Manfred Mann's Earth Band SOLAR FIRE UK LP 2 PLAY NMINT

	£		20
	$		27

MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND - SOLAR FIRE

IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION

FIRST PRESS  WITH THE ISLAND MATRIX NUMBERS CROSSED OUT AND REPLACED WITH THE BRNA NUMBERS

• CATALOGUE:BRONZE BRNA 263
• MATRIX: ILPS 9562 A2 / ILPS 9562 B-1U
• CORRECTED MATRIX : BRNA 265 A-2 / BRNA 265 B-1U
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS 1 GG / 3 H
• BILBO ETCHED INTO DEAD WAX SIDE 2 

A WORD ABOUT THE MATRIX NUMBERS. BRONZE WAS A SUNSIDIARY OF THE ISLAND RECORD LABEL, AND ALL OF THE ORIGINAL EARLY 72/73 BRONZE PRESSINGS LIKE URIAH HEEPS DEMONS AND WIZARDS, STILL HAD THE ISLAND CATALOGUE NUMBERS ON THE SLEEVE AND MATRIX. WHEN THE BRONZE CATALOGUE NUMBERS STARTED TO APPEAR ON THE SLEEVES INSTEAD DURING THE EARLY PART OF 1973, THE MATRIX NUMBERS ON THE VINYL STILL READ WITH THE ISLAND COSED I.E ILPS xxxxx

HERE THEN IS THE FIRST ATTEMPT TO CORRECT MATTERS WITH THE ORIGINAL CATALOGUE NUMBER GOING TO BE AN ISLAND NUMBER AND THUS A ILPS MATRIX NUMBER IN THE DEAD WAX HAVING BEEN CROSSED OUT AND THE NEW BRONZE NUMBER STAMPED IN NEXT TO IT

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE TAN COLOURED BRONZE LABELS ARE IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION. THE BASE COLOUR IS UNMARKED, APART FROM TWO SMALL LIGHT BROWN MOTTLE SPOTS ON SIDE ONE. THE COLOUR FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THE TYPEFACE IS ALL PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, AND THERE ARE JUST FOUR SMALL SPIDERS LINE CLOSE TO THE HOLE SHOWING JUST HOW LITTLE THIS LP HAS BEEN PLAYED.AS I PLACED THE LP OVER MY SPINDLE I COULD HEAR AND FEEL THE RESIDUAL VINYL SHARDS THAT HAVE STILL BEEN LEFT INSIDE THE HOLE, SHOWING JUST HOW LITTLE THIS HAS BEEN PLAYED

THE VINYL

THE VINYL GLEAMS LIKE NEW AND LOOKS LIKE IT WAS FRESHLY PRESSED. ON SIDE 2 TRACK THREE THERE IS A TINY SPOT ON THE VINYL. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS SCRATCH, BUT IT IS CLEARLY IN THE VINYL, AND I HAVE RECORDED THE TRACK IN ITS ENTIRETY TO SHOW THAT IT DOESN'T SOUND OUT. IT WILL BE THE FORTH SOUNDBITE.

ONLY UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION AM I ABLE TO MAKE OUT A FEW WSIPY HAIRLINES

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 3 FULL TRACKS AND ONE (THE FIRST) OVER 5 MINUTES OF THE 8 MINUTE TRACK FROM THE LP. BOTH OPENING TRACKS INCLUDING THE RUN IN, AND TWO RANDOM TRACKS, ONE FROM EACH SIDE INCLUDING THE LINKING GROOVE. PLEASE TAKE A LISTEN.

THE STEREO REPRODUCTION ON THIS ALBUM IS JUST BRILLIANT, WITH EVERY NOTE BEING HEARD CLEARLY AND CRISPLY.A STUNNING STEREO RERODUCTION AND EVERY NOTE CAN BE HEARD CRISPLY AND CLEANLY

THE VINYL PLAYS WITHOUT DISTORTION WHATSOEVER, AND THE CLARITY IS SUPERB. NO SERIOUS BACKGROUND NOISES, AND CERTAINLY NO BACKGROUND CRACKLING. AT THE VERY START OF BOTH SIDES THERE IS A SLIGHT BIT OF VINYL NOISE, AND THEN JUST THE VERY OCCASIONAL TINY DUST POP AND PERHAPS THE ODD SECOND OR TWO OF STATIC. THIS ALBUM REALLY PLAYS BRILLIANTLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH

A GENUINE FIRST PRESS OF THIS DISC AND I AM HAPPY TO GRADE IT NEAR MINT

THE SLEEVE

NON LAMINATED GATEFOLD SLEEVE AND THEREFORE PRONE TO ALL SORTS OF ABUSE. THIS COPY HAS REMAINED IN SUPER CONDITION FROM NEW, THE DELICATE  SURFACE IS FLAT CLEAN AND HAS NO MARKS OR STAINS ON IT ANYWHERE. THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES, JUST A FEW OF THE REALLY TINY ONES THAT YOU FIND NEAR THE SPINE, BUT EVEN THESE ARE HARD TO SPOT. THE BASE COLOURS HAVE BEEN RETAINED AND ARE RICH AND VIBRANT. THERE IS THE BAREST TRACE OF RECORD SHAPE WHEN ANGLED INTO LIGHT, BUT THIS IS VERY VERY MINOR INDEED

THE TOP EDGE IS UNWORN, WHILST THE BOTTOM EDGE HAS THE BAREST TOUCH OF SHELF WEAR.

THE SPINE IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, AGAIN THE MOST MINIMAL SHELF WEAR AND NOT SQUASHED AT ALL

THE OPENING EDGE IS IN RAZOR SHARP CONDITION, AND LOOKS AS GOOD AS THE DAY IT WAS MADE. THIS IS A VERY HEAVY DUTY CARD USED TO CREATE THIS SLEEVE

THE REAR SURFACE IS IN THE SAME SUPERB CONDITION AS THE FRONT, AGAIN NO CREASES OR BENDS,JUST THE LIGHT RECORD SHAPE.

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS TWO PRISTINE COLOURED PANELS

THE FIRST PRESSES OF THIS LP CAME WITH A CARD INNER SLEEVE WITH THE LYRICS ON ONE SIDE AND IMAGES OF THE BAND ON THE OTHER. LATER PRESSES DIDN'T INCLUDE THIS. THE ORIGINAL HAS ROUNDED CORNERS AND A THUMB NOTCH ALONG THE TOP EDGE. APART FROM SOME LIGHT MOTTLING, THE SLEEVE IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. NO SPLITS TO ANY OF THE SEAMS

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

GARRY