The Zombies - Odessey And Oracle - 1968 UK First Pressing Stereo - CBS 63280

$

852

Make someone (or yourself) *very* happy this Christmas!

Believe your eyes! You are looking at a near mint UK stereo first pressing of the Zombies' masterpiece "Odessey And Oracle", released by CBS in 1968! Catalogue no. S/SPBG 63280.

I certainly don't need to tell you how great the music is, but I sure have to say: This is in incredible condition. This is the HOLY GRAIL.

I have never seen a better looking or sounding copy of this album to this day, and I've been collecting vinyl for over 30 years now. Don't be fooled by people telling you the mono version sounds better than the stereo. Sometimes that's the case for sure, but with this beauty here, I can tell you it sounds absolutely incredible - better than any early mono copy I have ever heard.

I'm sure most record collectors and dealers wouldn't hesitate to grade this near mint (for the cover AND vinyl). It's in such great shape, you wouldn't believe it's over 45 years old now. It's always been cared for very, very well, that's for sure. And it hasn't been played that often either.

Might sound like a cliché, but it's the truth: I never ever had such a time letting a record go!

COVER CONDITION

The front cover is laminated, the back cover is not - just like most UK pressings were at that time. There are very few, very light creases, it's almost too much to call them that. It's really only visible when you hold it against the light. I just wanna be as detailed as possible and mention anything that keeps this copy from being stone mint if you would grade it conservatively.

There's some very minor wear to some of the covers, no creases though, again: only visible under really close inspection. I took pictures of all corners front and back to give you an idea. It's actually close to nothing given the age and rarity of this record.

One thing worth to mention: There's a sticker with a Dutch record shop address in the upper left corner of the back cover. I haven't tried but it looks like it can be easily removed if you prefer that. One corner of the sticker is loose anyway, should be no big deal if you carefully use a hair dryer or water steam and gently peel it off afterwards.

Spine is immaculate, no creases, no discoloration etc.

VINYL CONDITION

The vinyl itself is nice and shiny, looks almost brand new, only very few super light surface marks that don't effect the performance. I played this record on my Thorens TD-124 MkII using a Denon DL 103 cartridge - there are very few surface sounds at all, not really more than you would here on a brand new record. I'd say this plays near mint.

The labels are immaculate, just like you would expect with a record and cover looking this good.

Again, I'm sure most people would grade near mint/near mint, and if this was a record player I wouldn't hesitate to say it's in museum condition. Call it near mint, call it excellent plus - I can guarantee you one thing: If you are looking for a 1968 first pressing of "Odessey And Oracle", this is the definite copy for you, this is as close to perfection as you can  get. It's not unlikely that there is simply no copy in better shape in existence today. Buy with confidence!

SHIPPING INFO

The record will be packaged in a super protective professional record mailer made of strong cardboard. I'll take extra-care of the corners, and of course, I won't leave the record inside the cover. Then I will put the record mailer box into another, much bigger box and stuff the spaces inside with bubble wrap. It's a box-in-a-box principle. Thus, it is impossible that the record and cover could be damaged in transit. You will receive what you see here, it will arrive in the same condition as it was in when I sent it.

Record ships from Germany. Registred and insured shipping via DHL within the EU will be $15, worldwide will be $25. PayPal only.

Happy bidding!