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The Blue Nile : Hats A2 / B2 1st Press 1989

This first pressing plays with stunning clarity, depth and warmth for the vast majority and with only minimal intrusion as detailed below.  Just one minor click on S1 and some light static on the first track on S2.  Overall though the sonic quality on this classic album is so impressive and whilst not quiet as perfect as the Walk Across The Rooftops that I am also selling it is still a superb listen with, like I say, only minimal background.  The vinyl itself is in lovely condition with only a few very faint hairlines.

The cover is in great condition with only minimal wear and has an embossed ►◄ type mark in the lower left corner.  The inner sleeve has also been kept in excellent condition.

This is known as a European pressing with a first press variation A2/B2 matrix. It was pressed and manufactured in Germany.  A UK vinyl edition was never pressed. 

LKH2 // 020 C-9604 A-2 The Exchange / 020 C-9604 B-2

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T3 Near Mint-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T1 first two mins Ex / T2 Near Mint- )

The cover is Ex+

The inner sleeve is Ex+

The labels are Near Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has a superb glossy sheen with no obvious marks or scratches.  Under a strong light I can only find a small number of faint hairlines and a handful of 'specks' that have no impact on the audio.  There is one very faint blemish on the first track but that looks like a pressing 'issue' if you ask me, nothing to worry about.  The S1 label has hardly any spindle wear but still a fair amount of vinyl 'flecking' and S2 again has only minimal spindle wear.

Play grading

The quiet intro on 'Over The Hillside' plays with stunning clarity and the opening vocal section has just one very light tick.  From then on it plays with pristine audio and with no background whatsoever.  The clarity of sound is incredible and you really get a sense of the warmth and depth here, the playback is crystal clear and Mint- is a fair assessment of the audio.

'The Downtown Lights' also plays with remarkable quality.  There are no clicks, pops or static and I only heard one mega faint tick during the first vocal and a couple of barely audible dust ticks.  Buchanan's voice of course takes centre-stage and is just as strong during the higher octane vocal at the end.  The music is so evocative and emotive throughout this classic and it sounds even better on such a clean vinyl.  Another Mint- version.

The atmospheric intro on 'Let's Go Out Tonight' plays beautifully with no intrusion and the opening vocal has just one light click right after the first Pray for me line.  A pressing anomaly I think as there is nothing on the vinyl to suggest a reason.  From then on it plays with STUNNING clarity - there is no other background aside from a hint of barely audible static towards the end and I do mean barely audible!  This is so close to perfect and when you consider how sparse and quiet it is the audio really is so clean.  I still believe Near Mint- is deserved because 99% is just so impressive!

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The intro on 'Headlights On The Parade' has only minimal background static and the opening vocal and chorus are similar.  A small number of light ticks in the next section but from then on it plays with superb audio and no other intrusion.  This includes the long fade out also.  It's only the opening two minutes that have a little background but there is nothing that stands out as such.  I will grade this section as Ex and the rest as Mint it is that good.

The quiet intro on 'From A Late Night Train' plays very clearly with barely any static and Buchanan's opening vocal is the same with only a couple of very minor ticks.  From then on the clarity of sound is so impressive and any static is kept to an absolute minimum, it is totally non-intrusive.  Melancholy at its very best!  Another classic and delicate track that plays so clearly and Near Mint- is fair.

'Seven A.M.' plays with genuine quality from the word go.  The intro is as close to perfect as is possible and the first vocal is of the same standard.  It continues in the same precise way and again the audio has a real sense of depth and warmth something you only get from a vinyl that has not been over-played.  No interference basically and Mint- is deserved.

The gentle intro on 'Saturday Night' has only a couple of mega quiet ticks and the next section is perfect.  The opening vocal has no background and it continues to play with phenomenal quality from then onwards.  Buchanan's vocal is so clean and the instrumentation backing him plays with sublime clarity also.  Perhaps a touch of inner groove distortion towards the end but so minimal and in no way does it detract from the listen.  A very strong Mint- version to end this classic album.

In summary this first pressing plays to a very high standard with only minimal background.  As you can see from my grading the vast majority does indeed play with great clarity and the only interference on S1 is one light click.  S2 has some static on the opening track for the first two minutes but it is largely in the background and non-intrusive.  The other tracks are superb and it's not often you find this album playing as clearly as this.

The Cover & Inner Sleeve

The cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear.  The edges and spine are pristine as are the corners and the opening edge has only a couple of very minor 'crimps'.  The front cover is so clean with only a small number of minor creases around the edges and the back cover is very similar but with some very faint abrasions and a crease bottom right but not an obvious one.  A fine example overall.

The original poly-lined inner has no side splits or marking and only minimal creasing.  It has N 31/5/2 printed in one corner.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with Rega Carbon Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

The record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

LKH2 // 020 C-9604 A-2 The Exchange / 020 C-9604 B-2

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 NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF £250 SO IF AN ITEM SELLS FOR MORE A COURIER SERVICE MAY BE USED (e.g. Parcelforce, DPD).  AN EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUM WILL BE REQUIRED BUT I WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT UNTIL THE FINAL SALE PRICE IS KNOWN.  HOWEVER, SOMETIMES I WILL ESTIMATE A COST AND THIS WILL BE STATED IN THE LISTING.  PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH.  MANY THANKS.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

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

LPs/12" singles : £5.95 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £15.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £24.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

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

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE, NONE OF THIS WAITING BEFORE I RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM YOU - I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MY LISTINGS!  IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND THE ITEM BACK I WILL OF COURSE OF COURSE PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING COST IF I AM AT FAULT.  I AM ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL!