ELMER GANTRY`S VELVET OPERA / FIRST PRESS UK 68´

	£		112
	$		148

ORIGINAL FIRST AUTHENTIC ,UK PRESSING~ ELMER GANTRY´S VELVET OPERA 1968

ORIGINAL YELLOW LABELS DIRECTION S 8-63300.  1968

ORIGINAL LAMINATED UK SLEEVE 1968

VERY IMPORTANT AND ADVANCED BAND FROM BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC ERA.

REALLY GOOD RIDING DIRECTLY  FROM BEGINNING OF THE RECORD.

THESE GUYS WERE REALLY ON THE NEXT LEVEL.

THIS IS "MUST HAVE". 

• BEAUTIFUL ANALOG SOUND ON THICK VINYL AND NOT INFERIOR DIGITAL COMPRESSED SOUND.

REVIEW FROM MOOFMAG:

On a planet where many people throughout the course of history never got their dues, Elmer Gantry?s Velvet Opera are a perfect example. Exuding extreme talent throughout the album, one would wonder why they never made it big. What can I say? Life is unfair sometimes. These guys deserved to be more famous than they ever were, with talent at all angles. There are too many great songs on this LP for it to be overlooked. While supporting Pink Floyd on tour in 1967, the band decided to go the psychedelic route. Elmer Gantry?s Velvet Opera consisted of backing lead singer Dave Terry, drummer Richard Hudson, lead guitarist Colin Forster, bassist John Ford, and keyboardist Jimmy Horrocks. Each member clearly knew what they were doing with their given instrument, and they all combined their talents to create an explosion of exemplary psychedelic sounds.

After an introduction track, where leader Elmer Gantry introduces his band mates, the album goes into a startling sound of cosmic Freakbeat, with the mesmerizing ?Mother Writes?. The song grabs you at all ends, refusing to let go by any means. They took a number from heavier sounding songs of the time, such as ?Manic Depression? by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Blue Cheer?s rendition of ?Summertime Blues?, and made their own sound out of it. Truly remarkable. However, if heavy is not what you are looking for, look no further than ?What?s the Point of Leaving? a Beatlesesque tune (think of Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, perhaps). It is a swirling ride of lysergic wonderment, where the melody will get stuck inside your membrane for days to come. This and ?Flames? are perhaps the two catchiest numbers on here, with the latter having a chorus so tremendous, it would be high on my list of favorite choruses ever!

However, catchy songs were not all what this band were about. The resonating ?Long Nights of Summer? is one to forever associate with the season. The imagery in the lyrics are so superb, and the way Elmer executes it in the vocal delivery should give goosebumps down one?s spine. The same goes for ?Reaction of a Young Man? I mentioned that the chorus to ?Flames? could be on a list of favorites ever, but you can include this on there too. This and Tomorrow?s ?My White Bicycle? remain among the ultimate ?bike riding songs.?

The band really knew what they were doing, as shown in the instrumental ?Water Sly Meets Bill Bailey.? When listening, one could imagine themselves going down a marathon of slides, with an abundance of twists and turns. Crunchy guitar sounds all around, it makes for one impressive vocal-less tune. The cutesy ?Lookin? for a Happy Life? is not even close to being one of the best on here, yet it still creeps up on you regardless. You might not notice it at first, but chances are you will eventually. As mentioned, success was extremely limited for the band. Frustrations abound, lead vocalist Dave Terry (Elmer) and guitarist Colin Forster left, and those that remained in the band put out a second album, entitled ?Ride a Hustler?s Dream? under the name ?Velvet Opera? With more disappointment commercially this time around, the band broke up altogether.

All in all, this self-titled LP from Elmer Gantry?s Velvet Opera should be listened to by any fan of late 60?s music at least once. That one time will more than likely turn into multiple listens, and from there it will probably turn into a record that the listener will never forget. Their recordings for the BBC should also not be ignored, including a breathtaking rendition of ?All Along the Watchtower?

THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST UK STEREO PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING. ULTRA RARE .:  PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from SOME OTHER auction. What you see is what you'll get.  GUARANTEED!)

IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded! We  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight.

WE WILL ALWAYS PREFER TO GRADE OUR RECORDS FAIRLY AND PROFESSIONALLY.

CONDITION:

VINYL:

WE LISTENED VINYL

SHINY VINYL WITH SOME  LIGHT AND SUPERFICIAL ABRASIONS-THE DISC IS NOT MINT. THERE ARE A FEW VISIBLE, MOSTLY SUPERFICIAL LINES.

THERE ARE FEW SOFT CLICKS/POPS BUT RECORD PLAYS FINE THROUGH.

NOTHING HEAVY DISTURBED. 

ALL THAT DO NOT AFFECT VISUAL INTEGRITY OR BEAUTY OF THE VINYL.

BEAUTIFUL VINYL.

WE GRADE VINYL VERY GOOD+(VG+)

SLEEVE:

THE SLEEVE HAS ONE TAPE ON THE LEFT SIDE (SEE PICTURE)

SOME SMALL WEAR ON THE CORNERS( CUPLE OF MM, USUAL THING )

SOME SMALL WEAR ON THE EDGE DOWN SIDE  (SEE PICTURE)

ON THE BACK SIDE SLEEVE HAS SOME YELLOWING DUE TO AGES AND SIGNS OF USING.(SEE PICTURE).

ONE SMALL STAIN ON THE SIDE A ON THE LEBEL(SEE PICTURE)

ONE SMALL SUPERFICIAL PIECE OF LAMINATION IS MISSING (DOWN ON THE LEFT(SEE PICTURE)

NO SEAM SPLITS, NO CUT OUT.

VI GRADE SLEEVE VERY GOOD(VG)

All orders valued at 50 pounds or more will be shipped fully insured against loss, damage or theft by ShipCover company?s contracted insurer at our expense,

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Doing otherwise will result in multiple shipments to the same customer and forfeiture of multiple shipping charges already payed.

Because we do not play grade our items, we do not know how the purchased item will play 0n the buyers equipment,We can only make

Reasonable inference on the records playing condition based on its visual appearance.

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International shipment:

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