APHRODITE’S CHILD 666 SCARCE UK 1977 VERTIGO EX LPs, GREAT SOUND, CLASSIC PROG.

	£		16
	$		21

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Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take longer from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

ANY ITEM or ITEMS TO BE PAID WITHIN A MAXIMUM OF 6 DAYS or they will be cancelled – NO EXCEPTIONS.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion, as will any bidder who cancels a bid. Please only bid on my items if you want them.

ANYONE WHO HAS INTELLIGENCE

MAY INTERPRET THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST

IT IS A MAN’S NUMBER

THIS NUMBER IS

666

Artist or Band: APHRODITE’S CHILD

Album Title: 666 (The Apocalypse of John, 13/18)

Producer(s): Vangelis Papathanassiou.

TRACK LIST

Side 1: The system; Babylon; Loud loud loud; The four Horsemen; The Lamb; The Seventh Seal.

Side 2: Aegian Sea; Seven Bowls; The Wakening Beast; Lament; The Marching Beast; The Battle of the Locusts; Do it; Tribulation; The Beast; Ofis.

Side 3: Seven Trumpets; Altamont; The Wedding of The Lamb; The Capture of The Beast; Infinity Symbol; Hic and nunc.

Side 4: All the Seats were occupied; Break.

Label/Format: Vertigo – spaceship format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: All four very clean, fresh and attractive with only a tiny few ultra fine and faint spindle traces. On this evidence, both records look hardly played.

Cover Cat Number: 6641581. The label numbers are 9286688/9

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Up and Down Movement: Gentle and very light only, no issues for tracking any turntable I would be certain. Few vintage records will ever be perfectly flat, any issues with significant movement or tracking will be mentioned in detail if applicable.

Lateral Movement (Side-to-Side): Hardly a trace.

Weight of Records: 123 / 132 grams. .

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: First issues on the Swirl format are rare and command vast prices. But even the later 1970s pressings are elusive, this was never a major selling album and finding any clean copy now is a challenge.

Original Year of Release: This album was due for issue in 1970 on Mercury Records, but was not released until 1972 due to its controversial content and label switching. It was quickly repressed on the Spaceship label still with a red cover. Then again in 1977 now with the black cover as per this copy.

Matrix Nos: 9286688 1Y/1 420 03 1 1 4 & 9286688 2Y/1 420 03 1 1 1 & 9286689 1Y/1 420 03 1 1 5 & 9286689 2Y/1 420 03 1 1 4

Musicians: Vangelis Papathanassiou – Organ, piano, flute, percussion, vibes and various others, vocal backing; Demis Roussos – Bass, vocal backings, lead vocal on ‘The four horsemen’, ‘Babylon and Hic et nunc’; Lucas Sideras – Drums, vocal backing, lead vocal on ‘The Beast’ and ‘Break’; Silver Koulouris – Guitars and percussion. Guests: Harris Halikitis – Bass, tenor sax, conga drums, backing vocal; Michel Ripoche – Trombone, tenor sax; John Forst – Narration; Yannis Tsarouchis – Greek text; Irene Papas – Vocal on ‘Infinity’.

Album Information: A highly controversial issue when first conceived, but ultimately one of the greatest, original and daring progressive classics ever issued and this ranks as my personal favourite on the Vertigo label. It just gets better and better on every listen and the details on this almost legendary album are fantastic. This was initially issued in tiny numbers on the Vertigo Spiral label and quickly repressed as that label quickly changed in 1972. Musically a sublime and creative album and one of rock’s most indispensable classics. A highly intelligent concept album about the end of the world according to the Book of Revelations. Recorded in 1970 and due for release on Mercury Records at this time – but it failed to happen. Vangelis became deadlocked in a long fight with Mercury over the content of this record. The label particularly, objected to the song ‘?’ (infinity), which they considered obscene. It featured a Greek actress, Irene Papas chanting the words ‘I was, I am, I am to come I Was’ over and over again in various stages of orgasmic ecstasy, while Vangelis accompanied her on a barrage of intense percussion. This infamous, five-minute track was apparently cut down from a near 40-minute piece recorded in a single take. A second issue of contention was the lyrics in ‘The System’ with use of the ‘F’ expletive throughout – “We got the System to F*** the System…”. A third controversial aspect was the cover text which stated: ‘This album was recorded under the influence of Sahlep.’ Suspected to be either a drug or some form of Satanic ritual – in fact it is a drink popular around the eastern Mediterranean and made from the dried powdered roots of a type of orchid. Vangelis refused to change the album’s content and only after two years, after the parts were recorded, was it decided it could be issued. But not on Mercury, instead on the more contemporary, progressive Vertigo label – a very late one and one of the very last titles issued on the original sworl format. Quite how this band, who had previously issued two fairly standard pop albums, could change direction so dramatically – too dramatically for most of the band members – is little short of astonishing. Strangely after this masterful creative peak, Aphrodite’s Child split soon afterwards. Vangelis was now a master keyboard player and he had a successful career within his specialised field. Roussos was blessed with an amazing voice that works perfectly on this album, his eerie vocal could never be bettered by anyone but away from an album like this, it probably did not belong within the ‘progressive rock’ field, he went on to sell many records in popular music. This complex, innovative, daring and controversial album – even to this day – has more than stood the test of time. A brilliantly packaged, produced and performed album that no progressive or rock fan could fail to want or like – it’s a masterwork of inventive brilliance that gets the senses and pulse-rate soaring. Play the track ‘Infinity’ to hear sounds that are practically unique on record, the intensity of Papas’s vocals send shivers down the spine, I guess it did her’s too. With the originals becoming massively difficult to find and largely unaffordable for many, I have no qualms in offering this slightly later full UK pressing with two little played records that plays superbly. The new black cover adds an extra degree of eeriness to the content as well and also in very fine condition.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a gatefold format with quite shiny coated surfaces and new black outer cover artwork. The inside still has the Citroen car artwork as-seen. Includes the controversial “This was recorded under the influence of ‘Sahlep’ ” reference. Printed and made by Howards Printers in England, includes the two soft-lined inner sleeves. Some early versions of the red cover were printed in Germany for the UK market.

Cover – Front & Back: Now even more dark and sinister with its black front cover. Both side are clean and fresh and aged little with any marks, creases or blemishes few, fine and light. No sticker issues or rim marks.

Cover Inner Gatefold: A gentle and light crease near the top right, little else to fault on this famous inside graphic.

Top Edges: Both thick, straight and flush with barely any wear.

Bottom Edges: Even better if anything.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Any thickening to these storage edges is patchy and light – both remain impressive and quite neat.

Spine and Text: A superb spine, solid, quite wide and straight with hardly a trace of compression. Folded square, so all edges meet up very closely together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn, the surface barely rubbed at all.

Corners: Any tip rubs small and light, very fine to excellent shape retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this ever-elusive 1970’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This attractive, fresh item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeves: EXCELLENT: the matched pair of soft-lined inners have only gently aged with any creasing minimal. All edges naturally intact.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT/ EXCELLENT: arguably better. A very fine visual pair that is very clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed. Side two has a couple of visible surface marks that do nothing. Any other marks are mostly very light and faint as seen under light. No penetrating stylus scratches and both record plays impressively clean – and this is a complex double set with some quiet passages – as most prog-rock albums do. Visually a lovely pair to please many collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This classic album plays even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is a very clean pressing with no tracking issues* or inherent pressing noises. Few available copies will outperform this still quite early 1970s pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this amazing album. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

I am one of the most established sellers on Ebay, trading since 2001 and offering the finest records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty all elements of the items I offer for sale. You may notice I only submit records quite sparingly on Ebay as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – not just bits to guess a grade – visuals alone do not always tell a true story. I will try to mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same – just because an item is rare does not always mean it’s good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. I hope the item below is to your liking – any questions can be emailed and I will do my best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, major warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D7500 DSLR Camera.

PACKING – THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site as will any suspicious bids or bid bid retractions. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I only accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 2 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive – if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund if the item is returned in the same condition is was sent e.g. as per the listing pictures.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT necessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.