FREE, FIRE AND WATER, 1970 UK PINK ISLAND 1st PRESS

	£		69
	$		91

betsy50 store

Important Information

All UK bidders please read the domestic postage information in red at the bottom of the LP description.

Hello and welcome to my auction. My name is Nick - aka “playgraderecords”. I have been an avid record collector for many years. Although I like lots of modern music, my passion is for classic blues, psych and progressive albums from the mid 60s to the early 70s. I don’t sell many records – the ones that I do sell are either duplicates from my collection or top quality examples sourced from record fairs or my local record shops.

I take pride in the care and attention that I give to every record that I list for auction. The records from my own collection have always been stored upright in polythene sleeves away from dust and light. These seldom require any cleaning other than just a quick dust using a sticky rubber Nagaoka Rolling 152 and a carbon fibre anti-static brush before play.

Each new find is sympathetically cleaned to remove visible dust, debris and fingerprints, before being critically assessed for the quality of play. If I think that the audio can be improved by a deep clean to remove a build-up of debris embedded in the grooves, I will clean it using a tried and tested isopropyl alcohol based record cleaning solution. I have refined my cleaning method over the years to a fine art, and am confident that the results are far superior to those achieved by the popular vacuum cleaning machines. In reality, the playback of most 35+ years old records will be improved massively by a proper clean.

Consequently, the records that I offer for sale will be immaculately presented and will play to a very high standard with barely any unwanted surface sound or static to spoil the listening pleasure.

Each record is strictly graded, and any significant defects to either the record or the sleeve will be highlighted. I will not conveniently forget to mention faults in order to sell for higher prices. If I grade a record as being in MINT- condition, you can rest assured that it will be both visually and aurally a near perfect copy which will be impossible to significantly improve upon!

Customer satisfaction is very important to me and I aim to provide a professional 5-star service to make the Ebay experience an enjoyable one.

Okay, now that I have given you little background information about myself– its time to get on to the important bit:

Here for auction is an excellent example of the iconic third studio album by FREE titled “FIRE AND WATER”, Catalogue Number ILPS 9120. This is an ORIGINAL 1970 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the PINK ISLAND RECORDS LABEL with a lovely 1st issue MacNeill Press sleeve. The record labels are rough textured and the matrix numbers are the earliest A//1, B//1.

The single un-laminated sleeve, printed and made by MacNeill Press Ltd., is in close to EX condition (strictly graded) with only light wear and minor creasing. The front and back covers are unmarked apart from a few small brown marks on the back (just above the archway). The spine is solid with crimped ends. The spine text is fully legible. You can see from the photos that this is a very well preserved example of this notoriously fragile sleeve.

The top quality Island record is solidly pressed and sits flat and true on the turntable.

The full matrix numbers and stampers are:

Side 1 – ILPS 9120   A//1   1   2?

Side 2 – ILPS 9120   B//1  1  1  1  2  0 

Visually both sides are in EX condition with beautiful clean playing surfaces. There are just a few very light sleeve-removal type surface marks evident under bright light. These are purely superficial and do not cause any audio problems whatsoever. The beautiful Pink ‘i’ Island labels are unmarked apart from some spindle traces near the centres.

PLAYGRADE ASSESSMENT:

This is a top quality Island 1st pressing which plays with outstanding sound quality. Both sides play perfectly with all frequencies crystal clear. There is no discernable deterioration in the sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all (just occasional light surface sound which is never intrusive and only mentioned for complete accuracy).

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega Planar 3 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My gradings are 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. Still a very presentable sleeve.

PACKAGING

Records are sent out in new “Wrapro” record mailers. These are rectangular and strong, providing excellent protection to the edges and corners. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

DOMESTIC POSTAGE

The free 2nd class postage option referred to above only applies to LPs paid for by UK cheque or Postal Order.

Due to PayPal’s Buyer Protection Policy, LPs paid for by PayPal must be posted using a fully trackable postal service, i.e. 1st class recorded at £3.95 or Special Delivery Next Day at £7.25. These options will be specified on the invoice. PayPal payments received which do not include payment for one of these trackable services will be refunded immediately. This is not negotiable.  If you are not happy with this please do not bid.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

Due to PayPal’s Buyer Protection Policy, LPs posted outside of the UK (paid for by PayPal) will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe up to £39 value - £8.95

Europe over £39 value - £11.15

Worldwide up to £39 value - £12.45

Worldwide over £39 value - £14.65

A postage discount will be given for multiple LPs