The Jimi Hendrix Experience : Electric Ladyland 1/1/2/2

This very early stereo pressing is a stunning example of its kind.  I have play tested the album in its entirety and it is without doubt the most stunning example I have ever listened to.  The laminated gatefold is also in beautiful condition the likes of which I have never seen before, it is stunning.

There is so much conjecture as to what a genuine first pressing is.  There is much debate online and the popular opinion is that the cover with white text and small photos is the true first press.  There is a lot of evidence on the recordmecca.com site to confirm this view.  The blue text one was basically a miss-pressing.

A genuine first pressing has a 1/1/1/1 matrix so the 1/1/2/2 I am selling is a second press or perhaps just a variation on the first press?  Either way it is a mega early pressing and it would be virtually impossible to find a better one than this!

Side A / 61300 89 8 A // 1  1 2  4

Side B / 61300 8 9 A B // 1  1 5

 Side C / 613009 B // 2  1 1  3

Side D / 613008 B // 2  1 2  2

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (track 2 Near Mint- / track 5 Near Mint)

The audio on S3 is Mint(-)

The audio on S4 is Mint(-)

The gatefold is Ex+ (many aspects are Near Mint)

The inner sleeves are Ex-

The labels are Near Mint

 Visual grading

  The vinyls are fantastic examples of an album hardly played.  There is very little spindle wear and the first record (Sides A & D) in particular is stunning.  It has a beautiful glossy sheen and I cannot detect any hairlines and there are certainly no scratches.  Side C is of the same immaculate quality and Side B only has one very small faint hairline and a more obvious hairline scuff but I can assure you it has absolutely no affect on the Mint- audio as detailed below.  Both vinyls retain a beautiful glossy sheen and it is obvious they have hardly ever been touched let alone played!  This has to be the most impressive version of this iconic album that I have ever seen or heard.

Play grading

The quiet intro on 'And The Gods Made Love' is the most impressive I have ever heard.  It is stunning with no interference of any kind and as it builds the 'swirling' tape loops play with exquisite quality.  This is as close to 'new' as you will find, I just cannot believe the immaculate clarity here and without doubt provides a Mint- start.  There is then complete silence in the dead wax prior to 'Electric Ladyland' and then the Grandfather clock 'ticks' with incredible precision and no 'background'.  It then plays with to the same breathtaking standard with not one iota of interference.  Wow!  Even the fade out is nigh on perfect with only a couple of mega quiet dust ticks that you would find on a new vinyl let alone one that is 50 years old!  'Crosstown Traffic' is 'as new' I am confident in saying.  It plays loud and true with no distortion and no 'background' on the fade out.  Again I do not have adequate words for the quality of intro on 'Voodoo Chile'!  There is quite simply no intrusive interference, a couple of dust ticks maybe but they are just not worth of mention!  As it progresses the quality does not decrease.  Of course Jimi's guitar work is legendary but the bass here is so strong and adds so much to the recording as does the stunning drum section.  I play every second of every LP I sell in order to provide a comprehensive description and this entire classic is 100% mind-blowing!  There are no clicks or pops and no static or crackle either.  There is no distortion on the top end and the many quiet sections play with immaculate clarity.  This is pure Mint- audio from start to finish and to say it plays 'as new' is no exaggeration.  I am only using the minus because the album is not sealed but quite honestly I know Mint when I hear it and this is it!  The crescendo end section is sublime and again I have never heard better and the spoken 'crowd' section that end the side is stunning with only a handful of mega quiet dust ticks.

'Little Miss Strange' plays with impeccable clarity and power from the very first groove.  So often first/last tracks on any album of 'age' play with some interference but the 'clean' sound here is fantastic.  The definition is superb i.e. there is no 'muddiness' to the sound and you can hear each note perfectly.  'Long Hot Summer Night' does have one light click about one minute but that is the only interference on the album thus far so not bad!  The remainder plays to a wonderful standard.  'Come On' is another stunning example of a vinyl hardly played, what a version!  There is no distortion and rarely will you hear this track playing as clearly as this.  The overall 'sound' is Mint with no interference whatsoever, not even a solitary dust tick!  'Gipsy Eyes' plays with the same unerring quality and quite honestly it is difficult not being repetitive when a record plays this well!  Again there is no 'background' of any kind.  The classic 'Burning Of The Midnight Lamp' has superb sound once more.  A minor amount of distortion perhaps but certainly not intrusive and is most probably due to it being the 'final track' on the side.  It is still a fantastic version and has no clicks or pops, static or crackle.  There is nothing that detracts from the sublime quality of the audio.

'Rainy Day, Dream Away' on S3 plays with stunning clarity from the first note.  From the 'cough' to the 'sniff' (!) the first verse plays 'as new' and this applies to the entire track.  The fade out deserves a special mention as it provides a fine example of the clarity on offer here.  There is just no 'background' of any kind.  It is superb and this is why we listen to vinyl.  '1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be' has to be heard to be believed!  Every second of this classic plays with immaculate clarity and the sonic quality could not be any better.  This is why we listen to vinyl!  The warmth and depth of the recording is stunning and the very quiet psychedelic section is without doubt the 'cleanest' I have ever heard with no I repeat no interference at all!  This is audio of the highest quality and again it is patently obvious it has hardly ever been played.  I cannot stress enough how superbly this sounds and quite honestly it plays with better clarity and depth than many new records.  There are so many quiet sections and yet they all play with the same 'as new' quality and I have no hesitation in grading this track as Mint- as there is just nothing that detracts from stunning quality of the audio.  It of course segues into 'Moon, Turn The Tides...' and yes this instrumental does not disappoint either.  With only a tiny hint of barely audible static I have never heard these final few grooves play as 'cleanly' as this.  The entire side plays without fault and how often can you say that about a 50 year old vinyl!

  'Still Raining, Still Dreaming' is yet another track that impresses from start to finish.  The power of Jimi's guitar here is awesome and there is no distortion.  When the bass builds each time the depth of the audio is incredible, the sonic quality and definition again could not be any better.  Without doubt the best version I have ever heard.  Mint in anyone's book!  'House Burning Down' plays with immense power and depth and again there is no interference.  And rarely there is barely any distortion here.  From the first note the classic 'All Along The Watchtower' plays with 'high end' clarity and for fear of being repetitive it could not play with any greater precision.  It is basically as good as the day when first released back in October '68.  It is so dynamic and the bass so high in the mix here, absolutely stunning.  'Voodoo Chile (slight return)' has no 'background' on the quiet intro and then proceeds to play with sublime power and range.  There is no obvious distortion which is certainly a rarity for this track.  Wow this is an astounding end to this classic album!  This track is so powerful and the 'wah wah' guitar has never sounded better and this is another Mint- track.  No clicks or pops, no static, crackle or distortion just pure unadulterated Mint- audio as it should be heard.  A breathtaking end to this classic album.

In summary this mega early pressing is a final upgrade archive 'time warp' classic if ever there was one.  I have never heard an 'Electric Ladyland' play as well this, nothing comes close.  The clarity, depth and power is sensational and there is only one click across the entire album.  There is also near complete silence in the dead wax between every track.  So many of these 'Track Record' pressings have been played a lot (hardly surprising!) so it is extremely rare to find one like this that has been barely played.  As stated the vinyls are so clean and the stunning gatefold does not disappoint either.

The Gatefold

The fully laminated E.J. Day cover is without question the most impressive I have ever seen and has obviously always been very carefully handled and not too often either.  It is stunning!  The top edges have only a very small number of tiny 'rubs' and the bottom edges are near immaculate with only a minor amount of rubbing by the right hand corner.  The wide spine is also in great shape with just two mega tiny 'rubs' near the top and a small amount of corner wear.  The right hand corners have a minimal amount of wear only.  The opening edges are the cleanest I have seen and have barely any handling wear and this provides further evidence of vinyls that have very rarely been removed.  The front cover is in lovely condition and looks almost 'as new'.  It is so rare for the laminate to remain in such pristine condition as it is so susceptible to wear and all I can see are a couple of very faint creases.  I am delighted to say the back cover is just as good with only one obvious crease.  The inside of the gatefold is stunning and the inner spine has no wear, how rare is that?!  I will grade this beautiful gatefold as Ex+ although many aspects are Near Mint without doubt.  A fantastic example of this iconic cover.

Inner sleeves

The poly-lined 'Plastic Bags...' inner sleeves are very clean with only one small side split each.  They have minor creasing and a very small amount of age related fading.

The labels

The 'Track Record' labels are in fantastic condition with no marking or writing and as stated very little spindle wear.  The records have hardly been played!

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

Side A / 61300 89 8 A // 1  1 2  4

Side B / 61300 8 9 A B // 1  1 5

 Side C / 613009 B // 2  1 1  3

Side D / 613008 B // 2  1 2  2

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

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Postage & Packaging

I SHIP WORLDWIDE BUT WHEN SHIPPING ITEMS TO ITALY, RUSSIA AND SOUTH AMERICA I WILL ONLY SEND THEM "TRACKED/SIGNED FOR" AND THIS COSTS AN ADDITIONAL £5.00. PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE. WHEN ITEMS EXCEED A SALE PRICE OF £50.00 AND ARE TO BE SENT INTERNATIONALLY TRACKED SHIPPING IS AGAIN NECESSARY PLUS INSURANCE AND THIS COSTS AN EXTRA £7.50 IN TOTAL.  PLEASE ONLY BID IF YOU AGREE WITH THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE, MANY THANKS.

COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED WHEN MORE THAN ONE ITEM IS WON.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PLACED IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE THE COVER IN ORDER TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS IN THE POST. EVERYTHING IS THEN PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

UK Postage Rates (First Class)

LPs/12" singles : £5.45 (recorded) up to 1kg then £0.95 per extra item 

7" singles / CDs : £1.95 then £0.35 per extra

EUROPE 

LPs/12" singles : £8.95 then £1.75 per extra 

7" singles / CDs : £5.45 then £0.95 per extra 

REST OF WORLD  

LPs/12" singles : £12.45 then £2.50 per extra

7" singles / CDs : £6.95 then £1.45 per extra

I WILL LEAVE FEEDBACK ONCE IT HAS BEEN LEFT FOR ME. THIS IS SO I KNOW THE ITEM HAS BEEN RECEIVED SAFELY AND THAT YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT. IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  I WILL ALSO PAY THE RETURN POSTAGE COST IF I AM AT FAULT - yes this can happen as I am only human!!

In the coming weeks and months I will be selling plenty of Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Genesis and Marillion items so please keep a look out!  Many thanks.  Please look at my other items on now!