HAWKWIND 1st HIGH TIDE Sea Shanties 2xORIG BLUE LIBERTY

	£		513
	$		680

To honour the 40th anniversary of the very first public performance of the band we now know as Hawkwind at the All Saints Hall, Notting Hill, London, UK on 29th August 1969, I’m offering a very special BLUE LIBERTY double header of their 1st LP, together with a spanking good copy of High Tide’s debut ‘Sea Shanties’ - the band they shared the stage with that night. These 2 LP’s are from the top table of my own collection and it is with great reluctance that I’m putting them up for sale. That reason, combined with the fact they are in sublime condition and Sea Shanties is presented WITH A RARE AGENCY PHOTO AND LABEL CORRESPONDENCE, forces me to take the unusual step of putting a reserve on this very special opportunity. This is lower than the price the Hawkwind debut fetched ALONE earlier this year. This auction will finish on Saturday 29th August 2009, probably around the time ‘Group X’ were taking to the stage.

Please read on…

HIGH TIDE - Sea Shanties ORIG Blue Liberty LP LBS 83264 (UK, Stereo, 1969)

Very happy to present this landmark album in superb condition, with PROBABLY THE BEST SLEEVE YOU’RE LIKELY TO FIND, A RARE ‘WAYNE BARDELL’ AGENCY PHOTO AND A LIBERTY COMPLIMENTS CARD SLIP, detailing that, yes, it really is a violin!

The unlaminated gatefold matt sleeve, as most devotees of this incredible album will know, is so difficult to find in a clean, fresh state with no soiling or handling marks. Well other than one finger print, a faint line of toning along the opening edge and a handful of tiny, faint spots to the rear, THIS IS NINE TENTHS WHITE, HAS NO FACE CREASING WHATSOEVER, A PERFECT UNCHIPPED SPINE AND CLOSE ON 90 DEGREE CORNERS!! There’s really not much to fault here and I’m sure it will delight the most stringent connoisseur collector. There’s only 2 tiny creases from the spine and that is the extent of the creasing. No thumb creases, no corner creases. There’s a noticeable toning line to the opening edges but this side of the sleeve is still fully sharp and has not softened or feathered. Top and bottom edges just have the merest of rubbing but still totally intact and no splits. Just the lightest of ring impression to the rear bottom. Great corners for a 40 year old LP!! Inside the gate the ‘PAX’ ship looks incredible with no loss of colour! There’s a little faint rubbing to the top edges, but hardly visible really. I’m going to grade this notoriously fragile sleeve EX+ (Excellent Plus) but it’s the closest example I’ve ever seen to a true near mint. It just doesn’t show up in shop fresh condition, but this is not far away!

The 1st press blue labels are in fine condition with no writing, stickers, residue, dirt or tears. They do show moderate and quite lazy spindle trails (I would estimate 4-5 very careful plays), but these can be forgiven when you see the state of the disc itself.

The medium weight 1969 vinyl has been carefully played. When I say ‘carefully’ I mean it because I honestly can’t fault the playing surfaces of this record. To my eyes, and under strong light, there’s NOTHING untoward to report, captain. That means NO hairlines, scratches, scuffs, nicks, residue or embedded dirt. Visually looks Mint- but because it has been played some, and to satisfy your exacting standards, I’m grading the vinyl EX+ (Excellent Plus) visually. As with all my auctions, IT HAS BEEN CAREFULLY LISTENED TO and I’m in awe of the sound they got from this overlooked gem 40 years ago. If you’ve never heard this LP, but you like your heavy music, you’ll be blown away. Period. Everyone says Black Sabbath invented Heavy Metal, but this LP preceded their 1st by at least 6 months and I THINK HIGH TIDE DESERVE TO BE TALKED OF IN THE SAME LEAGUE!!! THIS ALBUM PLAYS SUPERBLY WITH NO INFRINGEMENT ON THE AUDIO! One light tick over the 2 sides was all I picked up!! SOUNDS CLEAR AND FRESH - an immense listening experience! True Excellent playback.

The ‘Wayne Bardell’ management photo is interesting and a real bonus for not many pictures exist of High Tide - try finding many on Google, there’s not much around! It’s in close to excellent condition with a few soft creases and a few ‘scratch’ marks on the surface. On the rear is written the line up from left to right: Hill, Pavli, House and (lying down) Rog Haddon. Their instruments are in brackets next to their names. Of course it has the Liberty logo in the corner and is guaranteed to be 100% ORIGINAL!

The Liberty/UA compliments slip is also a curio, with the late 60’s/early 70’s Mortimer Street address and a handwritten message from one ‘Jenny Barnes’ noting; ‘It’s a violin - played by Simon House! Regards Jenny Barnes’…This just has a light stain to the top edge, but is otherwise in great solid nick.

So there you have it. Part 1 of my All Saints Hall Anniversary package. High Tide’s influential debut in great nick with rare extras. Don’t miss this!!

HAWKWIND - Hawkwind ORIG Blue Liberty LP LBS 83348 (UK, Stereo, 1970)

Very happy to present the elusive very 1st ‘blue’ press of Hawkwind’s 1970 debut, released almost a year after the All Saints gig and as you all know available just for a few weeks as a 2-tone blue label press before it was released on the more common black Liberty label.

Run off matrices: LBS 83348 A // 1 (Side 1)

LBS 83348 B // 1 (Side 2)

The unlaminated gatefold matt sleeve printed by E.J Day Ltd is strong but not as impeccable as the Sea Shanties sleeve. It’s generally just below a full EX, totally flat with only one light crease to the front face. It shows the following defects: light rubbing to top and bottom edges, a little through the colour; two rubs to the spine, one partly obscuring the ‘Hawkwind’ text - other than that spine is good with no splits or softening; moderate corner wear particularly to top left; slight ring impression to the rear and very faint small stains to the front (hardly visible). NO writing, splits, tears, sticker pulls, residue and hardly any wear to the opening edges. The inside gate is fantastic with no fading of the colours and no compromising off the image. All in all a very solid EX- (Excellent Minus).

The 1st press blue labels are lovely with no writing, stickers, residue or tears. Hardly any spindle evidence also. Note that when you hold them up to the light there is some ‘invisible’ mottling mainly to one side.

The medium to medium heavy vinyl looks the part, it really does. There’s only one faint hairline to Side 2 and a tiny patch of small, small scuffs. Other than that, it really looks Mint-. Maintains full shine with NO scratches, heavy scuffs, dulling or scrapes. So visually I’d say just under M- at a dazzling EX+ (Excellent Plus). IT HAS BEEN CAREFULLY LISTENED TO and playwise, the following should be noted: Side 1 sounds fine in general other than some crackle and light pops during the intro to ‘Hurry On Sundown’. The crackle is quite evident in the quieter moments (of which there aren’t many) but to me it’s indicative of embedded dust/dirt in the grooves. Although this is invisible it causes a crackle which is generally light and background but sometimes more to the front as on Paranoia Part 2 at the beginning of Side 2 and between tracks. I know a Moth or another reputable professional cleaning machine would sort this problem out. But I don’t have that facility. I LET YOU KNOW ALL AUDIO ISSUES!! Not to say it sounds bad, but I do listen closely and it needs to be noted. There’s NO hiss, loud pops, distortion or loss of clarity. And it looks lovely!!

A cherished Blue original, offered maybe 3 or 4 times a year, looking near perfect. Offered in its original ‘Plastic Bags Can Be Dangerous’ poly-lined inner stating ‘Made In England 25 0670’ (June 1970).

A NICE HISTORICAL PAIRING OF PRIZED BLUE LIBERTYS!

Please note: I will be away on the weekend this finishes from Thursday 27th. Any questions please ask before then. Please mail me for postage to your part of the world.  INSURANCE IS COMPULSORY EVEN IN THE UK AND WILL COST BETWEEN £3.50 TO £7.00 EXTRA.  THANKYOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!!!

I HAVE OTHER RARE UK 1STS UP AT THE MOMENT. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK!!! 

My Grade is True!!! - I Will Not Let You Down!

I GRADE ACCORDING TO UK RECORD COLLECTOR ALTHOUGH I AM VERY CAREFUL USING THE EX GRADE WHICH I BELIEVE IS SOMETIMES ABUSED.

PAYPAL IS PREFERRED, PLEASE CONSULT MY TERMS. PERSONAL CHEQUES/POSTAL ORDERS ARE ALSO FINE BUT ONLY IN THE UK - PAYPAL ONLY FROM OVERSEAS PLEASE.

I PACK WITH THE UTMOST CARE THOUGH I CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSS OR DAMAGE IN TRANSIT. I usually use recycled mailers and boxes to keep the price down. These are solid and not off cuts but if this is not acceptable PLEASE DO NOT BID! SPECIAL DELIVERY/INSURANCE IS RECOMMENDED FOR ITEMS OVER £33.

NPB ALERTS WILL BE ISSUED IF PAYMENT IS NOT RECEIVED WITHIN 10 DAYS. YOUR BID IS A CONTRACT.

PLEASE MAIL ME IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES OR CONCERNS - I WILL DO MY BEST TO HELP AT ALL TIMES.

ALL PHOTOS SHOWN ARE OF THE ACTUAL ITEM