AMALGAM Prayer For Peace (Transatlantic Original LP 1969) Test Pressing. UK Jazz

	£		112
	$		148

 

 

Amalgam - Prayer For Peace

(Transatlantic TRA 196 UK LP 1969)

 

This is an extremely rare, possibly unique, UK Test Pressing LP from 1969. The previous owner worked within the legal side of the UK music industry. One of their clients was "John Stevens" I believe. Therefore, he often acquired early, and sometimes unusual, pressings of his LP's, or LP's where he is featured. So, this is how this Test Pressing LP was originally acquired.  

This Test Pressing LP has a handmade sleeve. It has a heavyweight plain white card sleeve which has a front picture panel, & a rear information panel, pasted on. These panels seem to consist of the rear sleeve of the original LP sleeve. I'm not sure if they are everso slightly larger than they are on the rear LP sleeve?, it's difficult to tell. They are printed on textured card. Also, interestingly, the album title is slightly embossed on the front sleeve. It is professionally printed, or stamped, on the front sleeve - at the top. This sleeve was definitely created by Transatlantic, before the time of release, as a makeshift sleeve for Test Pressing purposes. It is very nicely done.

The record is pressed on thick vinyl & has plain white labels. These have handwritten Album/ Track details on them (see photos). This has been done very neatly in light purple pen. Again, this would have been done at the time. The record has 1st Press STRA 196-A1 and STRA 196-B1 matrix numbers. These are machine stamped in the dead wax respectively. It comes with its original generic polythene-lined company plain paper inner sleeve.

As stated, this Test Pressing LP is possibly unique! Test Pressings are only limited to a handful of copies at most. Sometimes, they can be unique. Especially when they also have a handmade "unique" cover. It is a great chance to own this excellent item. A real rarity. The LP is a great late 1960's UK Jazz/ Free Jazz/ Spiritual Jazz LP. Playback is superb too!

I have some other rare & collectible 1960's, early 1970's, UK Original UK Jazz/ Free Jazz/ Modern Jazz  LP's for sale too. This includes several other LP's relating to John Stevens. So please see my other listings. Don't miss out!

Sleeve: There is moderate to considerable rubbing wear to the bottom edge. There is mild, very mild or more moderate rubbing wear on the top edge on some areas. There is light or very mild fading, to a varying degree, to the white areas of the sleeve. There is some light, very mild or very minor finger tip staining on some areas. There are about 8 small & light hairline creases at the spine area. There is more moderate fading to the spine area. There is light, mild or more moderate rubbing wear on the spine face on some areas. There are two extremely tiny (0.5 cm & 0.2 cm) tears on the rear sleeve opening edge only. These hardly really notice. There is some light, mild or very mild rubbing wear on the sleeve opening edges on some areas. This is not too noticeable. There is some light, mild or very mild ringwear on some areas. Overall, a strong Very Good condition.

Vinyl: There is a mild to more moderate 6 cm surface sleeve rub mark, or surface rub mark, on Side 2. There are a few other small areas of mild to more moderate surface sleeve rubs, or surface rub marks, on Side 2 too. These can only be seen under a strong light. They really are not too noticeable overall. Otherwise, there are some light, mild, very mild or very minor sleeve rubs which can hardly be seen under a strong light. The inner sleeve, over time, has left some light, very mild or very minor dull surface marks on some areas. These, again, can hardly be seen under a strong light. Side 1 is in Very Near Excellent condition. Side 2 is in Very Good+ condition. Overall, Very Good++ condition. The labels are in Very Near Excellent condition and show mild spindle wear only. The polythene-lined company paper inner sleeve is in Very Good condition. There is light, mild or very mild ringwear & creasing. There is more moderate fading. There are no seam splits.

I have play tested this LP in its entirety & it plays Excellent to Excellent+ overall, & Near Perfect to Perfect in many places. There are a very few light or very mild intermittent clicks at the start of Side 2. These do not last long. There are no other clicks or pops. Overall, a superb audio copy!


  Traceable insurance is already included in the stated P&P price for this listing.


Discount is given on P&P for multiple purchases. I shall always weigh combined purchases to get a completely accurate price.  So please wait for the invoice to be sent before paying. Please see below for a more detailed description.

    >>  Grading Information All grading is very strict & adheres to 'Record Collector' specifications. However, I have fine tuned them & they are explained below. All vinyl is examined closely under a strong light & play tested on excellent quality audio equipment.

MINT Condition = This is as perfect a copy as you are likely to find. The cover will show no, or next to no, wear. The vinyl will be unplayed or very, very near unplayed.

NEAR MINT Condition = Nearly mint, just slightly under. There maybe some minor paper/ inner sleeve rubs that can barely be seen under strong light. This disc has been played only a few times & has been extremely well  cared for. The cover is nearly perfect - Very minimal wear only.

EXCELLENT Condition = An excellent copy will show only mild, or minor, signs of use. There will be light, or very mild, sleeve rubs that can hardly be seen under strong light. There may be a very small & minor hairline mark in some instances. Play, in most cases, will be excellent or better. There may be some light, or very light, crackle in a few quieter places. The sleeve will show mild, or minor, rubbing wear & ringwear only.

NEAR EXCELLENT Condition = This has been played a few more times but it has been well cared for. There will be mild sleeve rubs which can be seen under a strong light. There may be a couple of minor, or light, hairline marks. Playback will be generally excellent or better. There may be some light, mild or very mild crackle in some quieter places. The cover will show mild rubbing wear, ringwear or creasing

Very Good Condition = Most records that have been quite well played, but reasonably well cared for, tend to fit into this category. This is probably the most varied of the gradings so I have elaborated below.

There may be mild to more moderate sleeve rubs which can only be seen under a strong light. There may be a few light hairline marks but nothing too bad. A quite well played but serviceable copy. Playback will be very agreeable overall. There will be light, mild or very mild crackle in some places. There may also be a few light clicks. A more thorough description will always be on the listing. The record will certainly not be trashed!

The cover will show more noticeable signs of storage or use. There will be mild to more moderate rubbing wear on some edges There could be fading, ringwear or a minor seam split. There could be some mild creasing or mild sticker tears.

Please note that I also use "+" or "-" symbols for this grading. A plus symbol is obviously at the top end of "Very Good" & is really not too far from being in "Near Excellent" condition. The minus symbol obviously means it is at the lower end. This will mean that it is near to being in "Good+" condition. 
>>  Postage Rates

AN INVOICE WILL BE SENT TO YOU VERY SOON AFTER THE AUCTION ENDS. PLEASE WAIT FOR THIS BEFORE PAYING.

(Please note that these prices include packaging costs too) 
Double LPs are classed as two LPs. Also gatefold sleeves, posters, inserts, etc.. can increase postage costs.

Please note that there are now VAT import charges from the UK into all EU countries. Anything under 150 Euros will need an IOSS number. VAT is paid at point of sale. For any items over 150 Euros in value. There will be a customs charge too. These vary, I believe, from country to country. Please check your relevant postal service online for details. Please note that these charges are beyond my control and are the law for outside parcels going into the EU.

All records will be sent in high quality vinyl box/ mailers with at least two card stiffeners either side of the LP or 7" Single. I use a cruciform box for larger orders (3-6 LPs). All parcels will be marked "Fragile" and dispatch time will generally be between 1-3 days after payment.

I will also remove the vinyl from the sleeve & place them in a re-sealable polythene sleeve. In order to prevent seam splits. Depending on the inner sleeve; I often remove the vinyl from the inner sleeve & place it in a separate plain paper, or polythene-lined, plain inner sleeve. I am very conscientious and careful when packaging your LP(s).

I consider my postage & packaging costs to be very transparent & very fair. Packaging costs will generally be between £0.80 to £1.50. I am not adding any further costs for handling, etc...

If you are uncertain about any of the above, or just simply want some information regarding any item, please do not hesitate to contact me. I welcome any questions.

Remember to check out My Other Items Lots of rare & quality vinyl! Most are UK 1st Pressings. It is quite likely that there will be more records by this artist, or records in a similar vein.