Gil Melle Plays Primitive Modern 1956 Prestige 7040 RVG 446 W 50th NYC SUPERB

	£		200
	$		265

GIL MELLE QUARTET - PRIMITIVE MODERN

A truly wonderful condition copy of this extremely rare and highly sought after 1956 U.S. 1st pressing  jazz masterpiece, on PRESTIGE records, LP 7040

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  Etched PRLP-7040 - A with "B" stamper at 10 o'clock and etched "RVG"

Side 2  Etched PRLP-7040 - B with "B" stamper at 1 o'clock and etched "RVG"

The overall appearance and condition of the heavy duty vinyl is excellent plus (EX+). Let me say from the outset that the superb condition of this vinyl makes it obvious that it has been played very sparingly, probably just a few times. The LP is completely flat and in normal daylight comes across as in perfect condition, with a jet black sheen and beautiful luster. An absolute gleamer! Close scrutiny under a bright light reveals just a couple of the wispiest of wispy small hairlines hairlines but even these are trivial, hard to detect, and totally superficial. There is a single, tiny (the size of a pinhead), non-obvious and non-feelable mark mid way through the final track of side 2 (see final photo), which may be removable (with care) or could be a tiny manufacturing glitch - this results in x7 very mild, non-intrusive background clicks during playback but certainly no skips, jumps, or loud clicks. Remarkable condition, especially considering it's 63 year antiquity!

The labels are excellent plus plus (EX++). To be precise...pristine! All text and the famous Prestige logo with black text upon a matt yellow background remains perfectly intact. Note the circular deep groove on each label and of course the text and address "PRESTIGE RECORDS INC. 446 W. 50th ST., N.Y.C." - each unique identifiers of original and rare U.S. first pressing records. You may just, and only just, be able to make out a single, small, and very, very faint spindle trail adjacent to the centre hole on the side B label (none on the side A label) but even that is dubious. Stunning!

The thick cardboard and front laminated outer sleeve is in excellent (EX) condition. All edges remain rigid with no scuffing though there is a single tiny "nick" and a small indentation on the bottom edge. The iconic front side remains in original lovely, crisp, perfectly defined condition and with no discolouration - the colours remain remarkably vivid and vibrant. The reverse side is in great condition also - no unwanted doodles and all text beautifully intact and clear. There is the occasional small and very light age/shelf wear mark but these are trivial. Elsewhere each corner remains a nicely defined right angle with just a little rubbing/scuffing on each corner, and on the top right corner there is a very small compression and tiny (4mm) tear mark on the edge (trivial). Similarly for the top left corner where there is a very small area of laminate lift and, again, a tiny area of laminate lift at the bottom left corner. Amazingly, there is no further laminate lift at all, there is no fraying of the opening edges and the spine remains totally solid throughout. Brilliant!

Finally, the quality of the audio is excellent plus (EX+). Terrific audio quality with wonderful tone and clarity throughout, even on higher frequencies and at higher volume. No intrusive clicks or background interference (I noticed a single mild, background click during track 1, side 2 but close inspection under a bright light revealed no obvious cause so I can only put this down to a speck of dust in the grooves through decades of storage), just crystal clear audio reproduction. Even the intermissions between tracks are silence. NOTE : There is a single, tiny (the size of a pinhead), non-obvious and non-feelable mark mid way through the final track of side 2 (see final photo), which may be removable (with care) or could be a tiny manufacturing glitch - this results in x7 very mild, non-intrusive background clicks during playback but certainly no skips, jumps, or loud clicks. Prestige records of this era were made to last, and they do! There really can't be many 1st pressing copies of this wonderful, landmark record left in better condition than this. Sit back and immerse yourself with these jazz legends each at the top of their game : Gil Melle - saxophone, Joe Cinderella - guitar, Wade Legge - piano, Billy Phillips - bass, Edmund Thigpen - drums. Superb!

Track lists :

Side 1 

1. DOMINICA

2. IRON WORKS

3. BALLET TIME

Side 2

1. ADVENTURE SWINGS

2. DEDICATED PIECE TO THE GEOPHYSICAL YEAR OF 1957

3. MARK 1

Comes complete with original plain white die-cut inner sleeve with no tears, splits or obvious creasing - just some mild age discolouration towards the edges - and remaining in excellent and fully functional condition. Note that I always insert the record into a replacement plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly brilliant condition copy of this extremely rare and highly sought after US first press jazz classic, the remarkable condition of the vinyl and superb audio quality being real highlights - worthy of gracing any serious jazz vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 50's, 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 49 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 64 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard crucifix style mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail special delivery  : UK £5.00; 

and Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for continental Europe £11, and Rest of the World £15. 

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler