COCTEAU TWINS MILK AND KISSES rare 1996 UK orgnl press LP Fontana 514 501-1 VG+

	£		82
	$		109

THE COCTEAU TWINS - MILK & KISSES

A nice copy of this scarce and sought after 1996 UK 1st press alternative rock gem, on the Fontana label 514 501-1

 Matrix Numbers :

Side 1  514 501 1 A-1

Side 2   514 501 1 B1 

The appearance of the vinyl is excellent. Nice jet black lacquered sheen, completely flat and an impressive gleaming appearance. There is just a few small areas of "shadowing"/staining on track 1 of each side resulting in some minor background interference which, though noticeable, is not significantly intrusive to the audio quality, and the shadowing itself is only really detectable when the vinyl is held at the right angle under a bright light. Impressive.

The labels are pristine - cannot fault with not even the usual couple of faint spindle trails.

The non-laminated outer sleeve is very good.  All of the edges are rigid with no creasing and barely any scuffing at all, just some minor rubbing on the bottom edge. Similarly, the corners remain well defined right angles with just minimal rubbing. There is some minor ring wear on each side but this is only noticeable when the cover is held at the right angle. There is some mild staining towards the bottom edge which I have tried to show on my photos - again nothing too intrusive but it is there and it is noticeable (though it does sort of gel with the ambient/ethereal artwork of the rest of the album cover!). This staining also manifests itself on the inner sleeve where it is just (only just) detectable towards one edge. Apart from that the inner sleeve has some minor ring wear but is otherwise truly excellent with no splits or tears and all original artwork remaining beautifully intact.

Finally, the quality of the audio is an overall VERY GOOD+. Much of the audio quality is excellent and every single track makes for a great listen. No skips, pops, clicks, or nasty distortion - in fact, great tone and clarity at even higher volume - but there is some occasional background crackle. This background crackle/interference is more noticeable towards the beginning of each side and there is no obvious reason for it's presence so I suspect a professional clean may go a long way to rectifying. But, again, I stress that this audio blemish is not greatly intrusive and the album still makes for great listen throughout.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. violaine

2. serpentskirt

3. tishbite

4. half-gifts

5. calfskin smack

Side 2 :

1. rilkean heart

2. ups

3. eperdu

4. treasure hiding

5. seekers who are lovers

Comes with original inner sleeve (as described above). I always supply a new plain white inner as a matter of course.

In summary a strong VERY GOOD copy of this scarce and sought after 1996 UK alt rock 1st press classic - some minor blemishes but still a welcome addition to any serious 90's and/or rock 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 over the years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boots, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I never intended selling any of my records but now I am retired and a combination of space requirements (caused partly by duplication) and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell many of my much loved gems. 

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 cardboard mailer along with at least two 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 Royal Mail 1st class  : UK £4.00, continental Europe £7, and Rest of the World £11. 

NOTE that for items selling for more than £40 to non-UK bidders I insist upon tracked and signed for postage which incurs a further £2-6 P&P costs, dependent upon location so, please, do not pay until I have invoiced you!!

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

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

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

Mint

Description: 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

Description: 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

Description: 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

Description: 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 

Description: 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

Description: 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

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