Deep Purple FIREBALL 1971 UK LP 1st Press W/Insert SUPERB MINT MINUS AUDIO

	£		57
	$		76

DEEP PURPLE - FIREBALL

MAGNIFICENT MINT MINUS AUDIO

EX+++ SLEEVE

COMPLETE WITH INSERT

SUPERB COLLECTIBLE SET

THE BEST YOU WILL FIND ANYWHERE!!!!

•  
• CATALOGUE:HARVEST SHVL 793
• MATRIX: SHVL793 A-2U / B-3U
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS:1 RH / 1 RO 
• PEK ETCHED INTO THE DEAD WAX SIDE 1
• A GENUINE FIRST PRESS WITH THE ' GRAMOPHONE CO' RIM WORDING

IT IS WORTH SPENDING A FEW LINES DETAIL JUST HOW  HARD IT IS TO FIND THIS SLEEVE IN COLLECTIBLE

IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT EBAY AUCTIONS OF THIS ALBUM YOU WILL FIND THAT 99% OF ALL ORIGINAL 1ST ISSUE SLEEVES FIREBALL SLEEVES ARE IN POOR CONDITION

(DON'T GET CONFUSED WITH 2ND OR 3RD ISSUE SLEEVES WHICH WERE LIGHTER AND NOT TEXTURED ON THE INSIDE)

THE REASONS FOR THIS IS VERY SIMPLE. IT WAS MADE OF A VERY SOFT CARD, THEN COVERED IN A DELICATE DARK (DEEP PURPLE) COLOURED FINISH, THEN TEXTURED!! AND FINALLY LEFT UNLAMINATED. LOOKED ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC WHEN BRAND NEW, BUT SOON BECAME TATTY WHEN FILED WITH OTHER ALBUMS

THE FIRST THING THAT USUALLY GOES IS THE TEXTURED SURFACE WHICH RUBS AND LEAVES WHITE SHOWING THROUGH THE COLOUR, AND BECAUSE THE BASE COLOUR IS VERY DARK, ANY WHITE SHOWING STANDS OUT LIKE NOTHING ELSE. THE VULNERABLE AREAS ARE THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES, THE SPINE, THE PERIMETER EDGES OF THE FRONT AND BACK SURFACE, AND IN PARTICULAR RINGWEAR CAUSED BY THE PRESSURE OF THE RECORD AGAINST THE SOFT CARD LEAVING HIDDEOUS WHITE CIRCLES

THE SECOND ISSUE WITH MOST FIREBALL SLEEVE IS SEVERE CREASING, PARTICULARLY ON THE SPINE , BECAUSE OF THE SOFT CARD AND BEND WOULD INSTANTLY TURN INTO AN UNSIGHTLY CREASE AND USUALLY THE COLOUR WOULD GO AS WELL MAKING IT AN UNSIGHTLY WHITE CREASE. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SLEEVES WITH WHITE LINES PROTRUDING FROM THE SPINE OUT INTO THE FRONT SURFACE.

AGAIN THE SOFTNESS OF THE CARD ALSO ALLOWED AND SLIGHT BEND TO TURN INTO A DEEP CREASE WITH EASE.

THE FINAL PROBLEM IS THE SPINE WHERE 99% OF ALL COPIES ARE FLATTENED, WHICH CAUSES ONE OF THE FAR EDGES TO OVERLAP THE OTHER AND CAUSE MORE WEAR TO THE EXPOSED EDGE

WHILST THIS SLEEVE IS NOT PERFECT, IT IS I BELIEVE WELL ABOVE THE NORM

 TO LISTEN TO THE RECORD, PLEASE PRESS PLAY ON THE PLAYER, AND WAIT FOR IT TO LOAD. IT CAN TAKE UP TO A MINUTE. THE NEW SOFTWARE IS SLOWER THAN THE OLDER ONE. BY THE TIME YOU HAVE READ THROUGH THE DESCRIPTION IT SHOULD START TO PLAY

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

GENUINE FIRST PRESS LABELS WITH 'THE GRAMOPHONE CO' RIM WORDING. LATER PRESSES HAD EMI RECORDING AT THIS POINT.

BOTH LABELS ARE IN NEAR PRISTINE CONDITION. THE GREEN HARVEST BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND IS UNMARKED UNLESS ANGLED INTO THE LIGHT WHERE IT LOOKS TO HAVE TINY DULL PATCHY SPOTS ON THE SURFACE. NOT VISIBLE WHEN LOOKING AT THE LABEL STRAIGHT ON

THE VINYL

FIRST PRESS FIREBALL VINYL IS FAR HEAVIER THAN THE LATER ISSUES, AND THIS ONE IS REALLY SOLID. THE VINY GLEAMS LIKE A POLISHED MIRROR AND HAS LOST NONE OF IT'S ORIGINAL LUSTRE

THE VINYL LOOK ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS IN DAYLIGHT AND EVEN WHEN PLACED UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION, THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE, JUST A FEW WISPY HAIRLINES 

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, SOMEHTING I AM NOW DOING WITH ALL MY LISTINGS. I AM CONVINCED THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD BEFORE LAYING A BID. THIS IS A SERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS

FROM THE SECOND THE STYLUS ITS THE VINYL. YOU KNOW YOU HAVE SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL

THE FIRST THING TO SAY IS THAT THERE IS NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND WHATSOEVER, AND EVERY NOTE IS LOUD, CLEAN AND CRISP, JUST HOW IT WAS INTENDED TO BE HEARD.

THE STEREO REPRODUCTION IS JUST MAGNIFICENT, TRUE FIRST PRESS AUDIO QUALITY AND IS TOTALLY UNBLEMISHED

THERE IS NO BACKGROUND CRACKLES, NO CLICKS, NO POPS, AND NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE 

PERHAPS A SECOND OR TWO OF BARELY AUDIBLE STATIC IN A COUPLE OF THE LINKING GROOVES, AND NO MORE THAN 2-3 TINY STATIC TICS DURING THE WHOLE PLAYTHROUGH

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL MINT MINUS FOR THE AUDIO AND VISUALLY

DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT THOUGH, TAKE A LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF AGAINST YOUR OWN STANDARDS

THE SLEEVE

THE FRONT SURFACE IS IN SUPER CONDITION. THE TEXTURED SURFACE HAS REMAINED FREE FROM ANY RUBBING TO THE MAIN BODY AND THERE ARE NO WHITE SPECKLES SHOWING THROUGH THE DARK COLOURING, THERE IS A LITTLE RUB TO THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER, AND A TINY SPECK ON THE TOP RIGHT AND BOTTOM LEFT ONES

WHEN MAKING THIS SLEEVE THE FLIPBACKS WERE TURNED INSIDE THE TOP EDGES, AND AS SUCH MADE THE TOP EDGE, THICKER THAN THE REST OF THE SURFACE. AS SUCH THERE IS A VISIBLE OUTLINE OF THE RIDGE JUST UNDER THE WORDS 'DEEP PURPLE'

THERE IS NO RING WEAR ON THE FRONT SURFACE

AS I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THE SPINE USUALLY GETS SERIOUS CREASED FORMING MANY PRESSURE LINES, BUT ON THIS COPY WE ONLY HAVE THREE TINY ONES AT THE TOP AND ONE EVEN SMALLER ONE AT THE BOTTOM, AND THEY HAVE ALL REMAINED BLACK, SHOWING THAT THEY CREASES WERE VERY SLIGHT

THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE BOTH NEAR PRISTINE. THE TOP EDGES HAVE ALL OF THE COLOUR FULLY RUNNING FROM CORNER TO CORNER, AND ONLY THE CORNER TIPS SHOW A TINY SPECK OF RUB.

THE BOTTOM EDGES ARE SIMILAR BUT HAVE NO RUB TO THE LEFT CORNER TIPS, BUT A LITTLE MORE RUB AT THE RIGHT CORNER AREA THAN THE TOP EDGES

THE SPINE IS ALSO IN SUPERB CONDITION, TOTALLY FLAT AND CLEAN AND THERE IS NO FINGER TO THUMB SQUASHING WHICH IS VERY RARE. EVERY LETTER OF THE RED TYPEFACE IS PERFECT AND LEGIBLE.THERE IS NO COLOUR LOSS HERE AT ALL. THE TOP AND BOTTOM TIPS HAVE A TINY BIT OF WHITE VISIBLE AT THE ENDS

THE REAR SURFACE HAS RETAINED VIRTUALLY ALL OF THE RICH DARK COLOUR, WITH A LIGHT WHITE SLIVER OF RUB ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGE IN THE LEFT CORNER, AND ONE SLIGHTLY LARGER ONE IN THE MIDDLE JUST ABOVE THE BOTTOM EDGE.. IT IS HERE USUALLY WHERE THE SLEEVE SUFFERS MOST FROM RING WEAR, BUT THERE IS ONLY A VERY LIGHT SHADOW OF RECORD IMPRESSION. LIKE THE FRONT THERE ARE VIRTUALLY NO PRESSURE LINES BY THE EDGES

THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL RAZOR SHARP WITH JUST TWO SMALL THUMB NAIL NICKS WHERE THE LP WAS REMOVED A COUPLE OF TIMES.

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PERFECTLY CLEAN AND UNRUBBED INNER SURFACE. NO LOSS OF COLOUR AT ALL. THERE IS A LITTLE SHADOW OF RECORD IMPRESSION ON THE RIGHT PANEL

THE ADVERTISING INNER SLEEVE IS STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION. NO SPLITS TO ANY OF THE SURFACES, AND NO SERIOUS CREASES. SOME GLUE AGEING AT THE EDGES.

FINALLY THE SLEEVE IS COMPLETED WITH THE INCLUSION OF THE ORIGINAL INSERT SHEET. THIS IS IN MINT MINUS CONDITION, NO CREASES, JUST ONE TINY BROWN MOTTLE ON EACH SIDE

FOR ME THIS GRADES  A VERY STRONG EX+++

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

GARRY