POPOL VUH In Den Garten Pharaos 1972 German/Krautrock 1st press gem EXCELLENT+

	£		68
	$		91

POPOL VUH - In den Garten Pharaos

An increasingly rare and sought after (especially in condition as good as this!) very 1st German Stereo pressing of this 1972 prog rock gem on the coveted PILZ record label, 20 21276-9

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  A - 0547 A1 / C3A 

Side 2  A - 0547 B1 / C3A 

 The appearance of the thick, heavy duty vinyl is near mint. Completely flat and when viewed in normal daylight still retaining it's original jet black glossy sheen with no obvious marks at all. Even under a bright light I cannot detect even the usual few wispy hairlines and/or paper thin scuffs. I hesitate in saying this but the vinyl really does come across as unmarked. An absolute gleamer!

The original 1st pressing labels are excellent+. In fact the side 1 label seems absolutely perfect, and the side 2 label would be the same if it were not for a couple of very, very faint small spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole, and even these are only visible under a bright light and when viewed at the right angle. Beautifully artworked labels remaining rich and vibrant and fully intact.

The iconic fully laminated outer gatefold sleeve is very good+.  All edges, including the spine, remain impressively firm with barely any scuffing, just a few very small occasional nicks on the front side bottom and top edges. All writing is perfectly legible on the spine, the opening edges do not suffer from any fraying, and the corners remain well defined right angles with minimal rubbing. There is, however, some fairly obvious creasing, which I have tried to show in my photos : there is a 14cm diagonal crease towards the front top right edge which shows through to the inside and even the reverse side top left edge. On the front there is also a 3 cm crease located 7cm from the top of the spine which is at an angle of about 30 degrees to the spine and impinges slightly upon the spine itself. On the reverse side there is some diagonal creasing located at the top corners and on the inside of the gatefold there are three noticeable diagonal creases at the top left hand corner, at the top adjacent to the right side of the spine, and at the top right corner. There are a few other small, very minor surface creases adjacent to the edges. Despite these creasing blemishes the artwork and colouring, and text and photos on the inside of the gatefold, remain in excellent condition with all the colouring and artwork being rich, vibrant and nothing less than impressive. This certainly remains an iconic album cover and highly presentable.

Finally, the quality of the audio is superb. Difficult to fault, in fact, with great tone and clarity and no skips, pops, background interference or any other aberration. There is just the hint of some very minor background crackle/static right at the beginning of sides 1 and 2, just in the dead wax area before the music commences...nothing really.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. In den Garten Pharaos

Side 2 :

1. VUH

Comes with original plain white polythene lined die-cut inner with just a single 2cm tear adjacent to the circumference of the front side die-cut, otherwise excellent and remaining fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a solid excellent copy of this rare and highly sought after 1972 German 1st press Krautrock gem - a worthy addition to any serious record 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 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 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 never intended selling any of my records but I am now retired and a combination of space requirements (caused partly by duplication) and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell many of my much loved gems. My only wish is that they go to good homes.

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 cardboard 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 :

- UK, Royal Mail 1st class signed for £5.00 

- continental Europe, Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for £10.00 

- Rest of the World, Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for £15.00  

 I do discount postage & 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