Gentle Giant Octopus UK 1972 Vertigo LP Spaceship Label NM vinyl, super g/f, EX+

	£		49
	$		64

GENTLE GIANT OCTOPUS

A beautiful, hard to fault condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after UK 1972 early press prog rock gem, on the coveted UK Vertigo "spaceship" label, STEREO, 6360 080

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1   6360080  1Y//1 420 with stampers "1 3", "9" and "0 4" 

Side 2    6360080  2Y//1 420 with stampers "1 1", "2 3" and "0 4"

The appearance and overall condition of the flat and heavy vinyl is near mint (NM). Beautifully glossy vinyl with a superb jet black sheen and even under a bright light I could not detect any blemishes whatsoever, a clear indication that this vinyl has had only a few plays.

The labels are similarly near mint (NM). Lovely smooth textured iconic UK Vertigo "spaceship" labels with no marks whatsoever, not even the usual one or two very faint spindle trails. Perfect!

The condition of the non-laminated Howards Printers outer gatefold sleeve is excellent plus (EX+).  Again, hard to fault with all edges, including the spine, nicely rigid; each corner still an almost perfectly defined right angle with just the merest hint of some minimal rubbing on each; no discernible creasing at all though if you look very, very closely, and under a bright light, you may just be able to detect a few 1cm horizontal surface crease marks perpendicular to the spine on each of the front and reverse sides but these are very, very trivial. There is a single 5mm light scuff in the middle of the front top edge, and some very light, sporadic scuffing on the bottom edges (slightly more pronounced towards the corners) but, again, these minor blemishes are very trivial and do nothing to detract from the overall wonderful condition of this beautiful sleeve. The superb art work on the outside remains perfectly intact with the colours still rich, vibrant and perfectly defined, and the inside of the gatefold remains similarly impressive with no marks or unwanted writing/doodles and all text/song lyrics in pristine condition. Gorgeous!

The quality of the audio is near mint (NM). Superb tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. No skips, jumps, repeats, sticks, clicks or background crackle, just wonderful STEREO sound quality from one of the most inventive prog bands of the early 70's, with each and every track on this brilliant LP making for a great listen. 

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. THE ADVENT OF PANURGE

2. RACONTEUR TROUBADOR

3. A CRY FOR EVERYONE

4. KNOTS

Side 2 :

1. THE BOYS IN THE BAND

2. DOG'S LIFE

3. THINK OF ME WITH KINDNESS

4. RIVER

Comes with original plain white "PATENT No..." and "MADE IN ENGLAND" inner sleeve with no tears, rips, seam splits, creasing or fraying - just a little very mild vertical discolouration due to ageing alonside the side edges - and of course remaining fully functional. Note that I always use a new, plain white replacement inner sleeve for shipping purposes in order to protect the original.

In summary a beautiful condition and great sounding copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1972 UK 2nd press Gentle Giant prog rock gem - the whole LP is a great listen, highly collectible, a "must" for any serious prog rock vinyl collection and will only continue to gain in value.

 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 50 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 during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 65 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

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 thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick 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 UK £4.00, Royal Mail 1st class, signed for; 

Continental Europe £12, and Rest of the World £16 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

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

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records 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

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

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 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, discolouration, etc.

Fair

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 are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

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