EYES OF BLUE - IN FIELDS OF ARDATH / RARE 1969 UK PROG PSYCH LP / QUINCY JONES

	£		20
	$		26

ARTIST: EYES OF BLUE

TITLE: IN FIELDS OF ARDATH

NUMBER OF DISCS: 1

LABEL: MERCURY

CATALOGUE NUMBER: 20164.SMCL

YEAR: 1969

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK

MATRIX: SIDE A: 134225 1Y//1 420

MATRIX: SIDE B: 134225 2Y//1 420

CONDITION OF DISC: GOOD+. BOTH SIDES OF THE DISC ARE CLEAN, SHINY, DUST-FREE AND NO FINGERPRINTS. HOWEVER, THERE IS SOME MINIMAL UNDERLYING SURFACE CRACKLE ON QUIETER TRACKS, PARTICULARLY SIDE B TRACKS 4 & 5. THERE ARE 2 1-INCH SURFACE SCRATCHES ON SIDE B, ONE OF WHICH RESULTS IN AN AUDIBLE SCUFF THROUGHOUT ALL OF TRACK 1 AND A MINUTE OR SO INTO TRACK 2. OTHERWISE, THE ALBUM PLAYS FINE WITH NO SKIPS, POPS OR JUMPS.

CONDITION OF SLEEVE:  SINGLE LAMINATED FULL COLOUR FRONT AND LAMINATED BLACK & WHITE BACK. THERE ARE WEAR CREASES VISIBLE AT A CERTAIN ANGLE UNDER STRONG LIGHT ON THE FRONT. THE LAMINATE FRONT TOP LEFT HAS PEELED AWAY FROM THE FIRST TWO INCHES OF THE SPINE [SEE PIC] AND A SMALL TEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE REVERSE OPENING EDGE LEAVING A TINY FLAP OF LAMINATE [SEE PIC].

TRACK LISTING:

A1. MERRY GO ROUND [FROM THE FILM 'TOY-GRABBERS']

A2. THE LIGHT WE SEE

A3. SOUVENIRS [TRIBUTE TO DJANGO]

A4. ARDATH

A5. SPANISH BLUES

B1. DOOR [THE CHILD THAT IS BORN ON THE SABBATH DAY]

B2. LITTLE BIRD

B3. AFTER THE WAR

B4. EXTRA HOUR

B5. CHANCES

NOTES:

RARE AND HARD TO FIND UK PROGRESSIVE JAZZ ROCK LP FROM WELSH BAND EYES OF BLUE. I'VE GRADED HARSHLY ACCORDING TO RECORD COLLECTOR'S GUIDELINES BUT APART FROM THE CLICKS ON B1 & 2, THIS 43 YEARS OLD ALBUM IS IN FAIRLY GOOD SHAPE AND AN ENJOYABLE LISTEN. THE SLEEVE NOTES ON THE BACK OF THE LP ARE WRITTEN BY JAZZ LEGEND QUINCY JONES WHO USED THE BAND ON HIS SCORE TO THE FILM 'TOY-GRABBERS' WHICH RESULTED IN EYES OF BLUE LATER BEING COMMISSIONED TO PROVIDE MUSIC FOR ANOTHER SOUNDTRACK, 'CONNECTING ROOMS'. 'IN FIELDS OF ARDATH' IS THE BAND'S SECOND LP AND GENERALLY RATED AS AN IMPROVEMENT ON THEIR DEBUT FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. CURRENTLY VALUED AT £45.00 FOR A MINT COPY IN THE UK RARE RECORD PRICE GUIDE, THE AUCTION START PRICE REFLECTS THE 'GOOD' CONDITION GRADING AND TAKES INTO ACCOUNT OVER 40 YEARS OF WEAR AND TEAR.

Wyndham Rees was eased out of the Eyes Of Blue before the spring of 1969, having reputedly contributed little to the band. He was present during most of the Chappell Studios early recording sessions for the group's second album 'In Fields Of Ardath' but was gone by the time they gravitated to more modern eight-track facilities. It was released in November and is generally regarded as the more successful and 'progressive' of the two albums released under the Eyes Of Blue name. Quincy Jones supplied the sleevenotes this time, and commented; "All the ethnic qualities which I had recalled about the people of Wales were manifest in that tape. There was a native sensuality in their playing. Eyes Of Blue was musically curious." The record has also been described as having "Pop, R&B jazz, classical, psychedelic and Eastern influences." A fair sprinkling one must admit.

Record Collector Magazine's Grading Guide:

"MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.
EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.
VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.
GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.
FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and / or defaced.
POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection filler."
As well as the above grades, Near Mint is often used as well; this is really for a record that appears new but is known to have been played because the label has light spindle marks or because it has come from a previous owner and is assumed to have been played by them. For records which appear to fall between the accepted grades, + and - are also often added to the grading.

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