Curved Air - Phantasmagoria - MINT 1972 UK 1st Pressing LP On The Green WB Label

	£		22
	$		29

Artist & Title: Curved Air – Phantasmagoria

Scarce MINT 1972 UK FIRST PRESSING 9-track vinyl LP on the green Warner Bros label, featuring the spectacular "Marie Antoinette" and Monkman's side-long "Phantasmagoria" suite, in the original picture sleeve complete with lyric card insert. The record is in Mint condition and sounds as wonderful as ever, while the cover, insert and inner sleeve fully merit an Excellent grading. See pics. A very nice collector’s copy of Curved Air’s masterpiece.
Highly desirable for its A2/B2 first pressing matrices and Mint condition vinyl, and increasingly difficult to find in ANY condition, this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to add this extreme rarity to your collection at an extremely advantageous price.

Catalogue Number: Warner Bros. Records ?– K 46158

Release date: April 1972

Overall Grade: Mint/EX (LP/Cover)

Matrix (Runout): Side 1: K 46158 A2    Side 2: K 46158 B2

Notes:
With card lyric insert.
First press with green WB labels.

This rare LP from Curved Air at their creative peak is hardly ever offered for sale in this, or any, condition.

“…the culmination of all that Curved Air promised over the course of its predecessors… the band's grandest hour by far.”

This is the extremely rare real thing: a genuine MINT 1972 UK first pressing. The record is in mint condition and the cover and lyrics/credits card are in excellent condition with very little discolouration after 40+ years. All items are free from any major defects. See pics. All items are the genuine originals bought together by me in 1972, not reprints or replacements. The LP is the original 1972 UK stereo LP, which was only played occasionally on top-end audiophile equipment and lovingly cared for.

“A milestone in the Progressive/Folk Rock genre had surfaced from the psychedelic mould, and Curved Air was still making mega-leaps in song construction and complexity.”

Phantasmagoria was the third album from the original Curved Air, released in 1972. It reached No.20 in the UK Charts and is notable for its early use of the EMS Synthi 100 synthesizer to process lead singer Sonja Kristina's voice on the second side.
Phantasmagoria is a fabulous album, the culmination of all that Curved Air promised over the course of its predecessors; the yardstick by which all rock/classical hybrids should be measured. The opening "Marie Antoinette" sets the scene with lovely melody, impassioned vocal and a terrifically understated band performance which complements every syllable uttered by vocalist Sonja Kristina. The bridge into revolution ("the rabble have gone insane") is breath-taking -- history lessons should all sound this good, and the amazing thing is that the album has only just got started. The gentle "Melinda More or Less" is swirling, sweet folky psychedelia, while "Not Quite the Same," a somewhat self-conscious ode to masturbation, disguises its proggy inclinations with a barrelhouse 6/8 rhythm and a genuinely catchy hook. "Ultra-Vivaldi" updates the first album's "Vivaldi" by, apparently, letting the Chipmunks have a go at playing it. And the four-part, side-long title track switches moods, effects, and even genres (jazz, mariachi, and the avant-garde all get a look in) to create a dazzling soundscape which allows every member a moment to shine -- without once stepping into the treacherous swamps of solos and virtuosity. This was the original Curved Air's final album -- by the time the accompanying tour was over, only Kristina and bassist Mike Wedgwood (himself a spanking new arrival) remained to carry on the good work. As farewells go, then, it is magnificent, the band's grandest hour by far. And listening to it all these decades later, one cannot help but wonder how much grander they might have become.
This band is definitely more than Art Rock – much, much more.

This may be your only ONCE IN A LIFETIME chance to own this rare piece of music history in this condition.

 “All-in-all a nice compliment to any record collection that already contains Close to the Edge, Foxtrot, Brain Salad Surgery, and/or Thick as a Brick.”

Born from the British group Sisyphus in 1968, the core of Frances Monkman (Guitar), Florian Pilkington-Miksa (Drums) and Rob Martin (Bass) met up with another visionary, Darryl Way (Violin, Keyboards) to form Curved Air. Very shortly, they were joined by Acoustic Guitarist/Singer Sonja Kristina. A milestone in the Progressive/Folk Rock genre had surfaced from the psychedelic mould, and Curved Air was still making mega-leaps in song construction and complexity. Personnel change for this album brought Mike Wedgewood in as Bassist. From the beautiful Marie Antoinette to the straightforward pop tune Phantasmagoria to relentless Cheetah, the quality just kept coming. The complexity and continuous changes in tone and beat set the mark for other Prog-Rock groups to emulate in songs like Over and Above with its multiple layers of sound. More electronic and synth experimentation on this album than the others - Ultra Vivaldi and Who's Shoulder Are You Looking Over Anyway? - Highly recommended, of course.

A fantastic time warp example of this rarity in amazing condition, a true investment grade item - get it while you can!

AND IT MUST SELL IN THIS ONCE ONLY AUCTION

You can read more about this album and Curved Air all over the web.

I pack my records professionally in stiff corrugated cruciform record boxes leaving the Vinyl (housed in anti-static bags) outside the Sleeve.

Postage discounts for multiple orders are available: £1 per additional LP, up to a maximum of 4, in the UK.
£4 per additional LP, up to a maximum of 4, in the Rest of the World.

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