TANGERINE DREAM Alpha Centauri original German Ohr

$

20

Welcome! Here is an early German press of Tangerine Dream Alpha Centauri. On this, Tangerine Dream’s second album, the line-up was Edgar Froese, Chris Franke, and Steve Schroyder; Udo Dennebourg and Roland Paulyck appear as guests. Technically, we cannot call this a true first press, since the catalogue number is OMM 556.012; a first FIRST press would be OMM 56.012. The first seventeen Ohr albums initially had a five-digit catalogue number (56.xxx); in late 1971 or early 1972, Ohr renumbered these and subsequent albums as the six-digit 556.xxx. But that extra 5 is the only thing that distinguishes a first-press and not-quite-first-press Alpha Centauri album.

Matrix numbers and mother/stamper codes are:

Side 1: ST-OMM-56.012-A PF is scratched in. Another number is neatly stamped in: 28 0654 650 S1. The mother/stamper is H1.


Side 2: ST-OMM-56.012-B PF is scratched in. Another number is neatly stamped in: 28 0654 650 S2. The mother/stamper is L1.

Using the Record Collector grading system, what do we have here?

Sleeve: The laminated gatefold sleeve grades Excellent+++. Both front and back are beautiful, with a tiny area of VERY minor laminate lifting beginning on the back, near the base of the spine. There is a small ding to the top edge of the front gatefold, about one-quarter of the way across from the left; very minor, IMHO, but I do try to describe my wares to you as accurately as possible. There is NO ringwear! The inside of the gatefold is very nice, with just a couple of traces of discoloration or soiling.

Vinyl: The vinyl grades Excellent+. In fact, I would do Mint-, were it not for a few VERY faint ticks at the beginning of Side 1. Other than that this handful of faint ticks, you can expect an unblemished listening experience! Physically, there are only the usual hairlines, which do not impact the sound quality.

Labels: The Side 1 label is immaculate; the Side 2 label, while clean, has what looks like a faint ink streak, plus a small semicircular ink mark at the bottom. There is NO spindle tracking at all on either label!

Inner Sleeve: This album has a plain white inner sleeve with a “waxy” sort of finish often seen from Germany, but I cannot say for sure if this is the original inner. This inner is clean and very white, but there are minor seam splits on each side.

And, in the end: This is a very, very nice example of a very, VERY spacey German space album! For goodness sake, do not settle for a later UK repress or repackage done up after the Dream had gained mainstream fame in the UK and the USA; go for a nice German issue!

Returns: Full return privileges (less shipping and listing fee) if dissatisfied, but I bet you won’t be! E-mail me with any questions. Please pay by PayPal. Thanks and good luck!

Shipping: I will ship to ANY country on Earth! Pursuant to my claim above that I am not a dealer, I am NOT out to gouge anyone on shipping costs. If you live outside of the USA and win an item from me, I will take your item(s), with the packaging, to the post office and I will obtain multiple shipping quotes for you (fast, slow, whatever).

Insurance: I will also get an insurance quote for you. I pack things very well, but if you choose to not buy insurance, I will not be responsible if something nasty happens. Historically, when given the option, I have not bought insurance myself, and I have never suffered any consequences. But this is your choice.

Namaste, everyone!