HERBIE HANCOCK MAIDEN VOYAGE 1965 US Blue Note ST 84195 RVG NY EAR 1st press EX+

	£		257
	$		341

HERBIE HANCOCK - MAIDEN VOYAGE

A truly impressive copy of this extremely rare and highly sought after 1965 US very first pressing jazz masterpiece, on the BLUE NOTE label, stereo BST 84195

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  BNST - 84195 A with "VAN GELDER" machine stamped onto the dead wax area, and the first pressing Pastylite "EARr" logo

Side 2  BNST - 84195 B with "VAN GELDER" machine stamped onto the dead wax area, and the first pressing Plastylite "EAR" logo 

The appearance and overall condition of the heavy, flat vinyl is excellent plus (EX+). Gleaming vinyl with a jet black sheen giving a beautiful appearance in normal daylight. With close scrutiny under a bright light the appearance remains impressive with just a few wispy hairlines coming into view (nothing "feelable" or beneath the surface) and a few small, surface marks emanating from the poly-lined inner for which the record has been inserted over a number of years, all of which are superficial and do not impinge upon the excellent audio quality. Brilliant, and amazing for a 54 year antiquity such as this...it is now very difficult to find US Blue Note (pre-Liberty) first pressings with original vinyl in as good a condition as this.

The labels are excellent (EX). To be precise, the Side 1 label is excellent plus with just a few small and very light spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole and only visible under a bright light; the Side 2 label is exactly the same except for the word/name "DRAGON" written on the circumference at the top of the label (see photos), so can therefore only be graded as very good plus. Note the "BLUE NOTE RECORDS INC"...later issues have "Liberty" resulting from the sale of Blue Note to Liberty 

The condition of the non-laminated outer sleeve is excellent minus (EX-). Yet another iconic sleeve manufactured from thick cardboard and in excellent overall condition with just a little, intermittent and light scuffing on the bottom and top edges, a few tiny "nicks" along with the hint of some very mild ring wear on the front side, and the name/word "DRAGON"written in black felt tip at the top of the reverse side.  Apart from these minor blemishes there is little to fault : the cover photo and design by REID MILES remains totally impressive with excellent clarity, all edges remain rigid, there is no fraying on either of the opening edges, each corner remains a near perfect right angle with just some light rubbing, and all writing on the reverse of the sleeve remains crisp and clear with virtually no age discolouration. Impressive still, even after all of these years!

Finally, the quality of the audio is superb. Great tone and clarity throughout with no skips, repeats, jumps or nasty clicks, and barely any background interference at all - just the hint of a little background crackle right at the very beginning of each side and during a couple of the interludes. Even the quieter passages are as they should be - clear with great tone and no interference. I did detect (I had to play three times to confirm) three very, very light (barely audible) clicks towards the beginning of the final track on side 2 but could find no obvious reason for this, so can only assume that this was/is down to a speck of dust caught up in the grooves resulting from decades of storage. Each and every track on this wonderful album still makes for a great listen. Sit back and enjoy the wonderful musicianship of six five jazz musicians at the top of their game : Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), George Coleman (tenor sax), Herbie Hancock (piano), Joe Henderson (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass), and Anthony Williams (drums).

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. MAIDEN VOYAGE

2. THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE

3. LITTLE ONE

Side 2 :

1. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

2. DOLPHIN DANCE

Comes with original Blue Note "27 YEARS BLUE NOTE" inner sleeve with the original "43 WEST 61st ST. NEW YORK 23 N.Y." text and in overall very good condition still, though there is a 5cm split in the middle of the bottom edge, some very mild age discolouration adjacent to the edges, and some red felt tip "ticks" and "O"'s where a previous owner has used the inner as a tick list for which LP's he/she has collected, but nonetheless the inner still remains fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly excellent copy of this extremely rare and highly sought after 1965 US very 1st pressing jazz masterpiece - seldom seen, so difficult to find and worthy of gracing any vinyl collection. It is now very difficult to find this US Blue Note first pressing in condition as impressive as this.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 49 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 64 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £5.00, Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for; continental Europe £9 and Rest of the World £13, Royal Mail 1st class/Airmail tracked and signed for. 

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler