Caravan - Waterloo Lily SDL 8 EX++ 1st Pr.

	£		55
	$		73

Caravan - Waterloo Lily

Deram

SDL 8

1972

AN ELUSIVE PROGMONSTER!!!! !!VINYL IN A UNIQUE EX++ CONDITION!!!BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL GATEFOLD SLEEVE IN FANTASTIC CONDITION!!!FIRST PRESS LIGHTBROWN LABELS!!!ULTRA RARE!!!

 THEIR FOURTH SLAB OF ULTIMATE PROGRESSIVE GREATNESS.

       Rarity: SERIOUSLY RARE - Caravan’s fourth album released in 1972 following the considerable success of their best known and best selling album ‘In the Land of Grey and Pink’ which was always going to be a difficult album to follow. In the event it was a task too far, the album was met with some consternation by Caravan followers and music critics alike. In relative terms Waterloo Lily sold in small quantity, was not a commercial success never troubling the album chart compilers and ultimately led to the group disbanding. Consequently, it is EXTREMELY difficult to find THIS GENUINE FIRST ISSUE, FIRST PRESSING WITH THE DERAM BROWN LABEL. Occasionally red label variants are offered, and passed of, as first pressings and while they may be early and from an early ‘mother’ ONLY THE BROWN LABEL VARIANTS WITH THE 1 G STAMPERS IN THE VINYL RUN OFF ARE AMONG THE VERY EARLIEST TRUE FIRST PRESSINGS, THEY ARE ALSO PRESSED ON NOTICEABLY HEAVIER VINYL. This one is from EARLIEST ORIGINAL UK PRESS made just prior to the commercial release date in 1972 and parented by the first ‘mother’.

The key features are listed below:

• COMPLETE ORIGINAL UK ALBUM & VERY FIRST ISSUE
• A UK FIRST PRESSING FIRST MATRICES & STAMPERS
• SUPERB HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL IN EXCELLENT CONDITION
• STEREO RECORDING FORMAT DELIVERING SENSATIONAL AUDIO
• ORIGINAL DERAM BROWN CRESCENT LABELS EXCELLENT PLUS
• ORIGINAL DERAM COMPANY SMALL STEREO POLY-LINED INNER
• ORIGINAL UK ROBERT STACE NON LAMINATED GATEFOLD
• EXTREMELY HARD TO FIND EXCELLENT FIRST PRESS ORIGINALS

Artiste(s): CARAVAN - Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings, Richard Coughlan, Steve Miller

Record label: ORIGINAL DECCA ‘LARGE’ WHITE DERAM WITH BROWN OVER WHITE CRESCENT WITH BROWN PRINT

Catalogue Number: SDL 8

Country of origin and first published date: MADE IN ENGLAND 1972

Vinyl ‘run off’ matrices side 1:     ZAL-11258.P-3W

Vinyl ‘run off’ matrices side 2:     ZAL-11259.P-3W

      My opinion and summary of condition: By the time this fourth Caravan album was released the group were deservedly highly acclaimed and had a considerable following. Founder members of the ‘Canterbury Scene’ they had already made their mark during the late sixties psychedelic era with their self titled debut album continuing with the jazzier ‘If I Could…..’ in 1970 in a similar genre to their contemporaries Soft Machine. ‘In The Land Of Grey And Pink’ is regarded by many as their best album and it is certainly deserving of high praise. To some extent it created an expectation and overshadowed Waterloo Lily - Steve Miller joined the group, a more jazz based influence came to the fore and the followers were not convinced. I personally think that it is a great album, alongside the best, and history may read it that way. It is often the case that albums that were not the most popular on first release are later recognised as real classics. This is a fine example with FIRST MATRICES & STAMPERS, most likely to be ONE OF THE VERY EARLIEST FIRST PRESSINGS. This represents a RARE OPPORTUNITY to buy an EXCELLENT EXAMPLE of a VERY SCARCE GREAT ALBUM.Sensational sound quality, NO skips or jumps. NO clicks,  only one track has a few ulta light soft clicks, hardly audible and nothing visible causing this. This is really a stunning heavy vinyl with a beautiful deep gloss. This vinyl has not been played much !!! A definite EX++!!!  There are only a couple of tiny wispy hairlines, totally inaudible on replay. Don't be mistaken, this is a great quality vinyl, worthy of inclusion into a great prog collection!!! Inspected under an intense lightsource and angled.

I have played this in FULL> The replay is ASTOUNDING!!! I first played for a general listen and a second time for a more in-depth observation. CARAVAN - WATERLOO LILY - DERAM UK 1972
***********SUPERB FOURTH ALBUM *******************
SDL 8 - 1ST EVER PRESS - THESE ARE GETTING IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN UP NOW IN ANY DECENT CONDITION - BUT THIS ONE IS AWESOME.
JUST PRESSED DEEP SHINE - RARE!! HEAVY VINYL WITHOUT ANY WARPING, PERFECTLY FLAT
SLEEVE - THICK GATEFOLD - VIRTUALLY AS ISSUED STRONG EX+
DISC - STUNNING EX++ to NM    INNER BAG EX+

      Of course there are NO skips, jumps or sticks. Unbelievably as it may sound there is hardly any  background noise at all. Impossible to find for this 1972 vinyl!!!   Great but often obtuse supreme melodic songcraft and it was not a wonder that Caravan did not sell to the amount that e.g. Yes and Genesis did.  I played this on my Technics turntable with a Linn cartridge and through my very revealing B&W three way speakers!!!

Vinyl: EX++ , a final upgrade. This is a seriously desirable album and very rare in this great condition!!! The replay is simply outstanding!!! The CD re-issue has nothing on this formidable recording!!! For all my regulars in Italy, Russia, Japan and the States, you know who you are, it does not get much better than this.

Gatefold sleeve: EX+ Gatefold sleeve. Rarely seen like this!!!! NO CREASES, NO WRITING!! Only very minimal rubbing on the edges. Only one small name on the inside gatefold , not at all intrusive. A lovely sleeve. this is a very fragile sleeve , unlaminated and for that reason very vulnerable. Most of these are completely worn. This sleeve is fantastic and one of the best matt sleeves I have seen in a long while.

 In my opinion this is an exceptionally rare and important example of a timeless musical masterpiece - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!  This is a unique investment opportunity!!! Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible, LEAVE ALONE IN THIS STUNNING EX++ CONDITION!!!

Labels are NM with only minor spindling.

A short general note on audio reproduction on vinyl:

 In my experience there is always an element of surface or background sound with audio reproduction on vinyl, even when new - very hard to imagine how there could not be when two solid surfaces come into contact with each other and are then amplified! In my opinion anybody who claims there is no surface sound, or ‘silence’, is hard of hearing, has not turned the amplifier on, or is using very poor quality audio equipment. Almost all used vinyl has at least light surface scratches which are always visible when viewed under a bright halogen light - which is what I use for inspection. So if you are uncomfortable with a bit of light crackling it’s probably best not to buy vinyl at all, ever. In my opinion the light surface sound is more than compensated for by the clarity and ‘reality’ of the overall rounded, unequalled by any digital format sound reproduction. I listen carefully to every album I list, before listing it for sale.

Important :International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 40.00. please wait for my invoice in this case. Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.

All of this comment contained in this listing is subjective, it is based only on my opinion and your expectations may not necessarily correspond with my standards. If you receive an album from me and you have some differences please remember to use reasonable communication as a first option. I have a comprehensive non confrontational, no quibble, Returns Policy  and providing there is no abuse, or use the negative feedback system, I will always reimburse you in full  if you return the album correctly.

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.