The Who LIVE AT LEEDS UK LP First Press BLACK STAMP NM

	£		102
	$		135

THE WHO - LIVE AT LEEDS

• CATALOGUE:TRACK 2406001
• MATRIX: 2406001 A-1  2406001 B-1
• BARELY PLAYED IN 38 YEARS
• THIS IS THE VERY RARE FIRST PRESS WITH THE BLACK STAMP ON THE FRONT COVER, AND THE ULTRA RARE RICE PAPER DOCUMENT HOLDER

THE WHO LIVE AT LEEDS IS WIDELY REGARDED AS THE GREATEST LIVE ALBUM OF ALL TIME, AND CERTAINLY THE FIRST TO CAPTURE THE TRUE LIVE SOUND OF ANY BAND.

THE ALBUM WAS ISSUED TO LOOK LIKE A BOOTLEG, HAVING A BASIC BROWN CARD SLEEVE, AND A VINYL WITH WHITE LABELS. IT WAS ALSO ISSUED WITH DIFFERENT COLOUR STAMPS ON THE FRONT. THE COMMON ISSUE WAS A RED STAMP, WITH THE HARDER TO FIND BLUE STAMP A CLOSE SECOND, HOWEVER THE REALLY RARE ISSUE IS THE VERY FIRST BATCH WHICH HAD THE SHORT LIVED BLACK STAMP. THIS IS THE ONE THAT IS SOUGHT AFTER BY COLLECTORS WORLDWIDE, AS IT IS THE TRUE "FIRST PRESS"

WHAT IS LESS KNOWN IS THAT A SMALL BATCH OF THESE FIRST PRESS ALBUMS ALSO HAD A RICE PAPER ENVELOPE INCLUDED WHICH HOUSED ALL OF THE 12 PAPER INSERTS THAT CAME WITH THE ORIGINAL SET. THIS SET INCLUDES THAT RARE RICE PAPER ENVELOPE!!!

THE RECORD LABELS

THE WHITE TRACK LABELS ARE DESIGNED LIKE THE REST OF THE PACKAGE TO LOOK LIKE BOOTLEG LABELS. THE DANGER WITH THESE LABELS IS THAT THEY GET VERY GRUBBY BECAUSE OF THE COLOUR, BUT HERE WE HAVE A PAIR THAT ARE IN TOP CONDITION. THE WHITE HAS BEEN RETAINED ALL OVER WITH THE ONLY SIGN OF AND DISCOLOURING BEING A SLIGHT RING CLOSE TO THE SPINDLE HOLE. THE BLUE LETTERING IS ALL IN PRISTINE, UNWORN, UNFADED CONDITION. THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF SMALL SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE SPINDLE HOLE INDICATING THE LP HAS HAD NO MORE THAN 10 PLAYS SINCE 1970

THE VINYL

THE VINYL IS THE HEAVY FIRST PRESS VINYL AND IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. HANDLING THE VINYL REVEALS THAT THE ORIGNAL SHEEN HAS BEEN FULLY RETAINED. THERE ARE NO VISIBLE SCRATCHES OR ANY SIGNS OF CARELESS HANDLING, OR INDEED FINGERMARKS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LP. ONLY WHEN OFFREDE UP TO INTENSE ILLUMINATION AM I ABLE TO MAKE OUT A FEW BARELY VISIBLE WISPS

PLAYING THE RECORD

I HAVE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS ME TO RECORD FOR YOU SOME SOUNDBITES. I AM CERTAIN THAT ALL THE WORDS I CHOSE TO TYPE ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO ACTUALLY HEARING WHAT YOU MAY BE CONSIDERING TO BID ON. I HOPE YOU AGREE

I HAVE INCLUDED 5 SOUNDBITES OF JUST HOW GREAT THIS RECORD SOUNDS. PLEASE CLICK ON THE MEDIA PLAYER ABOVE TO ACCESS THEM. I ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT THE INTRODUCTION (RUN IN GROOVE) IS A REALLY GOOD REFLECTION OF THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE DISC. SO I HAVE STARTED THE RECORDING FROM THE RUN IN GROOVE, HENCE A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE MUSIC STARTS. HOWEVER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CLEARLY HEAR WHAT THAT RUN IN SOUNDS LIKE, WHETHER IT HAS ANY NOISE ETC.

IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT HERE THAT THE LP WAS RECORDED WITH SOME CRACKLING IN IT. THIS WAS A DECISION MADE BY THE BAND TO ADD AUTHENTICITY TO THE LIVE BOOTLEG RECORDING. IT STATES THIS ON THE RECORD LABEL "CRACKLING NOISES OK , DO NOT CORRECT"

THE RUN IN IS SILENT, AND AS THE RECORD STARTS TO PLAY "YOUNG MAN" IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO A GREAT ALBUM. THE FIRST THING THAT IS CLEAR IS THAT THE SOUND IS DISTORTION FREE. ALMOST POINTLESS STATING THIS IN LIGHT OF HOW LITTLE THE ALBUM HAS BEEN PLAYED, BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT THE PLAY THAT THE RECORD HAS HAD WAS DONE WITH A GOOD QUALITY STYLUS AND NOT ONE THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE GROOVE SUCH AS A WORN, CHIPPED STYLUS, OR INDEED ONE THAT WAS TRACKING TOO HEAVILY.

EACH TRACK PLAYS THROUGH WITH UTMOST CLARITY. THE PERFORMANCE ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES IS JUST OUTSTANDING. THERE IS NO BACKGROUND NOISE ANYWHERE ON EITHER SIDE, AND EACH LINKING GROOVE IS AS SILENT AS THE RUN IN THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY HEARD BY NOW.  

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS DISC NEAR MINT

THE SLEEVE

THE OVERALL GRADING OF THE SLEEVE IS EXCELLENT PLUS

THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST SLEEVES TO GET IN ANYTHING LIKE GREAT CONDITION, SIMPLY BECAUSE IT WAS DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE A CHEAP SLEEVE IN KEEPING WITH THE BOOTLEG THEME. THE WHOLE THING IS MADE OF POROUS BROWN THICK PAPER, AND AS SUCH IS PRONE TO JUST ABOUT EVERY FORM OF WEAR. STAINING IS THE MOST OBVIOUS AS THE SLIGHTEST TRACE WOULD BE ABSORBED BY THE PAPER AND REMAIN PERMENENTLY. ALSO ANY STICKER THAT WAS PLACED ON THE COVER WOULD RESULT IN A PAPER TEAR IF IT WAS REMOVED.THE SPINE ALSO AGED TERRIBLY WITH THE CONSTANT OPENING AND CLOSING. AN FINALLY STAPLED AREA WOULD OFTEN BE FOUND SPLIT AS THE POCKETS CAME AWAY FROM THE STAPLES DUE TO MISHANDLING

ANYWAY THATS "OTHER " COPIES. THIS ONE IS IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION

THEW FRONT SURFACE HAS THE 'BLACK STAMP' WHICH IS CLEAR AND UNWORN. THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR DEEP CREASE LINES, IN FACT THE ONLY LINES ARE SMALL ONES CLOSE TO THE SPINE, AND A COUPLE ACCROSS THE BOTTOM LEFT, AND TOP RIGHT CORNER. THERE IS ONLY VERY MILD HANDLING TO THE SURFACE AND THEREFORE THE COVER STILL LOOKS VERY VERY SMART. AGAIN THE SPINE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH VIRTUALLY NO SHELF WEAR. THE REAR SURFACE HAS HAD A SMALL STICKER REMOVAL AND THUS THERE IS A BIT OF PAPER PULL AT THE VERY TOP LEFT CORNER AND A SMALL BIT OF BLACK BIRO ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER. OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS THE TWO STAPLED POCKETS IN PRISTINE CONDITION

NOW FOR THE INSERTS. AS MENTIONED THEY ARE ALL HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL RICE PAPER ENVELOPE WHICH ITSELF IS IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION

ALL OF THE INSERTS ARE IN MINT CONDITION, INCLUDING THE POSTER WHICH IS OFTEN MISSING FROM SETS AS IT WAS PLACED ON BEDROOM WALLS BACK IN THE DAY! THIS ONE STILL HAS THE SHARPEST OF CREASES, AND HAS CLEARLY BARELY BEEN OUT OG THE ENVELOPE, AND CERTAINLY NOWHERE NEAR A WALL. EACH DOCUMENT IS ORIGINAL AND NOT A REPLACEMENT FROM A LATER SET, AND THERE ARE NO CREASES OR TEARS TO ANY OF THEM. ALL TWELVE ARE PRESENT AND CORRECT FOR THIS FIRST ISSUE.

INCIDENTALLY THE LATER POSTERS WHILST THEY LOOK THE SAME AT FIRST GLANCE HAVE AN EXTRA BIT OF TYPEFACE ON THEM. ABOVE THE WORD 'LIVE' AT THE FOOT OF THE POSTER THESE LATER ISSUES HAVE THE TRACK RECORD LOGO FOLLOWED BY THE LP CATALOGUE NUMBER.ALSO THE WORD LIVE IS THE START OF THE LINE 'LIVE AT LEEDS' WHICH IS NOT ON THE ORIGINAL POSTER. THE ORIGINALS ALL HAVE ' TUESDAYS AT THE MARQUEE, 90 WARDOUR ST'

THE PAPER QUALITY IS ALSO DIFFERENT ON THE REST OF THE DOCUMENTS WITH THE LATER PRESSINGS HAVING THINNER AND THINNER PAPER.

I CAN 100% GUARANTEE THAT THIS IS THE ORIGINAL FIRST PRESS SET WITH THE FIRST PRESS LP

THE TWO ORIGINAL POLY LINED TRACK INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED AND IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION

THIS IS A FANTASTIC EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE PRESSING

SO ONCE AGAIN THIS IS A VERY VERY HIGH GRADE COLLECTIBLE ALBUM IN THE MOST SUPERB CONDITION IMAGINABLE, SO BID WITH CONFIDENCE, AND GOOD LUCK IF YOU DECIDE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY