HATFIELD AND THE NORTH - VIRGIN 1st UK Press EX+ CARAVAN EGG ARZACHEL

	£		39
	$		51

HATFIELD AND THE NORTH -

  VIRGIN

V 2008

 1st UK  Press 1973

Machined matrices: A-2U  B-2U

On offer here is a VERY rare LP (especially in this condition!!!!) by Hatfield & The North called "Hatfield & The North" and is an ORIGINAL 1973 UK 1st Pressing on the 1st Press Virgin label!!!!  THIS LP IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND!!!!  THIS IS ONE OF THE RAREST LP's ON THE VIRGIN LABEL - AND VIRTUALLY NEVER TURNS UP FOR SALE!!!!  JUST TRY AND FIND ANOTHER ONE!!!!  BACK IN 1973 WHEN THIS LP WAS FIRST RELEASED - IT ONLY EVER SOLD IN ABSOLUTELY TINY AMOUNTS, AND WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY DELETED!!!!  AS A RESULT IT IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND INCREDIBLY HARD TO LOCATE TODAY!!!!  THIS LP IS MADE EVEN RARER STILL, AS IT IS THE 'EARLIEST' 1ST PRESSING EVER MADE - WITH A 'FULLY LAMINATED' GATEFOLD COVER (LATER ONES WERE 'MATT' OR VARNISHED INSTEAD!)!!!!

A short-lived experimental prog-rock band that included band members from Caravan, Egg, Matching Mole and Gong – with a little bit of Henry Cow as well. So it is not hard to imagine their three albums sound like a blend of them all. This was their self-titled debut and an absolutely superb album it is too. Very much in the Canterbury Rock mould, this is progressive rock for the connoisseur. Complex music and time structures and beautifully produced, a challenging album in wonderful condition. This is a copy that is one of the earliest you will ever see. Both cover and record have to be seen to be believed really, it would prove an upgrade for most Canterbury collectors. 

 Scarce: this was no big seller and this one of the earliest pressings ever made. In the early fledgling Virgin years, this label was taking on less commercial bands and artists and many are now scarce and collectable. Try finding a better copy than this.

Vinyl: EX to EX+.  A beautiful well looked after vinyl in just stunning condition with a beautiful just pressed appearance and very likely that it is actually unplayed which is also evident from the total lack of spindle traces.  I have played it in full on my high end system and the audio is  flawless without  any discernible background static. There are no marks and just one very faint wispy hairline on side A just visible under a very strong light.   A total joy to listen to and I am finding it hard to part with this smashing album. This album is extremely scarce in any condition at all, in this splendid condition ... probably one of the last ones out there!

Gatefold Sleeve: EX+.  Fully laminated, inside and out. The very first issue of this sleeve which is  fully laminated with just one tiny crease near the top of the spine. Otherwise no creases whatsoever!! All edges are dead straight. The opening is wonderfully straight and ultra crisp. NO writing or damage. This sleeve has still got that lovely "creak" you will only hear when an album is opened the first few times. Beautiful rich colours and of course NO marks, NO writing or smudging, NO indentations. I wonder if a better copy than this exists on the market. 

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.