THE WHO, TOMMY, BARELY-PLAYED 1st PRESS 1969 UK TRACK DOUBLE, C/W No'd BOOKLET

	£		175
	$		232

betsy50 store

Hi, my name is Nick (aka cornerstonevinyl). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock 1st issue albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.9/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper” etc. or multiple exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP bought from me for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my extensive Who collection I am pleased to offer an exceptional example of the iconic rock opera double album by THE WHO titled "TOMMY", Catalogue Number 613 013/14. This is an original 1969 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the TRACK RECORD LABEL, with a superb 1st ISSUE E. J. DAY laminated tri-fold sleeve. Complete with the LIMITED EDITION NUMBERED BOOKLET and the correct matching white poly-lined inner sleeves. [The sleeve is fully laminated on the 3 outside faces. It is quite a rare sleeve in that it has been manufactured without a square spine, having just a single factory fold. I've seen a few other 1st issue Tommy sleeves with this feature - but it is certainly very unusual. The Limited Edition Booklet is numbered 20654. The matrix numbers are the earliest A//1, B//1, A//1 and B//1].

The sleeve is in EX condition with only light wear and minor creasing. The lamination is in great shape with the colours underneath remaining bold and vibrant. The front and back covers and opening tri-fold spread are unmarked. The internal record pocket is fully intact with only the lightest signs of wear at the opening edges. Overall this is a beautifully preserved example of this notoriously fragile sleeve.   

The top quality Track records are in EX condition. They are nice solid pressings of 142 and 140g respectively. Both retain a lovely deep mirror-like shine and it is clear that they have only received a few careful plays. Record 1 rotates a bit unevenly on the turntable - but this is only mentioned for complete accuracy and does not affect the audio playback in any way. The matt black Track labels are like new with only a few short spindle traces each side (I would estimate 3 or 4 spindle traces on Sides 1, 3 and 4, and maybe half a dozen on Side 2). There is no wear to either spindle hole. The sound quality of these original Track 1st pressings is quite exceptional - playback is very powerful and vibrant with wonderful tone and very impressive bass. Both records play essentially as new. There is no deterioration in sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all. Please do not underestimate how difficult it is to find a perfect-playing 1st press copy of Tommy. I'm only letting this one go as I have recently acquired another equally fine copy.

The limited edition numbered booklet is in unmarked EX+ condition.

The correct matching white poly-lined inner sleeves, numbered 341 and 342, are both in unmarked EX condition with only a few minor creases.

Overall this is a superb and complete 1st press copy of Townshend's masterpiece which will grace any record collection.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega P5 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My gradings are strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

PACKAGING        

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £6.95

Worldwide - £12.95