Bee Gees 1st rare original UK 1967 stereo LP 1st press

	£		15
	$		20

ARTISTE, RECORD TITLE  AND LABEL 

BEE GEES  "1st"

Polydor 583012 stereo (Pressed in England)

BACKGROUND :

Though the mono copy of this LP surfaces though not frequently, the stereo version is rarer. It is housed in an Ernest J Day & Co jacket laminated on the front and with the "patent pending" text. I do not have the original inner sleeve as I had housed it in a Discwasher VRP sleeve for most of the time.

GRADING RESULTS:

Visually the cover looks Excellent . Though there are no tears, writings etc there are some light creases on the laminate. There are no seam splits but there is some flaking on the spine though the lettering is still partially legible.

Both sides of the vinyl look Excellent with a couple of light hairline surface scratches which did not affect play . There are some visible spindle marks. The vinyl maintains its lustre and is mirror like. Playing it right through on a Linn LP12 with an ARO arm and a Lyra Helikon SL cartridge, there were the occasional light click or pop  but these were not intrusive . Towards the end of side 1 there was a couple of seconds when there was a more pronounced extraneous surface noise but it too was not too intrusive. On Side 2, towards the end of track 2 there were a couple of relatively louder clicks but these too were not intrusive.  The  playing could be graded as Excellent.

How I Clean and  Grade my Records 

Cleaning: Cleaning is usually done on a Loricraft PRC 4 cleaning machine  using the US made Walker Audio stage cleaning solution.

Playback Equipment: Playback is through a Linn LP12 turntable/Armeggedon/Naim Aro tonearm/Lyra Helikon SL cartridge and through a brace of active Naim 250s/135s into Naim DBL speakers. For 45s I use a second Linn/Lingo/Aro/Linn Troika though I change them occasionally as the arm tubes can be easily transferred from one deck to another.

I use both Goldmine and Rare Record Price Guide grading system as a guide and came up with the following:

·       Mint  I only use this for sealed items. The record is virtually unplayed and is in a brand new condition. Cover is pristine. Up till now, I have never used this grading and, chances are, never will, due to my conservative nature in matters of record grading.

·       Near Mint  Very little or negligible flaws. Faint lines or very faint creasing  on laminated covers visible under a strong light is acceptable but nothing serious. Records which show some signs of having been played such as very faint spindle marks are allowed but there should be no lessening in sound quality. .

·       Excellent   Item obviously played, though not often,and enjoyed with some slight noise. The record should be nice and shiny but may have a few light marks which should not intrude on play. Slight wear on cover is acceptable. 

·         Very Good Many more imperfections which are noticeable but not obtrusive. The record has been played several times but there should be no major deterioration in sound quality despite some noticeable surface marks and light scratches. Normal wear and tear or writings on the cover  is acceptable but there should not be any major tears.

I do not offer any records below Very Good  unless its extremely rare. 

Shipping costs

I use brand new custom made  plastic sleeves  for both the vinyl and for the sleeve. Shipping is always by Airmail and by registered post as it allows one to track items in case of delays.  Shipping costs in pounds are:

UK/USA/Europe                           10 pounds

Hongkong, Taiwan South Korea 8.3pounds

Australia China Japan                 8.9 pounds

Postage is via Airmail, "signed for" delivery. I prefer signed for delivery as it allows me to "chase" on my side if buyers do not get their items within 2 weeks though so far this has only happened with Italy.

 I will  inform buyers of the registration details through Email on posting.

Forms of payment that I accept include:

·       PAYPAL (preferred choice) 

·       International Money Orders