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Steamhammer : Mountains A-1U / B-1U 1st Press B & C Records 1970

This first pressing plays with superb audio and barely any intrusion.  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is so impressive and the two 'live' tracks on S2 in particular play with incredible sonic quality.  Background wise - there are a handful of 'hiss' moments but they are so quiet and totally non-intrusive.  The vinyl is visually stunning and has clearly hardly ever been played.

The matte textured gatefold is in great condition with very little wear and the original inner sleeve is very clean also.

This first pressing has the A1U / B1U matrix and has 'Gophers' on the tracklisting inside the cover but 'Gopther's' on the S1 label.

CAS 1024 // A-1U / B-1U // T 1 / A 1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 Near Mint)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (T1 ranges between Ex+ and Near Mint)

The gatefold is Ex+

The original inner sleeve is Ex

The labels are Mint-

Visual description

The vinyl is in superb condition and still has an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Looking under a bright light I can only see a handful of ultra faint hairlines and even they are difficult to find!  There is no groove or surface wear and the run out grooves are very also.  The B & C labels are unmarked and have hardly any spindle wear.

Play grading

The quiet intro on 'I Wouldn't Have Thought (Gopher's Song)' plays with stunning quality from the get go.  The intro has no intrusion and the opening vocal is just as clean.  The first quieter passage has just a very minor hiss in the background but it is so quiet and totally non-intrusive.  The mid guitar solo is perfect and the remainder is just as strong.  From start to finish there are no ticks, clicks, pops or static and Near Mint is fair.

The percussive intro on 'Levinia' is perfect and the opening vocal is just as strong.  From then on it plays with stunning precision - the quieter sections play with great clarity and there is no intrusion on the audio, the mid instrumental is a prime example of that.  The final vocal section is flawless as is the long fade out.  This has to be Mint- at the minimum.

'Henry Lane' again shows just how infrequently this vinyl has been played. A barely audible hiss at the beginning and I do mean barely audible (!) and then every section plays with imperious quality - a superb guitar solo section and Mint- is very much deserved.

The bass intro on 'Walking Down The Road' plays with great clarity and the opening vocal has no interference.  It continues to play with genuine quality where each note is so clean and precise.  The mid instrumental plays with superb definition and I only 'picked up' one easily missed light tick.  The rest of the track plays with no issues and again Mint- is fair.

The quiet intro on the title track 'Mountains' plays with stunning clarity and the opening vocal section is equal to that.  The following instrumental has no background and the first part of it is very quiet of course.  You really notice the clarity of sound, the playback is stunning and there is so much to like here!  The final vocal section has no interference and the fade out has zero background also.  A 'high end' Mint version for sure.

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'Leader Of The Ring' plays very clearly with no ticks, clicks etc but there is that gentle hiss every now and then.  Don't get me wrong the vast majority still plays with stunning clarity and only during the very quiet moments can you hear it.  Hardly intrusive and I would say it grades between Ex+ and Near Mint

You can hear it again during the spoken intro on 'Riding On The L&N' but as the bass intro kicks in the audio is superb.  The first vocal has no interference and this 10 minute track continues to play with real quality and... no interference.  The first guitar solo is stunning and the next instrumental incorporating that heavy bass is phenomenal, it really could not play any better.  Turn it up to max the sonic quality is fantastic!  This was recorded 'live' and it must have sounded great at the time.  As the volume decreases into the harmonica section there is barely any background and the remainder plays with great quality.  I think Mint- is an honest appraisal apart from the spoken intro of course.

The segue into 'Hold That Train' is so clean with no intrusion and thereafter plays with stunning clarity and depth for a final track.  Another 'live' track and the power of the audio cannot be underestimated.  It plays so well and I am confident in grading it as Mint- such is the quality on offer here.  Again it demands to be played loud!

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The cover is in superb condition with only minimal shelf wear.  Three of the edges are very clean and the bottom edge of the back cover has just one small rub / surface abrasion in the centre but it has not resulted in a split.  The wide spine is still as strong and wide as it was originally, just minimal creasing on the bottom corner, and the opening edge has barely any handling wear.  All corners are in great shape with no obvious wear.  The front cover has only a couple of minor spots and a small abrasion in the top right corner which I have only just seen!  It is a minor thing.  The back cover is just as impressive with just 2/3 hardly noticeable spots and three minor crimps next to the opening edge.  The inside of the gatefold is immaculate and has no marking or wear.  A superb example overall.

The original inner sleeve has just one very small bottom edge splits and remains very clean with hardly any creasing.  Minimal age related fading also.

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

CAS 1024 // A-1U / B-1U // T 1 / A 1

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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