CATAPILLA 1st UK Press Vertigo Swirl EX SUPER SCARCE 1971 AFFINITY BEN

	£		270
	$		358

CATAPILLA - 

CATAPILLA

 VERTIGO

6360 029

1st Press UK

 1971 Ultra Heavy vinyl

Machined first press matrices 1Y//1  2Y//1, first press mother stampers

This is one of the top ten scarcest albums on the Vertigo swirl label. This album hardly ever comes up for sale.

Credits

• Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Written-By – Robert Calvert (2)
• Bass – Dave Taylor (8)
• Design [Sleeve Design] – Rick Breach
• Drums, Written-By – Malcolm Frith
• Engineer – Lou Austin*
• Flute [Tenor, Alto], Clarinet, Written-By – Thierry Reinhardt
• Lead Guitar, Written-By – Graham Wilson (3)
• Producer – Patrick Meehan Jnr.*
• Tenor Saxophone – Hugh Eaglestone
• Typography – Iain Stratton
• Vocals, Written-By – Anna Meek

Machined First UK press matrices, the earliest possible issue and according to the mother stampers this copy is one of the very first issued in the first few days.  It is a very rare item which does hardly ever come up included in the auction when this album is listed. This copy  will be an upgrade for any serious collector. Please read on ...

 One of those early progressive albums that positively drips with a hazy, late-sixties vibe, the debut album from little-known jazz-influenced outfit Catapilla is an underrated little gem blending elements of jazz, avant-garde folk, heavy prog and psychedelia to strange yet highly satisfying effect. Seven-strong, Catapilla's line-up featured Robert Calvert(no, not that one; Sax), Hugh Eaglestone(sax), Malcolme Frith(drums), Anna Meek(vocals), Thierry Reinhart(wind instruments), Graham Wilson(guitar) and David Taylor(bass), most of whom would re-appear on the groups second, and final, album 'Changes' a year later. With only four songs, this self-titled effort features a dense, multi-layered sonic tapestry of sounds, falling almost halfway between the jazz-flecked epics of Frank Zappa's more adventurous pieces and the fuzzy jazz-fusion of Nucleus and Soft Machine. The difference, however, are the deliberately manic vocals of Anna Meek, who squawks, sings, screams, howls and hollers her way right through the album in a show of pure, unbridled passion that needs to be heard to be (dis)believed. Of the four tracks - all are great - it is the final, firey epic 'Embryonic Fusion'(what a name) that finds the group at their most adventurous, the bleating saxophones, edgy guitars and skittering drums creating a swirling, almost mystical jazz journey that brings to mind the more eclectic works of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock et al, though with a hard-rock edge that soaks everything with a late-night effect often found in the best of cool jazz. Highly recommended to all fusion fans as well as lovers of classic progressive rock, this debut album is a wonderfully obscure relic from bygone days. Enjoy. (Review From: "progarchives.com)

ORIGINAL UK VERTIGO FIRST PRESSING (1971) OF CATAPILLA'S DEBUT ALBUM AND DELIVERING BEAUTIFULLY CLEAN AUDIO THROUGHOUT - WHICH IS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT TO FIND AS THE LP HAS MANY VERY QUIET MOMENTS WHICH ARE COMMONLY SPOILT BY EXCESSIVE SURFACE NOISE -   - FANTASTIC UPGRADE COPY  THIS BEAUTY HAD ONE VERY CAREFUL OWNER WHO RESPECTED HIS VINYL.

Gatefold Sleeve:  VG+ to EX.  The classic Catapilla album is in great condition with just very light wear.  The colours are still very rich and the only thing is light edge wear really, mainly confined to the top and bottom edges. The opening is really crisp and the spine is fully legible. It has a small catalogue sticker to the front top. NO writing, NO tears, NO seam splits etc.

The original inner swirly and polylined sleeve is still present. It is still fully intact without any tears or splits but some corner creasing. Light age related yellowing.

Vinyl: EX.  Both surfaces retain their original deep, glossy sheen. There are just light paper retraction traces only visible under a strong light source. It has always been stored away in its protective poly lined sleeve in a purpose built record storage unit and kept at the ideal temperature for many decades.  This album is part of an important early seventies prog collection which I acquired from a serious collector who appreciated well crafted music. More LP's will be auctioned in weeks to come. Outstanding audio delivery in all respects with a crystal clear, deep, rich, warm and detailed sound and on playback at a loud volume (which is how I always listen to my LPs prior to listing and it's always an immense pleasure to return to this one) there are no sticks or jumps, no clicks or pops and barely any surface noise (really hardly anything worth a mention and to be incredibly picky, maybe just a touch on the run-ins). This is a beautifully clean pressing (and I must emphasise again how difficult it is to find a copy which plays this well). Stunning labels with only a few faint spindle traces and a catalogue number "75" on side B. The whole LP sounds absolutely stunning and plays to an extremely high standard with superb clarity, no groove-wear and no distortion and is very strictly graded a strong EX, a great copy!! Of course, NO skips, NO jumps, NO ticks. This will be an upgrade for most experienced collectors and is warmly recommended to my regular buyers.

 Important : International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 30.00.  Please wait for my invoice before paying. Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.

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