THE WHO LIVE AT LEEDS RARE 1ST PRESS BLACK STAMP NM-

	£		137
	$		182

THE WHO - LIVE AT LEEDS

THE VERY RARE AND SOUGHT AFTER FIRST PRESSING OF THIS CLASSIC ALBUM

OK SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A FIRST PRESS?

THE SLEEVE AS COLLECTORS OUT THERE WILL KNOW WAS DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE A BOOTLEG, HAVING A VERY PLAIN BROWN THIN CARD SLEEVE STAMPED IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER WITH THE WHO LIVE AT LEEDS.

MOST OF THESE YOU WILL FIND HAVE EITHER A RED OR BLUE STAMP, BUT A VERY SMALL LIMITED NUMBER WERE RELEASED BEFORE THESE WHICH HAD A BLACK STAMP ON THEM, AND IT IS THIS ITEM WHICH IS THE ORIGINAL FIRST PRESS.

BUT THE PLOT THICKENS AS INSIDE THIS VERY PLAIN COVER WAS HOUSED 12 PIECES OF MEMORABILIA IN THE FORM OF POSTERS, PICTURES AND LETTERS AND INVOICED ALL TO DO WITH THE BAND.

EVEN THESE ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST (BLACK) PRESS TO THE RED AND BLUE ONES, AND THE TEMPTATION TO REPLACE SOILED OR DAMAGED FIRST ISSUE ONES WITH THE LATER PIECES FROM THE RED.BLUE PRESSES MUST BE TEMPTING, BUT IF I AM OFFERING A FIRST PRESS OF ANYTHING THEN YOU WILL GET IT AS IT SHOULD BE.

THE EASIEST WAY TO TELL IS BY LOOKING AT THE LARGE WHO POSTER, BECAUSE ON A FIRST PRESS ISSUE THIS PAPER HAS A GLOSSY FEEL TO IT, WHILST THE LATER ISSUES HAVE A PLAIN MATT AND SLIGHTLY ROUGH FEEL TO THEM.

THERE ARE ALSO DIFFERENCES IN THE QUALITY OF THE PAPER USED FOR THE OTHER DOCUMENTS, BUT ONE OTHER PIECE STANDS OUT. THE PREMIER TALENTS ASSOCIATES DOCUMENT WHICH YOU WILL SEE ON THE FAR RIGHT IN THE PICTURE IS PRINTED ON OFF WHITE PAPER WITH THE TYPE FACE IN A BROWNISH ORANGE. LATER PRESSES THE PAPER WAS YELLOW.

ALSO BEWARE OF PHOTOCOPIES ON NEW PAPER WHICH LOOK GREAT, BUT FEEL WRONG.

FINALLY TO THE RECORD ITSELF. IT MUST HAVE A1 / B1 MATRIXES IN ORDER TO BE A GENUINE FIRST PRESS AND THEREFORE BE PAIRED WITH THE THE BLACK STAMPED SLEEVE.

SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A GENUINE FIRST PRESS WITH ALL THE 12 INSERTS.

THE SLEEVE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, SHOWING NO REAL SIGNS OF AGEING, NO TEARS OR STAINS, OR SPLITS, JUST A FEW LIGHT HANDLING MARKS WHICH YOU WOULD HAVE TO EXPECT ON A SLEEVE OF THIS STYLE, BUT OVERALL IT IS IN EXCELLENT PLUS CONDITION.

THE INSERTS ARE ALL THE ORIGINAL ISSUES, AND ARE ALL IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THE LARGE POSTER HAS BEEN UP ON A WALL SOMEWHERE AND AS SUCH DOES HAVE SOME WEAR, BUT IT IS THE ORIGINAL GLOSSY POSTER, AND NO A CHEAPER REISSUE.

THE VINYL IS IS SUPERB CONDITION AND THE LABELS ONLY SHOW A SMALL HANDFUL OF SPIDER LINES NEAR THE SPINDLE  HOLE WHICH ITSELF IS UNWORN.

THE A1/B1 MATRICES ARE STAMPED INTO THE RUN OFF GROVE ASSURING THE BUYER THAT THIS IS A FIRST PRESS.

NOW ONTO THE VINYL.

ONE THING TO SAY RIGHT OFF THE BAT IS THAT THIS IS A CONFUSING RECORD TO FULLY JUDGE AS THE RECORD WAS RECORDED WITH CRACKLING SOUND IN IT, AND IT EVEN STATES ON THE LABEL "CRACKLING NOISES OK, DO NOT CORRECT"

SO WHEN YOU PUT THE RECORD ON A TURN TABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IT IS A LITTLE DISCONCERTING TO HEAR SOME BACKGROUND IN THE INTRO, SO THE BEST THING I CAN DO TO DESCRIBE THE VINYL IS TO OFFER IT UP TO THE STRONGEST LIGHT I HAVE AND DESCRIBE ANY IMPERFECTIONS THAT MIGHT CAUSE EXTRA NOISES.

UNDER NORMAL ILLUMINATION THERE ARE NO SIGNS OF ANY HANDLING MARKS OR SCRATCHES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE VINYL, PUTTING THE LP UP TO A SPOTLIGHT DOES REVEAL SOME VERY WISPY HAIRLINES, SO I SUSPECT THAT A FEW LIGHT STATIC LIKE BITS OF BACKGROUND WOULD BE ADDED TO THE INBUILT SOUND. LETS BE CLEAR THOUGH ABOUT THE INBUILT SOUND, IT IS NOT NASTY OTHERWISE THE ALBUM WOULD NEVER HAVE SOLD, IT IS DESIGNED TO ADD AUTHENTICITY TO THE "BOOTLEG" LP, AND IS ONLY REALLY HEARD IN THE QUIET BITS AND LINKING GROOVES, AS I SAID IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE THERE.

TO BE ABSOLUTELY SURE I PLAYED MY OWN 2ND PRESS AND IT IS IDENTICAL

SO I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THE LP NEAR MINT MINUS