Uriah Heep THE MAGICIANS BIRTHDAY UK LP 1ST A1/B1 MINT-

	£		102
	$		135

URIAH HEEP - THE MAGICIANS BIRTHDAY

IN MAGNIFICENT 1-2 PLAY CONDITION

• CATALOGUE:BRONZE ILPS 91233
• MATRIX: ILPS 9123 A-1U / B-1U (INVERTED 'U'S)
• FIRST UK PRESSING MATRIX NUMBER
• G.KONG ETCHED INTO THE DEAD WAX ON BOTH SIDES

THE ORIGINAL FIRST PRESS OF MAGICIANS BIRTHDAY. THE PRESSING CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. FIRSTLY THE MATRIX NUMBERS MUST END IN -1U AND THE LETTER U IS INVERTED 90 DEGREES WITH THE OPEN END OF THE LETTER FACING THE 1 DIGIT

SECONDLY THE PRESSING MUST HAVE THE ISLAND CATALOGUE NUMBER. DESPITE THE RECORDING BEING ON THE BRONZE LABEL, THE EARLIEST ISSUES WERE GIVEN THE  ILPS CATALOGUE NUMBERS. LATER ISSUES WOULD HAVE HAD THE  'BRON' NUMBERS.

THE LABELS ALSO HAVE ' MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BY i ISLAND RECORDS LIMITED ' IN BLUE TYPEFACE AROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE RIM

THE SLEEVE MUST HAVE THE ILPS CATALOGUE NUMBER IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE REAR SURFACE, AND BE PRINTED BY ROBOR (INSIDE THE GATEFOLD, BOTTOM LEFT CORNER)

ALSO FIRST ISSUES CAME WITH A LYRIC INNER SLEEVE WHICH ALSO MUST HAVE THE ILPS CATALOGUE NUMBER ON IT BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE B SIDE LYRICS

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

BOTH LABELS ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION. THE LIGHT CREAM BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND IS UNMARKED AND FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE, APART FROM ONE TINY LITTLE BIT MISSING NEXT TO THE HOLE ON SIDE A. THIS IS NOT WEAR TO THE HOLE IT'S A FACTORY PRESS ISSUE. THE BROWN TYPEFACE IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, AND A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE SPINDLE HOLE REVEALS JUST A COUPLE OF REALLY SMALL SPIDER LINES, THE ALBUM CLEARLY HAS NOT BEEN PLAYED MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES

THE VINYL

THIS HEAVYWEIGHT DISC HAS RETAINED ALL OF IT'S ORIGINAL SHEEN AND LOOKS BEAUTIFUL. THERE IS NOT A MARK ON IT ANYWHERE, AND EVEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE. EVEN THE WISPY LINES ARE VIRTUALLY NON EXISTANT, SUPERB DISC

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 ENTIRE ALBUM FROM START TO FINISH AS I AM DOING WITH ALL OF THE RECORDS THAT I LIST. I AM CONVINCED THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD THEY ARE THINKING OF LAYING A BID ON. THIS IS A SERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS.

THIS DISC PLAYS ABSOLUTELY SUPERBLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES. I HAVE NEVER HEARD A BETTER COPY. THE FINAL TRACK ON SIDE ONE IS A GENTLE TRACK CALLED RAIN, AND I HAVE LOST COUNT OF THE NUMBER OF TIMES I THOUGHT I HAD A GREAT COPY TO LIST ONLY FOR THIS TRACK TO LET THE DISC DOWN. IT HAS ON MOST COPIES AN INHERRANT LIGHT BACKGROUND ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT, SPOILING THE MUSIC. ON THIS COPY THERE IS JUST THE TINIEST, RANDOM, BARELY AUDIBLE STATIC LIKE SOUND FROM TIME TO TIME, AND REALLY IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT STOPS ME FROM GRADING THE VINYL AS MINT! TAKE A LISTEN TO IT YOURSELF PLEASE

THE VINYL HAS AN INCREDIBLE STEREO REPRODUCTION. YOU ONLY HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE OPENING FEW BARS, FOLLOWED BY THE AMZINGLY CLEAR VOCALS TO BE CONVINCED.

NO DISTORTION AT ANY POINT AND NO FRYING BACON. THE TINEST BIT OF VINYL NOISE WHEN THE STYLUS WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO THE VINYL, AND THE LITTLE BIT IN RAIN THAT I HAVE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL MINT MINUS

PLEASE LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

NON LAMINATED ROGER DEAN GATEFOLD SLEEVE FROM ROBOR. ONLY THE FIRST PRESS SLEEVES WERE FROM ROBOR, AND THEY HAVE THE ISLAND MATRIX NUMBERS ON THE SPINE AND TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE REAR SURFACE. LATER ISSUES WERE GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE WITH THE BRONZE CATALOGUE AND MATRIX NUMBERS ON THEM IN THE SAME PLACES.

THE FRONT SURFACE IS VERY CLEAN AND HAS RETAINED 98% OF THE ORIGINAL COLOUR. THE COLOURS ARE VERY DEEP  BUT OFTEN HAVE FADED DUE TO BEING LEFT IN SUNLIGHT. HERE THOUGH THEY ARE RICH AND VIBRANT. THERE IS A SLIVER OF RUBBING ON THE RED PATCH BY THE OPENING EDGE WHICH IS HARDLY NOTICABLE

THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES ANWHERE, INCREDIBLY NOT EVEN ANT SMALL LINES BY THE SPINE.

THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES HAVE MINISCULE SHELF WEAR, JUST A FEW FLECKS OF WHITE SHOWING.

THE SPINE USUALLY FADES BUT THIS ONE IS AS RICH AND VIBRANT AS THE FRONT AND REAR SURFACES. IT IS ALSO PERFECTLY FLAT AND UNSQUASHED, AND EVERY LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE IS PERFECT. THERE IS THE TINIEST BIT OF RUBBING TO THE BOTTOM TIP ONLY

THE REAR SURFACE HAS  JUST THE BAREST SHADOW OF RECORD SHAPE (NOT RING WEAR) ON THE TOP EDGE, AND A THIN WHITE LINE RUNNING DOWN THROUGH THE COLOURS. IT'S NOT A BEND LINE JUST A SMALL DEFECT

THE OPENING EDGE IS RAZOR SHARP AND APTLY SHOWS JUST HOW LITTLE THIS ALBUM HAS BEEN OUT OF THE SLEEVE.

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PRISTINE INNER SURFACE EVEN THE BLACK BORDER HAS REMAINED UNRUBBED

THE ORIGINAL LYRIC INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED AND IS INCREDIBLY UNSPLIT. USUALLY THIS HAS MULTIPLE SEAM SPLITS, BUT NOT THIS ONE. THERE IS A SMALL MARK ON THE A SIDE AND A COUPLE OF CORNER CREASE LINES, BUT OVERALL IN A VERY ACCEPTABLE CONDITION

I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SLEEVE NEAR MINT

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

GARRY