DEEP PURPLE - In Rock RARER Orig UK 1970 Harvest EX+ LP

	£		63
	$		84

Artist or Band: DEEP PURPLE

Album Title: Deep Purple In Rock.

Producer(s): Deep Purple.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Speed King; Blood Sucker; Child in Time.

Side 2: Flight of the Rat; Into the Fire; Living Wreck; Hard Lovin’ Man.

Label/Format: Harvest – Yellow and green format. This first pressed copy has no EMI logo and includes the ‘GRAMOPHONE CO LTD’ text on the rims. Later pressings included the small boxed EMI logo and the text was changed to EMI Co Ltd. (please see my labels scan).

Label Conditions: Both clean and attractive with only very light and faint spindle marks. There are some mild dull tarnish spots visible mainly on side one.

Cat Number: SHVL 777.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 131 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The earliest pressed ‘pre-EMI’ copies are scarce and are seldom found compared to the later repressings which are relatively common. This was a late pre-EMI issue and was not available for very long before the box logo was included. To find an original copy of this classic in such lightly played conditions is relatively rare and both cover and record look beautiful and it includes the early Harvest promotional inner.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: SHVL 777 A-1 / SHVL 777 B-1.

Stamper Codes: 2 PM / 1 MG

Brief Artist & Album Info: Arguably Deep Purple’s finest and most treasured album, the one that really won them ‘mass’ appeal after a patchy start with the band performing cover versions and really going nowhere very fast. A new vocalist was introduced – Ian Gillan – and now performing their own material, a new ‘supergroup’ was born. An album of hard-edged riffs and vocals of the highest calibre – few singers could even live with the power behind him – but this new formula worked perfectly. In Rock quickly became one of the heavy rock classics of all time and this contains several of the band’s finest anthems including the awesome ‘Child in Time’ and ‘Speed King’. My favourite song here though is the lesser mentioned final song, ‘Hard Lovin’ Man’ that simply drives and flows from the speakers with channel to channel pyrotechnics with speed – a true classic for sure. Selling well, and peaking at 4 in the UK (but only a lowly 143 in the US) this album has to be one of the very best issued on this famous progressive label. Often seen, but most being later pressings as popularity grew, the pre-EMI pressed originals are far more elusive. With cover and record clean with few visual blemishes and playing strongly, this is a copy many collectors will enjoy.

Cover Grade and Format: Reluctant to grade this beauty less than Mint(-), I cannot remember seeing a much better example ever. It’s a gatefold format, laminated front and back (not inside). Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. Included is the Harvest promotional inner that the original owner lined with an anti-static specialist Japanese inner for maximum protection.

Lamination: Front & Back: Both sides look fantastic with deep rich colour artwork that is totally unyellowed and showing hardly any real wear at all. The laminate is ultra clean, clear and fresh with hardly any creasing of real note – just a few light edge hairline types that few vintage cover ever avoid but these show little. The lack of blistering and non-adhesion is a huge bonus as I always state, although this is not wear as such when present, it never looks great and when the classic covers avoid it, its a major plus. Neither side shows any friction rubs or dulling and the beauty of the deep shine has to be seen to be fully appreciated. A very mild and faint record impression, slightly dulled around the rim is just visible on the back, with a record inside for nearly forty years, is this really a surprise? Any surface marks to the laminate are small and faint and barely any to speak of anyway, just a couple of ‘manufacture’ lines are just visible with angled viewing. This must rank as the best ‘In Rock’ cover for me so far and those famous five rock faces will rarely be seen better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Both sides clean and fresh and avoiding ‘set-off’ which is somewhat unusual too.

Top Edges: Both immaculate, unworn.

Bottom Edges: Both white and unprotected, these show ultra faint shelf rubs if viewed closely.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear or feathering. Record entered on this right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: The ultimate perfect spine with no central crease or sunken text. Solid and square with no compression, folded squarely so both right edges meet up flush and parallel. Barely any trace of wear, all text is perfect and unworn on the jet black, solidly laminated and uncracked spine. This is perfectly smooth to the fingertip text with no scuffs or grazes or cracks

Corners: All corners are immaculate and have that just-made look with practically perfect shape and definition retained. The odd microscopic tip rub if being ultra critical.

Cover Summary: A fantastic all round example of this classic early 70’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find significantly better. Any minor blemishes are simply that and this remains very attractive indeed and does near full justice to this famous rock sleeve. It will please most-all collectors.

The Inner: EX(-) with the some lightish creasing/ruffling. The original lining has been removed and a Japanese anti-static super-soft replaced by the owner for maximum protection. Generally clean and still attractive with some natural ageing around the edges where the gum has darkened a little. The Harvest inner promoted the early bands on this famous prog label, it simply looks right for its vintage.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Very conservatively graded EX+ to EX++, side two has barely a noteworthy mark or blemish at all and side one has only ultra fine and faint surface marks/hairlines - mild friction or removal types only. Without doubt one of the best pre-EMI copies I have seen for some considerable time. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy clearly only light played or even handled. Visually a super record that should please most collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This brilliant original record plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault and most even exceeds it visual beauty. An album that does have some very quiet passages and a little mild surface sound was noted in a couple of places but few will ever avoid a little. Fast approaching forty years old, I feel any record this great age has almost earned the right to have a few minor sound blemishes but it will take an exceptional example to better this one in any major way. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. The stereo imagery is fantastic especially on the final track. No pops or clicks were noted and this gives a very fine account of itself overall for what remains a fairly challenging album. Few original copies will better this significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little, indeed if anything really spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this hard rock classic. If a little light surface sound on the odd quiet passage is unacceptable, please do not bid. Most realistic vinyl-lovers will understand total silence is a near impossible ask on such records. If this mandatory, well there is the small silver disc option but miss out on the real sound of the earliest pressed analogue copies that will still never be beaten. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be highly recommended.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I usually post on Fridays, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.