HOWARD RILEY TRIO Discussions (Opportunity UK 1st Press LP 1968) UK Jazz. Rare

	£		362
	$		480

 

 

Howard Riley Trio - Discussions

(Opportunity Records CP 2499/ 2500 UK 1st Press LP 1968)

 

This is an extremely rare 1968 UK 1st Pressing LP. This LP was limited to just 99 copies when it was issued in 1968. It is one of the top UK Jazz rarities. There is, unfortunately, an issue with the vinyl on one track only. There are a couple of tiny pressing blobs on one track on Side 2. The 2nd of these pressing blobs, unfortunately, causes the record to stick on my system (Please see below for more details). It's a shame, as apart from that, the record plays extremely well.

The previous owner worked within the legal side of the UK music industry. This included several Jazz Musicians of the 1960's & 1970's. Therefore, he often acquired early, and sometimes unusual, pressings of Jazz LP's at the time. So, this is how this very rare UK Jazz LP was originally acquired.  

This LP has a heavyweight plain white card sleeve which has a fold-over "paste-on" front picture panel, & a rear information panel. The record. as stated on the rear sleeve, is manufactured by "Chris Wellard Records Ltd., New Cross, London". There doesn't appear to be any spine text on the spine. However, this is difficult to tell for certain due to some rubbing wear on the spine. It comes with its original generic polythene-lined plain paper company inner sleeve. The inner sleeve also has a printing date on it (R.S. 5-68). This means that this inner sleeve was printed in May 1968. The record is pressed on thick vinyl & has dark blue "Opportunity" labels which have silver text. The record has 1st Press CPL-2499-1A and CPL-2500-1A matrix numbers. These are machine stamped in the dead wax respectively. There is no Insert.

As stated, this LP was limited to just 99 copies back in 1968. This was the UK Jazz pianist Howard Riley's 1st LP release. He is backed by Barry Guy on bass and Jon Hiseman on drums. This is an excellent late 1960's UK Free Jazz/ Modern Jazz LP. This LP is incredibly rare! I have some other rare & collectible 1960's, early 1970's, Original UK Jazz/ European Jazz/ Free Jazz/ Modern Jazz  LP's for sale too. So please see my other listings. Don't miss out!

Sleeve: There is light, mild or very mild fading, to a varying degree, to the "white" of the sleeve. In particular, there is some mild overall fading to the top half of the front sleeve (see photo). There is more moderate or moderate rubbing wear to the corner tips. There is mild, more moderate or moderate rubbing wear on the bottom edge. This is not too noticeable against the white of the sleeve. There is light, mild or very mild rubbing wear on the top edge on some areas. Again, this is not that noticeable. There is some light, very mild or very minor finger-tip staining on some areas. There is light, mild or very mild rubbing wear on the sleeve opening edges on some areas, Again, this is not too noticeable. There is some more moderate fading to the spine. There is some light, mild or very mild rubbing wear on the spine on some areas. There is some light, mild or very mild ringwear on some areas. There are no seam splits. Overall, Very Good condition.

Vinyl: As mentioned, there are two very tiny pin-head sized pressing blobs on the 3rd track on Side 2. (I have taken a photo of these pressing blobs - please see the photos). The first pressing blob causes some intermittent clicks - but it does not jump or stick. However, the 2nd pressing blob, the slightly larger of the two pressing blobs, seems to stick on my system. This pressing blob feels to the touch. As stated, as soon as the stylus hits the 2nd pressing blob, it seems to stick on my system. The stylus goes no further. (Please see below for a more thorough playback description). If you move the needle on a fraction, it seems to play through the rest of the pressing blob. This does cause a few more mild or more moderate clicks though. It seems to be when the stylus first hits the 2nd pressing blob, is the only time it seems to stick on my system. It is a shame as otherwise, the record is quite nice & clean overall. I'm guessing, as this LP was limited to just 99 copies, this copy was also utilised despite the aforementioned playback issue. Obviously, this would have been a pressing error at the time.

Otherwise, there are some light, mild, very mild or very minor sleeve rubs which can only be seen under a strong light. The original inner sleeve, over time, has left some light, very mild or very minor dull surface marks on some areas. These, again, can only be seen under a strong light. Side 1 is in Very Good++ condition. Side 2 is in Fair condition. This is only because of the two tiny pressing blobs. One of which causes a playback issue on that track. Apart from the pressing blobs, visually Side 2 looks in Very Good++ condition too. Overall, Fair+ condition. Only because of the playback issue on Side 2. Visually, the disc looks in Very Good++ condition. The labels are in Very Near Excellent condition and show light or mild spindle wear only. The polythene-lined company plain paper inner sleeve is in Very Good condition. There is light, mild or very mild ringwear, fading & creasing.. There are no seam splits.

I have play tested this LP in its entirety. As mentioned, there is a playback issue with the 3rd track on Side 2. As explained, there are two tiny pressing blobs on this track. The first tiny pressing blob is quite near the start of the track - approximately 40 seconds into the track. It causes about 10 mild, very mild or more moderate clicks. It doesn't jump or stick on my system. The 2nd, slight;y larger pressing blob, which feels to the touch, unfortunately, on my system, causes the stylus to stick as soon as it reaches this pressing blob. If you move the stylus on everso slightly, there are a few mild or more moderate clicks caused by this pressing blob. It doesn't seem to jump on my system after the initial stick at the start of the pressing blob. This occurs at approximately 1 minute 44 seconds into the track. Therefore, this track, "What's New" is not playable in its entirety. Please be aware of this when bidding.

Otherwise, the record plays extremely well. Side 1 plays Very Near Excellent to Excellent overall, & Excellent+ in many places. There is some light, very mild or very minor crackle in a few quieter places. There is some light, very mild or very minor crackle in a very few quieter places. There are no clicks or pops on Side 1. Side 2, apart from the interference caused by the pressing blobs, also plays as Side 1. 


  Traceable insurance is already included in the stated P&P price for this listing.


Discount is given on P&P for multiple purchases. I shall always weigh combined purchases to get a completely accurate price.  So please wait for the invoice to be sent before paying. Please see below for a more detailed description.

    >>  Grading Information All grading is very strict & adheres to 'Record Collector' specifications. However, I have fine tuned them & they are explained below. All vinyl is examined closely under a strong light & play tested on excellent quality audio equipment.

MINT Condition = This is as perfect a copy as you are likely to find. The cover will show no, or next to no, wear. The vinyl will be unplayed or very, very near unplayed.

NEAR MINT Condition = Nearly mint, just slightly under. There maybe some minor paper/ inner sleeve rubs that can barely be seen under strong light. This disc has been played only a few times & has been extremely well  cared for. The cover is nearly perfect - Very minimal wear only.

EXCELLENT Condition = An excellent copy will show only mild, or minor, signs of use. There will be light, or very mild, sleeve rubs that can hardly be seen under strong light. There may be a very small & minor hairline mark in some instances. Play, in most cases, will be excellent or better. There may be some light, or very light, crackle in a few quieter places. The sleeve will show mild, or minor, rubbing wear & ringwear only.

NEAR EXCELLENT Condition = This has been played a few more times but it has been well cared for. There will be mild sleeve rubs which can be seen under a strong light. There may be a couple of minor, or light, hairline marks. Playback will be generally excellent or better. There may be some light, mild or very mild crackle in some quieter places. The cover will show mild rubbing wear, ringwear or creasing

Very Good Condition = Most records that have been quite well played, but reasonably well cared for, tend to fit into this category. This is probably the most varied of the gradings so I have elaborated below.

There may be mild to more moderate sleeve rubs which can only be seen under a strong light. There may be a few light hairline marks but nothing too bad. A quite well played but serviceable copy. Playback will be very agreeable overall. There will be light, mild or very mild crackle in some places. There may also be a few light clicks. A more thorough description will always be on the listing. The record will certainly not be trashed!

The cover will show more noticeable signs of storage or use. There will be mild to more moderate rubbing wear on some edges There could be fading, ringwear or a minor seam split. There could be some mild creasing or mild sticker tears.

Please note that I also use "+" or "-" symbols for this grading. A plus symbol is obviously at the top end of "Very Good" & is really not too far from being in "Near Excellent" condition. The minus symbol obviously means it is at the lower end. This will mean that it is near to being in "Good+" condition. 
>>  Postage Rates

AN INVOICE WILL BE SENT TO YOU VERY SOON AFTER THE AUCTION ENDS. PLEASE WAIT FOR THIS BEFORE PAYING.

(Please note that these prices include packaging costs too) 
Double LPs are classed as two LPs. Also gatefold sleeves, posters, inserts, etc.. can increase postage costs.

Please note that there are now VAT import charges from the UK into all EU countries. Anything under 150 Euros will need an IOSS number. VAT is paid at point of sale. For any items over 150 Euros in value. There will be a customs charge too. These vary, I believe, from country to country. Please check your relevant postal service online for details. Please note that these charges are beyond my control and are the law for outside parcels going into the EU.

All records will be sent in high quality vinyl box/ mailers with at least two card stiffeners either side of the LP or 7" Single. I use a cruciform box for larger orders (3-6 LPs). All parcels will be marked "Fragile" and dispatch time will generally be between 1-3 days after payment.

I will also remove the vinyl from the sleeve & place them in a re-sealable polythene sleeve. In order to prevent seam splits. Depending on the inner sleeve; I often remove the vinyl from the inner sleeve & place it in a separate plain paper, or polythene-lined, plain inner sleeve. I am very conscientious and careful when packaging your LP(s).

I consider my postage & packaging costs to be very transparent & very fair. Packaging costs will generally be between £0.80 to £1.50. I am not adding any further costs for handling, etc...

If you are uncertain about any of the above, or just simply want some information regarding any item, please do not hesitate to contact me. I welcome any questions.

Remember to check out My Other Items Lots of rare & quality vinyl! Most are UK 1st Pressings. It is quite likely that there will be more records by this artist, or records in a similar vein.