KRAFTWERK LP VERTIGO SWIRL SPIRAL 1972 GATEFOLD EX+

	£		100
	$		132

I WOULD LIKE TO START BY APOLOGISING FOR CUTTING AND PASTING THIS LISTING FROM A COPY THAT SOLD LAST YEAR (I HAVE AMMENDED MINE ACCORDINGLY) BUT IT WAS SO WELL DONE I COULDN'T RESIST.

Album Title: Kraftwerk.

Producer(s): Conny Plank; Ralf Hütter; Florian Schneider.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Ruckzuck; Stratovarius.

Side 2: Megaherz; Vim Himmel Hoch.

Side 3: Klingklang; Atem.

Side 4: Strom; Spule; Wellenlange; Harmonika.

Label/Format: Vertigo – original UK full Spiral format.

Label Conditions: Both immaculate: ultra clean, fresh and attractive with spindle marks ranging from light+ (record one) to very light (record two). Both full size side one labels show no blemishes to the famous swirl design from rim to hole, the minor spindle traces apart. Same goes for other sides with incredible whiteness retained and no dirtyness. This is a supreme example of this very rare Spiral album.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Cat Number: 6641077.

Rarity: Rare on the original UK Spiral label, this was one of the last issued on this most famous of progressive labels and like so many, it almost went unnoticed and sold poorly. This initial and very small run on Swirl included a laminated cover, the spaceship repressings, which are fairly scarce, but far more abundant than this original, had the same cover but matt finished, although a tiny few included the laminated cover to use them up (I know this to be fact, because I have a spaceship copy in stock with the same cover as this, but they are rare, the original owner buying it from new). This album does not show up at all often on Spiral and is fast becoming one of the harder ones to locate. Outside Germany, this pioneering and highly influential band were little known at this time and this immensely scarce double Vertigo set has always been elusive.

Original Year of Release: 1970 in Germany but this was not issued in the UK until late in 1972, initially on the Spiral label in tiny numbers, then subsequently repressed on the more familiar spaceship label, mostly with a matt cover.

Matrix Nos: 6499268 1Y // 1 420 1 1 3 / 6499268 2Y // 1 420 1 1 1 / 6499268 1Y // 1 420 1 1 3 / 6499268 2Y // 1 420 1 1 1

Musicians: Ralf Hütter – organ, tubon; Florian Schneider – flute, violin, electric percussion; Andreas Hohmann – drums; Klaus Dinger – drums.

Brief Info: One of the most groundbreaking double albums ever issued within the underground rock scene and what a pleasure to at be able to offer the very rare UK Vertigo Spiral original. These two records were initially issued in their native Germany as single albums, these being their first and second proper releases. Not issued until late 1972 in the UK as a double combined album as probably deemed too uncommercial. It very briefly appeared on the very ‘progressive’ Vertigo Spiral label as a double album set with a different cover and then repressed on the spaceship format. Initial Swirl copies included a laminated cover as did a handful of the spaceships. Without doubt, Kraftwerk are one of the most pioneering bands in this history of ‘progressive’ music. After making one album with The Organisation, Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider formed Kraftwerk and their early music was little short of remarkable. Very experimental, compelling with the emphasis on supreme sound and orginality, no-one else really sounded quite like them. Largely ignored until the surprise success of their ‘Autobahn’ album, their early works sold in small numbers. Purchased by the curious and musically more adventurous, these pioneering works are still very elusive and seldom found. With few tracks, these early longer works still sound as fresh and daring as they did when first issued. This is connoisseur quality Krautrock before their sound developed and commercialised into more ‘techno’ music that become very popular. Their influence was vast and their music development and sound is still highly respected today – David Bowie is a big name admirer and his ‘Berlin’ trilogy albums of the 1970s was based around the ‘Krautrock’ sound. For the connoisseurs, it’s their early pioneering works that are the most appreciated. Many will know the tracks ‘Ruckzuck’ and ‘Klingklang’ but for me the best here is the very intense ‘Vom Himmel Hoch’. This sounds like an electronic air-raid with eerie bombers buzzing across the speakers and then delivering their cargo with massive explosions that rock the foundations. I can strongly recommend the DVD ‘History of Kraftwerk’ that shows a video of this song to maximum effect. This DVD covers all the early pioneering Krautrock bands from their very beginning and how they developed the modern sound of electronic music - it’s truly essential. For fans of this captivating style of music, few compare to ‘Kraftwerk’, this rare German original goes beyond essential – and not just to the Vertigo collector. Conditionwise, this is a beauty and it looks hardly played with two near immaculate records and the cover little distance behind. Both original swirl inners are included and guaranteed original – they are mirror-image the same and include identical number and date codes as can be seen in close up. For those putting together a Vertigo collection, this will prove immensely difficult to ever find better.

Cover Grade and Format: EX- however when i originally bought it 12 years ago it had a sticker on the front.  I peeled it off and tried to get the sticky residue off with nail varnish remover (i know,what a tit!!) this has left a feint "wash" mark across the front of the laminate, I have tried to show this in the photos.  Also one corner has a very slight crease (again see the photos) and there is a 5mm tear about half way up the front on the opening for LP 1. All the closed edges are laminate protected but only the top edges sees the laminate go inside the gatefold. This was printed and made in England and has totally different artwork to the German single album versions.

The Swirl Inners: Both in superb EX++ condition, only the glue browning on the edges stops a Mint(-) grading for these. This is not wear of course, most consider it natural ageing and few escape it to some degree. These are the originals that came with this set and they are mirror-image the same as can be seen by the close-up picture of the codes and detail data. Both have their linings fully intact with very neat and undamaged windows. No edge splits or tears and any creasing light and faint. Like the rest of this set, both will prove hard to find much better and being unswapped, original and a mirror-image matching pair makes them even more desirable of course.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: All four sides EX++ and as close to Mint(-) as they will ever be seen on this label, finding any noteworthy marks or blemishes on these is proving hard. I am still reluctant to grade any played record as mint even if visual gradings (arguably) merit it. An amazing visual pair that are super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. Visually I can never imagine a better example of these elusive and prized Swirl originals.

Album Played For Grading: I have only ever played it 4 or 5 times as i have the later version aswell, but i have played through all 4 sides and i am hard pushed to hear any surface noise at all

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I have started this at a good price bearing in mind there is another listed on ebay at the moment at £226 + post.

Any questions feel free to ask.

Free UK postage with insurance.

Apologies again for "stealing" the listing but it was so spot on. Thanks.