CAT STEVENS, Teaser And The Firecat UK 1st pressing EXC- LP AUDIOPHILE STAMPER

$

100

Cat Stevens ?– Teaser And The Firecat Label: Island Records ?– ILPS 9154, Island Records ?– ILPS9154 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Gatefold  Country: UK Released: 1971 Genre: Rock Style: Folk Rock, Pop Rock Tracklist Hide Credits A1 The Wind A2 Ruby Love A3 If I Laugh A4 Changes IV A5 How Can I Tell You B1 Tuesday's Dead B2 Morning Has Broken Lyrics By – Eleanor Farjeon B3 Bitterblue B4 Moonshadow B5 Peace Train Companies, etc. Published By – Freshwater Music Printed By – Howards Printers (Slough) Ltd. Mastered At – Sterling Sound Pressed By – The Gramophone Co. Ltd. Credits Bass, Congas – Larry Steele Bouzouki – Andreas Toumazis, Angelos Hatzipavli Drums – Gerry Conway, Harvey Burns Guitar – Alun Davies, Cat Stevens Mastered By – LH*  Photography By – David Bailey (5) Producer – Paul Samwell-Smith Strings – Del Newman Vocals, Keyboards, Written-By – Cat Stevens  

UK PINK RIM/PALM TREE FIRST PRESSING VINYL ALBUM IN GATEFOLD SLEEVE WITH ORIGINAL WHITE 'MADE IN GB' INNER SLEEVE.

MATRIX:  SIDE A: ILPS 9154A-5U STERLING 2 LH / SIDE B: ILPS 9154 B-4U STERLING 2 LH.

MOTHER / STAMPER:  SIDE A: 2 / GGG.  SIDE B: 3 / GMP.

SLEEVE: VERY GOOD+, JUST SHORT OF EXCELLENT MINUS.  NO MARKS OR DAMAGE, ONE SMALL SCUFF REAR TOP AND ONE CORNER CREASE. INNER SLEEVE VERY GOOD+ WITH NO SEAM SPLITS.

DISC: EXCELLENT MINUS. NO MARKS OR SCRATCHES, JUST A FEW BARELY DISCERNABLE HAIRLINES IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH.  NO SPINDLE WEAR. CLEAN LABELS.  WE HAVE VPI TRIPLE CLEANED THIS DISC, AND IT PLAYS AND SOUNDS INCREDIBLE, WITH AN AMAZING, ALIVE, WARM SOUND STAGE AND PRECISE AND CLEAR INSTRUMENT PLACEMENT.  THIS RECORDING HAS LONG BEEN AN AUDIOPHILE DEMONSTRATION DISC, ALONG WITH STEVEN'S EARLIER ALBUM 'TEA FOR THE TILLERMAN'.  WE DO NOT SEE UK FIRST ERA STERLING PRESSINGS IN THIS CONDITION THAT SOUND THIS GOOD VERY OFTEN THESE DAYS.

Why buy a first or early pressing and not a re-issue or a ‘re-mastered’ vinyl album?

First and early pressings are pressed from the first generation lacquers and stampers. They usually sound vastly superior to later issues/re-issues (which, in recent times, are often pressed from whatever 'best' tapes or digital sources are currently available) - many so-called 'audiophile' new 180g pressings are cut from hi-res digital sources…essentially an expensive CD pressed on vinyl.  Why  experience the worse elements of both formats?  These are just High Maintenance CDs, with mid-ranges so cloaked with a veil as to sound smeared.  They are nearly always compressed with murky transients and a general lifelessness in the overall sound.  There are exceptions where re-masters/re-presses outshine the original issues, but they are exceptions and not the norm.

First or early pressings nearly always have more immediacy, presence and dynamics. The sound staging is wider.  Subtle instrument nuances are better placed with more spacious textures. Balances are firmer in the bottom end with a far-tighter bass. Upper-mid ranges shine without harshness, and the overall depth is more immersive.  Inner details are  clearer.

On first and early pressings, the music tends to sound more ‘alive’ and vibrant.  The physics of sound energy is hard to clarify and write about from a listening perspective, but the best we can describe it is to say that you can 'hear' what the mixing and mastering engineers wanted you to hear when they first recorded the music.