The Who TOMMY UK LP 1ST Laminated, Numbered, NMINT-

	£		131
	$		174

THE WHO - TOMMY

IN SUPERB CONDITION

FIRST UK PRESS WITH LAMINATED SLEEVE AND NUMBERED BOOKLET

• CATALOGUE:TRACK 613013/4
• MATRIX: 613013 A//1  /  B//1   613014 A//1   /  B//1
• THE MARKINGS OF A TRUE FIRST PRESS SET

A SUPERB EXAMPLE OF THIS SOUGHT AFTER FIRST PRESS. ONLY THE VERY FIRST ISSUES OF THIS DOUBLE ALBUM CAME WITH A FULLY LAMINATED TRI GATEFOLD SLEEVE. MOST YOU WILL SEE HAVE THE MATT FINISH SLEEVE.

ADDED TO THIS THE FIRST ISSUES HAVE A NUMBER IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE BOOKLET THAT COMES WITH THE PACKAGE

THE SECOND AND SUBSEQUENT PRESSES HAVE THE BOOK THAT STATES LIMITED EDITION NUMBER, BUT ON THESE COPIES THERE IS NO ACTUAL NUMBER

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

ALL 4 LABELS ARE IN SUPERB CONDITION. THE JET BLACK BASE COLOUR HAS REMAINED UNRUBBED, AND THERE ARE NO MARKS OR STAINS ANYWHERE. THIS COLOUR FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THE SILVER TYPEFACE IS ALSO IN TOP CONDITION AND EVERY LETTER IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THE TRACK LOGO WHICH CAN RUB AND WEAR BADLY IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION ON ALL 4 SIDES. A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE SPINDLE HOLES REVEALS 8-10 SMALL SPIDER LINES CLOSE BY INDICATING THE VERY MINIMAL AMOUNT OF PLAY THAT THIS 19769 SET HAS RECEIVED

A WORD ABOUT THE DISCS. ORIGINAL FIRST ISSUE LABELS CAN EASILY BE INDENTIFIED BY THE FACT THAT ON THE LEFT SIDE OF EACH LABEL THE CATALOGUE NUMBER HAS 'DOUBLE ALBUM' UNDERNEATH IT AND IN BRACKETS (RECORD 2) ETC., AND NOTHING UNDERNEATH THE ST 33 MARKING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LABEL.

 WHEREAS LATER PRESSES HAD  IN  BRACKETS (SET NUMBER 2657-002) ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE UNDER ST 33

THE VINYL

BOTH DISCS HAVE RETAINED THEIR ORIGINAL LUSTRE . THE L'S SHOW ONLY A COUPLE OF VERY LIGHT HANDLING LINES, AND WHEN OFFERED UP TO INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE ARE WISPY HAIRLINES AND SOME SWIRLY LINES AS WELL

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED THE WHOLE DOUBLE ALBUM SET FROM START TO FINISH. I HAVE TAKEN THIS EXTRA TIME AND EFFORT IN A BID TO STEP UP WHAT GOOD LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE ON EBAY. IT HAS LONG BEEN SAID AND FAIRLY SO THAT BUYING VINYL ON EBAY IS A LOTTERY AS SELLERS CONTINUE TO MISDESCRIBE THE QUALITY OF THEIR ALBUMS OFTEN LISTED WITHOUT BEING ACTUALLY ABLE TO PLAY THEM. I THINK BUYERS ARE FED UP WITH BIDDING ON MINT ALBUMS TO FIND THEM ACTUAL A FAR LESS GRADE WHEN PLAYED. HERE THEN IS THE WAY FORWARD I BELIEVE AND I HOPE YOU THINK SO TOO

WHAT YOU WILL HEAR FROM THIS FIRST PRESS SET IS A CRYSTAL CLEAR STEREO REPRODUCTION THAT IS BOTH CRISP AND CLEAN SOUNDING. THERE IS NO FRYING BACON, OR CRACKLING GOING ON BEHIND THE MUSIC, JUST SOME VERY MILD BACKGROUND WHICH CAN ONLY BE HEARD DURING THE VERY QUITETEST SPOTS ON OCCASION, AND DURING THE RUN IN TO THE FIRST TRACKS A LITTLE. OTHER THAN THIS THE VINYLS SOUND SUPERB, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A GOOD LISTEN TO THE SOUNDBITES.

THERE AAREN'T EVEN MORE THAN A COUPLE OF DUST POPS THROUGH THE ENTIRE 4 SIDES, AND I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS VINYL NEAR MINT MINUS

BUT PLEASE TAKE A LISTEN AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

WELL WHERE TO BEGIN WITH THIS SLEEVE?

IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT MOST COPIES FOR SALE, YOU WILL NOTICE IMMEDIATELY THAT THE SLEEVE LETS THE RECORDS DOWN, NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE VINYL IS. THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR THIS, SO LETS TAKE A LOOK AT WHY THIS IS SUCH A HARD SLEEVE TO FIND IN A COLLECTIBLE CONDITION.

THE FIRST THING IS THAT THE SLEEVE IS FULLY LAMINATED AND AS IT IS A TRI GATEFOLD IT MEANS THAT THE INDIVIDUAL SURFACE AREAS ARE VERY THIN AND FLIMSY WHICH OFTEN RESULTS IN SERIOUS CREASES, FOLDS AND BENDS TO THE LAMINTE, BUT BY FAR THE BIGGEST ISSUE WITH THIS SLEEVE HISTORICALLY IS THE SPINE AND THE AREA WHERE THE LP'S SIT INSIDE THE COVER. SO STARTING WITH THAT, WHAT YOU WILL FIND ON MOST EXAMPLES IS A TORN OPENING EDGE, AND THIS IS ENTIRELY DUE TO THE FACT THAT BOTH ALUMBS IST INSIDE THE SAME POCKET WHICH HAS THE OPENING EDGE ON THE INSODE OF THE GATEFOLD BY THE SPINE, MEANING THET THE LP'S HAVE TO BE CAREFULLY SLID INTO THE POCKET VIA THE INSIDE OF THE SLEEVE AND NOT THE OUTSIDE, THE SLIGHTEST WRONG BIT OF PRESSURE TRYING TO GET THEN IN OR OUT ALWAYS RESULTED IN A TORN OPENING EDGE.

THE MOST VISIBLE DAMAGE ON MOST COPIES THOUGH IS THE ACTUAL SPINE, WHICH IS OFTEN FOUND BADLY TORN. THIS IS COM,PLETELY DUE TO HOW THE LP'S SIT INSIDE THE POCKET, BECAUSE IF THEY ARE NOT FIRMLY PUSHED ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF THE POCKET ( I HAVE ALREADY EXPLAINED HOW HARD THAT IS TO DO) THEN THE VINYLS STICKOUT A LITTLE NEAR THE SPINE AND WHEN THE SLEEVE IS CLOSED THE VINYL ACTS LIKE A DULL BLADE AND OVER A PERIOD OF TIME WEARS THROUGH THE SPINE.

ANYWAY THATS WHAT MOST COPIES WILL HAVE SUFFERED. THIS COPY IS AS GOOD AS ANY I HAVE EVER SEEN

THE FRONT SURFACE IS TOTALLY FLAT AND GLEAMS LIKE A POLISHED MIRROR.THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES, FOLDS OR BENDS ANYWHERE, JUST A FEW SMALL LAMINATE LINES NEAR THE SPINE. ONE SMALL LINE ON THE RIGHT HAND EDGE AND A SMALL CHIP TO THE LAMINATE ON THE RIGHT EDGE, AND FINALLY THE TOP LEFT CORNER HAS A TINY  CREASE TO THE VERY TIP.

THE  SPINE IS JUST UNTORN. AT NO POINT ON ANY PART OF IT IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE OF SPLITTING. A VERY LIGHT TRACE OF SHELF WEAR, BUT THATS ALL!

THE REAR SURFACE IS EVERY BIT AS SHINY AS THE FRONT, AND AGAIN NO HEAVY LINES OR CREASING, JUST THE FEW NEAR THE SPINE, AND ONLY WHEN ANGLED INTO THE LIGHT AM I ABLE TO MAKE OUT A SHADOW OF RECORD SHAPE

THE THIRD LAMINATED SURFACE IS ONCE AGAIN GLEAMING AND FREE FROM ANY SERIOUS LINES AND INFACT THERE IS HARDLY A LINE ON IT AT ALL. I HAVE TAKEN A PICTURE OF ALL THREE LAMINATED SURFACE FULLY OPENED OUT, AND I HOPE YOU CAN SEE WHAT SUPERB CONDITION IT IS IN.

I HAVE ALSO TAKEN A PICTURE OF THE TRIFOLD INNER SURFACES AND ONCE AGAIN THEY ARE IN SUPERB UNMARKED CONDITION. THE FAR RIGHT SECTION IS THE POCKET THAT HOUSES THE VINYL

THE NUMBERED BOOKLET THAT COMES INSIDE THE SLEEVE IS IN EXCELLENT FLAT CONDITION AND CONTAINS THE UNIQUE NUMBER '42323'

THE TWO ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVES ARE IN SUPERB CONDITION. FLAT AND UNCREASED WITH JUST SOME LIGHT AGING TO THE GLUE WHICH SHOWS THROUGH THE PAPER. , BUT NO SEAM SPLITS ETC.

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS MAGNIFICENT SLEEVE NEAR MINT MINUS

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY