TRAFFIC MR. FANTASY UK ORIG ISLAND PINK EYE, ILPS9061

	£		115
	$		152

TRAFFIC "MR.FANTASY"

ORIGINAL COPY. FIRST Stereo UK PRESSING. Released 1967. Stereo. Island Records, catalogue number; ILPS9061, Matrix numbers; ILPS9061-A2/B2.

A very nice laminated gatefold copy of the first Traffic LP, true psych pioneers!

The last comparable condition copies sold on eBay for $203, £105, £274.

99p start.

Sleeve Condition : NEAR MINT.

A lovely shiny laminated gatefold cover with absolutely no spine/corner rubs or scuffs, only the most minimal of wear, hardly noticable.

Vinyl Condition, Visual: EXCELLENT-NEAR MINT.

Nice shiny copy with some very light surface marks which don't affect sound quality.

Vinyl Condition, Audible: NEAR MINT.

Plays extemely well,  with the slight exception of some very light static/dust crackle mostly at the beginning of each side.

Label Condition : NEAR MINT-MINT.

Pink label with the eye. Almost non existent spindle marks, no ring wear, a nice tight fit!

This item is offered with a money back guarantee, please see below.

Mr. Fantasy (not to be confused with "Dear Mr. Fantasy", the title song on this album) is the debut album by English rock band Traffic. It was released in 1967. For the recording, group members included Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood, Chris Wood, and Dave Mason, however Mason left the band before the album was released. The album reached the number 16 position in the UK album chart on 30 December 1967, and reached number 88 in the American Billboard charts.

Considered by far the strangest and most art rock style album that Traffic released, Mr. Fantasy didn't gain much more than a cult following for Traffic at the time. Critics seemed to like the album, though, and most said it was clear that Steve Winwood and Traffic were good at putting together semi-mainstream psychedelic rock, except this album was not quite mainstream enough. By their next release, the eponymous Traffic, the band was said to have worked through that.

This album features even more horns, flutes, and less rock-style instruments than most of Traffic's future releases. The sitar was used much more in this album than any other later Traffic albums, undoubtedly because of Dave Mason's influence.

The first US version of the album on United Artists Records had a different title Heaven Is In Your Mind and a different cover that featured 3 members of the group without Dave Mason. The title was quickly changed back to Mr. Fantasy but the new cover remained until Island Records re-issued the UK version in the late 1970s.

For the original US edition the group changed the album substantially. The song order was changed and a short snippet of the group's November 1967 single "Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush" was added between most of the songs. The US LP also added three songs from the group's UK singles, "Paper Sun" and "Hole In My Shoe" and "Smiling Phases" (B-side) while deleting two Dave Mason songs "Hope I Never Find Me There" and "Utterly Simple." The final track on the US album "We're A Fade, You Missed This' is actually the ending of "Paper Sun" as it appeared in the earlier single. There are also many differences between the stereo and mono mixes for the album. Both the US and UK editions were released in stereo and mono.

The album was engineered by Phil Brown who when asked what was his favourite memory of engineering he responded: "Recording Dear Mr Fantasy, one o'clock in the morning, November 1967."

1. "Heaven Is in Your Mind" (Jim Capaldi, Steve Winwood, Chris Wood) – 4:16
2. "Berkshire Poppies" (Capaldi, Winwood, Wood) – 2:55
3. "House for Everyone" (Dave Mason) – 2:05
4. "No Face, No Name, No Number" (Capaldi, Winwood) – 3:35
5. "Dear Mr. Fantasy" (Capaldi, Winwood, Wood) – 5:44
6. "Dealer" (Capaldi, Winwood) – 3:34
7. "Utterly Simple" (Mason) – 3:16
8. "Coloured Rain" (Capaldi, Winwood, Wood) – 2:43
9. "Hope I Never Find Me There" (Mason) – 2:12
10. "Giving to You" (Capaldi, Mason, Winwood, Wood) – 4:20

Our accurate condition gradings are based on those used in the UK 2008 Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide. Please see below for a complete explanation.

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UK Record Collector Grading System:

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in the sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition.

EXCELLENT (US version of this term: Near Mint): The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in the sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.

VERY GOOD (US version of this term: VG++): 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 (US version of this term: VG): 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 etc.