Jimi Hendrix : Band Of Gypsys A1/B1

This very collectable first pressing with the famous 'Puppet' cover plays to a wonderful standard that is rarely found today.  The playback is stunning!  With only four seconds of interference on Side A the clarity and definition of the audio is so impressive.  The vinyl has very little spindle wear and has obviously not been played that often and that is reflected in the quality of the audio.  Oh and it is visually stunning also!

It is also worth noting just how early the stampers are - 121 and 111 - denoting just how early in the production run this first pressing is.

The cover is also in lovely condition and has very little of shelf wear that you so often see.  It is one of the cleanest that you will find.  The original inner is also in great shape with no side splits.

2406002 // A / 1   1 2 1 // B / 1   1 1 1

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / Track 1 G+ for 4 seconds)

The audio on S2 is Mint- (T2 Near Mint+)

The cover is Ex+

The labels are Near Mint

The inner sleeve is Ex+

Visual grading

This is visually stunning to say the least!  It has been so well preserved over the last 50 years (nearly!) and it plays as good as it looks!  Side A has just one tiny white 'speck' and a couple of very faint radial lines and Side B is as close to perfect as you will find.  At first glance it looks 'as new' with no obvious hairlines at all.  There are no extraneous marks and this really is one beautiful record!  It has the most impressive jet-black glossy sheen you could ever wish to see with barely any spindle wear on Side A and only a little more on Side B.  The run out grooves and labels are also incredibly clean with no markings.

Play grading  

'Who Knows' begins this superb fine 'live' album with a super 'clean' intro, just one static tick only.  As the music comes in there is no decrease in quality and the playback is stunning.  Hendrix's first solo is sublime - the clarity and depth of the audio here is phenomenal.  There are four clicks in the first quiet section due to a tiny 'speck' that refuses to move so perhaps the winning bidder will have more luck!  From then on the audio is sublime and the very quiet almost silent section is stunning!  It plays with amazing clarity and there is just no intrusion on the audio whatsoever.  To the end it plays with impeccable sound and the final extended solo could not play any better.  Apart from that four seconds of interference this is Near Mint in my opinion although it could be argued the vast majority is better than that!  From start to finish the audio is so impressive and the clarity and depth on offer here is clearly of a record that has been hardly played.  What a version!

Hendrix's spoken intro on 'Machine Gun' again has no obvious 'background', it is so clean and there are no clicks or pops.  It then plays with remarkable depth and once more the playback is nigh on perfect.  The odd mega light dust tick but obviously they are so quiet and totally non-intrusive.  The vocal is very strong and as the track progresses the more you are impressed by it.  I cannot emphasise enough just how well this plays and Hendrix's long solo is again breathtaking - if I've ever heard a better one I cannot remember when!  This classic plays with tremendous sonic quality and each note can be heard with real precision.  As the vocal comes back in the audio is of the same 'high end' standard with only a small number of light dust ticks but again these are so much in the background as to be insignificant.  There is just one click in the quiet interlude near the end but that is the only interference across the entire 12 minutes!  The rest of this section plays with wonderful clarity and the closing section is 'as new' as simple as that!  A fantastic version that would impress any keen collector and grades as Near Mint once more.

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'Changes' on S2 plays with great clarity from the very first groove.  From Hendrix's spoken intro to the first musical note the playback could not be any stronger.  Plus that deep bass intro is superb!  I cannot praise this version highly enough, the clarity and definition of the audio is incredible and even the quieter section near the end plays beautifully with no intrusion.  Throughout the entire playback I heard only 3/4 very faint ticks and this is Mint- I am confident in saying.  This is why we listen to vinyl!

'Power Of Soul' has one static tick on the intro but there is no other 'background' besides that.  Hendrix's first solo is just sensational!  There is no distortion and it quite simply plays 'as new'.  It continues in the same manner and again the definition of the audio cannot be faulted.  Aside from that one tick on the intro this is audio of the highest calibre.  There is no interference of any kind and Near Mint+ is deserved here.

I may be repeating myself now but 'Message To Love' is of a quality that you so rarely hear today on these first pressings.  The 'high octane' work of Hendrix's work is as powerful as I have ever heard and again there is no distortion whatsoever.  In all honesty this is Mint but I will grade as Mint- so as to adhere to RC guidelines!  It plays as well as it did when first released in '70!

'We Gotta Live Together' ends the album with sublime quality once more.  The intro is flawless and it continues in much the same way.  There is perhaps just a minimal amount of distortion as the music builds but it really is so minor and non-intrusive.  I only mention to be complete in my grading.  The first 'quiet' section has no 'background' of any kind and the guitar solo that follows - wow!  100% stunning and the crescendo ending does not disappoint either.  With barely any distortion this plays as well as you would hope and brings this classic album to a stunning end.  What a finish!  It is so powerful, there is just no interference at all and a Mint- grade is a fair reflection of the dynamic quality here.

In summary this highly collectable first pressing plays to a fantastic standard and if not for that four seconds on S1 the entire album would grade as Near Mint to Mint all the way through!  As stated there is not that much spindle wear and this is a record that has been so well preserved over the decades.  There cannot be many first pressings that play with such stunning clarity and depth from start to finish.  As always I have play tested every second and many tracks I have played twice and this is undoubtedly one of the finest versions I have ever had the pleasure in listening to.  You would actually think some of the tracks had never been played such is the sonic quality on offer here and maybe that is the case!  It is so rare to find this album playing with such clarity and depth but considering the stunning visual 'look' it is perhaps not that surprising!

The Cover

This famous 'puppet' is of course very collectable and they are not often found as good as this.  It is still very strong and robust so you can tell it has not been handled that much.  The top edge is 'as new' and whilst there is some rubbing on the bottom edge it is not that noticeable.  This has obviously been caused by sitting on a shelf for so long!  The thin pinched spine is also in great shape with only a couple of letters on 'Gypsys' not being legible due to a very small rub mark.  This is the only real wear on the spine as even the corners have barely any rubbing.  The right hand corners have minimal wear and the opening edge is very clean with only a little feathering.  The front cover is in beautiful condition with only a couple of minor creases but quite honestly at first glance it looks 'as new'.  I can see one faint scratch line when you hold it at a certain angle.  The back cover has no markings as such but again there are a handful of faint 'lines' to be seen around Jimi's legs!  Very faint though.  Overall this is a fine example of this rare cover with only very minor wear.

Inner Sleeve

The original poly-lined 'Plastic Bags' inner is in superb condition for its age!  It has no side splits or tears and only a little creasing and age related fading around the edges.  It has '0870' printed on one side as per the manufacture/release date.

The Labels

The Track Record labels have lost none of their original 'look' with no fading or spotting at all.  There is very little spindle wear and have no marking or writing either.  Stunning examples!

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

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

2406002 // A / 1   1 2 1 // B / 1   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

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