SPIROGYRA - ST. RADIGUNDS 1st UK 1971 1st UK Press B&C EX to NM Folk/psych COMUS

	£		217
	$		287

SPIROGYRA -

ST. RADIGUNDS

B&C

1st UK Press 1971

CAS 1042

Machined matrices:  A-2U  B-1U

One of the very rarest psych folk albums from the UK and any time this album comes up for sale there is a sense of excitement. This one is in exceptional condition and I doubt it very much that it will ever be bettered. To the rear the sleeve is stamped "B&C RECORDS Demonstration Only Not For Sale". This copy once belonged to Cornwall Radio.

 Very Rare and this classic early B&C album will rarely be seen or offered in such amazing conditions again. The cover is still quite stunning really with barely any wear at all and no creases or writing, it will prove near impossible to find better these days. The record, apart from a couple of odd paper retraction traces (as light as they ever get) and storage traces (yes this is rather old, but totally defies it), is wonderful and plays the same.  I doubt if this has seen daylight for many years. It has indeed barely been played at all. Inside the opening a stamp of CORNWALL RADIO can be found and I truly doubt if they ever played a single track from this, it totally defies belief to see the fantastic condition of this vinyl. Truly a remarkable copy and just one of several from this amazing collection. These progressive gems and classics are to be treasured, they rarely show up or made available for sale especially like this.

Earliest psych/prog/folk gem and one of the most prized and wonderful albums from the vintage B&C catalogue, a label noted for its progressive music and one of the most difficult to find. This indeed has the earliest matrices.  

Spirogyra was one of the more intriguing bands of the early '70s. The quartet of singer/guitarist/songwriter Martin Cockerham, singer Barbara Gaskin, violinist/keyboardist Julian Cusack, and bassist Steve Borrill were obviously short a member, with future Fairport Conventiondrummer Dave Mattacks coming on board for the recording of St. Radigunds, the group's debut album. The group's sound was unusual, with Cockerham's brittle, almost adenoidal vocals counterpointed by Gaskin's crystalline tones. Musically, too, the band members played their instruments off against each other, with soaring, sometimes searing violin rocketing around strummed guitar and striking keyboard work. Stylistically, Spirogyra were determined to clash genres as well, and although much of their sound was grounded in folk-rock, Spirogyra interlaced it with proggier elements and psychedelic leanings. 

Thus they never quite fit comfortably into the contemporary Canterbury scene, into which they were often lumped, and effectively drew in a much more diverse audience. This eclectic approach was also reflected in the lyrics, heard in the working man's view of WWII and its aftermath on the strident "The Future Won't Be Long" and the -isms that infect "Time Will Tell," notable in the acid-drenched imagery of "Magical Mary," and found in the poetry-laced lyrics of "Island." With occasional use of unusual rhythms, intriguing blends of styles, innovative arrangements, and lyrics to ponder, St. Radigunds had it all, and quickly established Spirogyra as one of the most creative and innovative groups of the day.

  Musically haunting,  some strangely-strange melodies and great improvisations. This has long been a connoisseurs prog-folk album and highly sought after. I have only ever seen few copies before and none even in the same class or league as this stunning example. These acid-folk albums are hard to find like this with nowhere for unwanted sounds to hide amongst the delicate acoustic and vocal music, this gave a fantastic performance throughout. This copy includes the original red lyric inner,  seeing is believing – this amazing and quite beautiful cover is truly as wonderful as it looks.  

This is one that will stick in my mind for sometime long after its gone. rarer even, in my opinion than their next album which I have come across a few times in my collecting time. This album has been truly elusive and I have only twice ever seen a copy before. Do not let this most prized folk psych classic slip the net.

Vinyl:  EX+ to NM.  Just one single spindle trace. Audio is phenomenal and this vinyl sounds out of this world, a majestic classic. Played on my Project Debut deck with Ortofon cartridge and B&W speakers.The audio has beautiful separation and there is no background noise. There are no marks and only no hairlines, this vinyl looks and sounds great with a beautiful sheen. Under a strong light there are a couple of paper retraction traces, these are completely invisible in normal daylight and even new vinyls will have these. I played this in full and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was even tempted to keep this as it will be very hard to find this ever again, it is indeed mega rare these days. Only two or three went up for sale this last year. Needless to say NO jumps or clicks. This is a real stunner, upgrade and in museum like conditions.

 Sleeve: EX to EX+. Fantastic looked after matt single sleeve without any issues. Beautiful deep unfaded colours. A superb iconic gatefold sleeve with the fantastic artwork. NO creases. A  superb thick spine with just very light storage wear on the sharp edges. NO tears and NO splits The album has been kept in a protective sleeve!!  A stamp on the inside opening from CORNWALL RADIO. No writing, NO tears, NO splits etc. Only extremely light wear on the edges and a fully legible spine.

Super crisp opening.  Please let the pictures fully inform you of the quality at hand. Also extra rare with the demonstration only stamped to the rear. Probably one of the best you will ever find for this insanely rare album. A phenomenally scarce album and rumoured to only have been pressed in a quantity of a couple of hundreds. How many would have survived over the last 47years??

International postage will incur an extra fee for tracking if over £30.00. Please wait for me to send you an adjusted invoice before paying. The tracked fee will be at actual Royal Mail grade. I do not profit from postage and actually undercharge.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.