GENTLE GIANT - OCTOPUS. 12" stereo vinyl LP. EX U.K. 1st swirl pressing w/inner

	£		93
	$		123

Hello there.

A short preamble before we get down to the nitty gritty, so you know something about who/what you are dealing with!

About me

I am an English PRIVATE COLLECTOR now living in Denmark, who has been a lifelong music fan collecting, buying, selling and swapping albums well, all my life.

I have also been heavily involved in creating music as a performer and sound engineer sometimes professionally, for over 30 years. Along with this I’m actively involved in presenting music on the radio, firstly in the 90’s on 'wunnerful' Radio Caroline, remember them? Latterly around the world via the internet and satellite on a station called The Album Zone based in London - www.albumzone.co.uk - if you’re interested.

I never really got beyond the idea that the vinyl format is the best medium on which to hear good music and I think the same way in the studio. Digital technology is without doubt a flexible, convenient, sometimes quick and unlimited way of storing and managing a musical product, but does it sound good? Well OK yes it does, but not as good as analogue. In my opinion digital lacks warmth, depth, width and lots of other words ending in th! Of course this puts entirely into question my involvement with an internet radio station but it is here to stay, like it or not.

So it follows that a well recorded, well mastered piece of analogue music sounds best on well pressed, quality vinyl. There are also the benefits of great artwork and the feeling that you actually have something special in your possession. I’ve yet to hear a remastered, digital version of frankly anything that really cuts the mustard and as for downloading well, it just sounds poor & will no doubt kill the music industry if you don't pay something for it!

About you

The above should of informed you that I am pretty fussy about the quality of vinyl and music generally. This can only be a good thing for you,as the stuff I’m auctioning will be*graded aurally on a good system, whatever format it happens to be on. My aim is to provide the best quality that I can, graded fairly, so please bid with confidence.

*NOTE!!

I DO listen to rare items all the way through.

However as I'm auctioning some fairly large collections, I simply do not have the time to listen to all items individually all the way through. I will play the openings of tracks to get an idea plus I’ll carefully grade them visually under strong light. Should I see anything suspect, I’ll play that part of the record and report to you on it.

Finally for the erm, record - I hold no candle to U.K. pressings being superior to any other pressings. In certain cases it's true, but it's not a golden 'rule-of-thumb' in my opinion. I have American, German, Dutch, Scandinavian and Greek pressings that sound totally awesome. In grading (fully explained at the end) I won't be adding a million + + + or - - - or !!!!! Totally unnecessary. It is what it is right?  

So enough already, up for auction about now…………

GENTLE GIANT – OCTOPUS. 12" stereo LP on the Vertigo Records label cat. no. 6360 080. NO PRICE CODE

RARE U.K. 1st pressing released in 1972 w/swirl label & original swirl inner sleeve.

Gentle Giant must surely be the finest progressive rock band that ever existed. The one that all others bowed down to, with their musicianship & vocal harmonies the envy of all, but no...some called them 'pretentious'. Tish & phipcy! How can playing the music they clearly loved & enjoyed be labelled that? They made a joke of it by having a neon sign flashing the word above them at concerts & by so doing showing how unpretentious they really were of course. Their shows were dazzling events of total musicianship & power. They all played each other’s instruments & then some.

I alas discovered them just too late to of seen them 'live' other than on TV, however - I did 'hang' with Kerry Minnear in the early 80's. He was in a band that unbelievably supported my first band on several occasions at that time, along with guys from Brand X and The Moody Blues.

An astonishing musician & great bloke, as were they all. We were privileged & it's a time I'll never forget.

This is their wonderful forth album & though not strictly a concept piece there’s a definite thread to the songs. With a medieval flavour & some R.D Laing inspired lyrics as well. The first with the classic GG line-up & a big favourite amongst fans, myself included.

A completely original & eloquent sound the like of which I'm pretty sure we'll never hear again.

Matrix no's/stampers:

Side One; 6360080 1Y#1  420                                  1 1 4                          04 (machine stamped)

Side Two; 6360080 2Y#1  420                                  1 1 1                          04 (machine)

Track Listing:

Side One:

See picture of label.

Side Two:

See picture of label.

GRADING:

VINYL:

Side One: EXCELLENT. Visually very clean with hairlines & the odd light scuff. Pressed on medium weight vinyl.

Plays with light surface noise throughout & a true, crisp clear sound. I counted two light ticks near the start.

Side Two: EXCELLENT. Visually identical to above. Aurally also the same with a touch more audible surface noise present during the quieter sections.

COVER & SPINE:

Non laminated gatefold.

FRONT outside: VERY GOOD. Clean with light creasing & rubbing confined to the edges. A small number 2 written in biro in the swirl (see pic) some light price sticker remnants & light shelfwear. Close to an excellent grade.

BACK outside: VERY GOOD. Clean with light creasing & rubbing confined to the edges. Plus a touch of ringwear & again light shelfwear. Close to excellent again.

FRONT inside: EXCELLENT. Very clean with light creasing only.

BACK inside: EXCELLENT. As above.

SPINE: VERY GOOD. Some light creasing & rubbing a little heavier top & bottom. Text around 95% legible.

ORIGINAL VERTIGO 'SWIRL' INNER poly lined: VERY GOOD. One edge has started to split, plus light to moderate creasing & it's quite discoloured with age.

LABELS:

Vertigo 'swirl' labels.

Side One: VERY GOOD. Light spindle marks only, but a small 2 written in pen (see pic) Excellent but for that.

Side Two: EXCELLENT. Light spindles only.

If for any reason (within reason!) you don't agree with my grading on this album then I will provide a refund on it's return, excluding return shipping.

* PLEASE NOTE THESE POINTS BELOW *

*Shipping prices: £4.00 in Denmark. £6.45 to the UK and Europe. £8.70 to the U.S.A., Canada and the rest of the world. If in doubt, please contact me for a price. If you require shipping insurance then please let me know BEFORE paying for the item as it's extra. I can include a shipping discount for multiple purchases.

*Payment: I will send an invoice with the total amount, so please wait for that before you pay. Please pay within 7 days of the auction ending, thank you.

Non-payers & time-wasters will be dealt with swiftly & effectively by whatever means necessary!

Packing: All items will be carefully packed using stiff card, strong mailers etc. Wherever possible I'll recycle packaging. It's cheaper for you & better for the planet.

Feedback & problems: *I'd appreciate feedback being left once you have received and heard/seen your item. It's the only way I know you have got it and are happy with it. I will then leave feedback for you. I used to leave feedback upon payment, but I've been stitched up too many times by people not leaving me any.

If there are any problems at all then I want to hear from you & get it sorted.

Please don't just leave negative feedback.

That's it.

Check my other listings there's plenty coming up. Good luck, thanks for your interest and above all enjoy!

Gilster.

About my Grading

I use the U.K. Record Collector Grading System which is: 

Mint: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any items such as the lyric sheet are in perfect condition. Sealed or unplayed records should be mint.

Excellent: The record shows some signs of being played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have light 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 many times that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of the edges, spine splits, discolouration etc.

                                                                                                                   * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Beyond here lies madness! I won’t be auctioning anything graded below unless they are really rare or sought after:

Fair: The record is just still playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise, etc. 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.

CD/DVD Grading:

As a general rule, CD’s and DVD’s either play perfectly - Mint - or they don’t, in which case their value is minimal. They are difficult to grade visually, as they can look perfect but be faulty and visa versa.

CD/DVD inlays and booklets should be graded in the same way as vinyl covers and sleeves, as should the cover if made from card.

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