I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale.  No shipping to Russia currently.

The Strawbs : Grave New World A-4 / B-4 2nd Press 1972 A & M Records

This strictly speaking is a second pressing and it plays to the highest standard possible with no interference.  The clarity and warmth of the audio is incredible and there surely can't be a better one around!  I cannot emphasise enough just how immaculate the audio is and it easily qualifies as a FINAL UPGRADE archive pressing.  The vinyl is also very impressive visually you will not be surprised to hear.

The tri-fold cover is also in fantastic condition with hardly any wear and the large lyric booklet is almost 'as new'.  The original inner sleeve is in excellent condition.  A stunning album in every way.

This is a second press because the 6 tracks on S1 are all above the spindle hole.  It still has the first press matrix and was obviously pressed very soon after the first pressing.

AMLH 68078A - 4△G  I S

AMLH 68078B - 4△G  I T

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-)

The tri-fold cover is Ex++

The lyric booklet is Mint-

The inner sleeve is Ex 

The labels are Mint-

Visual description

The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has a superb glossy sheen and no scratches.  Under a bright light I can only see a small number of faint hairlines and a couple of minor blemishes but there is nothing that affects the audio.  The A& M labels are very clean and have very little spindle wear.

Play grading

The intro on 'Benedictus' plays with perfect clarity and the first verse and chorus are of the same high end standard.  It really does play beautifully with stunning warmth and depth and the mid instrumental section is no exception.  To the final note including the fade out it cannot be faulted and Mint is 100% deserved.

'Hey Little Man...Thursday's Child' has only a couple of very quiet statics on the acoustic intro and Cousins' vocal then plays with such quality and with no underlying static.  3/4 barely audible dust ticks that is all.  Mint-

'Queen Of Dreams' again plays with a clarity and definition sent from the audio Gods!  It honestly plays like it has never seen a turntable before, I can't overstate how well it plays!  The vocals are crystal clear throughout and the almost psychedelic instrumental plays with stunning precision.  The instrumental is phenomenal and the concluding section from Hudson has no background either.  This is Mint from start to finish.

The acoustic intro on 'Heavy Disguise' is flawless and Ford's opening vocal is just as strong and clear.  It continues to play with a clarity that is second to none - put simply every vocal and instrumental sections is 'as new' with no background to mention.  Mint

The entire intro on 'New World' is superb!  The powerful section has no distortion and Cousins' first vocal is perfect, the timber of his voice lending itself so well to this track.  The second verse / chorus is just as strong, even more vitriolic!  The mid instrumental keeps up the standard and the final vocal / instrumental plays with genuine quality also.  A superb track that plays with tremendous power and definition through every section.  Mint

'Hey Little Man...Wednesday's Child' ends the side with stunning clarity once more and Mint is again deserved.

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The opening vocal on 'The Flower And The Young Man' plays with remarkable clarity and the next one is just as stunning.  The following instrumental is perfect and from then on it plays with a clarity and warmth we kind of expect now!  This truly is a stunning album - this is such a melodic number and it plays beautifully with no intrusion.  Mint

'Tomorrow' is a very different track but the sound quality is just as impressive.  The audio is very clean and there is no distortion on the top end, again I cannot fault the playback - it's quite a progressive number and the powerful end section is superb - play it loud!  Mint

'On Growing Older' plays with sublime clarity with no sign of any interference.  No need to prevaricate, Mint

A change in direction again and 'Ah Me, Ah My' plays with stunning quality, a very quirky tune!  Mint

The Indian influenced intro on 'Is It Today, Lord?' has no background and the vocal and instrumental passages play with imperious quality.  Not one single tick even, the clarity of sound is perfect and Mint is again a honest appraisal of the audio.

The piano intro on 'The Journey's End' plays with great quality and Cousins' first vocal is just as clean.  It progresses in the same way - wonderful clarity for such a sparse track although there is one tick right at the end of the fade out so I will grade as Mint accordingly :-)

The Tri-fold Cover, Booklet & Inner Sleeve

The cover has to be one of the best in existence today!  It is so clean with only the bare minimum of wear and has been preserved so well over the last 53 years.  The three top edges are superb and the bottom edges have only light rubbing by the corners and a very small break of the surface on the middle one.  The spine is in great condition and the spine opposite just has a couple of minor rubs and a minor indent.  The corners are very clean and the opening edge is pristine.  The front cover is STUNNING with no marking and the back cover is nearly as good with only very minimal fading near the right edge.  The three panel inside is immaculate also - a lot of design work went into that!  A superb cover.

The lyric / credit booklet is in lovely condition and is practically 'as new'.  One very minor crease on the front and every page is in pristine order - there are only a small number of tiny specks no doubt caused during the 'manufacture'.  The plain white inner has no side splits or tears just some age related fading around the edges.  Hardly any creasing.

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

AMLH 68078A - 4△G  I S

AMLH 68078B - 4△G  I T

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

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!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £22.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!