than VG, so the rest of the scale is unnecessary.  We absolutely detest groove wear, so we will almost never list anything lacking the overwhelming majority of the luster, sheen and gloss.  Anything of significance will always be noted. 

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