DRUID Toward The Sun UK 1st Press '75 Textured Cover+Inner MELLOTRON Prog EX+ LP

$

47

Over 100 rare vintage PROG, Krautrock, SPACE ROCK and Electronic Music LPs in this Auction series.
from 50+ years collection of decades-long radio DJ, Record Store associate and dedicated Vinyl Collector.
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All Auctions in this series start at 99¢ opening bid!
Everybody should have a good chance at taking a few of these treasures home.
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Mostly 1st PRESSING Vintage imports, including a few Private Press and Promo LPs
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A lot of 1st Press CANTERBURY, KRAUTROCK and Euro-Prog LPs - some SIGNED - this time around, plus much more.
including some VERTIGO Swirl, Green BRAIN, OHR, PDU, Deram, Crypto, Harvest, Cobra, Spalax, Caroline, Charisma, etc. labels.
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Many still in SHRINK WRAP. Several STILL SEALED.
Quite a few Sterling, Masterdisk and Monarch (USA) pressings in the mix!

SECURE, TOP LP Packing and Materials - 40+ years experience.

This listing is for:
DRUID
Toward the Sun
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EMI Records EMC 3081
Original 1975 issue Stereo LP
FIRST PRESSING
Textured Cover
Die-cut Lyrics/Photo inner
Richard Langham Master
MADE in ENGLAND

VINYL is EX+
Gleaming Gloss Vinyl shows a very few faint, inaudible sleeve hairlines visible under hard bright light. PLAY TESTED with great sound. Labels are extremely clean with very few tiny spindle traces inside center circle only.
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COVER is EX
Gorgeous Textured Cover is super clean, crisp and tight with lightly bumped (still sharp) corner tips, very soft u.r. corner crease and a tiny notch at u.l. edge. No wear, writing or soil. Seams and spine completely intact with no splits. Spine titles are sharp and bold, 100% legible.


STRICT CONSERVATIVE GOLDMINE GRADING
NM / EX(VG++) / VG+ / VG



GREAT MELLOTRON LACED UK Symphonic Prog Debut from DRUID

Scarce Original UK 1st Pressing in Textured matte Sleeve, complete with lyric inner sleeve
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Die-cut Printed inner sleeve included - photo of band on one side, lyrics on the other side • NM Condition
Vinyl inside additional anti-static lined inner sleeve.

Recorded 1975  at Morgan Studios, London
Published by Robbins Music Corp. Ltd.
Lacquer Cut by Richard J. Langham  "RJL" of Abbey Road Studios, famous for his work with The Beatles (1963-1964 then again from 1969-1970.)
Cover Printed by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd.

"Made in Gt. Britain" and
"℗ 1975 EMI Records Limited"
printed on labels and back cover.

MATRIX NUMBERS (STAMPED) except "RJL" which is efched
SIDE ONE: YAX 4971-2   GG   RJL
SIDE TWO: YAX 4972-2   GO   RJL
*"RJL" for Lacquer Cut by Richard J Langham
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."In 1975, a trio from Berkhamstead won the Melody Maker folk/rock contest at the London Palladium, and then caused a furor when they refused to go on the revolving stage at the end! Their prize was a recording contract with EMI. They also came to the attention of (whispering) Bob Harris, who championed them and helped with production. This band was DRUID"

"In 1975 DRUID released their debut-LP "Toward The Sun" and a year later a second album entitled "Fluid Druid". Their first effort is their best: fluent and melodic songs, layered with Mellotron, often in combination with sensitive electric guitar work. Criminally ignored and too often dismissed as Yes clones, but they never set out to copy Yes and indeed the differences are unmistakable and profound. They existed in the same orbit around the same Sun but with distinctly different atmospheres. The echoes from YES are obvious: lots of vocal harmonies, a Chris SQUIRE-like bass, WAKEMANesque keyboards and even the high- pitched vocals like Jon ANDERSON. Very subdued at times with generous amounts of mellotron, laced with sympathetic instrumentation; electric and acoustic guitars, flutes and sumptuous keyboards - Symphonic Prog with more adventurous instrumental passages.

...the songwriting is first class with some lovely tunes and lyrics which 'sound right'. There is even a common theme spread throughout the album - dreams and dreaming: from the "long nights' dreams" of opener "Voices"; remembering them and "understanding every word they say" in "Remembering"; disillusioned and asking "whatever happened to the dream, should we still listen to the meaning" in "Toward The Sun"; finally to "sail away" to "Shangri-La" "there I'll find my dreams, and some day I'll return when the world has changed".

"Even with occasional ventures into Howe or Hackett territory, Dane's guitar playing is exemplary without being unduly flashy or derivative, producing a number of luscious understated solos. Brewer's Rickenbacker Bass is well to the fore, imbuing the songs with that trademark sound. The album is also awash with keyboards, including Hammond organ and Mellotron and the odd synth. All instruments meld together quite naturally to produce a full and balanced sound, never sounding forced or out of place. Even better are the arrangements: always interesting and involving; always developing without ever getting too far off the road; full of light and shade.

"Shangri-La" is the undisputed star of the show, a magnificent ten minute tour-de-force of melodic Prog with everything you could wish for: Mellotron and acoustic guitars; wonderful varied harmonies from Dane; one or two little proggy bridge sections; a change of pace to inject a lift via a short instrumental; a false ending; and a rousing finale complete with choir. All this is based on a majestic multi-segmented song which progresses quite seamlessly before returning to its opening melody. This is one of those songs that worms its way into your head and stays there. one of the all-time great prog tracks.".

Track Listing SIDE ONE
Voices

Remembering
Theme
Toward The Sun
SIDE TWO
Red Carpet For An Autumn
Dawn Of Evening
Shangri-La

Album kept in a protective, poly outer-sleeve

Please see my other listings for more DRUID and other Rare, Vintage and
Collectible PROG, KRAUTROCK, PROG-PSYCH, ELECTRONIC and SPACE-ROCK Import LPs.
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From an utterly vast and deep record collection, from my life-long best friend
who was a DJ at the Radio Station I co-founded in the 1970's - and who worked for me at my California record store in the '70s and '80s.
Sadly he has now finally left this mortal coil, bequeathing me his deep Vinyl Mine.
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Several thousand records (mostly LP's, but also hundreds of 45's), several hundred collectible and Rare, Out of Print CDs and Box Sets,
plus posters and other memorabilia will all eventually be listed.

Truly a great (and enormous) collection!
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You deserve and will receive FAST SHIPPING and CAREFUL, SECURE PACKING.

My LP packing is considered to be among the very best on eBay!
All records packed (with vinyl inside inner sleeve, behind cover for open LPs) with bubble-wrap around all sides - sandwiched between stiff corrugated flats - and shipped in strong LP mailer boxes, for best protection in the mail.

SHIPPING RATES
Will usually ship within 1 business day of receiving cleared payment.
...Orders shipped out FIRST PAID/FIRST SHIPPED. a later payment may add an extra day to posting.

USA:
Media Mail: $3.82 for 1st LP // $0.50 per additional LP
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Priority Mail: $14.75 for 1st LP // $1.00 per additional LP
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for COMBINED Shipping Discount:
place all items in CART and make 1 payment for all items.
*(to accommodate eBay payment / shipping set-up ...it can only see COMBINED if you purchase all at once)..

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I Charge EXACT POSTAGE only, Worldwide.
FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL or PRIORITY INTERNATIONAL - Your Choice.

* I reserve the right to cancel any bids by any international bidders with poor or very low feedback.

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I do NOT EVER want to exclude all bidders from any particular country, even though a few specific countries are responsible for almost all spurious "not received" or "not as described" claims over the years. This evolves... for instance in France, buyers from Ile de France area seem, more and more, to be very prone to make a false claim. (one of my earliest, very best customers was from Ile de France but moved to Belgium some years back) ...so even there, I hate to exclude ALL buyers from there; however I cannot possibly afford to be scammed due to the unlucky result of a winning bidder being a bad actor. IF you are from that area and want to bid/buy, simply contact me first and give me good reason to trust you.

Also it seems to be the fun game recently for some in Germany, Spain and Italy to buy far more than the collector can afford and make false claims on many of them. Again I will need to know you can be trusted. Many, many great buyers in all those countries, but plenty of trouble comes from them as well. Brazil has terrible post/mail problems. Italy has long Customs hold times. In NONE of those cases is it my fault and I will not lose out because of other countries' problems beyond my control. Occasional problems from China and Russia -I reserve the right to cancel a sale or bids from any buyer, case-by-case if I note problematic behavior or red flags.

Having said that, I will not ever cancel any bidders with solid, good reputations and feedback.

I sell regularly to all those countries (though Ile de France bidders will definitely need to contact me FIRST before bidding).

I wish there was no need for this caution, but I must and I do protect myself.

If you are honest, responsible and genuine, we will never have a problem and you may bid with absolutely no worries.

*OVERSEAS CUSTOMERS:
for all packages below $100.00
I will ALWAYS offer you choices
The standard LOWEST rate that the US Postal system allows (First Class International),
or the FASTER, but higher rate, which includes Full Tracking (Priority International).

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All packages above 4 Lbs (5-6 or more LPs) can NOT ship by the low 1ST CLASS International rate.
Those must go by higher (but faster) PRIORITY INTERNATIONAL RATE with FULL TRACKING.
These are US Postal System rules, not mine.

ALL ITEMS OR COMBINED PACKAGES OF $100.00 OR OVER, SHIPPED OVERSEAS
must ship FULLY INSURED by PRIORITY MAIL INTERNATIONAL for FULL TRACKING.