Earth and Fire (Debut) : 1Y1 / 2Y1 1st Press

If you're looking at this I probably don't need to tell you how rare and collectable this first pressing is!  It is without doubt one of the rarest prog/pop classics from the early 70s and having listened to it in full its easy too understand why!

It was only produced in very limited numbers and was pressed on the rare Nepentha label.  It plays with stunning quality and S1 in particular is absolutely superb with only four seconds of interference!  The majority of S2 is still near mint / mint but does have a little more 'background' mainly on the final track it has to be said.

This is one of the earliest first pressing as denoted by the 112/111 matrix info.  Maybe there never was a 111 for S1?

The die-cut gatefold is in fantastic condition with barely any shelf.  It is so close to being perfect and has no tears etc and remains extremely clean with only a couple of very small faint marks.

6437004 1Y * 1  420   1 1  2

6437004 2Y * 1  420   1 1  1

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint- for the majority / Track 5 VG- for 4 seconds)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- in many sections / T2 Ex+ end section / T3 Ex- in two very brief sections / T4 ranges between VG+ and Ex-)

The gatefold is Near Mint-

The labels are Mint-

The original inner is Ex+

  This vinyl has not been over-played and that is made obvious from the clarity of the audio and the minimal spindle wear.  It still has a very healthy glossy sheen and whilst not visually perfect it is very clean overall and S1 in particular is stunning.  There are no marks or scratches and only a small number of very faint hairlines.  S2 does have one longer but still very faint hairline and a handful of small scuff type hairlines with two on the final track which are a little more obvious.  They are still relatively faint and half of these are actually on the run out grooves.  All of these marking are only on a third of the side and the remainder is in superb condition.  The run out grooves are very overall other than that mentioned and the labels are near perfect with no marking.

Play grading

The intro on 'Wild And Exciting' has no interference and the first two verses then play with a near perfect clarity.  With only a couple of light static ticks the audio is superb and there are no clicks or pops.  The first chorus also plays with stunning precision and the guitar solo that follows is awesome!  It has no interference and no distortion either.  The remainder is equally as good and the final solo is as stunning as the first.  There are a couple of static ticks on the end section but this is definitely a Near Mint start to this prog classic.

The percussive intro on 'Twilight Dreamer' is flawless and this clarity continues into the first vocal.  The first quiet section plays perfectly and the next verse is stunning also.  In fact the more you progress into this track the more you are impressed by it!  The clarity and definition of the audio is 'as new' and I can't overstate how rare that is!  I have played this classic twice now and aside from one barely audible tick there is just no interference.  What is so impressive is that there is no underlying static either.  It truly is a 'high end' Mint- version.  Wow!

'Ruby Is The One' has only the lightest of static for the first 2-3 seconds and then once again plays with wonderful clarity and not a single click or pop.  The melodies are so 'clean' with no distortion on the the top end and this easily qualifies as another Mint- track.  For such rare and collectable album it is playing with stunning quality so far!

The intro on 'You Knew The Way' is faultless, Mint audio in fact.  The first verse is of the same immaculate standard and the instrumental section then plays with stunning clarity and no 'background'.  The second verse also plays with incredible precision and the final instrumental is almost as good.  Almost!  There is one faint tick (not a click!) and four dull clicks on the fade out which are not really intrusive as they right at the end of the song.  There is no doubt 99% plays to a Mint standard but because of the fade out I think a Near Mint grade is fair.

'Vivid Shady Land' begins in spectacular style with no 'background' and continues to play with supreme definition.  In other words there is no 'muddiness' to the sound, no loss of original audio quality, and you can easily turn it up to loud without fear of distortion which is rare for any final track.  There are four consecutive crackle/click sounds at the beginning of the mid instrumental and whilst they are not loud they are obviously a little intrusive.  The remainder of this quiet section plays superbly with only a handful of mega light dust ticks, the clarity is very impressive.  The final verse is near perfect - there is no distortion and only a couple of light clicks right at the end.  In my educated opinion the majority is Mint- but with a brief VG- section during the instrumental.  A stunning version.

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The 'Oh..' intro on '21st Century Show' plays with stunning precision and the first verse is 'as new' also.  This clarity continues into the next verse with only a handful of barely audible ticks.  The quieter acoustic section has a little static at the beginning and then plays very clearly with only the bare minimum of static, the music comes through very clearly indeed.  The final verse is without fault - such a strong melody and no intrusion on the wonderful clear sound.  Near Mint is an honest assessment - you would not think this record was approaching 50 years of age.

'Seasons' has barely any static on the intro and in all honesty I am running out of superlatives for the audio on offer here!  The first verse and chorus are 'as new' the clarity and depth is phenomenal!  The brief instrumental section is near perfect with only a minor touch of light static and the following verse/chorus section again leaves me scratching my head in disbelief!  The playback is again 'as new'.  Wow!  The final acoustic section does have some light background static here and there but there are no clicks or pops and the music and Jerney's vocal still plays with great clarity and precision. There is no obvious intrusion at all aside from a little more static at the end.  I would grade this as Mint- with an Ex+ end section.

The intro on 'Love Quivers' has only a little static and a couple of light ticks and then plays beautifully!  The vocal sections up to and including the first 'She cries herself a river...' chorus quite simply play 'as new' the sonic quality is just outstanding!  The extended instrumental section continues also plays with remarkable clarity and depth.  There are some gentle static ticks in the short quiet section but from that point on normal service is resumed!  Stunning audio!  There are also 6 light ticks at the section but it is no exaggeration to say the majority of this instrumental is of a Mint standard.  The final verses play with immaculate audio and the fade out only has a small number of light ticks.  At nearly eight minutes this is a stunning version with only minimal interference but is quiet difficult to grade.  I would say the majority is Mint but with a couple of very brief Ex- sections.

'What's Your Name' ends the album with just a little more 'background'.  Don't get me wrong the audio is still very clear and there is no underlying persistent static which you so often find with records from this era.  What you can hear is a light tick once per revolution for the majority but it is very quiet and not that intrusive in my opinion.  On the second half it is even quieter - there is just a little more static at the end of the track.  There are certainly no loud clicks or pops and overall I would say this ranges between VG+ and Ex- as it is still an excellent listen :-)

In summary this very rare first pressing plays with stunning quality and S1 in particular is as close to perfect audio as could be.  S2 does have a little more 'background' but the vast majority still plays with great clarity and definition.  There is no 'loud' intrusion i.e. no loud clicks or pops and certainly no skips/jumps.  I am sure any keen collector would be very impressed but the sonic quality on offer here and whilst not perfect the majority is!  More on the gatefold below but it is in fantastic condition I am delighted to say.

The Gatefold

I would not be surprised if this was the finest example of this super rare die-cut gatefold existing today!  It is so 'clean' and has barely any shelf wear.  The top edges are perfect and the bottom edges have only minimal light rubbing.  The wide spine is 100% legible with just 3/4 small white 'specks' and a little wear on the bottom corner.  The top corner is very clean and the right hand ones are the same with only very minor rubbing, it is minimal!  The opening edge is in lovely condition with barely any handling wear and the front cover is a thing of wonder!  The die-cutting has no wear/tears etc and the white background has only a couple of very faint small marks - this is the only thing that keeps it from being perfect.  The back cover is in superb order and the white/grey background is extremely clean with only a handful of tiny 'specks' and a minor hint of ringwear.  You can see just very minor rubbing on the bottom corners.  The inside of the gatefold is STUNNING with no marking, 'as new' in fact.  This really is a fantastic version of this super rare cover and hopefully the photos do it justice!  I honestly believe Near Mint- is a fair grading.

The Labels

The famous Nepentha labels are in great order with no marking or writing and only a small amount of faint spindle wear.  They have lost none of their original colour and could hardly look any better!

The Inner Sleeve

The die-cut plain white inner is in lovely condition with barely any marking or creasing and there are no side splits or tears.  It has 'Patent No...' and 'Made In England' printed on one side.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

6437004 1Y * 1  420   1 1  2

6437004 2Y * 1  420   1 1  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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