NEIL ARDLEY SYMPHONY OF AMARANTHS 1972 UK 1ST PRESS REGAL ZONOPHONE SUPERB AUDIO

	£		161
	$		213

NEIL ARDLEY - A SYMPHONY OF AMARANTHS

A sparingly played and excellent condition copy of this extremely rare and highly sought after 1972 very 1st UK press Neil Ardley jazz/prog masterpiece, with earliest 89-1U, 90-1U vinyl matrix numbers on the revered REGAL ZONOPHONE label, STEREO, SLRZ 1028

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    YCARX 89 - 1U with stampers "1" and "R" at 10 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

Side 2    YCARX 90 - 1U with stampers "1" and "G" at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively

Note the extremely low mother stamper numbers making this one of the earliest 1st press copies.

The appearance and overall condition of the flat and nicely weighted vinyl is excellent (EX). Both sides of the vinyl gleam in normal daylight, with a beautiful jet black sheen and appearing as in completely unmarked condition. It is only with close scrutiny under a bright light that a few faint and very wispy hairlines come into view on each side, along with the occasional even lighter paper scuff - obviously nothing feelable, and all very trivial and totally superficial as the brilliant stereo audio sound quality testifies to. 

The labels are similarly excellent (EX). Lovely condition labels with all silver and red text upon the smooth red and silver background in pristine condition. There are just a few small and very light/faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label; apart from that, perfect!

The condition of the non-laminated outer sleeve is very good plus (VG+), bordering on excellent. The non-laminated, textured front and back outer sleeve is renowned for it's fragility and very prone to wear and tear. With that in mind, and coupled with it's 48 year old antiquity, it is therefore rare to come across a first press outer sleeve in condition as impressive as this. All edges remain firm with no scuffing, though the spine suffers from a little brown discolouration due to age and does have a single tiny scuff which does partly obscure the "A" and "Sy" letters in the spine text (see photo). There is no creasing apart from x5 0.5-1cm extremely light surface creases perpendicular and adjacent to the spine on the front side - each very minor and only noticeable in a good light. There is some very light age discolouration towards the edges (see photos) but no other blemishes at all, with the original colours, art work, and text each remaining in great shape. The opening edges are also firm with no fraying and each corner remains a near perfect right angle with barely any rubbing at all. Certainly a very solid "VG+", bordering on excellent.

The quality of the audio is excellent plus (EX+).  Fantastic tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. No skips, jumps, repeats, sticks, clicks  and background crackle is virtually non-existent - just the hint of some very light background crackle (nothing really) during a couple of the quieter moments (during some of the opening narrative on side 2, for example) but this is totally non-intrusive, wholly superficial and can only be down to a little dust in the grooves resulting from decades of storage. Wonderful STEREO audio reproduction with the whole album making for a great listen, even after all these years. Probably more jazz than prog, but with such musical luminaries as Stan Tracey, Jon Hiseman, Don Rendell, Dick Heckstall-Smith, and Barbara Thompson how can this not be a great listen?! Side 2 in particular really is something else. Enjoy.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

A SYMPHONY OF AMARANTHS

(a) Carillon

(b)Nocturne

(c) Entracte

(d) Impromptu

Side 2 :

(a) THE DONG WITH A LUMINOUS NOSE

THREE POEMS

(b) After Long Silence

(c) She Weeps After Rahoon

(d) Will You Walk A Little Faster?

Comes with original, excellent condition plain white die-cut inner sleeve with no rips or seam splits -  just a little mild creasing at the corners and a single 1cm tear on the bottom edge -and with the  "PATENT APPLIED FOR" and MADE IN ENGLAND" horizontal text and, of course, remaining fully functional. Note that I always use a new, plain white replacement inner sleeve for shipping purposes in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly impressive condition, highly presentable copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1972 UK very 1st press Neil Ardley masterpiece; and with such brilliant audio quality the whole LP remains a great listen. A "must" for any serious jazz/prog vinyl collection and will only continue 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 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 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 65 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 thick 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 UK £3.00, Royal Mail 1st class signed for; 

Continental Europe £10, and Rest of the World £14 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

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

Good luck with your bidding!

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