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Gentle Giant : Three Friends 1Y2/2Y2 2nd Press 1972 Vertigo

This second pressing plays with great quality for the vast majority and with only minimal interference.  This interference is during the first vocal at the start of S2 but it does not last long.  Apart from that the album plays with genuine clarity and definition with no other real intrusion.

The gatefold is in excellent condition with only a little wear here and there and the original inner remains in very good condition.

This is known as a second press as it has Made In England on the Side B labels.

6360070   1Y//2▽ 420  1 1 1 2   04

6360070   2Y//2 ▽ 420  1 1 1 2   04

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (T1 Mint-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (T1 opening vocal G then Ex briefly / T3 Near Mint) 

The gatefold is Ex-

The labels are Ex+

The original inner sleeve is VG+

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a very strong glossy look.  The only downside is one small hairline scratch at the start of S2.  There are a couple of small faint fingerprint type marks and also a small hairline on S1 that is a little more obvious but they have no affect on the audio.  Aside from that there are the usual faint sleeve removal hairlines but not that many.  The run out grooves have a couple of faint marks and the iconic Vertigo labels are very clean but with some spindle wear mainly around the spindle hole.

Play grading

'Prologue' begins perfectly with no interference on the intro and the first vocal also plays with no intrusion.  It continues in the same precise way and the relatively quiet mid instrumental plays with remarkable clarity with not one tick let alone anything more.  The remainder plays with great power and depth and the long fade out has no 'background' either.  This has to grade as Mint such is the quality.

The very quiet intro on 'Schooldays' plays so clearly and 'as new' sums it up well.  The opening vocal is faultless and the chorus just has one very light background tick.  There is a slightly more obvious static tick during the next instrumental (not loud though) and from then on the audio is phenomenal!  The vocals are so 'clean' and the mid instrumental could not be any more impressive.  So quiet and yet there is nothing to detract from the 'as new' audio.  The next vocal, again so quiet, and yet...no 'background'.  The final instrumental and vocal are 'as new' and overall this has to be graded as Near Mint at the very least.

'Working All Day' plays with sublime quality also with no real interference.  A couple of very light ticks during the mid instrumental but so quiet you could easily miss them.  There is perhaps just a minor touch of inner groove distortion on the high powered mellotron section near the end but so minimal and totally non-intrusive.  The final vocal plays perfectly as does the quiet end section.  Overall this is Near Mint but yes the vast majority is much better than that!

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The 'intro' on 'Peel The Paint' is the only part of the album where there is some interference.  The quiet opening vocal has a click once per revolution and the first strings section then plays very clearly with only a handful of very light ticks.  The next vocal has four quiet ticks at the start and from that point on there is no other intrusion on the audio.  The high octane vocal section is superb and the guitar solo that follows is just as strong.  The next instrumental influenced heavily with powerful guitar work again and the final vocal play with perfect clarity.  I will grade the opening vocal as G and then Ex for a short time and Mint- for the remainder.

The intro on 'Mister Class And Quality' plays with great clarity and the first vocal is equal to that also.  The perfect start.  From then on it plays with impeccable quality with no interference.  Just a hint of mega light static a couple of times during the long instrumental but hardly noticeable.  The final vocal has no interference and Mint- is a fair assessment of the audio.

'Three Friends' plays with great quality and a clarity and depth that is so impressive.  There is just a minor hint of static distortion on the top end but this is very minimal and does not detract from the 'listen' and perhaps should not be downgraded as a result as it is the final track after all. The long fade out is immaculate.  A Near Mint finish.

In summary the vast majority of this album plays to a superb standard and the only intrusion really is at the start of S2 as described.  Aside from that the clarity, depth and power of the audio is very impressive and there is also no background static to contend with.

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The cover is in excellent condition with only minor shelf wear.  The top edges have barely any rubbing and the bottom edges have just a little more.  The wide spine is very strong and has only a couple of minor creases and minimal wear on the corners.  The other corners again have very little wear and the opening edge has only a small amount of handling wear on the back edge.  The front cover is in excellent order overall with just a little fading / marking in the lower right corner and the back cover has a little spotting along the lower section.  The inside of the gatefold has a couple of very small faint marks on the right panel and some marking along the bottom edge.  I think Ex- is a fair grade overall.

By 1972 not all Vertigo pressings came with a swirl inner so this one has a 'Plastic Bags...' poly-lined inner which has no side splits or tears but does have some age related fading around the edges, some minor spotting and a little creasing.

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 1 2   04

6360070   2Y//2 ▽ 420  1 1 1 2   04

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.

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