BOB DYLAN, BLONDE ON BLONDE, 1966 UK CBS DOUBLE, VERY 1st STEREO PRESS

	£		102
	$		135

Hello, my name is Nick (aka playgraderecords). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.94/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection I am pleased to offer an exceptional example of the brilliant electric folk/blues studio double album by BOB DYLAN titled “BLONDE ON BLONDE”, Catalogue Number SDDP 66012. This is an original 1966 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the ORANGE CBS RECORD LABEL, with a stunning 1st ISSUE LAMINATED GATEFOLD SLEEVE. It comes complete with the original matching CBS orange & white inner sleeves which advertise other CBS albums of the period. [The sleeve is the earliest possible design with flipbacks along the top and bottom edges inside the gatefold and 9 photos on the inside, including the one of Claudia Cardinale. The record labels have a rough-textured finish and "33" text. The matrix numbers are the earliest A1, B1, C1 & D1].

The sleeve is in EX+ condition with only the lightest signs of wear. The front and back covers are simply stunning with the lamination retaining its original reflective lustre. It's a beautiful sleeve. Hopefully the photos below do it justice.

The heavyweight 160g records are in EX+ condition. The rough-textured CBS labels are like new with only a few faint spindle traces each side. It is clear that the records have only received a few careful plays. All 4 sides play excellently throughout with no deterioration in sound quality and only very low levels of unwanted noise. There are no loud pops, repeat clicks, distortion, hiss or anything else, just a touch of light residual surface sound which is never intrusive and only mentioned for complete accuracy. The stereo playback is powerful, clear and vibrant with excellent stereo instrument separation. It's very different to the mono version.

The orange & white CBS inner sleeves are both in unmarked EX+ condition.

Overall this is a superb and complete 1st press copy of Bob Dylan's folk/blues masterpiece which will grace any record collection. Almost impossible to find like this in stereo!

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Linn Sondek LP12 turntable fitted with a high end cartridge. My gradings are strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

PACKAGING        

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £11.95

Worldwide - £16.80