FIVE LIVE YARDBIRDS UK LP 1ST SX1677 MONO

	£		84
	$		111

THE YARDBIRDS - FIVE LIVE YARDBIRDS

• COLUMBIA RECORDS
• CATALOGUE: SX 1677
• MONO PRESSING
• MATRIX: XAX 2725-1N / XAX 2726-1N
• STAMPERS: 1 H / 1 M
• FIRST PRESS STAMPERS AND INDICATORS

THE YARDBIRDS ARGUABLY ONE OF BRITAINS FIRST SUPERGROUPS. FEATURING IN THIS EARLY INCARNATION

ERIC CLAPTON / KITH RELF / PAUL SAMWELL SMITH / JIM McCARTY / CHRIS DREJA

THIS LP WAS THEIR 1964 DEBUT AND CONSISTED OF LIVE PERFORMANCES OF THEIR STAGE SET. THIS LP IS A MUST HAVE ON MOST COLLECTORS WISH LIST.

THE SLEEVE AS WITH ALL OF EMI'S SLEEVES AT THIS TIME FEATURED A HEAVILY LAMINATED FRONT SURFACE, AND A NON LAMINATED REAR SURFACE COMPLETED WITH FLIPBACKS WHICH WERE GLUED IN PLACE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE REAR SURFACE. WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A VERY VERY NICE EXAMPLE OF THIS MUCH ABUSED SLEEVE. FIRSTLY THE FRONT SURFACE IS DELIGHTFUL, AND HAS NOT SUFFERED ANY HEAVY CREASING OR BENDING OF THE CORNERS. THERE ARE THE FEW USUAL TINY LAMINATE LINES NEAR THE EDGES, BUT THEY ARE ALL NEAR INVISIBLE.THE ONLY OTHER LINES ARE TWO THUMB LINES WHICH ARE JUST INSIDE THE OPENING EDGE WHERE THE THUMB WAS PLACED WHILST REMOVING THE LP FROM THE SLEEVE. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE THESE IN THE PICTURE. THE OPENING EDGE IS VERY SHARP, AND SHOWS ONLY LIGHT SIGNS OF USAGE, INDICATING PROBABLY THAT THE LP HAS NOT BEEN PULLED IN AND OUT VERY MUCH, A GOOD SIGN FOR THINGS TO COME!. THE SPINE IS NICELY FLAT WITH PROPERLY PINCHED ENDS, AND WORDING THAT IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE BARELY SHELF WORN, AND ARE IN VERY NICE UNSPOILED CONDITION. FLIPPING THE SLEEVE OVER THE FIST THING TO POINT OUT IS THAT THIS IS A GENUINE GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE SLEEVE AS SO MARKED ON THE BOTTOM FLIPBACK. THE THREE FLIPBACKS ARE ALL PERFECTLY ADHERED IN PLACE, AND THERE IS NO SIGN OF ANY PREVIOUS DAMAGE TO ANY OF THEM. THE ACTUAL SURFACE OF THE COVER IS FREE FROM ANY 60'S STYLE HANDWRITING, OR ANY PEN MARKS WHATSOEVER. THERE IS SOME NATURAL SIGNS OF AGEING IN THE FORM OF SOME BROWNING TO THE OPENING EDGE AND A SLIGHT DISCOLURISATION TO THE OVERALL SURFACE. THE ORIGINAL LINED EMITEX INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED WITH THE SET, AND IS IN SUPER CONDITION. NO SPLITS, JUST A FEW LIGHT CREASES.

THE LABELS ARE THE ORIGINAL BLUE AND BLACK COLUMBIA LABELS FROM THE EARLY 60'S, AND RIGHT AWAY I AM ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE FACT THAT THE BLACK SURFACE IS FREE FROM ANY STAINS OR MARKS, AND THAT THE SILVER TYPEFACE IS SPOT ON, AND UNWORN. THERE IS NO SPINDLE HOLE WEAR TO THE HOLE SO I AM PRETTY SURE THAT THE LP HAS NEVER BEEN SUBJECTED TO AN AUTOCHANGER. LOOKING CLOSELY AT THE SPINDLEHOLE SURROUND IT IS POSSIBLE TO SPOT SOME SPIDER LINES WHICH ARE GROUPED NEAR THE HOLE, AND IT IS REALISTIC TO SAY THAT THE ORIGINAL OWNER WAS NOT QUITE AS CAREFUL IN HANDLING THE LP AS HE OR SHE COULD HAVE BEEN, AS NOT GETTING THE SPINDLE ON THE HOLE WILL ALWAYS CAUSE THESE SPIDER LINES. HAVING SAID THAT THERE ARE ONLY 10-15 SO T HAS NOT BEEN DONE TO DEATH.

LOOKING CLOSELY AT THE VINYL IT DOES RETAIN THE ORIGNAL SHEEN, AND THERE ARE SIGNS OF  LIGHT HANDLING MARKS ON THE SURFACE. UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION SOME FURTHER WISPY HAIRLINES BECOME VISIBLE. THERE ARE NO HEAVY SCRATCHES HOWEVER, AND I AM VERY CONFIDENT PRIOR TO THE TEST PLAY THAT THIS IS GOING TO SOUND REALLY GOOD. SO GENTLY LOWERING THE STYLUS ONTO THE RUN IN GROOVE THERE IS NEAR SILENCE AS IT MOVES TOWARD THE OPENING TRACK. ONCE THIS TRACK STARTS THE LISTENER IS GREETED BY THE ENERJETIC SOUNDS OF THIS BAND GOING THROUGH ITS PACES WITH THE SET OPENER TOO MUCH MONKEY BUSINESS. I AM ALWAYS CONCEREND THAT SURFACE MARKS WILL MAKE THE LISTENING PLEASURE A REALLY BAD EXPERIENCE, HOWEVER I CAN SAY THAT WHISLT THERE IS SOME VERY VERY LIGHT BACKGROUND WHICH CAN BE HEARD FAINTLY IN SOME SPOTRS BEHIND THE MUSIC, THE LL IMPORTANT THING FOR ME TO REPORT IS THAT THERE IS NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND. THIS CLEARLY DEMONSTARTAES THAT AT NO TIME HAS ASTYLUS THAT IS TOO HEAVY OR WORN OUT HAS BEEN NUSED ON THE RECORD. PERSONALLY SPEAKING I CAN PUT UP WITH A LITTLE INSIGNIFICANT BACKGROUND AS LONG AS WHAT I AMLISTENING TO ISO CLEAR AND CRISP, AND THAT ST EXACTLY HOW THIS LP PERFORMS. EACH TRACK IS PERFECTLY AUDIBLE WITH A VERY NICE PRODUCTION, AND CLEAR SOUND. THE RUN OUT GROOVE IS AS NEAR SILENT AS THE RUN IN.

I AM THEREFORE QUITE HAPPY TO GRADE THIS DELIGHTFUL ALBUM WITH AN EX GRADE.