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May Blitz : May Blitz 1Y1 / 2Y1 1st press 1970 Vertigo

This classic first pressing plays to a superb standard for the vast majority with only minimal interference i.e. a little crackle at the beginning of S1 and three light clicks on the first track of S2.  Aside from that the clarity, depth, definition and power of the audio is incredible - there are numerous 'highlights' but 'Virgin Waters' on S2 is just mind-blowing!  This is a true prog classic and with quality musicianship like this it's understandable why it is so collectable.  Another impressive feature is that there is no distortion of any kind, no 'muddiness' either, it has a very clean sound.

The iconic cover is very clean with barely any marking, it just has very small pinholes in some of the corners, it's really not that noticeable.  The original Vertigo inner sleeve is also in excellent condition.

This first pressing has the large Vertigo logo on the label and 'Squeet' appears as 'Sqeet' on the Side B label.

6360007  1Y//1  1 1 1  // 6360007  2Y//1  1 2 3

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (T1 VG intro then Ex+ to Near Mint / T2 Mint-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T1 VG for 3 seconds / T2 Near Mint-)

The gatefold is VG++

The Vertigo inner sleeve is Ex

The Vertigo labels are Near Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a lovely glossy sheen with no obvious marks or scratches.  Under a bright light I can only see a small number of faint hairlines and there is nothing that stands out.  There is a long(ish) horizontal hairline on the first track on S1 but it is still faint and has no affect on the audio.  The Vertigo labels are in superb shape with no marking and barely any spindle wear.

Play grading

The intro on 'Smoking The Day Away' has some static / little crackle for the first 15 seconds but it isn't loud and once Black's opening vocal comes in there is barely any intrusion.  The audio remains deep and strong and the first chorus has no interference.  From then on it plays with great clarity and during the mid instrumental there are only a handful of light ticks.  The sonic quality through this section is stunning and it shows why they were so highly regarded in the early 70s.  The musicianship here is phenomenal and to think there were only three of them!  The audio is so powerful and dynamic, there is no distortion and the depth and resonance is superb.  As the volume decreases there are only a couple of minor statics and the next vocal section is perfect and the closing instrumental close to that with only a couple of statics right at the end of the fade out.  Yes a little background at the background at the start but from that point on the playback is stunning!  So a VG intro and it then ranges between Ex+ and Near Mint for the remainder.

The bass intro on 'I Don't Know' plays with great clarity and the opening vocal has no background either.  It continues to play with remarkable quality and the mid instrumental is a case in point.  The original sonic quality is still very much in evidence - superb work from Black on the guitar with Newman's frenetic drumming adding so much to the sound.  This standard is kept up until the very end and Mint- is very much deserved.

'Dreaming' begins very quietly and the clarity is stunning.  There is barely any static on the intro and the opening vocal (just as quiet) has only one minor static.  There is no underlying static and I cannot overstate how clear and precise the audio is.  As the volume increases there is no drop in quality and it continues to impress on every level.  There is one tick during the mid instrumental section but aside from that it plays with stunning precision, the sonic quality through this section is mesmerising!  It is so loud and powerful and yet the playback is so clean and fresh sounding, there is no distortion and no 'muddiness' to the sound at all.  The next quiet vocal passage plays with sublime clarity and the final section has no interference either.  The very quiet closing section and 'bomb' play with incredible clarity.  A great track that has to grade as Near Mint in my opinion.

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The intro on 'Squeet' plays with exceptional quality and the opening vocal section keeps up this fine start.  May Blitz really had a great rhythm section and they were very heavy on the bass in particular.  The following bass section from Hudson plays with great clarity apart from three consecutive ticks / clicks.  Black's solo section is flawless and again I cannot emphasise enough just how impressive the sonic quality is through this section, tremendous definition and power.  The next vocal is perfect and the rest of the track plays to the same high end standard.  This is Mint- with a very brief VG section.

The very quiet intro / opening vocal on 'Tomorrow May Come' plays beautifully with hardly any background and as it builds the audio is stunning.  The next quiet vocal plays very clearly with only 3/4 light ticks and the following chorus is perfect.  The instrumental section has a small number of very light ticks that are totally non-intrusive and again the depth and warmth of the audio is so impressive.  The quiet ending has only the bare minimum of light static and overall Near Mint- is about right.

The percussive / bass intro on 'Fire Queen' is faultless and the opening vocal has no intrusion either.  This standard is kept up through every vocal and instrumental section - a powerful track with zero distortion and Mint from start to finish.  More top work from all three of them.

The 'intro' on 'Virgin Waters' plays with outstanding clarity, there is no intrusion, and as Black and then Newman and Hudson come in the playback is 'as new'.  The opening vocal section is equal to that and is the first 'spoken' section.  From then on it plays with phenomenal quality though every section, I have never heard a cleaner version.  Even the very quiet section as the 'sea' comes back in plays with sublime clarity and this section builds in spectacular fashion!  This end sequence then plays with a power, definition and clarity that cannot be enhanced in any way.  It demands to be played loud - the original sonic quality is still there 100% and right through to the end it plays with sensational quality.  What. A. Version!  Audio does not get any better than this!  This 'fade out' passage plays with great quality also and I have no hesitation in grading this classic as Mint and then some!!

The Gatefold & Vertigo Inner Sleeve

The non-laminated cover is for the majority in excellent condition with only one issue as such.  As you can see from the photos it is very clean with hardly any marking but it does have a small pinhole in each corner as you open the gatefold.  I guess the 'front cover' was on a wall at some point in the early 70s.  Apart from that it is in great shape.  The edges have hardly any rubbing and the wide spine still has its original shape with just a little wear on the corners.  The other corners are in excellent order with hardly any wear and the opening edges is very clean.  The front cover is superb with only the two tiny pinholes at the top and you can see some light wear on the two bottom corners, there is no marking anywhere.  The back cover just has one small faint mark by the bottom edge along with three small pinholes.  The inside of the gatefold is super clean as stated with just the pinholes as stated.  A very strong example overall.

The Vertigo inner sleeve has no side splits or tears and barely any marking or creasing.  In fact it would be one of the best I have ever seen apart from a small Tippex mark in one top corner.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

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

6360007  1Y//1  1 1 1  // 6360007  2Y//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

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

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