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Deep Purple : Machine Head A-1U / B-1U 1st Press No EMI + Lyric Poster

This first pressing plays to a very high standard with very little interference.  There is one click on S1 and just a handful of minor ticks on S2 and the vast majority of this classic album is stunning!  The vinyl has been played a fair amount and has some hairlines but the clarity, depth and power really is very impressive.  There is not a lot wrong with it, the sonic quality is superb!

The laminated gatefold is in excellent condition with not too much shelf wear and the fold out lyric poster in in fantastic condition!  The inner sleeve (not sure if original) is in great shape also.

This first press has the A-1U / B-1U matrix with no EMI credit on the labels.  It has 'The Gramophone Co. Ltd...' info around the perimeter rim of the labels and Made In Great Britain at the bottom.

TPSA 7504 // A - 1U / B - 1U / ML 1 / PG 1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T3 Near Mint-)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (T3 Mint-)

The gatefold is Ex-

The lyric poster is Near Mint-

The labels are Ex+

The inner sleeve is Near Mint-

Visual description

The vinyl is in very good condition and still has a strong glossy look with no actual marks or scratches.  Under a bright light you can see a number of faint hairlines but they are superficial as they have no impact on the audio.  The labels are unmarked but do have some spindle wear mainly around the centre hole.

Play grading  

The intro on 'Highway Star' is so close to perfect with just one very quiet static tick and Gillan's opening vocal section then plays with superb clarity and power.  It continues in the same way and the mid instrumental can only be described 'as new' - great sound and it plays with such depth.  The next vocal and instrumental are just as strong and I only 'picked' up a couple of barely audible statics.  The final section is faultless and overall this has to grade as Mint- it could hardly play any better.

'Maybe I'm A Leo' plays with same power, depth and intensity from start to finish with no interference.  A couple of hardly noticeable background ticks that is all - they don't qualify as interference!  Another Mint- track.

The percussive intro on 'Pictures Of Home' is perfect and the opening vocal section is just as strong.  From then on it plays with sublime power and depth, the sonic quality is so strong.  I've always loved the production on this album - on a clean vinyl there is nothing lost in the mix, each note is so sharp and precise and nowhere is that more obvious than during the mid instrumental.  Blakemore's work and Paice's drumming is just stunning.  The remainder of this classic plays so well apart from one click towards the end so overall I would say Near Mint- is a fair assessment of the audio.

The intro on 'Never Before' plays with great clarity and the audio is again so rich and deep.  Gillan's first vocal is just as impressive and it continues to play with great quality and... no interference.  Every section plays with exceptional depth and power (as you would expect) and there is no distortion on the top end.  This is Mint- at the very least.

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The intro on the classic 'Smoke On The Water' has barely any static and the opening vocal section is near perfect with just one mega light tick.  The first chorus is flawless and it continues to play with impeccable quality.  There is no 'muddiness' to the sound and the overall clarity of sound is stunning.  The mid instrumental is 'as new' and the final vocal is of the same high end standard.  This is such a strong version and Near Mint is probably undercooking it but yep it does play exceptionally well.

The quiet intro on 'Lazy' has only the lightest of background static, nothing intrusive, and as the volume increases you cannot fault it.  The next section has just a couple of light ticks and as Paice comes in there is only the bare minimum of static i.e. hardly any!  As the pace picks up the playback is so strong and deep and Blakemore's solo could not play any better.  The rest of this instrumental is 'as new' and Gillan's first vocal has no intrusion either.  The rest of the track is awesome!!  The sonic quality is out of this world and there is not one single negative.  Near Mint

'Space Truckin' ends the side high end audio.  There is just one barely audible static on the intro and from then on plays with great power and depth and no background.  For a final track the sonic quality is so strong and again there is no distortion on the top end.  In fact the more I listen to it the more I am impressed!  It plays with real precision right to the end and it has to be graded as Mint- it is stunning!

In summary this first pressing plays with superb audio on both sides with barely any intrusion.  There is just one light click on S1 and a handful of minor ticks and overall the playback is very clean indeed.  Whilst it has been played a fair amount the original sonic quality is still very much there so it can only have been played on high end equipment.  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is stunning to say the least.

The Gatefold, Lyric Poster  & Inner Sleeve

The laminated G & L cover has only a little shelf wear and there is nothing that stands out.  The top edges have only a couple of minor rubs and the bottom edges remain very clean with only light wear by the corners.  The wide spine is slightly compressed but is still 100% legible with no real wear.  There is just a little wear on the corners and the same applies to the right hand ones.  The opening edge has some handling wear but certainly not an excessive amount.  The front cover is very clean with only a couple of creases next to the spine as is common and the back cover is similar with just a few more faint creases around the edges.  The inside of the gatefold is in great shape with only some light marking along the bottom edges caused by the two panels sticking together.  A strong example overall.

The poster is in superb condition with no rips or tears.  There is just one tiny mark near the top edge and a couple of minor corner creases.  Overall though there is hardly any creasing.  A great example!

The vinyl is housed inside a plain white inner so I'm not sure if it is original but it remains very clean with no marking and hardly any creasing.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

TPSA 7504 // A - 1U / B - 1U / ML 1 / PG 1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF £250 SO IF AN ITEM SELLS FOR MORE A COURIER SERVICE MAY BE USED (e.g. Parcelforce, DPD).  AN EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUM WILL BE REQUIRED BUT I WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT UNTIL THE FINAL SALE PRICE IS KNOWN.  HOWEVER, SOMETIMES I WILL ESTIMATE A COST AND THIS WILL BE STATED IN THE LISTING.  PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH.  MANY THANKS.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

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