HIGH TIDE SEA SHANTIES rare orig '69 UK 1st press LP BLUE LIBERTY LBS 83264 EX

	£		192
	$		254

HIGH TIDE - SEA SHANTIES

A very nice copy of this very rare and highly sought after 1969 UK first press prog rock gem, on the LIBERTY label, STEREO, LBS 83264

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  LBS 83264 A//1 with stampers "1 1 1" at 11 o'clock (difficult to make out last digit)

Side 2   LBS 83264 B//1 with stampers "1 1 1" at 1 o'clock (difficult to make out last digit)

In normal daylight the overall appearance of the vinyl is excellent (EX). To be precise, side 1 is excellent plus (EX+)...gleaming, glossy vinyl with a jet black sheen in truly beautiful condition. Side 2 is exactly the same except for a 3.5cm non-feelable pencil thin scuff, which traverses tracks 1 and half of track 2 on side 2, which is just noticeable in normal daylight when the vinyl is tilted at the right angle in a good light (see photo). Apart from that you may be able, just, to detect a couple of wispy hairlines on either side when closely inspected under a bright light but apart from that, perfect! Clearly this vinyl has been sparingly played.

The labels are pristine. Beautiful labels with all writing, all colouring, all art work, and the iconic Liberty logo perfectly intact. If you look closely at each label it is just possible to identify a couple of very, very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole, otherwise perfect. Brilliant! Note the side 1 spelling mistake : Futilist's Lamen", missing the "t" off "Lament" - unique to very 1st pressings of this brilliant album.

The condition of the non-laminated and brilliant McNeill Press gatefold sleeve is very good plus (VG+). Such an iconic and uniquely designed sleeve, with such first pressing sleeves very fragile and very prone to wear and tear. The top and bottom edges remain nice and firm with some intermittent mild scuffing, and the spine is also rigid with some very light scuffing at either end with all spine text nicely intact and perfectly legible. Each corner remains a nicely defined right angle with just a little scuffing on each, and the inside of the gatefold remains in superb condition with all artwork and colours still rich, vibrant and clear. The opening edges remain firm with barely any fraying or feathering and the only other blemish is some mild age discolouration on the outside of the gatefold (front and reverse side) adjacent to the edges and spine.

Finally, the quality of the audio is truly excellent. Superb, in fact...with no skips, jumps, repeats, nasty clicks, or background crackle. Wonderful tone and clarity throughout even on higher frequencies and at higher volume. If you were expecting an LP full of sweet acoustic sea shanties, forget it! This is heavy prog with searing guitar solos, violins and complex melodies - great stuff! I did notice a total of x7 very mild background clicks on side 2 : x2 on the firs ttrack, and then x2 followed by x3 a little later on track 2 - very minor and background and nothing here to deter from the overall wonderful STEREO sound quality. A true heavy prog rock gem which went completely under the radar when first released way back in 1969. 

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. Futilist's Lament

2. Death Warmed Up

3. Pushed, But Not Forgotten

Side 2 :

1. Walking Down Their Outlook

2. Missing Out

3. Nowhere

Comes complete with original excellent condition poly-lined inner sleeve with no tears or splits, no fraying and no unwanted writing, and just some slight age discolouration and a diagonal crease in the bottom right hand corner - remaining 100% functional with just a little very mild age discolouration and some light surface creasing.  Note that I always post the vinyl (each one in this case) in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary an overall excellent and highly presentable copy of this very rare, highly sought after and seldom seen 1969 UK 1st pressing prog rock gem - worthy of gracing any vinyl collection and only continuing 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 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 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 64 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 £5.00, Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for; continental Europe £11 and Rest of the World £15, Royal Mail 1st class 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