McDONALD AND GILES A-2U/B-2U 1st Press (KING CRIMSON) Ex COVER & Superb AUDIO
£
111
$
147
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Description
4I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.
McDonald & Giles A-2U / B-2U 1st Press Island Records 1970
This first pressing plays with stunning audio across both sides. There are no clicks or pops and no obvious ticks either, the clarity of sound is stunning overall. S1 is very impressive but the S2 'Birdman' epic is incredible! The clarity and depth of the audio really is on another level. The vinyl is in excellent condition also, it would be difficult to find a better one. I cannot emphasise enough just how superb the audio is on this relatively rare first pressing.
Ian McDonald and Michael Giles were of course original members of the King Crimson line up and this album and this album isn't just some minor 'side project'. In my opinion it's a superb album and it's worth owning it just for S2! I haven't sold one in years and I had forgotten just how strong the album is.
The gatefold is in excellent condition with only minimal wear and the original plain white inner is in excellent shape also.
ILPS 9125 A-2U M 1 --- ILPS 9125 B-2U R 1
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 Near Mint / T3 ranges between Ex+ & Mint-)
The audio on S2 ranges between Near Mint & Mint- (quiet brief end section Ex+)
The E.J. Day gatefold is Ex
The inner sleeve is Ex
The pink 'i' labels are Near Mint-
Visual description
The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy sheen with no obvious marks or scratches. Under a bright light I can see a small number of very faint hairlines and there is nothing that stands out. A couple of tiny blemishes at most. There is no groove or surface wear and the run outs are very clean also. The pink 'i' labels are very clean witj just some spindle wear but not an extensive amount.
Play Grading
The intro and opening vocal section on 'Suite In C' play with stunning clarity, I only heard a handful of super quiet statics, and as the volume increases the audio is perfect. The next vocal again has no intrusion but there is one light static tick during the next melodic ahhh vocal passage. The instrumental section with an almost jazzy improvised feel is 'as new' with no background at all, the clarity and depth is outstanding. As it approaches the next quieter passage there is just one extremely quiet tick and the following 'pastoral' piece plays beautifully. From then onwards the audio is stunning - there is no background apart from a couple of quiet ticks - the acoustic section / final vocal play to perfection. I think Near Mint is an honest appraisal of the music here.
'Flight Of The Ibis' plays with imperious quality through every section. The clarity and melodic sound is 'as new' and there is no intrusion. In essence it could not play any better, it is STUNNING and Mint- is very much deserved.
The intro on 'Is She Waiting?' is very clean with only a small number of very quiet statics and the opening vocal has just two light dull ticks near the beginning. The instrumental bridge has a handful of light statics again and the next vocal is close to perfect with only a couple of statics at the start. The remainder plays with exceptional clarity so overall I think ranging between Ex+ and Mint- is fair. It has to be said every note is very clean and precise and the actual clarity of sound is superb for such a quiet track.
'Tomorrow's People - The Children Of Today' ends S1 with sublime quality from start to finish. The only background, if you can it that, are a couple of minor statics in the very quiet section near the end. Blink and you miss them! The very quiet final instrumental / vocal / fade out - in - out plays with stunning clarity also. This is a superb version. Mint-
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The vocal only intro on 'Birdman' plays with stunning clarity and warmth and the following very quiet section plays very clearly also with only a handful of light statics. The next vocal section is close to perfect and it continues to play with superb audio. Needless to say the clarity and definition of the audio through every section is hugely impressive. The first jazzy improv section for example can only be described 'as new' as there is not even a solitary dust tick let alone anything more. As it bursts into the church organ piece the sonic quality is amazing! The very quiet piano / percussive / flute section is remarkable for a 56 year old vinyl, it plays like it was pressed only yesterday! I cannot emphasise enough just how STUNNING the audio is and as this section builds the playback is phenomenal. The 'climax' is perfect and the next quiet section / vocal plays beautifully with no intrusion. The gentle piano section again plays with incredible clarity and without labouring the point this is one stunning version! It's just so good that records from this era can play with such quality and it just shows what can be achieved if a vinyl has been so well preserved even if it has been played. The 'vocal' that closes this epic is almost Floydian in its grandeur and there is only a minimal amount of inner groove distortion as it reaches the end. The final quiet organ piece has only minimal light static and it does not intrude on the audio. So yes a stunning version that ranges between Near Mint and Mint but has a lot, lot more of the latter! The final brief section grades as Ex+ and I honestly think it would be very difficult to find a better version.
The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve
The E.J Day cover is in excellent condition with only a little shelf wear. The edges have some light rubbing and the spine is in great shape with only a handful of tiny rubs and some light wear on the corners. The right hand corners have very little wear and the opening edge is near perfect with just one tiny crimp near the top. The front cover is superb and you can only see a little rubbing on the two left corners and the back cover is very similar with only a tiny amount of ringwear also. The inside of the gatefold is superb with only some of the usual lifting / creasing just to the right of the inner spine. A fine example overall.
The original plain white die-cut inner sleeve has hardly any marking and no side splits or tears. It just has some light creasing here and there.
ILPS 9125 A-2U M 1 --- ILPS 9125 B-2U R 1
Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT VM-95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine
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 will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
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LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item
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LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra
USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £20.95 then £2.50 per extra
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £19.95 then £2.50 per extra
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