HAWKWIND - DEBUT 70 UK BLUE LIBERTY N/M LP

	£		545
	$		722

Artist or Band: HAWKWIND

Album Title: Hawkwind.

Producer(s): Dick Taylor and Hawkwind.

Engineer(s): Barry Ainsworth.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Hurry On Sundown; The Reason Is?; Be Yourself; Paranoia – Part 1.

Side 2: Paranoia – Part 2; Seeing It As You Really Are; Mirror of Illusion.

Label/Format: Liberty – Original blue format. Yes you read right, BLUE label.

Label Conditions: Both immaculate and ultra clean and highly attractive. Hardly a spindle mark to be seen, I can just see a couple of faint traces only, there is no traces of any wear around the hole rims. Yes, you guessed, from that collection of barely played albums.

Cat Number: LBS 83348.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 145 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.

A Special Note About This Record and its Rarity: The Holy Grail for Hawkwind and UK acid-psych collectors. This album on the blue label is a major rarity with only a very small run ever pressed on this label before being repressed on the more familiar black label. Rarely seen or offered, this album has now almost reached legendary status and is almost as much searched for as Pink Floyd’s ‘Piper’ debut which is far easier to find in either mono or stereo. That album did sell quite well but this one didn’t and even failed to break into the charts. Issued right at the end of the blue Liberty era, this is an immensely rare record, the few that do surface are usually trashed or at best, well played. Purchased by certain types at the time, most not hi-fi enthusaists but substance-loving music addicts who enjoyed the latest Freak-Out style music to blow their minds too. Now this is where this particular copy and owner differed from the average early Hawkwind listener. Firstly, he owned a quality stereo system from almost the time stereo was introduced to the market. Most of his record (where there was a choice), were purchased in the two channel mode. Also this copy, like most from the collection was played once or twice, hence this is near museum-quality mint. This truly looks brand new and plays the same, this has to be seen to be believed. Last year, I offered Amon Duul’s ‘Phallus Dei’ on the same label from the same collection that also looked brand new (the new owner could hardly believe it when it arrived), well this record is equally as good and if a better copy of the groundbreaking, almost ‘lost’ blue label record exists, I sure would like to see it. I truly think this record will rarely, if ever be matched let alone beaten and I state my reputation on that. If any collector wants this genuine original, maybe twice played record, a better available copy is unlikely to ever hit the open market. Reputed to have been pressed in numbers ranging from 300 to 500 only, what state will those that survive be in these days? Most played on crude, less-than-worthy record players by stoned-out listeners – Hawkwind had this reputation and this is pure, classic psychedelic-acid-rock at its real and very best. The cover is incredibly wear-prone and this has little, just a little edge rubbing but barely any to the main five faces which includes the spine. Even the inner sleeve is original as can be seen by the date code which is shown in close-up. An album over the years that had now been fully appreciated for what it is, often compared to the psych space-rock of the early Floyd, but this being arguably even more ‘out there’. A wonderful experience, and truly this ultra rare, little short of full Mint record is almost too good to play. An argument for getting a similar condition black label copy and keeping this treasure stored to look as new for another 40 or so years. I promise, you will never find this record better - the ultimate upgrade and an ultra rare opportunity.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: LBS 83348 A1 1 1 1 / LBS 83348 B1 1 1 1 [The ultimate first-off-the-line.]

Musicians: Dave Brock – vocals, six and twelve string guitars, harmonica, percussion; John A. Harrison - bass guitar; Huw Lloyd – lead guitar; Terry Ollis - drums; Nik Turner – alto saxophone, vocals, percussion; Dikmik - electronics.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Amazing to think this is almost a 40-year-old album now and the band, albeit in many different guises, are still recording and touring today. This is not really so much a typical Hawkwind album and remains a fascinating curio, it merges 67 psych with spacy instrumentals that blend into early acid-rock, at times sounding like a less polished Pink Floyd circa Saucerful of Secrets. Not the most technically gifted band ever, this album received minimal attention when first issued but its stature as one of the best British psych albums has grown immensely with time. Initially it was tried recording all the songs separately but that failed to work, so the whole album was recorded live in a studio in one take. Much of the music is free-form improvisation with spacey sounds and effects and is captivating and compelling and certainly highly entertaining. The opening song is a pure Hawkwind classic, the untypical and brilliant ‘Hurry on Sundown’ with acoustic guitars and harmonica but the long trippy ‘Be Yourself’ and ‘Paranoia’ with improvised guitar are far more typical. The front cover gives more than a clue of what to expect with the band name spelt out in marijuana leaves, this mini-classic debut album is the embryo and catalyst of the acid-rock space band they later became with more than a fair degree of success. Needless to say, this album did not chart, and has now become a highly popular and collectable album to own, and that’s just a second-pressed black label copy. The Liberty blue is one of the most sort-after albums, of this genre, this side of the universe. You may have to wait eons or travel a few more galaxies to find a much better copy of this record record – strap yourself in and enjoy the trip and set your controls for the heart of the turntable – yeah man!! I PROMISE, THIS IS THE ULTIMATE ORIGINAL RECORD, not hype, FACT.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: [Unlaminated covers are always the most vulnerable for rubbing, fading, sticker tears and ringwear, gatefolds are more prone still and the darker they are, the more this type of wear occurs and shows. Some sleeves have a textured finish or die-cut shaped edges or ‘windows’. These are even more delicate and the hardest to find in top condition. Fully laminated covers are more resistent to wear but often the laminate ages with dulling, creases and blistering. Many 60s covers have outer flipback construction, these are very vulnerable to damage]. (US covers are the most fragile of all, very rarely laminated and made with thick brittle card that rubs and ringwears badly. Seams and edges split easily). Please see format below to access this cover’s potential for wear and damage.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+ and only downgraded a little because of the almost unavoidable rubbing on the edges, few avoid it. An unlaminated, gatefold format. Printed and made in England by E. J. Day Ltd. Great artwork and a very clean example that remains very attractive. Most seen are badly rubbed, very grubby, ringworn and often with major sticker damage.

Cover Front: A superb front and one of the best I have seen for ages. The odd minor surface mark and a tiny few ultra light spine hairline creases but this apart, little else to fault. Clean, fresh and with no grubbiness and minimal traces of any handling, a faint (possible light glue mark), is just visible near the right edge about half-way down (look very hard). Devoid of rubbing with any edge rubbing barely encroaching into view, this is a front cover rarely seen as attractive as this. Those ‘leaf creatures’ look fantastic, please see my close-up picture which also shows how light the edge rubbing is too.

Cover Back: Quite similar to the front but a ring rub at the bottom, few ever avoid this as the least. A ruthlessly wear-prone cover that takes no prisoners are seldom looking half this nice. Mildish rubbing on the spine fold also but little else. Often seen with deep penetrating ringwear, fading and grubbiness, this had largely avoided all of this and the general lack of creasing is also good news. Three or four on the spine edge are mainly very light. Colour for front and back is very rich and vivid and for visual pleasure, this will take a lot of beating.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Both faces look practically as made.

Top Edges: Mainly light patchy rubbing, a little more on the front.

Bottom Edges: Little on the front, light to light+ on the back.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mainly sharp with little wear and no feathering, guaranteed untrimmed. Odd burr trace when viewed end-on (being a little critical). Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: A fine spine too, never one that wear well at all. Solid, quite straight with slight compression. Any wear is light with just a smallish surface graze and some very small patchy light rubs. All text is unaffected by wear, fine and fragile but (unusually) present and easily readable. This not folded dead square but only a fraction out, The right back edge being slightly proud of the front with very minor, less-than-perfect construction if being somewhat fussy and critical. I state all I see even if slightly nit-picking.

Corners: The corners have survived in very nice condition with only minimal tip rubs and neat pointed definition retained. Minor wear to the spine ends, again being critical.

Cover Summary: Minus the mainly minor rubbing and odd small mark, this would grade still higher, the front is exceptional and given the uncomprising nature of the the back, that is little short either. This very attractive and vibrant cover should please many, if not most realistic collectors.

The Inner: With the earliest 0670 manufacture date code, this is guaranteed the original inner. A little age darkened but with hardly any real wear, all edge unsplit with no tears. Polylined and the window looks superb with perfect undamaged or even creased circles. Barely any creasing and even ruffling minor.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: I am loath to grade this truly stunning record less than full Mint. It looks barely even played and sounds stunning. With the utmost critical viewing under light, the faintest of faint surface traces or minuscule hairline can just be seen (just), but if a better example of this ultra rare record can be found, well good luck. I will say undergraded at Mint(-). A supreme visual copy of museum quality that is unlikely to ever be matched, let alone beaten. This wonderful piece is super clean with a genuine freshness, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. The lack of playing is very evident not just in the looks but the sound quality which is nigh-on perfect. A title so often in very poor condition, even trashed, and those early black label pressings. Bought initially by the very few and of a certain type, rarely hi-fi buffs – you know what I mean, these were heavily used and so often abused by less than sensitive users and equipment. To see a blue copy in this ultra clean and barely marked condition is a pleasure to view. This trip into the psych-acid world, still relatively new at this time, will rarely, if indeed ever, be heard better via vinyl than this and it will should please all collectors, even the most discerning connoisseurs who want that final everlasting upgrade.

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 amazingly ignored and barely touched record plays even above its high visual grading with nothing to fault. This is cut direct from the original master tapes and nothing will ever match or better it. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed psych sound and production. A lovely rawness the band desired and it works to perfection. Any surface sounds barely even registered and is devoid of pops or clicks, few early copies will play much better than this including the black label versions. The impossibly quiet beginning to side two with its wobbly solo bass has supremely clean sound, often noisy with inherent crackle and even distortion, not here. All of this groundbreaking Hawkwind debut plays with stunning clean sound - a gateway into that recording studio where this was recorded live. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this incredible record – now regarded as a classic within its field and justifiably so. It should please every collector needing this record, my highest possible recommendation is mandatory. I will not forget this one in a hurry.

End Piece: Who would have thought some 40 years after this album was first issued, the Hawkwind band would still be performing with their legendary leader Dave Brock still at the flight controls? Many collectors and even some dealers I know have never had or seen one of these before, and most-all never in such incredible condition. Not impossible but up there in difficulty like this. The tiny few ‘blues’ that do survive like this are mainly locked away in valuable collections and rarely see light-of-day, few ever surface to be offered and it’s no small wonder this album is included on most dealers and collectors ‘wants’ lists. A few local dealers have been enquiring about this one, but I would prefer this to go into a cherished Hawkfan’s or connoisseur’s collection. This legendary Liberty record shines like a distant sun and a better visual or playing copy is unlikely to surface this side of the galaxy.

THIS RECORD WILL BE POSTED FREE-OF-CHARGE WITH SIGNED-FOR AND FULL INSURANCE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

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: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). 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 VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. 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 as well as a 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 ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not 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. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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 & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

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

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

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 ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

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’.