Jimi Hendrix : Band Of Gypsys A1/B1

This highly collectable first pressing with the famous 'Puppet' cover plays to a standard that is not often found today.  There is barely any interference and depth and clarity on offer here is astounding.  The vinyl has hardly ever been played and some vinyl flecks are still visible around the spindle hole!  Not only that but I have never seen a cleaner more stunning first pressing than this, it is immaculate!

The cover is also in fantastic condition and has very little of the edge wear that is commonly seen.  It is very possibly the best I have ever seen!  The original inner is also in great shape with no side splits.

2406002  A ?  1   1 1  1 5 // B = 1  1  2 3

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / track 1 intro Ex)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / track 1 Ex+)

The cover is Near Mint-

The labels are Mint-

The inner sleeve is Ex+

Visual grading

One word...stunning!  I have never seen such a more beautiful example of this record.  There are no marks, no hairlines and no scratches and it has the most impressive jet-black glossy sheen you could ever wish to see.  Honestly it looks as good as new!  There is actually some vinyl flecking around the spindle hole confirming it has hardly ever been on a turntable.  In fact there are only two small faint spindle traces on S1 and just one mega tiny one on S2!  This is a beautifully preserved vinyl and the run out grooves and labels are also in superb condition.

Play grading  

'Who Knows' begins this fine 'live' album with a little static on the intro but once the track is underway the audio is stunning with barely any 'background'.  There is one click just past the one minute mark but aside from that you could wish for greater clarity and depth.  The first solo from Hendrix is immaculate and has no interference whatsoever.  From then on it plays to a standard that is so rarely found on this near 50 year old album!  It's not surprising in a way when you consider how beautifully clean this record is.  The quiet heavy bass section with Miles on vocals is just sublime!  That super quiet almost silent section plays with amazing clarity and barely any 'background' it is stunning!  Apart from the intro I do not think I have ever heard this track play with such breathtaking audio.  To the end it plays with incredible warmth and depth and I can confidently say the vast majority is Near Mint and that is no exaggeration.  I would grade the intro as Ex but the music still comes through clearly, there is no deterioration in the actual sound.

Hendrix's spoken intro to 'Machine Gun' is so clean and you can hear each word perfectly.  This classic then plays with superb audio and only a small number of mega light static ticks here and there.  In fact as the track progresses the more you are impressed by it and there is barely any static, the playback is incredibly strong.  I cannot stress enough just how well this plays and again Near Mint is a worthy grading although the majority is better than that!  The clarity is so impressive and there is not one click or pop and no distortion either.  This has a depth and quality that is sensational.  There are many quiet sections as you approach the end and yet they all play with same astounding clarity.  There are a couple of light static ticks but wow what a version!

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'Changes' on S2 plays with a wonderful deep rich sound and only a little static here and there.  It is minimal and non-intrusive as it is very much in the background.  There is one click on the three minute mark and a few seconds of light static just after but this soon dissipates and the remainder of the track plays in stunning style especially as the volume and pace increases.  Overall I would say this deserves an Ex+ but the majority does play better than that. 

'Power Of Soul' is superb from the very first groove and continues to play in the same way.  Hendrix's work is very much to the fore on this track and wow does it sound good!  This is one of the highlights on the album and is Near Mint in my humble opinion.  The definition of the audio cannot be faulted and there is no interference of any kind - there is only a minimal amount of mega light static in the quiet section near the end but is it worthy of mention?  I'm not sure as it is so quiet and is what you expect on a vinyl approaching 50 at the very least!  This is a stunning version and I am sure many would grade it as Mint.

'Message To Love' I am delighted to say is of the same standard with no intrusion on the audio whatsoever.  I cannot believe what I am hearing here, the subtlety of each note is mesmeric - there is no loss in quality and it sounds as 'fresh' as it did back in '70!  Perhaps this track has never been played, the clarity of the recording certainly suggests that.  This is Mint- I am happy to say.

'We Gotta Live Together' ends the album with audio sent from the 'Gods' also!  There is no 'background' and a Mint- grade is deserving again.  Final tracks often have inner groove distortion but there is none in evidence here.  The finale is so powerful and for there to be no distortion is a genuine rarity.  Wow!

In summary this highly collectable first pressing plays with a depth and clarity that is so impressive.  Ok there are a couple of clicks and having listened to every second of this classic album I can safely say there are no more.  You would actually think some tracks had never been played such is the stunning quality of the playback.  I must reiterate it is so rare to find this album playing with such clarity but when you see how visually stunning it is you would not be surprised!

The Cover

This famous 'puppet' is of course very collectable and rarely will you see one as good as this.  You can tell it has been hardly handled just by how strong and robust it still is.  The top edge is 'as new' with no rubbing and the bottom edge just has a little rubbing from being sat on a shelf for so long!  The thin pinched spine is also in superb condition with no wear and obviously remains 100% legible and the four corners have only a minimal amount of wear, very minimal!  The opening edge is superb clean with no handling wear at all.  The front cover is in beautiful condition with only a couple of minor creases but quite honestly at first glance it looks 'as new'!  The back cover (with the right handed Hendrix!) also has no marking etc and has only one tiny corner crease.  A superb example of this cover and will grade it as Near Mint- it is that impressive.

Inner Sleeve

The original polylined 'Plastic Bags' inner is in superb shape with no splits or tears and only light creasing and a small amount of the usual age related fading around the edges.

The Labels

As stated the Track Record labels are about as Mint as they could be with some vinyl flecking still visible!  With barely any spindle wear they are in stunning condition with no marking etc.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

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

2406002  A ?  1   1 1  1 5 // B = 1  1  2 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

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