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Traffic : John Barleycorn Must Die A2 / B2 1st Press 1970

The first pressing plays with incredible audio first and foremost!  The sonic quality is just stunning and it really is the clarity of sound that stands out.  It has clearly not been played very much and the only background are a handful of minor statics in one brief section on S2.  Even that is quiet and non-intrusive.  The clarity, depth and warmth of the audio is exceptional and you rarely find this 53 year old vinyl playing as clearly as this.  Not surprisingly the vinyl is also visually very impressive.

The gatefold is in lovely condition and is definitely the best I have seen with no obvious wear.  The vinyl is housed inside a plain white inner which has only a little creasing.

ILPS 9116   A / 2  1 1 2   UAS 5504 A  6.3.70  RC  STERLING LH

ILPS 9116   B / 2  1 1 4   UAS 5504 B  6.3.70  AM STERLING LH

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (T2 Near Mint+)

The gatefold is Ex++

The labels are Near Mint

The inner sleeve is Ex+

Visual description

The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has a very strong glossy sheen with no scratches.  Looking under a bright light I can only see a small number of very faint hairlines and a couple of faint blemishes which obviously have zero affect on the audio.  The pink 'i' labels are unmarked and have only minimal spindle wear.

Play grading  

The instrumental 'Glad' plays with perfect clarity through every section.  I cannot overstate just how clean and precise the audio is and 'as new' is no exaggeration.  The depth and warmth of the music is amazing and even during the very quiet passage there is not even a single dust tick let alone anything more.  This truly is audio of the highest calibre and Mint is very much deserved.  What a version!

The intro on 'Freedom Rider' is faultless and Winwood's first vocal is just as impressive.  It continues in the same way with literally no intrusion on the audio.  The long mid instrumental plays with stunning precision and the final vocal has no interference either.  The high octane end instrumental is so strong and powerful and the closing piano piece has just one minor tick at the end of the fade out.  I'm still going to grade it as Mint as it would be harsh to downgrade it due to that!

The intro on 'Empty Pages' has no background and this level of clarity is kept up through the first vocal.  It continues to play with a clarity and definition that is second to none, I just cannot find one single fault!  Honestly the clarity of sound is out of this world and there is no inner groove distortion here.  I am confident in grading this as Mint also.

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'Stranger To Himself' plays with stunning precision through every vocal and instrumental section.  You will not be surprised to hear that there is no background and it quite simply plays 'as new' from start to finish.  As per S1 it plays with a clean CD like aesthetic quality but with the warmth and depth that only vinyl can bring.  Mint

The acoustic intro on 'John Barleycorn' plays beautifully, the audio is crystal clear, and the opening vocal is equal to that.  From then on it plays with great clarity and it's incredible to think this album is 53 years old - the sonic quality certainly belies its age.  There are a handful of light static ticks during the instrumental passage around the four minute mark but they are not loud and certainly not intrusive.  The remainder plays perfectly.  The vocal throughout is so clean and 'fresh' and every note is kind of enhanced in a way - something you only find on a very well preserved vinyl.  Not quite Mint but Near Mint+ is definitely a fair assessment of the audio.

'Every Mother's Son' has a couple of barely audible ticks on the intro and then the opening vocal section has no intrusion at all.  This standard is kept up and the long instrumental section is superb!  There are no negatives and the clarity and depth for a final track is high end indeed.  The final vocal is just as good and the louder it gets the better it gets!  A stunning version and Mint- is richly deserved.

In summary this first pressing is practically 'as new' no exaggeration.  There is no underlying static and the only background are those light ticks on S2 but honestly they are so quiet and totally non-intrusive.  The playback on both sides is incredibly clean with a depth and warmth that could not be any more impressive.  This is a FINAL UPGRADE archive pressing of that I have no doubt.  Together with a superb cover this will appeal to any Traffic collector.  It's the best I havce ever seen or heard!

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The cover is in lovely condition with only very minimal wear and there is nothing that stands out.  The top and bottom edge have only light rubbing but it's not obvious at all due to the colour / nature of the 'material'.  The spine is in great shape with only minimal wear on the top corner and the other corners are in superb condition.  The opening edge has hardly any handling wear.  The front cover is close to perfect with no obvious marking and the back cover is just as impressive - it has retained its original shape and structure perfectly and cannot have been handled very much.  The inside of the gatefold is in great order with just one white 'speck' in one corner and just faint mottling in one area that you can only see when you hold it to a light, it is very very faint!  A superb example of this cover.

The plain white die-cut inner is in excellent shape with only some minor creasing.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with Rega Carbon Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

ILPS 9116   A / 2  1 1 2   UAS 5504 A  6.3.70  RC  STERLING LH

ILPS 9116   B / 2  1 1 4   UAS 5504 B  6.3.70  AM STERLING LH

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF £250 SO IF AN ITEM SELLS FOR MORE A COURIER SERVICE MAY BE USED (e.g. Parcelforce, DPD).  AN EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUM WILL BE REQUIRED BUT I WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT UNTIL THE FINAL SALE PRICE IS KNOWN.  HOWEVER, SOMETIMES I WILL ESTIMATE A COST AND THIS WILL BE STATED IN THE LISTING.  PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH.  MANY THANKS.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO 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.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £5.95 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £15.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £24.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE, NONE OF THIS WAITING BEFORE I RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM YOU - I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MY LISTINGS!  IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND THE ITEM BACK I WILL OF COURSE OF COURSE PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING COST IF I AM AT FAULT.  I AM ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL!