BIG SLEEP Bluebell Wood 1971 UK PEGASUS 1st Press 1U/1U SUPERB VINYL + AUDIO EX+

	£		144
	$		191

BIG SLEEP - BLUEBELL WOOD

Rare and highly sought after excellent plus condition 1971 UK 1st press 12" LP folk/prog gem on the highly collectible Pegasus label, PEG 4 (one of the rarest PEGASUS albums)

Matrix Numbers : Side 1  PEG 4  A - 1U with earliest stampers "1" and "G" at 11 o'clock and 5 o'clock respectively   (machine stamped)

                              Side 2  PEG 4  B - 1U with earliest stampers "1" and "R" at 10 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively  (machine stamped) 

Both sides of the perfectly flat vinyl gleam with the original jet black lacquered sheen remaining beautifully intact and are in excellent plus condition (EX+). On each side there are just a few very wispy hairlines and very faint paper scuff marks - all strictly surface only, non-feelable and only really identifiable with close scrutiny under a bright light. Hard to believe that this 50 year old record remains in such impressive condition - clearly it has been very sparingly played and well looked after.

The condition of each label is also excellent plus (EX+). If you look very hard, in a bright light, it is just possible to identify a few small and very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label - otherwise perfect, with the iconic PEGASUS art work and logo, and accompanying text, remaining in pristine condition.

The condition of the non-laminated outer gatefold sleeve is again excellent plus (EX+). What an iconic and beautiful outer gatefold sleeve this is! Gorgeous and 100% intact colours and art work still with vibrancy, clarity and great definition. Each edge remains rigid with no scuffing (just a couple of tiny, very light and non-obvious dinks on each of the top and bottom edges and the spine), the spine is also firm with all spine text perfectly legible, each corner remains a near perfectly defined right angle with minimal rubbing on each and just a little compression on the bottom right corner, the opening edges are firm with no feathering or fraying, and as already mentioned the art work and colours remain rich and vibrant with crystal clear definition. There are two very light line scores (one is 1cm in length the other is 3cm) on the reverse side towards the spine edge but you have to tilt the sleeve to the right angle in a good light in order to really identify them. The inside of the gatefold is again difficult to fault with just a couple of very, very light surface marks towards the top edge - nothing really - and just the hint of a 2cm very, very light crease mark at the very bottom of the internal spine...very trivial. Very impressive!

The stereo audio quality is an excellent plus (EX+). No skips, repeats, pops, clicks, or jumps - just perfect, with great tone and clarity throughout even at higher volume and frequency. There is just the hint of some very, very mild background crackle during a couple of the intermissions/quieter moments on side 2 but this is little more than what you would expect with a new record and seems to be just static. What a great listen this album is with some brilliant organ play (not dissimilar to late 1960's Keith Emerson/Nice) and guitar licks. Trying to get hold of one of these first pressings in condition as impressive as this is almost impossible now.

The track listing is :

Side 1:

1. Death of a Hope

2. Odd Song

3. Free Life

4. Aunty James

5. Saint & Sceptic

Side 2 :

1. Bluebell Wood

2. Watching Love Grow

3. Waen The Sun Was Out

Comes complete with excellent plus condition original plain white inner sleeve with correct "PATENT NO..." and "MADE IN ENGLAND" texts with no splits or tears or age discolouration, just a little mild creasing towards the corners, and of course remains fully functional. 

A truly excellent plus condition copy of this exceedingly rare and highly sought after UK 1st press prog rock gem - almost impossible to find now in condition as truly impressive as this. A record fit to grace any vinyl collection, that's for sure!

Note that I always insert the vinyl(s) into a new plain white poly-lined inner sleeve in order to protect the original during postage, and separate this from the sleeve itself  to prevent seam splits. I use thick cardboard stiffeners and take great care in my packaging to ensure as far as possible that these precious records reach their destination in exactly the same condition as when they leave me.

POSTAGE COSTS :  

For the UK £7 using Royal Mail 1st class special delivery; 

for continental Europe £14 using Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for, 

and for the rest of the world £21 using Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for. 

Note that for Italy I now use either Parcelforce or UPS for shipping at a flat rate cost of £16, tracked and signed for.

I do provide posting and packaging discounts for multiple purchases. I make no profit from postage.

 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 listings for more 60's and 70's classic vinyl.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting UK vinyl for over 53 years from a variety of sources : my own collection, friends and family, car boot and garage sales, door-to-door leaflets, and even through placing an advert in my wife's costume hire shop window! 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 questions asked" refund policy. If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. There is NO RESERVE on this item. Richard

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

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