SOFT MACHINE Volume Two 1969 UK 1st PRESS black&silver flipback PROBE label EX+

	£		66
	$		87

THE SOFT MACHINE

A beautiful condition copy of this rare and highly sought after 1969 prog/psych rock UK very 1st press, on the sought black and silver record label, STEREO, SPB 1002

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1   SPB 1002  A - 1G with stampers "1" and "G" at 8.30 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively

Side 2   SPB 1002  B - 1G with stampers "1" and "G" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

GRADINGS :

RECORD (Visual Grade / Condition Grade) :  Excellent plus (EX+) / Excellent plus (EX+)  Hard to fault. Gleaming with jet black sheen, comes across as virtually unmarked in normal daylight (I can just make out x2 very, very light and superficial 3cm scuff lines on side 1 when tilted at the right angle!); very close scrutiny under a bright reveals the odd very, very wispy hairline and just a couple of extremely light and pencil thin scuff marks on each side. Undoubtedly excellent plus condition vinyl and obviously very sparingly played.

LABELS : Near Mint (NM). All silver text, the matt background, and the PROBE logo each remain perfectly intact with just a couple of small and extremely faint spindle trails on each label. Note the “MADE IN GT. BRITAIN BY THE GRAMOPHONE CO. LTD.” label text confirming this to be a UK 1st pressing.

OUTER SLEEVE (Garrod & Lofthouse) : Excellent plus (EX+) : A solid excellent plus with firm and totally unscuffed edges, perfect right-angled corners with barely any rubbing, no creasing or spine flattening. and the opening edges remaining firm also with no fraying. Just the hint of some very faint ring wear on the reverse side towards the opening edge, no age discolouration, and perfectly functioning flipbacks with just a couple of very light, surface laminate creases on the bottom and side flipbacks and a very small area of very light laminate lift in the middle of the top edge of the top flipback...each very trivial. Vibrant, crisp colouring with all art work, photos, and text each in pristine condition, and with no unwanted writing or doodles. Brilliant!

AUDIO QUALITY : Excellent plu (EX+) or better : Stunning tone and clarity throughout with superb crystal clear STEREO audio quality. No repeats, jumps, sticks, clicks or background crackle (just the hint of some extremely light background interference on the run-in to side 2 and at the very end of side 2). Every track makes for clean, great listening. Clearly this record has been very sparingly played. 

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. PATAPHYSICAL INTRODUCTION - Part 1

2. A CONCISE BRITISH ALPHABET - Part 1

3. HIBOU ANEMONE AND BEAR

4. A CONCISE BRITISH ALPHABET - Part 2

5. HULLO DER

6. DADA WAS HERE

7. THANK YOU PIERROT LUNAIRE

8. HAVE YOU EVER BEAN GREAN

9. PATAPHYSICAL INTRODUCTION - Part 2 

10. OUT OF TUNES

Side 2 :

1. AS LONG AS HE LIES PERFECTLY STILL

2. DEDICATED TO YOU BUT YOU WEREN'T LISTENING

3. FIRE ENGINE PASSING WITH BELLS CLANGING

4. PIG

5. ORANGE SKIN FOOD

6. A DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

7. 10.30 RETURNS TO THE BEDROOM

Comes with original plain white  "PATENT NO...." & "MADE IN ENGLAND" horizontal text inner sleeve with light brown mark on front side and mild corner creasing, but no rips, tears, seam splits or fraying and still perfectly functional.

In summary a truly brilliant condition copy of this increasingly sought after 1969 UK 1st press rock (with hints of jazz) gem - the whole LP is a great listen, and a worthy addition to any serious vinyl collection and will only continue to increase in value.

 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 50 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 65 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 £4.00, Royal Mail 1st class signed for; 

Continental Europe £12, and Rest of the World £16 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international 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