I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges.  However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale.  No shipping to Russia currently.

Web : I Spider A1 / B1 1st Press 1970 Polydor

This rare and very collectable first pressing plays with stunning quality and minimal interference.  S1 is stunning, it just could not play any better and I have graded it as Mint- accordingly.  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is exceptional.  S2 does have three light dull sounding clicks on the final track but the rest of the side is not far off the quality of S1 with only a small number of minor statics and a couple of light ticks.  The vinyl itself is in lovely condition and has been very well preserved over the last 55 years (nearly!).

This is a situation where the vinyl has hardly been played and has been protected by the cover.  I say that because the cover does have some wear mainly on the spine and a couple of edges but it is certainly not excessive.  The inner sleeve is in very condition also.

2383024  A//1  1  1 2

2383024  B//1  1 1  2

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T1 opening section Near Mint- / T2 opening section Near Mint / T3 G for three seconds)

The gatefold is VG+

The plastic bags... inner sleeve is VG+

The labels are Near Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in superb condition and still has a fine glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Under a bright light I can only see a small number of very faint insignificant hairlines and the red Polydor labels are very clean with only minimal faint spotting on S2 that you can only see when you hold it at a certain angle.  They both have hardly any spindle wear and has clearly not been played very much.

Play grading

The run in on S1 is incredibly clean and then the explosive intro on 'Concerto For Bedsprings' plays with great power and depth and no intrusion.  Lawson's opening vocal section is perfect and as it continues in the same way.  The clarity of sound and the depth and resonance of the audio is stunning, so far there has been no background at all, I cannot praise it highly enough.  The following instrumental has a jazzy 'feel' to it and it plays 'as new' without a doubt.  The next quieter vocal passage is equal to that with only one barely audible static sound and it continues to play with a sonic quality comparable to an unplayed record, it is that good!  I try my hardest not to overgrade as it would obviously not be in my interests to do so - but when you hear audio such as this it is difficult not to be a little... enthusiastic!  This 10 minute track is made up of five sections and the fourth You Can Keep The Good Life is a case in point.  It is powerful and yet the playback is so clean and fresh, there is no distortion whatsoever.  What stands out throughout is of course the clarity but also the audio separation - every note is so sharp and precise, you miss nothing.  Right to the end it plays with exceptional quality including the fade out and I have no hesitation in grading this prog classic as Mint and that is no exaggeration, it just could not play any better.

With complete silence in the dead wax the quiet intro on 'I Spider' is close to perfect with only a couple of very quiet statics and the opening vocal has no background at all.  As the volume increases the playback is so strong and clear and the next quiet instrumental / vocal again has zero intrusion.  The long mid instrumental plays to the highest standard with not so much as a dust tick and once again I cannot believe what I am listening to!  The clarity, depth and power of the audio cannot be underestimated - there is another quiet section prior to the final vocal and it plays beautifully with no background.  The vocal is on the same level and as Lawson reaches the higher notes the audio is phenomenal - great power and no distortion.  The final quiet section plays perfectly and again the fade out has no background.  I will grade as Mint- and the minus is only there because of the two very light statics at the start.

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The quiet intro on 'Love You' plays very clearly with only a handful of very quiet statics and just one static tick type sound.  The opening vocal plays with great clarity with only a small number of light background statics that are totally non-intrusive.  As I often say I will state any background even if very minor.  The brief silent section that follows has only a couple of barely audible dust ticks and the next section plays with tremendous power and depth.  Superb bass work from Eaton here - this entire section plays with unbelievable sonic quality and you can turn it up to max without fear of distortion, the playback is STUNNING!  The end vocal is just as strong - the quiet opening section is Near Mint- and the rest is Mint- at the very least.

'Ymphasomniac' has just one static tick on the intro and a couple of other minor statics about 45 second in but otherwise...perfect.  The percussive section is close to that with only 2/3 mega quiet statics at the start and from then on the sonic quality is superb.  Once again the sonic 'landscape' is still very true to how it would have originally sounded.  It's a 'busy' instrumental and yet each note is crystal clear and the 'heart' of the track is outstanding!  The depth, power and warmth of the audio could not be enhanced in any way, superb stuff.  During this long section there is no intrusion and the fade out is nigh on perfect with just a couple of light statics  Here I will grade the opening section as Near Mint and the remainder as Mint- again.

The intro on 'Always I Wait' plays with perfect clarity and the opening vocal section is just as impressive.  The mid instrumental plays with impeccable quality for the vast majority.  The first two minutes - stunning clarity and depth but in the next 'low key' section there are three dull clicks but having closely inspected the vinyl I cannot see what is causing it, perhaps a pressing fault.  The next vocal section soon follows and it plays without fault.  The rest of the track plays with genuine quality and the closing organ section has very little static.  So yes the majority is easily Mint- but it does have that brief three second G passage.  In essence that is the only obvious intrusion across the entire album which isn't bad for this rare pressing that is fast approaching 55 years old!

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The E.J. Day cover is in very good condition overall although the front and back cover and the inside of the gatefold are actually very clean.  It's the edges and spine that do have some wear as can be seen.  The top edges have only minimal wear and the bottom edges just have some rubbing but not an excessive amount.  The wide spine is the worst affected with some darkening and rubbing and a small tear in the centre which you can also see by the right edge of the back cover.  The corners are in pretty good shape with only light wear and the opening edge has barely any wear.  As stated the front cover is in excellent order and the only marking is some darkening next to the spine and a little by the top edge.  The back cover is similar.  The inside of the gatefold is in lovely condition with no marking.  Not perfect but it's a rare album of course and VG+ is a fair representation.

The poly-lined inner sleeve is also in very good shape with no side splits but does have some creasing here and there and some fading mainly down one side.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

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

2383024  A//1  1  1 2

2383024  B//1  1 1  2

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

Recent Feedback

Postage & Packaging

I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping.  This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage.  The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered.  Any over-payment will always be refunded.

The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD).  An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known.  Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing.  Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  Many thanks.

All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection.  They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection.  I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.

The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each.  There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up!  Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!

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

LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra

USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £22.95 then £2.50 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

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

If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed.  If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!