The Who LIVE AT LEEDS UK LP A1/B1 BLACK STAMP NMINT

	£		91
	$		120

THE WHO - LIVE AT LEEDS

• CATALOGUE:TRACK 2406001
• MATRIX: 2406001 A-1  2406001 B-1
• BARELY PLAYED IN 38 YEARS
• THIS IS THE VERY FIRST PRESS ALBUM WITH THE RARE 'BLACK STAMP' ON THE COVER. ONLY TRUE FIRST PRESSES HAVE THIS STAMP, LATER RELEASES HAVING BLUE, AND THEN RED

• ONE OF THE BEST COPIES OF THIS ALBUM I HAVE EVER SEEN

THE RECORD LABELS

THE WHITE TRACK LABELS ARE DESIGNED LIKE THE REST OF THE PACKAGE TO LOOK LIKE BOOTLEG LABELS. THE DANGER WITH THESE LABELS IS THAT THEY GET VERY GRUBBY BECAUSE OF THE COLOUR, BUT HERE WE HAVE A PAIR THAT ARE IN NEAR MINT CONDITION. THE WHITE IS PERFECT ALL OVER BOTH SIDES OF THE LABEL. THE BLUE LETTERING IS ALL IN PRISTINE, UNWORN, UNFADED CONDITION. ONE SIDE HAS BEEN PLAYED MORE THAN THE OTHER AS THERE ARE ONLY TWO SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE HOLE ON SIDE 2, AND ABOUT 8 ON SIDE ONE, MEANING THAT SIDE 2 HAS BEEN PLAYED MORE OFTEN, UNSURPRISINGLY AS IT HAS 'MY GENERATION' ON IT, BUT EVEN SO THE LP HAS PROBABLY HAD NO MORE THAN 10 PLAYS ON THE LAST 39 YEARS.

THE VINYL

THE VINYL IS THE HEAVY FIRST PRESS VINYL AND IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. HANDLING THE VINYL REVEALS THAT THE ORIGNAL SHEEN HAS BEEN FULLY RETAINED. THERE ARE NO VISIBLE SCRATCHES OR ANY SIGNS OF CARELESS HANDLING, OR INDEED FINGERMARKS ON EITHER SIDE OF THE LP. ONLY WHEN OFFREDE UP TO INTENSE ILLUMINATION AM I ABLE TO MAKE OUT A FEW BARELY VISIBLE WISPS, WHICH DO NOT AFFECT THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS MAGNIFICENT ALBUM

PLAYING THE RECORD

I HAVE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS ME TO RECORD FOR YOU SOME SOUNDBITES. I AM CERTAIN THAT ALL THE WORDS I CHOSE TO TYPE ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO ACTUALLY HEARING WHAT YOU MAY BE CONSIDERING TO BID ON. I HOPE YOU AGREE

I HAVE INCLUDED 4 SOUNDBITES OF JUST HOW GREAT THIS RECORD SOUNDS. PLEASE CLICK ON THE MEDIA PLAYER ABOVE TO ACCESS THEM. I ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT THE INTRODUCTION (RUN IN GROOVE) IS A REALLY GOOD REFLECTION OF THE OVERALL QUALITY OF THE DISC. SO I HAVE STARTED THE RECORDING FROM THE RUN IN GROOVE, HENCE A FEW SECONDS BEFORE THE MUSIC STARTS. HOWEVER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CLEARLY HEAR WHAT THAT RUN IN SOUNDS LIKE, WHETHER IT HAS ANY NOISE ETC.

IT IS WORTH POINTING OUT HERE THAT THE LP WAS RECORDED WITH SOME CRACKLING IN IT. THIS WAS A DECISION MADE BY THE BAND TO ADD AUTHENTICITY TO THE LIVE BOOTLEG RECORDING. IT STATES THIS ON THE RECORD LABEL "CRACKLING NOISES OK , DO NOT CORRECT"

THE RUN IN IS SILENT, AND AS THE RECORD STARTS TO PLAY "YOUNG MAN" IT IS VERY OBVIOUS THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO A GREAT ALBUM. THE FIRST THING THAT IS CLEAR IS THAT THE SOUND IS DISTORTION FREE. ALMOST POINTLESS STATING THIS IN LIGHT OF HOW LITTLE THE ALBUM HAS BEEN PLAYED, BUT IT DOES MEAN THAT THE PLAY THAT THE RECORD HAS HAD WAS DONE WITH A GOOD QUALITY STYLUS AND NOT ONE THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE GROOVE SUCH AS A WORN, CHIPPED STYLUS, OR INDEED ONE THAT WAS TRACKING TOO HEAVILY.

EACH TRACK PLAYS THROUGH WITH UTMOST CLARITY. THE PERFORMANCE ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES IS JUST OUTSTANDING. THERE IS NO BACKGROUND NOISE ANYWHERE ON EITHER SIDE, AND EACH LINKING GROOVE IS AS SILENT AS THE RUN IN THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY HEARD BY NOW.  

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS DISC NEAR MINT

THE SLEEVE

THE OVERALL GRADING OF THE SLEEVE IS NEAR MINT!!!!!

THIS IS ONE OF THE HARDEST SLEEVES TO GET IN ANYTHING LIKE GREAT CONDITION, SIMPLY BECAUSE IT WAS DESIGNED TO LOOK LIKE A CHEAP SLEEVE IN KEEPING WITH THE BOOTLEG THEME. THE WHOLE THING IS MADE OF POROUS BROWN THICK PAPER, AND AS SUCH IS PRONE TO JUST ABOUT EVERY FORM OF WEAR. STAINING IS THE MOST OBVIOUS AS THE SLIGHTEST TRACE WOULD BE ABSORBED BY THE PAPER AND REMAIN PERMENENTLY. ALSO ANY STICKER THAT WAS PLACED ON THE COVER WOULD RESULT IN A PAPER TEAR IF IT WAS REMOVED.THE SPINE ALSO AGED TERRIBLY WITH THE CONSTANT OPENING AND CLOSING. AN FINALLY STAPLED AREA WOULD OFTEN BE FOUND SPLIT AS THE POCKETS CAME AWAY FROM THE STAPLES DUE TO MISHANDLING

ANYWAY THATS "OTHER " COPIES. THIS ONE IS IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION - I DON'T RECALL SEEING A CLEANER COPY

THE FRONT SURFACE HAS THE 'BLACK STAMP' WHICH IS CLEAR AND UNWORN. THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR DEEP CREASE LINES, IN FACT THE ONLY LINES ARE SMALL ONES CLOSE TO THE SPINE. THE DELICATE BROWN SURFACE HAS CLEARLY BEEN HOUSED IN PLASTIC AS THERE ARE NO HANDLING STAINS, OR MARKS APART FROM THE BAREST TRACE OF AGING IN THE FORM OF A SHADE OF GREY IN A COUPLE OF AREAS. THE SLEEVE ALSO USUALLY SUFFERS FROM DISCOULORISATION AROUND THE PERIMETER EDGES AND THE WORST OF THIS IS RESERVED FOR THE SPINE, BUT HERE EVEN THIS IS REDUCED TO ALMOST NOTHING, JUST A VERY VERY THIN STRIP. THE STAPLES HAVE NOT RUSTED , NOR HAS THE SLEEVE SPLIT ALONG THE SEAM LIKE SO MANY, AND THE REAR SURFACE IS IN EXACTLY THE SAME GREAT SHAPE AS THE FRONT. OPENING THE GATEFOLD AND THE BLACK TRACK LOGO AND TYPEFACE IS PERFECT, AS ARE THE POCKETS FOR THE RECORD AND INSERTS

NOW FOR THE INSERTS. AS MENTIONED THEY ARE ALL HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL RICE PAPER ENVELOPE WHICH ITSELF IS IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION

THE INSERTS ARE IN MINT CONDITION, INCLUDING THE POSTER WHICH IS OFTEN MISSING FROM SETS AS IT WAS PLACED ON BEDROOM WALLS BACK IN THE DAY! THIS ONE STILL HAS THE SHARPEST OF CREASES, AND HAS CLEARLY BARELY BEEN OUT OG THE ENVELOPE, AND CERTAINLY NOWHERE NEAR A WALL. EACH DOCUMENT IS ORIGINAL AND NOT A REPLACEMENT FROM A LATER SET,THERE IS ONE CREASE ON THE LIVE PICTURE AND ONE ON THE YELLOW SHEET, BUT THAT IS THE ONLY BLEMISH TO THE INSERTS, THE OTHER 10 ARE PERFECT.

INCIDENTALLY THE LATER POSTERS WHILST THEY LOOK THE SAME AT FIRST GLANCE HAVE AN EXTRA BIT OF TYPEFACE ON THEM. ABOVE THE WORD 'LIVE' AT THE FOOT OF THE POSTER THESE LATER ISSUES HAVE THE TRACK RECORD LOGO FOLLOWED BY THE LP CATALOGUE NUMBER.ALSO THE WORD LIVE IS THE START OF THE LINE 'LIVE AT LEEDS' WHICH IS NOT ON THE ORIGINAL POSTER. THE ORIGINALS ALL HAVE ' TUESDAYS AT THE MARQUEE, 90 WARDOUR ST'

THE PAPER QUALITY IS ALSO DIFFERENT ON THE REST OF THE DOCUMENTS WITH THE LATER PRESSINGS HAVING THINNER AND THINNER PAPER.

I CAN 100% GUARANTEE THAT THIS IS THE ORIGINAL FIRST PRESS SET WITH THE FIRST PRESS LP

THE  ORIGINAL POLY LINED TRACK INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED AND IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION

THIS IS A FANTASTIC EXAMPLE OF THIS RARE PRESSING

SO ONCE AGAIN THIS IS A VERY VERY HIGH GRADE COLLECTIBLE ALBUM IN THE MOST SUPERB CONDITION IMAGINABLE, SO BID WITH CONFIDENCE, AND GOOD LUCK IF YOU DECIDE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY