I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale.  No shipping to Russia currently.

Clear Blue Sky : Clear Blue Sky A1 / 2Y2 1st press Vertigo 1970

This very collectable first pressing plays with stunning quality and S1 in particular is incredible.  It has no background at all the clarity of sound is so impressive and S2 is not far behind.  The first track has just one dull pop followed by a light click and the second has some very light background statics that are not intrusive anyway.  The rest of the side is superb!  The vinyl does have some hairlines but it shows just how robust these Vertigo pressings are.  The sonic quality throughout this classic album is stunning, the depth of sound is the the real stand out.

The cover has a couple of sticker removal marks and a couple of other small faint marks but otherwise remains in excellent condition and still holds its original shape and structure.  The original Vertigo inner is in very good condition.

This is the earliest first pressing as per the matrix, each side is followed by 111!  'Play It Loud' is blotted out in red ink on the spine.

6360013  A//1  1 1  1

6360013  2Y//2  1 1  1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T1 Near Mint- although G for 2 seconds / T2 Ex+)

The gatefold is VG+

The Vertigo inner sleeve is VG+

The labels are Ex+

Visual description

The vinyl is in excellent condition but does have a number of faint hairlines and only a little mottling.  The good news is that this is purely superficial as it barely any affect on the audio as you can see from my grading below.  There are no scratches and no groove wear and the Vertigo labels are also very clean with just some spindle wear.

Play grading

'Journey To The Centre Of The Sun' begins with 'Sweet Leaf' and it plays with superb audio throughout the entire 9+ minutes.  The depth and power of the audio is so strong and the clarity of sound is stunning.  I have to say though the depth and definition really stands out but that's typical of a Vertigo pressing I guess.  Simms' guitar work is quite impressive for an 18 year old!  There is no 'muddiness' to the sound, no distortion and no interference.  I 'heard' only a couple of barely audible statics and it definitely deserves a Mint grade.

The intro on 'The Rocket Ride' is perfect and the relatively quiet opening vocal has no intrusion either.  It continues to play with impeccable quality with only a couple of mega quiet static 'moments' during the next vocal - lasting for one second each you could easily miss them as they are so so quiet!  The remainder is so clean and powerful and there is just one very minor tick.  The end section is STUNNING and the quiet acoustic outro has no background at all.  Mint- is a fair assessment of the audio, it could hardly play any better.

'I'm Comin' Home' is as close to perfect as is possible.  The playback is so strong and powerful and again the depth is just off the chart.  There is just one very light tick during the mid instrumental but is not intrusive in any way.  The high octane passages towards the end are 'as new' which pretty much sums up the entire side!  Another Mint- track.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The intro on 'You Mystify' has no background and the opening vocal is just as clean.  The brief instrumental that follows is faultless and the next vocal again has no intrusion.  There is one pop followed by a light click during the next instrumental but at least the music is loud here!  The rest of this section plays with stunning power and depth and the next vocal has only a handful of minor statics.  A hint of light static further and the remainder plays with phenomenal clarity and warmth.  Yes there is a little background on this track but the vast majority does still play with genuine quality so I will say G for that two seconds of interference and Near Mint- for the remainder.

The quiet intro on 'Tool Of My Trade' plays with sublime clarity as does the first vocal.  The sonic quality is stunning from that point on!  Some quieter moments here and yet the clarity is very impressive.  The mid instrumental is a fine example of great musicianship, great sound here.  There are some very light background statics here but in my opinion they do not intrude on the quality of the listen.  Some very quiet ones at the start of the final vocal and the end section plays perfectly.  I believe Ex+ is fair here.

The quiet intro on 'My Heaven' has barely any static and the opening vocal section plays beautifully with no intrusion.  This standard is kept as it progresses, the playback is superb!  For the majority this is a relatively quiet track and yet the clarity is so close to perfect with only 3/4 very quiet statics.  A superb Mint- version.

The final track 'Birdcatcher' ends the album with STUNNING audio once more!  Back to their powerful best the sonic quality through every vocal and instrumental section could not be any more impressive.  As I often say you can turn it up to max without fear of distortion, I cannot overstate just how well it plays!  The instrumental section is 'as new', the power and depth here is incredible, and then the long quiet section plays with great clarity also, no interference basically.  The powerful ending rounds off this classic track perfectly with zero intrusion.  A Mint- version to end this superb album.

The Gatefold & Vertigo Inner Sleeve

The Roger Dean cover does have a little shelf wear but nothing excessive.  The edges have only minimal rubbing and the spine is very clean with only light wear on the corners.  The right hand corners are in excellent shape with barely any wear and the opening edge just has minor handling wear.  The front cover has two sticker removal marks in each top corner and this is more noticeable in the top right corner, less so top left.  Apart from that it is very clean with only one other small mark.  The back cover is in pretty good shape overall with only a couple of minor marks and the inside of the gatefold is excellent with only some light fading along the top edge of the left panel.  I was tempted to say Ex- but I think VG+ is probably nearer the mark.

The Vertigo inner (dated 1070) has one small side split, minimal creasing and a little age related fading mainly around the edges.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

6360013  A//1  1 1  1

6360013  2Y//2  1 1  1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £24.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!