Kinks Lola Vs. Powerman Original 1970 US Gated LP RS 6423 Terre Haute Pressing

$

61

Kinks
Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround Part-1
Reprise RS-6424
Gatefold LP
Original 1970 Terre Haute Pressing (based on matrix, labels, and jacket)

Item Details
Manufactured in: USA
Recorded: April, May, August, September 1970 at Morgan Studios, London
Mastering and Lacquer Cut By: Artisan Sound Recorders, Hollywood, CA
Pressing By: Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute, IN.
Original Issue: November 27, 1970
This Issue: 1970
Label: Reprise RS-6423
Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
Side 1: (etch:) RS-6423 T1 31128-1-1 (stamp:) (artisan symbol) ? 5
Side 2: (etch:) RS-6423 T2 31129-1-2 (stamp:) (artisan symbol) D
Was bought used by this seller many years ago and now offered from his private collection. Has had only a couple plays plays always on an expertly setup high-end audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. Has never been exposed to heat or tobacco smoke and always stored vertically in a specially designed record cabinet (Rackit) to prevent warpage.
Was cleaned on a VPI HW 16 with Audio Intelligent solutions and ultra-pure water rinse (50X purer than distilled water) before my pre-sale sound check. I wear nitrile surgical gloves while cleaning and play testing to avoid any chance of transferring finger oils to the vinyl.
Very sensitive play testing was performed straight off my Ayre P-5xe fully balanced phono preamp over Sennheiser HD 600 headphones using a Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 tube headphone amp fitted with Voskhod Soviet matched tubes (see last photo).

Track list
1: The Contenders, Strangers, Denmark Street, Get Back In Line, Lola, Top Of The Pops, The Moneygoround.

2: This Time Tomorrow, A Long Way From Home, Rats, Apeman, Powerman, Got To Be Free.

I never take "distant" photos nor the so-prevalent type with the LP sticking halfway out of the jacket. I take close-ups under photo lamps so you can see nearly everything I describe in the jacket grading. It is virtually impossible to know the true vinyl condition from any photograph. That takes very bright and close visual inspection PLUS play testing with thorough coverage on high resolution equipment.
Grading Details
Note: Record grading by text characters is subjective and does not fully describe quality levels. Please see photos and my detailed descriptions below.

Outer Jacket Inspection:
VG+/VG+
Both sides of the jacket have some ring wear that is mostly at the top. There is a corner bend on the front lower right as seen in the photo. You can also see some discoloration along the front bottom edge and rear top edge. There is a split seam on the bottom edge center about 3" wide. There is moderate rubbing wear on the top and bottom edges. Spine is in good shape. The inside gatefold has some light ring wear at the top only, but is otherwise smooth and clean. Colors remain bright and white on all surfaces with no yellowing, or stains. Please examine my photos carefully so you can judge the grading to your own personal opinion.

Vinyl visual inspection:
After cleaning, surface visuals were inspected under high intensity halogen light. I rotated and tilted the record in multiple angles with my eyes a few inches away from the vinyl. Side 1 had a few super thin reflective handling traces. These were on the very top surface of the vinyl well above groove modulations. I did see a brighter trace starting on Track 1, thru T2 and ending at T3. I made a note to check during play test for repeating ticks in that area. Side 2 had almost none of those reflective lines but instead there were some translucent much fainter bands that reminded me of dissipated contrails in the sky. I did discover a brighter reflective trace that could have been a from needle slip that extended from Tracks 1 thru 3 and ending at T4. I noted it to check fully during play test for any ticks repeating each revolution. Otherwise, Side 2 looked pretty clean.

Play Testing:
VG+/NM-
Extensive play testing was performed after visual inspection. I listened to the beginning, middle, and end of each track for a few minutes on each needle drop. I also listened to all lead-in, lead-out and transition grooves between each track. Some tracks were played all the way thru when digitizing my favorites to 192k/24-bit WAV files. Continuous written notes were taken. Here is rundown of each track from my notes.

Side 1 Play
There was a small amount of crackle during lead-in and a bit into T1's start. I did hear some repeating ticks for a short time (6 of them in total) and then no vinyl noise interference following that. All tracks were clean and quiet thru T4 and even transition grooves were pretty quiet with just a few random small ticks here and there. During the beginning of "Lola" I noticed that on the "sss" consonants Ray's voice had some sibilance splatter. This mushiness could mean that the original owner may have played this track a lot of times and created some eventual groove wear. Its not in the original recording because my iTunes copy does not have this. I recorded Lola so I'm going to see what I can do with my digital "de-esser." Every other track on Side 1 was quiet and clear like well preserved vinyl.

Side 2 Play
On Side 2 I'm happy to report that There were no repeating ticks on tracks 1 - 3 and I listened all the way through them. So the trace I found in visuals was not deep enough to affect play. The transition groove out of T3 into T4 was very quiet. As much as Lola is an iconic track I enjoy "Apeman" and "Powerman much more. My notes say that these were "clean, quiet, strong and clear." Track 6 was clean as well and I only counted a single small tick in that entire song.
Because of the repeating ticks at the beginning of S1:T1 and the sibilance smear at the start of Lola I have to downgrade that side to VG+. Side 2 plays uniformly strong, but cosmetically it is not quite NM.

Packaging

• Record will be placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting.
• Original inner sleeve is missing because when bought used, I first cleaned both sides, applied the LAST vinyl wear prevention treatment, and then placed the vinyl into a new Discwasher VIP rice paper plastic inner sleeve.
• Record was placed into a new MFSL-style "rice paper" sleeve right after re-cleaning for this sale. That will keep vinyl surfaces preserved during shipping and ultimate buyer usage.
• Outer jacket is contained in a new clear polyethylene protective sleeve.
• Sent in good quality record mailer with cardboard stiffeners.

• Shipping will be via USPS Media Mail for a flat charge of $3.98 per single album sale.
• A combined shipping discount is available on multiple sales completed within 5 business days($3.98 plus $0.50 for each additional LP).
• If you intend to buy more than one LP do not pay immediately but wait for my all-combined invoice. A discount for the combined items will show on that invoice. Then, once payment is received, the items will ship.