HMS DONOVAN UK MAUVE DAWN 1ST W/POSTER 100% NMINT-

	£		103
	$		136

DONOVAN - HMS DONOVAN

IN MAGNIFICENT BARELY PLAYED CONDITION

SECOND PRESS  - MAUVE DAWN LABEL

WITH THE ULTRA RARE TRI-FOLD POSTER

• CATALOGUE:DAWN DNL D4001
• MATRIX: DNLD 4001 A-1 *T / B-1 *T /  C-1 *T / D-1*T

I WANTED TO CLEAR UP WHAT CONSITUTES A FIRST PRESS OF THIS RARE ALBUM. THERE HAVE BEEN TO MY KNOWLEDGE 3 ISSUES OF THIS DOUBLE ALBUM AND I HAVE SEEN EACH ONE DESCRIBED AS 'FIRST PRESS' I BELIEVE THIS IS MAINLY BECAUSE THE MATRIX NUMBERS ON ALL 3 COPIES HAVE THE SAME -1 ENDINGS

HAVING BEEN A KEEN MUNGO JERRY COLLECTOR IN THE LATE 60'S AND EARLY 70'S I CAN ABSOLUTELY CONFIRM THAT THE ORANGE DAWN LABEL IS THE EARLIEST VERSION OF THE HMS DONOVAN ALBUM SET. DAWN CHANGED THEIR LABELS TO THE LILAC AND BLACK STYLE,VERY SHORTLY AFTER THE ORANGE LABEL ISSUE OF THIS ALBUM CAME OUT, BEFORE FINALLY CHANGING AGAIN TO THE WHITE LABEL WITH THE PINK AND BLUE SUNRISE.

SO IT IS EASY TO CONFUSE THE PRESSINGS IF YOU DON'T KNOW. SO WHILST THIS IS AN OFFICIAL SECOND PRESS IT ABSOLUTELY WAS ISSUED VERY SHORTLY AFTER THE FIRST BATCH DUE TO THE LABEL CHANGE

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

MAUVE AND BLACK DAWN LABELS IN PRISTINE CONDITION. NO MARKS OR STAINS ANYWHERE. THE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT. THE BASE MAUVE COLOUR FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE, WHERE THERE ARE NO MORE THAN 5-6  REALLY SMALL SPIDER LINES VERY CLOSE TO THE HOLE SHOWING EXACTLY HOW MANY PLAYS THIS ALBUM HAS RECEIVED. IT JUST HASN'T BEEN PLAYED  VERY MUCH WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT IT IS 40 YEARS OLD

THE VINYL

A STUNNING PAIR OF HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL IN SUPERB CONDITION. THEY BOTH GLEAM LIKE NEW AND IN DAYLIGHT LOOKS ABSOLUTELY CLEAN (WITH JUST ONE MINUSCULE MARK ON TRACK 2 SIDE 2 WHICH CAUSES 1 ROTATIONAL POP), WITH JUST A COUPLE OF TINY HANDLING LINES TO BE SEEN, AND EVEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE ARE ONLY A FEW  WISPY HAIRLINES TO BE SEEN

PLAYING THE RECORD

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 DOUBLE ALBUM FROM START TO FINISH, AS I NOW DO WITH ALL MY LISTINGS, AS 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

DAWN WAS THE PROGRESSIVE SUBSIDIARY OF PYE RECORDS, AND WAS USED TO PROMOTE ALL OF THOSE UNKNOWN AND OBSCURE PROGRESSIVE BANDS OF THE VERY EARLY SEVENTIES. DONOVAN ONLY RELEASED 2 ALBUMS ON THIS LABEL IN 1970 AND 1971. QUITE WHY IS OPEN TO SOME SPECULATION, BUT IT IS LIKELY THAT AS HE WAS ALREADY SIGNED TO PYE, THYEY WANTED A NEW AUDIENCE FOR A CHANGE IN HIS STYLE, AND THIS NEW LABEL WOULD HAVE BEEN THE WAY TO MANAGE THAT

THE FIRST THING TO POINT OUT IS THAT THE VINYL PLAYS WITHOUT ANY DISTORTION WHATSOEVER ON EITHER DISC.

THE VOCAL CLARITY IS JUST SUPERB. CLEAR AND CRISP, AND PERFORMED THROUGH A SUPERB STEREO REPRODUCTION. THERE ARE SO MANY QUIET MOMENTS AND NEAR SILENT PASSAGES ON THIS DOUBLE ALBUM THAT ANY SERIOUS BACKGROUND WOULD SOUND TERRIBLE

THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR WORK IS ALSO REPRODUCED MAGNIFICENTLY.

I HAVE HAD THREE COPIES OF THIS ALBUM AND EACH ONE PERFORMS IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. THERE IS A VERY LOW LEVEL WAY BEHIND THE MUSIC VINYL NOISE. THIS IS QUITE TYPICAL OF PYE VINYL OF THIS ERA, AND IT CANONLY BE HEARD IF YOU SIT AS CLOSE TO THE SPEAKERS AS I DO WHEN TYPING THIS OUT. MOVING TO A LISTENING DISTANCE AND IT VANISHES AUDIBLY.

BOTH DISCS PLAY SUPERBLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THE CLARITY OF THE STEREO REPRODUCTION REALLY IS MAGNIFICENT. NO BACKGROUND CRACKLE AT ANY POINT, AND NO LOUD CLICKS ANYWHERE, APART FROM TRACK 2 SIDE 2 WHERE THERE IS ONE ROTATIONAL POP DUE TO A TINY MARK ON THE VINYL

THERE IS THE ODD SECOND OR TWO OF STATIC IN A COUPLE OF RANDOM SPOTS, AND A FEW BARELY AUDIBLE LITTLE TICS AND POPS IN A FEW ODD PLACES.

CERTAINLY NOTHING TO MAR THE SUBLIME CLARITY AND AUDIO PERFROMANCE OF THS SET

ANYWAY PLEASE TAKE A GOOD LISTEN AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL NEAR MINT

THE SLEEVE

GENUINE 1ST PRESS HOWARDS OF SLOUGH UNLAMINATED GATEFOLD SLEEVE

 VERY HARD SLEEVE TO GET IN A HIGH GRADE COLLECTIBLE CONDITION. THE REASON FOR THIS IS NOT ONLY IS THE SLEEVE UNLAMINATED, BUT THERE ARE MANY COLURS ON THIS DULL SURFACE THAT WEAR VERY EASILY AND I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT RING WEAR IS MOST PREVELENT ON THE MAJORITY OF COPIES.

HERE THEN IS A NEAR PERFECT GATEFOLD.

STARTING WITH THE FRONT SURFACE, THE FIRST AND MOST OBVIOUS THING TO POINT OUT IS THAT THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES AND CREASE LINES. AND THERE IS JUST ONE TINY AND BARELY VISIBLE LINE CLOSE TO THE SPINE

THE FRONT SURFACE IS VERY FLAT AND CLEAN. THERE ARE NO MARKS OR STAINS ANYWHERE. BEST OF ALL ALL OF THE COLOURS HAVE BEEN RETAINED AND THERE IS NO RUBBING AWAY OF THESE PRECIOUS AND DELICATE PASTEL SHADES. THE ONLY PIN PRICK OF WHITE SHOWING THROUGH APPEARS ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGE WHERE SOME OF THE LIGHT SHELF WEAR HAS OVERLAPPED MARGINALLY ONTO THE FRONT, BUT JUST A COUPLE OF TINY SPECKS. IF YOU ANGLE THE SLEEVE INTO THE LIGHT YOU CAN JUST MAKE OUT THE LIGHTEST SHADOW OF RECORD SHAPE

THE TOP EDGE IS PRISTINE APART FROM ONE SPECK OF RUBBING IN THE RIGHT CORNER, WHILST THE BOTTOM EDGE HAS LIGHT SHELF WEAR

THE SPINE ON THIS SLEEVE IS AT BEST USUALLY FOUND WITH SHELF WEAR AND WORN TYPEFACE, BUT HERE IS A NEAR MINT UNSQUASHED AND UNWORN EXAMPLE WITH EVERY LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE PERFECTLY LEGIBLEM AND THE ONLY SLIGHT RUB BEING THE VERY BOTTOM TIP

THE OPENING EDGES ARE STILL RAZOR SHARP WITH JUST A COUPLE OF TINY THUMB NAIL NICKS WHERE THE DISCS HAVE BEEN REMOVED A COUPLE OF TIMES

THE REAR SURFACE IS AS BRILLIANT AS THE FRONT SURFACE , AGAIN ALL OF THE COLOURS UNRUBBED, AND NO CREASE LINES OF ANY DESCRIPTION

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PRISTINE INNER SURFACE ON BOTH SIDES.

THE VERY TRI FOLD INNER POSTER IS IN WHAT I CAN ONLY DESCRIBE EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION. IT IS SO THIN AND DELICATE THAT MOST ARE SPLIT ALONG ALL THE SEAMS BUT WITH THIS HAS REMAINED IN FLAT, PRISTINE, AND UNSPLIT CONDITION. ALSO NO CREASES OR CREASE LINES, JUST A COUPLE OF REALLY INSIGNIFICANT LIGHT WRINKLES THAT YOU WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO SEE

THE TWO POLY LINED INNER SLEEVES ARE IN EXCELLENT UNSPLIT CONDITION, JUST LIGHTLY AGED AROUND THE PERIMITER EDGES

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS SLEEVE NEAR MINT MINUS

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

GARRY