Fleur De Lys "Circles" psych freakbeat

	£		462
	$		612

The Fleur De Lys  "Circles" b/w "So, Come On" 

Immediate IM 032

One of the most sought after freakbeat singles on the collectors' scene, this single is a classic mod, freakbeat, psych cross-over double sider.

This is an original Demonstration (Demo) Copy with the release date 18.3.66. 

It is not a reproduction.

Before I describe the record here is what Record Collector said in their Freakbeat special in March 1993:

'After a cover of Buddy Holly's "Moondreams" in 1965, Fleur-De-Lys' second single in early 1966 was an excellent version of the Who's "Circles", backed by the equally impressive freakbeat of "So Come On".

Both singles were produced by Jimmy Page.'

That seems quite understated now as the collectors have cottoned on to just what a cracking double-sider single it is.

The producer is on the label as Glyn Johns but Page was the in-house guitar slinger for Immediate so his involvement was almost inevitable.

The line-up now included a youthful Gordon Haskell who would later move on to play with King Crimson among others.

This is a rare record - it does not come up for sale very often and Demonstration / Promotional copies seems to be even rarer.

These were sent out to radio stations, retailers and promoters in order to try and get airplay and were often just binned, given away to junior staff or filed away and forgotten.

And in 1966 there were not that many radio stations to send them to as commercial radio was still a gleam in a bank manager's eye.

Now for the record:

If anyone has seen previous listings of mine then you would know that I do not use Mint for records that are not still in a guaranteed sealed state or owned by me from new and never played.

I did the play check on a ProJect turntable through a Mission Cyrus 1 amp and Mission LE speakers.

Side 1

As you can see in the scan the label is absolutely beautiful. There is minor spindle hole wear but other than that the rest of the label is clean and has been kept in a smoke-free environment since I gained possession over 25 years ago.

The track itself plays perfectly all the way through, right to the end with no skips or jumps. There is a bit of dust noise/crackle at the start and also through the track but that in no way diminishes the enjoyment of the music which still punches out of the speakers as fresh as when it was first released. It has obviously been played but has been looked after well and could benefit from a deep clean. Overall I would grade it as nearer Very Good than Excellent.

Side 2

The label is very near perfect - see the scan. This is the same single that I uploaded images of onto the 45Cat database (www.45cat.com).

The track plays perfectly all the way though from a quiet lead-in to the last note. This is a strong Excellent; not bad for a record that is so collectable and 44 years old, especially when the B side often suffers. And it looks visually Mint too.

Do not miss the opportunity to own this piece of recorded history - a crown jewel among freakbeat / early psych singles.

You do not see a copy like this every day.

Now for the bit at the bottom. Please read this before you bid.

I accept PayPal, cheques drawn on UK accounts and direct bank transfer within the UK.

Postage is free in the UK but I strongly recommend insuring this gem which will be added to the cost.

Feel free to ask any further questions and, though it breaks my heart to see it go - good luck to the new owner, whoever you are.