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Message : From Books And Dream A/B 1st Press 1973

This time up for auction is a rare and very collectable first pressing from Message the Krautrock band.  As always I have played every track in full and I am pleased to say it plays with great quality and only minimal 'background'.  There are no clicks or pops and only a few isolated light ticks that are not intrusive.  The vinyl itself is in fantastic condition with no marks or scratches and I do believe it has hardly been played as there also no spindle wear.

The fully laminated gatefold is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear and the plain white inner is in great shape.

BLPS 19159-Q-A / BLPS 19159-Q-B

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (T3 Near Mint-)

The audio S2 is Near Mint (T2 ranges between Ex+ and Near Mint)

The fully laminated cover is Ex-

The labels are Mint-

The inner sleeve is Near Mint

Visual description

The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has an immaculate glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  In a dull light it looks 'as new' and only under a strong bright light can I see a small number of faint sleeve removal hairlines.  The run out grooves are very clean and the Bacillus labels are in perfect order with no marking or writing and no spindle wear either!  A superb example that has hardly been played.

Play grading

The quiet intro on 'Sleep!' plays with remarkable clarity and no underlying static.  All I heard were a handful of isolated light static ticks that are not intrusive in any way.  The 'vocal' then plays so clearly with no interference and the 'louder' end section is perfect also.  I will grade as Near Mint although arguably it is better than that.

The intro on 'Dreams And Nightmares (Dreams)' again plays with great clarity and just 3/4 static ticks.  As it builds the playback is stunning and the opening vocal is 'loud and true' with no distortion on the top end.  It continues to play with exceptional power and definition - the audio is so deep and strong and is a fantastic listen!  There are no clicks or pops and the long mid-instrumental cannot be faulted.  The final vocal section is as good as the first and the end solo that brings this epic to a close plays with great precision.  A powerful track of course and it does perhaps play with a slightly 'muddied' quality but that is probably more due to how it produced/pressed.  However, this does not detract from the overall listen in my opinion and Near Mint is again deserved.

'Turn Over!' ends the side with superb audio.  The quiet intro has no 'background' and then the sax section plays with only the bare minimum of distortion which is totally non-intrusive, hardly worth a mention.  There are 4/5 very quiet dust ticks in the middle of this section and from then on plays extremely well.  The percussive section is flawless and the 'high octane' section could not play any better.  The end 'vocal' is near perfect with only a handful of light ticks.  Near Mint- is a fair reflection of the audio here.

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The intro on 'Sigh' plays with barely any static and as the volume picks up the playback is 'as new'.  The opening vocal keeps up the standard, a couple of very light ticks no more.  From then on it plays with very impressive audio, in other words there is no interference and no distortion either.  McGuigan's voice might not be the strongest but it fits the music I guess!  In my opinion it's a little high in the mix.  Following the next vocal the long instrumental plays with phenomenal power and depth, the playback is STUNNING!  Turn it up to max!  The next quieter passage has only a couple of static ticks and then the final vocal is close to perfect with only one insignificant tick.  The closing section does indeed play perfectly and Near Mint is again deserved.

The quiet intro on 'Dreams And Nightmares (Nightmares)' plays with sublime clarity, just a couple of minor ticks (not clicks!) and then the opening vocal is very clean aside from a little distortion on a couple of words.  From then on the audio is very powerful and deep although there is a minimal 'muddied' quality again - I repeat is this just down to how it was recorded etc because the vinyl itself is very clean.  The long instrumental has no clicks or pops and barely any static.  The 'heavy' section is superb!  The following vocal section plays exceptionally well with no 'background' and 'The Unpleasant Spell' piece concludes the album with genuine quality and...no intrusion.  The cacophony of 'sound' at the end is immense!  Sounds superb!  This 13 minute epic ranges between Ex+ and Near Mint in my opinion.

In summary this genuine first press plays with very strong audio on both sides and there are no clicks or pops and barely any static.  A small number of insignificant light ticks and just a hint of distortion but it proves to be a very enjoyable listen.  An acquired taste perhaps but it is a very collectable album among prog 'circles' and this vinyl will not disappoint.  The cover is in great shape also.

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The fully laminated cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear.  The top edges are perfect and the bottom edges have only a couple of tiny rubs.  The spine is 100% legible and just has one small 'rub' area and the corners have only minimal wear.  In fact on the bottom right corners have some wear/rubbing but not a major amount and the opening edge has only a little handling wear.  The front cover is very clean with no laminate damage and has only a small number of faint crease lines around the edges and that corner rub bottom right.  The back cover is again unmarked and the only thing you notice is minimal wear on a couple of corners.  The inside of the gatefold is in lovely condition with only some minor 'crinkling' of the laminate around the inner spine.  A fine example overall.

I have no idea if it is the original but the plain white die-cut inner is in excellent condition with no side splits or tears, no marking and barely any creasing.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

BLPS 19159-Q-A / BLPS 19159-Q-B

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF £250 SO IF AN ITEM SELLS FOR MORE A COURIER SERVICE MAY BE USED (e.g. Parcelforce, DPD).  AN EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUM WILL BE REQUIRED BUT I WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT UNTIL THE FINAL SALE PRICE IS KNOWN.  HOWEVER, SOMETIMES I WILL ESTIMATE A COST AND THIS WILL BE STATED IN THE LISTING.  PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH.  MANY THANKS.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £5.95 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £17.45 then £2.00 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £25.95 then £2.50 per extra

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE, NONE OF THIS WAITING BEFORE I RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM YOU - I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MY LISTINGS!  IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND THE ITEM BACK I WILL OF COURSE OF COURSE PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING COST IF I AM AT FAULT.  I AM ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL!