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Gentle Giant : Three Friends 1Y2 / 2Y2 1st Press 1972 Vertigo w/ misprint

This first pressing plays with exceptional audio on both side and NO interference!  The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is astounding and I do not think I have ever listened to a finer first Vertigo pressing than this one.  In all honesty it plays like it was pressed only yesterday and not over 50 years ago!  The depth and resonance of the audio especially is just STUNNING!  All I picked up were two very light ticks on S2 but even then they are so quiet that you could easily miss them!  This is sonic quality of the highest calibre and is a FINAL UPGRADE archive pressing without doubt.  The vinyl is also visually stunning without, of course, any scratches.  There is no spindle wear on the labels either and based on this and the audio it is obvious this rare pressing has hardly been played in my opinion. 

The gatefold is in excellent condition with only minimal wear and the original Vertigo inner is also in excellent order.

This first press has the 'Feel The Paint' misprint on the S2 label, it should of course read as 'Peel The Paint'.  There is no Made In England on the label either and it has the first press 1Y2 / 2Y2 matrix also.

6360070   1Y//2▽ 420  1 1  3

6360070   2Y//2 ▽ 420  1 1  3

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-)

The gatefold is Ex

The original Vertigo Swirl inner is Ex+

The labels are Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in superb condition with a lovely glossy sheen and no marks or scratches.  It is difficult to even find any faint hairlines!  In fact I can only see some faint wavy 'lines' from where the vinyl has been cleaned and then put back in the inner sleeve too early.  However, these are very faint and you only notice them when you hold tilt the record at a certain angle and to be honest they are more noticeable on the run out grooves.  Nothing to worry about and like I say very faint.  The run out grooves are still very clean and you can easily read the matrix info.  The iconic Vertigo labels are in perfect condition with no marking and NO spindle wear!

Play grading

The run in on S1 is so quiet and then the percussive intro on 'Prologue' plays perfectly.  The rest of this powerful intro plays with sublime clarity and depth and the vocal section can be described 'as new' as there is no background not even a dust tick.  The long instrumental that brings the track to a close is of the same high end standard and again the fade out has not one dust tick let alone anything more.  This really is audio of the highest calibre and Mint is an easy grade to give.

With complete silence in the dead wax the intro on 'Schooldays' once again plays with stunning clarity with just one minor static tick.  The first vocal and chorus are faultless and it continues to play with a sonic quality that is second to none.  Every vocal and instrumental section play beautifully with no intrusion and I cannot quite believe what I am listening to here, remember this first pressing is now over 50 years old!  The piano instrumental section plays with STUNNING clarity and the next quiet vocal again shows just how well this vinyl has been preserved,  I noticed only a couple of mega light dust ticks.  The remainder plays with the same classic precision and I am confident in grading this as Mint also.

'Working All Day' ends the side with imperious quality once more.  What immediately strikes you is the depth on the audio, so impressive for a final track, and the clarity is 10/10.  There is no need to elaborate really as every section quite simply plays 'as new' with no background of any kind.  No hint of any inner groove distortion either.  A Mint track in every way.

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The quiet opening vocal on 'Peel The Paint' in essence plays perfectly with only a couple of barely audible dust ticks and the first strings sections plays beautifully with just one very quiet static tick.  It continues to play with outstanding clarity and the first high octane vocal is just incredible!  The power and depth of the audio explains just why the Vertigo pressings are so collectable as you do not get sonic quality such as this on the later pressings / reissues.  The guitar solo that follows is equally as strong and the next instrumental has no intrusion either.  The final vocal is flawless as is the crescendo ending.  This also deserves to be graded as Mint

The intro on 'Mister Class And Quality?' plays with stunning precision and the first vocal section is just as clean.  It continues in the same way through every section and you have to admire how well the previous owner looked after his records!  It plays with exceptional clarity and depth although I did notice two minor ticks towards the end albeit very quiet.  It still grades as Mint- it could hardly play any better!

'Three Friends' plays beautifully from the word go.  The 'choral' vocals are so clean and precise and there is no distortion.  The instrumental sections are just as strong gentle and this truly is the perfect way to round off this classic album.  The long fade out plays so clearly with no intrusion - a stunning Mint version and wow what an album!

In summary this first pressing plays with a clarity of sound that you so rarely find today.  Yes the vinyl is visually stunning but that doesn't necessarily mean it will play well.  As you can see from my grading it does indeed play with STUNNING sonic quality on both sides and with no interference.  As stated there are a couple of light ticks at the end of 'Mister Class...' on S2 but so quiet you could easily miss them!  A measure of the clarity is that there is literally no background static and I cannot overstate just how well it plays.  The depth and resonance of the audio also is breath-taking.  A FINAL UPGRADE archive first pressing in every regard that comes complete with a very impressive cover and Vertigo inner.

The Gatefold & Vertigo Swirl Inner

The cover is in excellent condition with only minimal shelf wear and has retained its original shape and structure with no bending or creasing.  The top edges are very clean with only 3/4 tiny 'rubs' and the bottom edges just have a little more rubbing.  There is a very small split next to the right corner on the back cover but it really isn't that obvious.  The wide spine is super clean with only a handful of minor rubs and the corners are in great shape also.  Other than what I said already the right hand corners are in excellent order with only the bare minimum of wear and the opening edge has very little handling wear.  The front cover for once is so clean with none of the fading / spotting that you so often see.  You can just see a hint of minor wear near the bottom right corner.  The back cover is just as strong with only a minor amount of ringwear / fading near the top edge.  The inside of the gatefold is near perfect with only a couple of small faint spots either side of the inner spine.  A fine example overall.

The Vertigo inner sleeve is in superb condition with no side splits or tears and hardly any creasing.  It has only very minimal age related fading / marking around the edges and one very small label removal mark in one corner.

Play tested on my Rega P2 Turntable / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

6360070   1Y//2▽ 420  1 1  3

6360070   2Y//2 ▽ 420  1 1  3

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF £250 SO IF AN ITEM SELLS FOR MORE A COURIER SERVICE MAY BE USED (e.g. Parcelforce, DPD).  AN EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUM WILL BE REQUIRED BUT I WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT UNTIL THE FINAL SALE PRICE IS KNOWN.  HOWEVER, SOMETIMES I WILL ESTIMATE A COST AND THIS WILL BE STATED IN THE LISTING.  PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH.  MANY THANKS.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

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LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE, NONE OF THIS WAITING BEFORE I RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM YOU - I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MY LISTINGS!  IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND THE ITEM BACK I WILL OF COURSE OF COURSE PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING COST IF I AM AT FAULT.  I AM ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL!