TONTON MACOUTE S/T RCA Neon NE 4 Rare LP Orig. German 1st Pressing 1971 EX+

	£		175
	$		232

TONTON MACOUTE - S/T 

A beautiful and extremely rare copy of this 1971 1st press prog rock classic on the coveted NEON label, NE 4

 Matrix Numbers :

Side 1  AGBS - 0519 with "MANUFACTURED IN GERMANY" machine stamped into dead wax area

Side 2  AGBS - 0520 with "MANUFACTURED IN GERMANY" machine stamped into dead wax area

The appearance of the vinyl is excellent+. Beautifully jet black lacquered sheen, completely flat and with a wonderful gleaming appearance. Hard to believe that any piece of vinyl can possibly be in as good a condition as this 46 years after it's release, but it is! Even under a halogen light I can find no trace of even the usual wispy hairlines or paper scuffs - gorgeous and obviously barely played. 

The labels are pristine - I can't even detect the usual faint spindle trails...perfect!

The iconic laminated gatefold sleeve is excellent.  There is some sporadic and very light scuffing on the bottom edge towards the left hand corner but the top edge is perfect. The spine remains rigid with all text perfectly legible and the opening edges are also rigid with no fraying whatsoever. There are six 1cm light, surface only laminate creases adjacent to and perpendicular to the spine but these are very minor and do not detract from the overall impressiveness of this album cover. The laminate shine and colour vibrancy has been retained on both the front and reverse side of this gatefold and the inside is no less impressive, with the only blemish being "6.25" written in blue biro beside the first track of side 1 song title (see photo). 

Finally, the quality of the audio is an overall EXCELLENT. Great tone and clarity throughout with no clicks, skips or "pops". I'm tempted to grade the audio quality as "excellent plus" but there is just the hint of some background static during some of the quieter moments and most noticeable at the beginning of side 2 - there is no obvious reason for this except to assume that this is down to some dust in the grooves from 40+ years of storage. But even this is not intrusive and each track makes for a great listen (prog rock with jazz elements - love it!). Actually I have just re-played side 2 after a thorough clean and what little background static/crackle there was has diminished even further, supporting my argument that this is just down to dust in the grooves through 40+ years of storage.

I am sure that some sellers would grade this copy as "near mint" ... "a strong excellent" is my honest assessment but I would add that I am certain you would need to search high and low (and fork out a lot of money) for a better condition copy.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. JUST LIKE STONE

2. DON'T MAKE ME CRY

3. FLYING SOUTH IN WINTER

Side 2 :

1. DREAMS

2. YOU MAKE MY JELLY ROLL

3. NATURAL HIGH Part I

4. Natural High Part II

Comes with original plain white inner sleeve but I will also include a poly lined black inner sleeve which was the norm for UK Neon label releases.

In summary an EXCELLENT+ copy of this very rare and highly sought after 1971 UK prog rock 1st press classic, which would grace any serious vinyl collection.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but over the years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boots, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I never intended selling any of my records but now I am retired and a combination of space requirements (caused partly by duplication) and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell many of my much loved gems. 

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in removing the record from the outer sleeve in order to prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class, tacked and signed for  : UK £5.00, continental Europe £10, and Rest of the World £15. 

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint

Description: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

Description: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packag­ing might have slight wear and/or creasing.

Very Good

Description: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable sur­face marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

Description: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

Fair 

Description: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for prop­erly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor

Description: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

Description: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.