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Trees : On The Shore A1 / B1 1st Press CBS 1970

This first pressing is stunning!  I have never found one that plays with a clarity, warmth and depth as impressive as this one.  It is not far off perfect and as always I have played every track in full.  S1 plays with sonic quality that cannot be faulted in any way and S2 is not far off that pinnacle with just one minor tick and a light background click.  There is no underlying static on any of the tracks and it's so so close to a Final Upgrade.  The vinyl is in excellent condition also with only some light hairlines.

The cover is in very good shape with not too much shelf wear and the original CBS inner sleeve is in excellent condition.  It's the vinyl that stands out here, it truly is a stunning copy!

The first pressing has the A1/B1 matrix, no rh on the back cover and orange CBS labels. 

S-64168-A1 / S-64168-B1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T3 & T4 Near Mint)

The Patents Pending cover is VG+

The CBS inner sleeve is Ex

The labels are 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 there are a few faint hairlines and a small number of minor 'specks' but there is nothing that stands out and they clearly do not affect the superb audio.  The CBS labels are super clean with no marking and very little spindle wear.

Play grading

A little static on the run in as you set the stylus down and then the beginning of 'Soldiers Three' plays perfectly with no background on the opening vocal section.  The following instrumental is just as clean and precise as is the final vocal passage.  There is just one barely audible static on the fade out so I will grade as Mint- accordingly :-)

The acoustic intro on 'Murdoch' plays with stunning clarity and Humphris first vocal is equal to that.  It continues to play with exceptional quality with no issues at all.  This is a stunning version!  Humphris vocal is the stand out feature, as it should be, but it's such a strong track also.  Very much a folk rock track and I cannot overstate how well it plays - the audio is so clear and the 'choral' vocal at the end is superb.  This deserves to be graded as Mint because from start to finish there is no background at all.  There is just a minor hint of light static in the dead wax between the tracks.

The intro on 'Streets Of Derry' has no intrusion and Humphris first quiet vocal is of the same standard.  From then on it plays as per the previous two tracks.  The long instrumental plays with unbelievable quality and there is literally no intrusion.  Impeccable guitar work, lead by Clarke I guess, and once again I am blown away at the sheer quality of the music.  It just could not play any better - the power, depth and resonance of the audio is sublime.  The fade out is background free and Mint is fully deserved.  Wow!

The piano intro on 'Sally Free And Easy' again shows how infrequently this album has been played and well looked after it has been.  It's a long intro and yet the clarity is STUNNING with a capital S!  There are just a handful of very quiet statics that obviously are not intrusive.  The acoustic section and opening vocal then play to perfection - I do not want to labour the point but I cannot believe how pristine the audio is!  The following instrumental section keeps up the standard and Humphris' next vocal is just as strong and clear.  The volume is increasing here and yet the sonic quality is not affected despite it being the final track.  It continues to play 'as new' there is no other term for it and with a power and precision that is out of this world.  This more powerful section is faultless and as the volume decreases into the final section there are only a couple of very quiet ticks, blink and you miss them!  The final vocal section plays with outstanding clarity once more as does the closing instrumental and I have no hesitation in grading it as Mint- as there is basically no interference.  Ok a small number of minor statics but they are so so quiet and totally non-intrusive.  This classic track runs at over 10 minutes let's not forget and I defy anyone to say it should grade lower!  It is beautiful and STUNNING version.

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The first part of the intro on 'Fool' is so quiet and yet plays perfectly.  There is just one static tick as it builds.  The opening vocal / following instrumental have no background, not even a dust tick, and from then on plays to the same exact standard with no interference.  Strong bass work from Boshell and Clarke's usual class.  With only that one static tick at the start this easily deserves a Mint- grade.  Stunning clarity throughout.

The acoustic 'Adam's Toon' plays beautifully without any intrusion.  It is Mint simple as that.

'Geordie' has a couple of very quiet statics on the intro and Humphris' opening vocal could not be any clearer.  How to describe each track in a unique way when they all play with incredible clarity?!  Actually there is one light tick during the mid instrumental and a couple of even lighter ones so I will grade this classic track as Near Mint there is no intrusion on the remainder.

Humphris and Boshell combine so well vocally on 'While The Iron Is Hot' and it plays with genuine quality throughout.  A folk number with a strong 'rock' influence during the instrumental.  I did notice a light background click on a vocal section towards the end but that is the only background.  Otherwise perfect clarity.  Near Mint

The intro on 'Little Sadie' is flawless and the opening vocal is just as strong.  Almost psychedelic in style it plays with stunning precision through every section and grades as Mint - actually more of a country feel I would say.

'Polly On The Shore' ends this superb album with exceptional clarity and warmth once more.  A vocally driven track I cannot emphasise enough just how fantastic the audio is!  Again!  Each note is so clean and precise and there is only quiet tick from start to finish and I do mean very quiet!  The closing instrumental is 'as new' and that pretty much applies to the entire album doesn't it.  A Mint- conclusion to a stunning album.

The Cover & Inner Sleeve

The Patents Pending cover is in very good condition with some shelf wear.  The edges and spine have some rubbing but not an excessive amount and the corners have a little wear also.  The opening edge is very clean with only very minor feathering at each end.  The front cover is in excellent order overall but does have a small faint sticker removal mark top right and an actual sticker just below that.  Perhaps it could be removed but not by me!  The back cover is again excellent and you can only see a little edge wear and some faint creasing in the top left corner.  A strong example overall.

The original CBS inner is in excellent condition with no side splits or tears and only minimal age related fading around the edges.  Minimal creasing also.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

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

S-64168-A1 / S-64168-B1

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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