BRAINCHILD Healing Of The Lunatic Owl 1970 UK A&M 1st press superb vinyl + audio

	£		98
	$		130

BRAINCHILD - HEALING OF THE LUNATIC OWL

A truly brilliant copy of this rare and now highly sought after 1970 UK very first pressing of this prog/psych rock gem, on the A&M RECORDS label, stereo AMLS 979

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  AMLS 979 A-1 *T with stampers "B" and "1" at 2 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively

Side 2  AMLS 979 B-1 *T with stampers "G" and "1" at 4 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively

The appearance of the flat, thick vinyl is truly excellent plus (EX+). Gleaming vinyl with jet black lacquering and in normal daylight no detectable marks at all. Even with close scrutiny and under an intense light I could only identify just a couple of small, very, very faint paper scuffs...insignificant.  Truly brilliant condition vinyl and clearly having been played just a handful of times at most. So very rare to come across this record let alone in such stunning condition vinyl - there really can't be many first press copies in existence in as impressive a condition as this.

The labels are excellent+. Beautiful matt textured labels with barely any aberrations/blemishes at all. The A&M logo, the the smooth matt light brown background, and all black text are perfectly intact on each label. On side 2 and side 3 I could just (under an intense light) make out a single very faint spindle trail on each label but you will have to look really hard to detect them. 

The laminated (back and front) MacNeill Press sleeve is a solid excellent. Such an iconic sleeve, and so rare to come across in condition as impressive as this. Amazingly there is no scuffing or rubbing on any of the edges, the opening sides are firm with no feathering, and each corner remains a well defined right angle. There is no cardboard creasing and the colouring remains as rich and vibrant as ever. The spine remains firm with no scuffing whatsoever and all text perfectly intact. There is some vertical light laminate lifting adjacent to the spine on the front side along with a number (I counted nine) of 1-3cm light laminate surface creases, none of which are immediately obvious but do come into view under a brighter light with the sleeve tilted at an angle. The reverse side is similarly excellent with just a 10cm diagonal laminate crease at the bottom left corner and a 3mm width and 6cm length strip of discolouration right on the edge at the bottom right corner. All writing and art work remains fully intact.

Finally, the quality of the audio is simply stunning. No clicks, no skips, no background interference or crackle, just great stereo audio reproduction with brilliant tone and clarity throughout even on the higher frequencies and at higher volume. You might come across the very occasional nano-second light static click but this is purely down to a speck of dust in the grooves through decades of storage. Sit back and enjoy each and every track from a true "under the radar" 1970 prog/psych gem, an album which only in recent years is  finally receiving the recognition that it deserves.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. Autobiography

2. Healing of the lunatic owl

3. Hide from the dawn

4. She's learning

Side 2 :

1. A time a place

2. Two bad days

3. Sadness of a moment

4. To "B"

Comes with original plain white poly lined inner sleeve with the original "U.K. Patent No...." and "Foreign Patents Pending" text with no splits or tears, just some mild creasing towards the corners and remaining 100% fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly excellent+ copy of this highly rare and sought after 1969 UK very 1st pressing prog rock gem - there can't be many UK 1st pressings in condition as good as this - and worthy of gracing any vinyl collection.

 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 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

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 quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £4.00, Royal Mail 1st class signed for; continental Europe £9 and Rest of the World £13, Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for. 

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records 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, discolouration, 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 are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

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