GRAVY TRAIN Ballad Of A Peaceful Man 1971 UK 1st press prog gem, SWIRL 6360 051

	£		371
	$		492

GRAVY TRAIN - (A Ballad of) A PEACEFUL MAN

An extremely rare and highly sought after copy of this 1971 UK 1st press prog rock classic, in overall VG (at least) condition, on the coveted VERTIGO SWIRL label,  6360 051

 Matrix Numbers :

Side 1  6360051 1Y//1  11  2 

Side 2   6360051 2Y//1  11  4 

The appearance of the vinyl is very good+. Completely flat and when viewed in normal daylight a nice sheen with no obvious marks at all. When viewed under a brighter light, and tilted at the right angle, a number of light marks, wispy hairlines, and very light scuffs do come into view, however, and it is clear that this record has had a fair number of plays. No obvious scratches though, and nothing that appears to be beneath the surface. So overall I would grade the condition of the vinyl (both sides) as a solid VERY GOOD.

The labels are again very good+. The only blemishes are just a couple of very light, faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each side and some light writing in biro (possibly a name - see photo) on the side2 label. Note that there was no large Vertigo swirl release of this LP.

The laminated, iconic gatefold sleeve is again very good+.  All edges remain firm with barely any scuffing at all,and that includes the rigid spine where all writing remains perfectly legible. Each corner remains a nicely defined right angle but also suffer from some mild but clearly noticeable scuffing. There are a number of small, 1-2cm laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the bottom edge and spine and a few more (3-5) on each edge of the reverse side. The iconic front and reverse side photograph, and colouring, remain in very good+ condition (better than the accompanying photos make out I would say...it's so difficult to get the lighting just right to show the true virtue and impressiveness of some of these 60's and 70's outer sleeves, especially the laminated ones). There are some small areas of laminate "dulling" but nothing  to make this copy any less desirable, and remember that this item is now a 46 year old antiquity! The inside of the gatefold is excellent, with no obvious marks, scuffs, nicks or doodles. Not quite excellent but still lovely!

Finally, the quality of the audio is at least VG. There is some occasional, but very mild, background crackle - most noticeable at the beginning of each side of the vinyl, and during a couple of the quiter moments; and on side 1 I noticed 5 light background clicks on the second track. I should stress that much of the album suffers from no background crackle at all and grades as excellent audio quality, particularly the the second half of side 2 which to all intents and purposes is fault free. I'm probably being over cautious when I grade the audio quality as overall VG...I've just listened to the entire record again and...well, it's just a great listen. Ok, a few little background crackles and a few mild clicks on side 1 but no distortion, great clarity...probably VG+!

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. ALONE IN GEORGIA

2. (BALLAD OF) A PEACEFUL MAN

3. JULES DELIGHT

Side 2 :

1. MESSENGER

2. CAN ANYBODY HEAR ME?

3. OLD TIN BOX

4. WON'T TALK ABOUT IT

5. HOME AGAIN

Comes with original poly-lined Vertigo swirl inner sleeve with no splits or tears, just some mild creasing towards the corners and some slight age discolouration, and remains in excellent condition. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner in order to protect the original.

In summary a solid VG (and that may be a bit conservative) copy of this extremely rare, and highly sought after 1971 UK prog rock 1st pressing gem. This would surely grace any vinyl collection.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but over the years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boots, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I never intended selling any of my records but now I am retired and a combination of space requirements (caused partly by duplication) and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell many of my much loved gems. 

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be Royal Mail 1st class, tracked and signed for  : UK £6.00, continental Europe £9, and Rest of the World £13. 

 I do discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint

Description: 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

Description: 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

Description: 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

Description: 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, discoloration, etc.

Fair 

Description: 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

Description: 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

Description: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.