DEEP PURPLE, FIREBALL, MINT- 1971 UK HARVEST 1U/1U 1st PRESS

	£		122
	$		162

betsy50 Store

Hello, my name is Nick (aka playgraderecords). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.94/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection it is my pleasure to offer an exceptional MINT- example of the brilliant studio album by DEEP PURPLE titled “FIREBALL”, Catalogue Number SHVL 793. This is an ORIGINAL 1971 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the HARVEST RECORD LABEL, with a stunning 1st ISSUE GARROD & LOFTHOUSE LTD. TEXTURED GATEFOLD SLEEVE. Complete with the correct 1st issue thick card lyric insert and the EMI poly-lined inner sleeve which advertises other Harvest albums of the period. [The record labels have “THE GRAMOPHONE CO. LTD…” text around the tops. The matrix numbers are the earliest SHVL 793 A-2U and SHVL 793 B-3U. “PEK” is etched in the run-out of Side 1 indicating the work of the master cutting engineer George “Porky” Peckham].

The sleeve is in EX+ condition with only the lightest signs of wear and very minor creasing. It’s an exceptionally well preserved example of this notoriously wear-prone un-laminated sleeve. I think that it will be very difficult to find a better one!    

The vinyl is in MINT- condition. The Harvest labels are like new with only a few faint spindle traces each side. I can confirm that the record has only received a few careful plays on top end hifi. The sound quality of the 1st pressings of Fireball is very special – particularly loud-cut, dynamic and vibrant with great bass. Both sides play MINT- throughout with no discernable deterioration in sound quality and virtually no unwanted noise at all. There are no loud pops, repeat clicks, distortion, hiss or anything else – just beautiful clean audio. If you are looking for that elusive perfect-playing 1st press copy – look no further!  

The lyric insert is in unmarked EX+ condition.

The inner sleeve is also in unmarked EX+ condition.

Overall this is a magnificent final upgrade copy which will grace any record collection.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega P5 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £10.95

Worldwide - £14.80

The title should of course read 2U/3U 1st press - which are the earliest matrix numbers for this album.

Apologies for any confusion.