VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR - THE LEAST .. 1st UK Press 1970 PINK SCROLL INCL POSTER

	£		422
	$		559

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR - 

THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS WAVE TO EACH OTHER

CHARISMA

CAS 1007

1st UK Press  1970

PINK SCROLL rough textured label

The most elusive part of this package is the poster which came only with the first 300 albums sold!

First press matrices CAS+1007+A2 and CAS+1007+B2

(CAS+1007+A+G and CAS+1007+B+G are second presses though rare as well!) 

The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other is the second album by the British progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. It was recorded in December 1969 and released in 1970. The album was reissued in re-mastered form, with two bonus tracks, in 2005.

While this is the second album in the Van der Graaf Generator catalogue, it is really the first proper album by the band. Their previous album, The Aerosol Grey Machine had been written and recorded as a solo record by singer and main songwriter Peter Hammill, but because of a deal with the record company, was released under the Van der Graaf Generator name in the US and Germany only.

The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other was recorded at Trident Studios, London, 11–14 December 1969. Trident was one of the most advanced studios in all of Europe at the time]. Most of the album was recorded on an 8-track reel to reel machine. However, the song After The Flood was recorded on a new state of the art 16-track recorder. It was one of the first such 16 track recordings made in the U.K.

The album credited Hugh Banton with writing the cello parts on "Refugees", but he was not given an actual songwriting credit. The first U.S. issue of the album was released by the Probe Records division of ABC Records also in 1970. It featured a different cover than the U.K. version.

The title is taken from artist John Minton: "We're all awash in a sea of blood, and the least we can do is wave to each other." (From Wiki.com)

The absolute rarity of this album is not to be underestimated. It hardly ever surfaces nowadays. This is an absolutely gorgeous slab of early quality CHARISMA vinyl which is in splendid  condition!! This has a lovely deep glossy sheen!! Hauntingly beautiful songcraft!!! Immense quality psych/prog album that ticks all the right boxes and incredibly hard to find. I have twentyfive years experience in grading. It doesn't get much better than this!!

You won't easily find this ultra rare LP !!! It is a genuinely very scarce item, esp. with the elusive poster as part of the whole package and with the earliest possible matrices i.e. the original mix of the recording which would almost immediately be replaced with the remix version (matrices A+G and B+G). This will shoot up in price as it is ultra rare. Of all pink scroll labels of this album only a tiny percentage, probably less than 10% has the earliest A2 B2 matrices. Get it while you still can!

Please, also have a look at my other prog albums on sale this week

!!!!AN IMPOSSIBLE FIND!!!GORGEOUS  ALBUM!!! A few hundred of this first press LP with poster were ever sold!!! This is SOOOOOOOOOOO very rare!!!!!

****ELUSIVE PROGMONSTER!!!****PERPLEXING SONGCRAFT!!!***AN INSPIRATION TO MANY SUBSEQUENT TOP ACTS!!!

!!!!A VERY HARD FIND!!! Most have been bought up by collectors!! This is hardly offered these days!!

In all my years this is only the second time I have come across this PROGMONSTER as a 1st press as opposed to the remixed 2nd press often passed off as a 1st press by sellers. A second press would have an added +G on both sides. These second presses are relatively more common (though still extremely collectible) with about 10 second presses found for every  1 first press. The first press has just CAS+1007+A2 and CAS+1007+B2 machined into the run out grooves. Sensational sound quality, I have played this through in its entirety and it was a great joy!!! NO skips or jumps. NO clicks or crackle, this is really a stunning heavy glossy jet black vinyl .The audio is impeccable. Inspected under an intense light source and angled.

Vinyl: VG+ to EX   I have played this in FULL twice over> fantastic audio, a joy to listen to!! This is the true official 1st press. The second press has a different mix. I first played for a general listen and a second time for a more detailed observation. A few shallow hairlines, non feelable at all or affecting the audio. Light paper retraction traces under a strong light. This vinyl still retains its fabulous deep glossy sheen and has clearly been looked after.  Fantastic songcraft!! I am very glad to be able to report that this is a fine slab of vinyl without any problems at all and as such worthy of inclusion of any great prog collection.  Of course NO jumps/clicks/skips etc.  Please have a good look at the accompanying pictures.

Gatefold sleeve: VG++.  Beautiful "Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd." gatefold sleeve. Still has its original price sticker to the front of a record shop in Aldershot. The edges have light storage wear. Light thumb creases to the rear opening. The colours are still rich. B&C Records credit to the rear, indicating the earliest possible original sleeve without any writing to the spine. A small scratch to the rear. There are NO seam splits and just a teeny weeny tear of 1cm on the back opening, blink and you'll miss it. Please have a careful look at all pictures provided. Probably the best one you will find in a long time. NO major creases, NO writing, NO smudges.  

Poster. The most elusive part of this package is the poster which came only with the first 300 albums sold! As a result this is barely ever found at all and only the first one I have ever found in over 20 years!! It is in EX condition. The poster has never been hung.

Labels: EX. Only light spindle traces indicating this has not been played much.These are the far rarer heavy textured labels!! The real thing!

***This is a unique prime investment opportunity!!! Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible!!! This is  a great and seriously collectable super album!!  You will buy into a piece of  prog core history.*** 

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.