The Who TOMMY UK LP 1st Press Laminated Sleeve No 29598 SUPERB AUDIO - LISTEN

	£		98
	$		130

THE WHO - TOMMY

FIRST UK PRESS WITH  LAMINATED SLEEVE AND NUMBERED BOOKLET

• CATALOGUE:TRACK 613013/4
• MATRIX: 613013 A//1  /  B//1   613014 A//1   /  B//1

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

ALL 4 LABELS ARE IN LOVELY CONDITION. THE JET BLACK BASE COLOUR HAS REMAINED UNRUBBED, AND THERE ARE NO MARKS OR STAINS ANYWHERE. THHE COLOUR FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE.

THE SILVER TYPEFACE IS ALSO IN TOP CONDITION AND EVERY LETTER IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THE TRACK LOGO WHICH CAN RUB AND WEAR BADLY IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION ON ALL 4 SIDES. A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE SPINDLE HOLES REVEALS 3-4 SMALL SPIDER LINES ON EACH SIDE OF DISC ONE, AND 8-10 ON DISC TWO

A WORD ABOUT THE DISCS. ORIGINAL FIRST ISSUE LABELS CAN EASILY BE IDENTIFIED BY THE FACT THAT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF EACH LABEL THE CATALOGUE NUMBER HAS 'DOUBLE ALBUM' UNDERNEATH IT AND IN BRACKETS (RECORD 2) ETC., AND NOTHING UNDERNEATH THE ST 33 MARKING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LABEL.

 WHEREAS LATER PRESSES HAD  IN  BRACKETS (SET NUMBER 2657-002) ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE UNDER ST 33

THE VINYL

SUPERB ORIGINAL HEAVY DISCS. 

DISC ONE DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT HAS HARDLY BEEN PLAYED IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. IN DAYLIGHT IT LOOKS FLAWLESS. UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE IS A NON SOUNDING DULL CIRCLE AT THE END OF TRACK ONE ON SIDE ONE, AND OTHER THAN THIS A FEW WISPY HAIRLINES AND A COUPLE OF TINY HANDLING LINES

DISC TWO (SIDE ONE) HAS NUMEROUS WISPY HAIRLINES AND SOME VERY SUPERFICIAL HANDLING LINES. SIDE TWO ONLY SHOWS A FEW WISPY HAIRLINES

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED THE WHOLE DOUBLE ALBUM SET FROM START TO FINISH. AS I DO WITH ALL MY LISTINGS, IN THE FIRM BELIEF THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD BEFORE LAYING A BID.

THIS IS ASERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR FROM THIS FIRST PRESS SET IS A CRYSTAL CLEAR STEREO REPRODUCTION THAT IS BOTH CRISP AND CLEAN SOUNDING. THERE IS NO FRYING BACON, OR CRACKLING GOING ON BEHIND THE MUSIC, AND NOTHING OTHER THAN NEAR SILENCE IN THE LINKING GROOVES.

NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE OR GROOVE WEAR VINYL NOISE, MEANUNG THAT THE PLAY THIS SET HAS RECEIVED WAS COMPLETED ON A SYATEM THAT HAS A CORRECTLY WEIGHTED AND UNWORN STYLUS.

THERE ARE NO LOUD POPS OR CLICKS ANYWHERE ON THE FOUR SIDES, AND I URGE YOU TO TAKE A GOOD LISTEN TO ALL OF THE SOUNDBITES THAT YOU CAN TO PROVE THIS

SO WHAT YOU WILL DETECT IS THE OCCASIONAL LITTLE BIT OF STATIC LIKE BACKGROUND IN SOME OF THE MOST SILENT PASSAGES, AND A FEW RANDOM STATIC TICS NONE OF WHICH DETER FROM THE AWESOME SOUND THIS SET STILL GENERATES

PLEASE PLEASE !! TAKE A GOOD LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF

FOR ME THIS SET GRADES VERY VERY CLOSE TO NEAR MINT!!! 

THE SLEEVE

IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT MOST COPIES FOR SALE, YOU WILL NOTICE IMMEDIATELY THAT THE SLEEVE LETS THE RECORDS DOWN, NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE VINYL IS. THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR THIS, SO LETS TAKE A LOOK AT WHY THIS IS SUCH A HARD SLEEVE TO FIND IN A COLLECTIBLE CONDITION.

THE FIRST THING IS THAT THE SLEEVE IS FULLY LAMINATED AND AS IT IS A TRI GATEFOLD IT MEANS THAT THE INDIVIDUAL SURFACE AREAS ARE VERY THIN AND FLIMSY WHICH OFTEN RESULTS IN SERIOUS CREASES, FOLDS AND BENDS TO THE LAMINATE, BUT BY FAR THE BIGGEST ISSUE WITH THIS SLEEVE HISTORICALLY IS THE SPINE AND THE AREA WHERE THE LP'S SIT INSIDE THE COVER. 

SO STARTING WITH THAT, WHAT YOU WILL FIND ON MOST EXAMPLES IS A TORN OPENING EDGE, AND THIS IS ENTIRELY DUE TO THE FACT THAT BOTH ALBUMS SIT INSIDE THE SAME POCKET WHICH HAS THE OPENING EDGE ON THE INSIDE OF THE GATEFOLD BY THE SPINE, MEANING THAT THE LP'S HAVE TO BE CAREFULLY SLID INTO THE POCKET VIA THE INSIDE OF THE SLEEVE AND NOT THE OUTSIDE, THE SLIGHTEST WRONG BIT OF PRESSURE TRYING TO GET THEN IN OR OUT ALWAYS RESULTED IN A TORN OPENING EDGE.THIS ONE IS TOTALLY UNSPLIT AND RAZOR SHARP!!!

THE MOST VISIBLE DAMAGE ON MOST COPIES THOUGH IS THE ACTUAL SPINE, WHICH IS OFTEN FOUND BADLY TORN. THIS IS COMPLETELY DUE TO HOW THE LP'S SIT INSIDE THE POCKET, BECAUSE IF THEY ARE NOT FIRMLY PUSHED ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF THE POCKET ( I HAVE ALREADY EXPLAINED HOW HARD THAT IS TO DO) THEN THE VINYLS PROTRUDE A LITTLE NEAR THE SPINE AND WHEN THE SLEEVE IS CLOSED THE VINYL ACTS LIKE A DULL BLADE AND OVER A PERIOD OF TIME WEARS THROUGH THE SPINE.

ANYWAY THATS WHAT MOST COPIES WILL HAVE SUFFERED. THIS COPY IS FAR SUPERIOR TO THOSE TATTY ONES

THE FRONT SURFACE IS TOTALLY FLAT AND GLEAMS LIKE A POLISHED MIRROR.THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES, FOLDS OR BENDS ANYWHERE, WHERE HISTORICALLY THERE ARE NUMEROUS. IN FACT THE ONLY LAMINATE LINE IS ONE REALLY SMALL ONE ACROSS THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER TIP. THE OTHER AREA ON THE FRONT THAT USUALLY LETS IT DOWN WOULD BE THE NUMEROUS LAMINATE LINES BY THE SPINE. THIS SLEEVE HAS JUST ONE MICROSCOPIC ONE JUST ABOVE THE BIRDS WING TIP

THERE ARE NO LINES ALONG THE TOP EDGE, NONE ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND NO THUMB LINES ANYWHERE. THIS IS A TOTALLY PRISTINE, CREASE FREE NEAR MINT EXAMPLE!!!

THE  SPINE IS FLAT AND UNSQUASHED. THE IMPORTANT TOP LEADING EDGE IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT WITH ALL OF THE LAMINATE INTACT AND UN SPLIT. THE BOTTOM LEADING EDGE IS THE ONLY AREA THAT HAS SOMECRACKING OF THE ORIGINAL LAMINATE SHOWING A SLIVER OF WHITE UNDERCARD ON THE BOTTOM THIRD, BUT I STRESS THIS IS VERY MINOR COMPARED TO MOST.

ALSO ANOTHER ISSUE WITH THE SPINES ON THIS ALBUM IS THAT DUE TO THE RECORD PRESSURE, OVER TIME THE TOP AND BOTTOM ENDS SPLIT. BUT ON THIS COPY BOTH ARE TOTALLY UN SPLIT!!! 

THE REAR SURFACE GLEAMS LIKE THE FRONT SURFACE . HERE THERE ARE THREE LAMINATE LINES AGAINST THE SPINE, AND A COUPLE ALONG THE TOP EDGE

THE THIRD LAMINATED SURFACE IS ONCE AGAIN GLEAMING AND FREE FROM ANY  LINES  I HAVE TAKEN A PICTURE OF ALL THREE LAMINATED SURFACE FULLY OPENED OUT, AND I HOPE YOU CAN SEE WHAT SUPERB CONDITION IT IS IN.AGAIN THIS ONE NORMALLY CREASES BADLY BECAUSE IT OFTEN GETS CAUGHT WHEN FOLDING THE SLEEVE SHUT AND MANY WILL HAVE A BEND LINE IN IT, BUT THIS ONE IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!!

I HAVE ALSO TAKEN A PICTURE OF THE TRIFOLD INNER SURFACES AND ONCE AGAIN THEY ARE IN SUPERB UNMARKED CONDITION. THE FAR RIGHT SECTION IS THE POCKET THAT HOUSES THE VINYL, AND IT IS UN SPLIT, JUST A COUPLE OF SMALL THUMB LINES ON THE EDGE

THE NUMBERED BOOKLET THAT COMES INSIDE THE SLEEVE IS IN  FLAT CONDITION, AND UN MARKED AND HAS THE UNIQUE  NUMBER PRINTED IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER: NUMBER '29598'

THE TWO ORIGINAL INNER POLY LINED SLEEVES ARE IN NICE CONDITION. BOTH ARE UNSPLIT, BUT SHOWING SOME NATURAL AGEING AND RECORD IMPRESSION

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS MAGNIFICENT SLEEVE NEAR MINT!!!!  IT IS JUST THAT GOOD

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY