FREE - TONS OF SOBS - orig UK Press ISLAND Textured PINK label 1969 LED ZEPPELIN

	£		19
	$		25

FREE -

TONS OF SOBS

ISLAND

ILPS 9089

      First Press UK 1969

Machined matrices: A2  B2
Ultra heavy first press vinyl
Weight: 148 gr.

Although Free was never destined to scrape the same skies as Led Zeppelin, when they first burst out of the traps in 1968, close to a year ahead of Jimmy Page and company, they set the world of British blues-rock firmly on its head, a blistering combination of youth, ambition, and, despite those tender years, experience that, across the course of their debut album, did indeed lay the groundwork for all that Zeppelin would embrace. That Free and Zeppelin were cut from the same cloth is immediately apparent, even before you start comparing the versions of "The Hunter" that highlight both bands' debut albums. Where Free streaks ahead, however, is in their refusal to compromise their own vision of the blues -- even at its most commercial ("I'm a Mover" and "Worry"), Tons of Sobs has a density that makes Zeppelin and the rest of the era's rocky contemporaries sound like flyweights by comparison.  The sheer versatility of the players, and the unbridled imagination of producer Guy Stevens, rings crystal clear.

Vinyl: VG+. A wonderful and extremely heavy ISLAND vinyl with a very nice sheen. The vinyl has a few hairlines but these are  shallow and wispy and certainly cannot be felt. A shallow scuff mark on side 2 towards the end again not impacting the audio safe from one low level tick. The high groove walls of this ultra thick heavy vinyl prevent any of these hairlines to be audible. The audio is out of this world and very powerful without anything untoward and will satisfy most observant collectors, as played on my Linn Sondek/Rotel/B&W audio set up. A  low level tick on track 4 side 2. Needless to say there are NO skips, NO jumps.

Gatefold Sleeve: G+/VG.  A lot of edge wear on this gatefold sleeve with a worn through spine. A sticker with catalogue number to the front. Some seam splits to the rear gate. Otherwise it has nice colours and no major creasing. One neat name on the inside gatefold bottom corner. This is certainly not suitable for the EX or NM collector but if you can see beyond the flaws, this is a smashing great album.

***This is a unique prime investment opportunity!!! Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible!!! This is  a great and seriously collectable super album!!  You will buy into a piece of  prog/psych history.*** 

Important : International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 30.00.  Please wait for my invoice before paying. Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!