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Gentle Giant : Octopus 1Y1/2Y1 1st Press 1970 Vertigo

This very collectable first pressing plays with a clarity, depth and power that you rarely find today.  This particular copy has hardly been played based on the audio quality and the stunning visual quality of the record.  Remarkably there is no interference and as always I have played the album in full so as to provide a comprehensive grading.  The sonic quality is exceptional on both sides and has to be the finest first pressing I have heard in many a year.  This is a FINAL UPGRADE time-warp classic without question. 

The gatefold is in superb condition with barely any of the wear so often associated with it i.e. no fading around the edges.  The original inner is also in excellent order with no side splits.

This is a genuine first press as it has Alucard Music written below the Side A and Side B credits.  Subsequent pressings have the Excellency Music credit instead.  This is also one of the first off the 'press' as it has the earliest stampers of 111 on each side.  There cannot be many around today as immaculate as this one!

6360080   1Y//1▽ 420  1 1 1

6360080   2Y//1 ▽ 420  1 1 1

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio S2 is Mint(-) (T3 Near Mint+)

The gatefold is Ex+

The labels are Mint-

The original inner is Ex

Visual grading

This will not come as a surprise but the vinyl is in beautiful condition with an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen.  There are no marks or scratches and only a small number of very faint sleeve removal hairlines that are very hard to detect!  There is one small hairline 'area' on S1 but again it is very faint and not obvious in any way.  There is only very minimal spindle wear and it is clear it has only been lightly played and only on 'high end' equipment judging by the audio quality.  The run out grooves are pristine and the Vertigo labels are super clean with no marking or writing.

Play grading

'The Advent Of Panurge' plays with incredible clarity from the very first groove.  This opening vocal section is of course so quiet and so often affected by static etc but that is not the case here.  As the volume increases this clarity remains and it also plays with tremendous depth and resonance.  The more it progresses the more I am impressed by it!  The clarity of sound is STUNNING and there is no intrusion on the audio, it could not play any better.  No ticks, clicks or pops and no underlying static either.  This is easily a Mint start to the album.  With complete silence in the deadwax the vocal intro on 'Raconteur, Troubadour' plays perfectly and it continues in the same precise way with no interference.  The first instrumental section is 'as new' and this applies to the entire track.  Every vocal is so 'clean' and the strings section towards the end shows just how impeccable the clarity is here.  Even the super quiet end section has no 'background' and this is another Mint track without doubt.

The brief piano intro on 'A Cry For Everyone' has no interference and the first vocal section and instrumental are of the same 'high end' standard.  From then on it plays as per the previous tracks with no intrusion and I cannot overstate just how good the playback is - this is audio of the highest calibre - a beautifully preserved vinyl for sure.  Mint

'Knots' provides further evidence of a vinyl hardly played with STUNNING clarity from the get go.  This opening section is of course acapella and yet there is not even a single dust tick!  Just pure unadulterated Mint vocal audio!  The first instrumentation plays perfectly and this clarity and definition is prevalent throughout.  I have never heard this complicated vocal 'structure' plays with such stunning quality and again there is literally no 'background' from the first note to the last.  This is Mint in every single way.

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The 'laugh/spinning coin' intro on 'The Boys In The Band' plays with amazing audio (again) and this instrumental then plays with a clarity, depth and power that is second to none.  Every section plays with genuine quality and all I heard was one mega light tick.  Obviously not intrusive and Mint is easily deserved.

'Dog's Life' plays with STUNNING quality from the first groove to the last with no interference.  With only a  handful of barely audible dust ticks this is audio of the highest order and at this point it is worth noting so far on this album there has been no interference at all.  The sonic quality can correctly be described 'as new' and that is not a selling technique, it is based on my honest assessment of the audio.  This is another Mint track.

'Think Of Me With Kindness' plays beautifully from the outset with only a handful of the lightest dust ticks imaginable on the intro.  They are so quiet and, as I often say, hardly worth mentioning.  It continues in the same way with and I heard just one momentary distorted type sound during the brass section, it lasts for half a second if that.  From then on it plays with great precision and again the clarity is as close to perfect as could be.  A small number of barely audible dust ticks but Near Mint+ is definitely a fair grade.

The intro on 'River' plays with great power and depth and the opening vocal is perfect.  It proceeds to play with sensational clarity and definition with no sign of any interference.  The depth and resonance of each note could not be any 'cleaner' and there are just no negatives here.  No ticks, clicks or pops there is quite simply no 'background' to detract from the Mint quality of the audio.  The long instrumental is a classic example of that.  It is loud in many sections and yet there is no decrease in power and no distortion either.  This track is Mint from beginning to end.

In summary this genuine first pressing plays to a standard that most Gentle Giant collectors' can only dream about!!  The clarity, depth and warmth of the music is stunning and when I say there is no interference I am not exaggerating.  There is no background static and the sonic quality just cannot be faulted.  On recollection there is silence in the dead wax between each track also.  A FINAL UPGRADE album for sure and with a cover that has been so well preserved also.  A fantastic Vertigo first press on so many levels.

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve

The cover is in lovely condition with hardly any shelf wear and has retained its original shape extremely well.  The top edges have only 3/4 tiny 'rubs' and the bottom edges are also very clean with only a little rubbing towards the corners as is common.  The wide spine is near perfect with only a handful of very small white 'specks' and hardly any wear on the corners.  The right hand corners are also in superb condition as is the opening edge which has only 3/4 very small crimps.  The front cover is so clean and has only one faint crease in the top right corner and for once there is none of the fading/marking around the edges that you so often see.  The back cover has only very faint ringwear on the top half and a couple of faint scratch lines near the spine.  The inside of the gatefold is in superb shape with only one faint crease top right.  A fine example that has withstood the test of time so well.

Not all the first pressings came with a swirl inner as they were being phased out in 1972.  This poly-lined 'Plastic Bags...' inner is still date coded 0872 and is in excellent condition with no side splits or tears and only minimal age related fading around a couple of edges.  There is also one small mark on the reverse side but there is very little creasing.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

6360080   1Y//1▽ 420  1 1 1

6360080   2Y//1 ▽ 420  1 1 1

At the moment eBay do not allow shipping to Russia due to the ongoing crisis.  Apologies to my Russian customers, you know who to blame.

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

I NOW ONLY SEND ITEMS WORLDWIDE VIA TRACKED SHIPPING. THIS PROVIDES 'PEACE OF MIND' IN CASE OF LOSS OR DAMAGE. ALL COSTS ARE SHOWN BELOW AND COMBINED POSTAGE IS ALWAYS OFFERED. ANY OVER-PAYMENT WILL ALWAYS BE REFUNDED BACK TO THE BUYER.

THE ROYAL MAIL ONLY INSURE ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF £250 SO IF AN ITEM SELLS FOR MORE A COURIER SERVICE WILL BE USED (e.g. Parcelforce, DPD).  AN EXTRA INSURANCE PREMIUM WILL BE REQUIRED BUT I WILL NOT KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT UNTIL THE FINAL SALE PRICE IS KNOWN.  HOWEVER, SOMETIMES I WILL ESTIMATE A COST AND THIS WILL BE STATED IN THE LISTING.  PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH.  MANY THANKS.

ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION. I PRIDE MYSELF ON MY HIGH QUALITY PACKAGING AS MY FEEDBACK TESTIFIES AND IF ANY CUSTOMER HAS ANY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS I WILL ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO HELP.

I ONLY USE HIGH QUALITY MAILERS AND THESE COST ME £1.00 EACH. I WILL OFTEN USE 3 OR 4 CARDBOARD STIFFENERS AND THESE COST AT LEAST £0.15 EACH AND THEN THERE IS THE COST OF THE POLY-LINED INNER AND PVC SLEEVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT. IT ALL ADDS UP! NOT FORGETTING EBAY TAKING 10% OF THE SHIPPING FEE ALSO!!

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LPs/12" singles : £5.95 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item 

EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)

LPs/12" singles : £12.95 then £2.00 per extra 

REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)  

LPs/12" singles : £20.95 then £2.50 per extra

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO LEAVE FEEDBACK AFTER PAYMENT HAS BEEN MADE, NONE OF THIS WAITING BEFORE I RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM YOU - I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN MY LISTINGS!  IF YOU ARE NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE LEAVING FEEDBACK AND I WILL ALWAYS RESOLVE ANY PROBLEM, 100% GUARANTEED.  IF YOU WOULD PREFER TO SEND THE ITEM BACK I WILL OF COURSE OF COURSE PAY THE RETURN SHIPPING COST IF I AM AT FAULT.  I AM ONLY HUMAN AFTER ALL!