Hawkwind SPACE RITUAL UK 2LP 1ST ONE PLAY MINT-

	£		58
	$		77

HAWKWIND - INSEARCH OF SPACE

IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION - PLAYED JUST ONCE

ORIGINAL UK FIRST PRESS - ALL IN MINT MINUS CONDITION

• CATALOGUE:UNITED ARTISTS UAD 60037/38
• MATRIX:UAD 60037 A-2U / B-2U  UAD 60038 A-2U / B-2U
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS: I PD / 1 MO / 2 HR / 2 LM
• SIDE 1 HAS 'RAYS' ETCHED INTO THE DEAD WAX
•  IT WOULD BE WRONG TO DESCRIBE THIS LP AS RARE AS THIS WAS THE SINGLE MOST POPULAR HAWKWIND ALBUM EVER. SELLING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS. HOWEVER HOW MANY OF THEM ARE TODAY IN COLLECTIBLE CONDITION, AND BY THAT I MEAN AS GOOD OR NEARLY AS GOOD AS NEW. YOU ONLY HAVE TO KNOW HOW BADLY THE SLEEVES WEAR TO APPRECIATE THAT THE GREAT COPIES WILL BE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN, AND THEN OF COURSE HOW MANY COPIES ARE GOING TO BE AVAILABLE TO BUY OR WIN AT AUCTION DUE TO MOST ALREADY BEING SAFELY IN COLLECTIONS. WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A ONE PLAY SET IN ORIGINAL AND NEAR PRISTINE CONDITION

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE TAN COLOURED UA LABELS ARE IN MINT CONDITION. THE BASE COLOUR STRETCHES FULLY INTO UNWORN SPINDLE HOLES, WHILST THE BLACK TYPEFACE IS UNRUBBED AND ALL PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THERE IS ONE REALLY TINY SPIDER LINE CLOSE TO EACH HOLE INDICTATING THAT THE SET HAS ONLY HAD THE ONE VERY CAREFUL PLAY

THE VINYL

THE HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL HAS RETAINED  ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL SHEEN ON ALL 4 SIDES. ALL 4 SIDES LOOK SUPERB AND FREE FROM ANY MARKS OR SIGNS OF HANDLING. EVEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE APART FROM A COUPLE OF NEAR INVISIBLE WISPY HAIRLINES

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED EIGHT  TRACKS FROM THIS DOUBLE ALBUM, TWO FROM EACH SIDE. I HAVE RECORDED THE FIRST TRACK FROM EACH SIDE WHICH INCLUDES THE DEAD WAX RUN IN, AND ONE OTHER RANDOM TRACK FROM EACH SIDE WHICH INCLUDES THE LINKING GROOVE. MY AIM IS TO DEMONSTRATE JUST HOW CRISP THE SOUND IS WHILST ALLOWING YOU TO HEAR THE SILENT PASSAGES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THERE IS ANY BACKGROUND NOISES.

PLEASE TAKE A LISTEN TO THE RECORDINGS AND I AM SURE YOU WILL AGREE THAT THE SOUND QUALITY OS SUPERB. NO BACKGROUND CRACKLES, NO CLICKS ETC, JUST THE VERY VERY RANDOM TINY DUST POP, AND PERHAPS THE ODD BIT OF STATIC

THERE IS NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND, AT ALL ANYWHERE, MEANING THE LP WHEN IT WAS PLAYED WAS PLAYED ON A GOOD DECK WITH AN UNWORN STYLUS. THE CLARITY OF THE SOUND IS MIAGNIFICENT. CLEAR AS A BELL, EVERY NOTE HEARD EXACTLY HOW IT WAS PRODUCED TO BE HEARD.

I AM VERY HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL AS MINT MINUS

THE SLEEVE

THIS SLEEVE IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND IN ANYTHING OTHER THAN EXCELLENT AT BEST. BECAUSE IT IS A NON LAMINATED FOLD OUT SLEEVE IT IS VERY VERY WEAK AT THE SEAMS, AND JUST ABOUT EVERY COPY YOU WILL SEE WILL HAVE VERY WORN SPINES, WHERE THE TYPEFACE CANNOT BE READ. ON MOST YOU WILL ALSO FIND HORRIBLE RING WEAR AND SHELF WORN EDGES. THIS ONE HOWEVER IS IN MINT MINUS CONDITION AND LOOKS AS GOOD AS THE DAY IT WAS PRINTED.

WHY? WELL BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN KEPT IN A PLASTIC OUTER SLEEVE FOR 38 YEARS AND THE RECORDS HAVE ONLY EVER HAD ONE PLAY IN THAT TIME, APART FROM MY ULTRA CAREFUL TEST PLAY

I HAVE TAKEN MANY PICTURES OF THIS SLEEVE AND WILL EXPLAIN IN DETAIL WHAT EACH SURFACE LOOK LIKE, SO STARTING WITH THE FRONT. THIS IS THE PANEL WITH THE NAKED WOMAN ON IT AND THE TITLE OF THE DOUBLE LP. WORTH POINTING OUT THAT THE WAY THE SLEEVE FOLD UP MAKES IT SIMILAR TO THE WAY TOP LOADER SLEEVES WORK AND THE RECORDS IN THE MAIN ARE REMOVED FROM THE TOP EDGE. UNBELIEVEABLY THERE IS NO LOSS OF THE COLOUR TO THIS FRONT SURFACE, AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED IT USUALLY RUBS BADLY AND HAS RING WEAR BUT HERE YOU WILL FIND NEAITHER COLOUR LOSS NOR RING WEAR. THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES, OR CREASE LINES AND ONLY ONE MINISCULE LINE CLOSE TO THE RIGHT HAND SPINE. THE BOTTOM EDGE IS 99% FREE FROM ANY SHELF WEAR, JUST A TOUCH AT THE CORNERS, BUT REALLY REALLY INSIGNIFICANT.

THE TOP EDGE AND FOR THAT MATTER ALL OF THE TOP EDGES ARE MINT AND HAVE NO DAMAGE.

THE TWO SPINES ARE BOTH IN TOP CONDITION. THE LEFT ONE I8S AMAZINGLY ABSOLUTELY FLAT, UNWORN, AND ALL OF THE TYPEFACE IS LEGIBLE. THE RIGHT ONE HAS A COUPLE OF SLIVERS OF RUBBING.

THE REAR SURFACE HAS THE PICTURE OF THE BAND LIVE ON STAGE AND AGAIN USUALLY SUFFERS BADLY FROM RUBBING AND RING WEAR. ONCE AGAIN THOUGH THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NONE. THE OTHER FOUR COLOUR PANELS ARE IN THE SAME SUPERB MINT MINUS CONDITION.

OPENING THE SLEEVE OUT FULLY REVEALS ALL OF THE DETAIL ABOUT THE TRACKS AND FURTHER SPACE IMAGES. YOU WILL SEE FROM THE PICTURE I HAVE TAKEN THAT IT DOESN'T LIE FLAT. THIS IS SIMPLY BECAUSE IT JUST HASN'T BEEN OPENED MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES AND THE SEAMS AND SPINES ARE STILL STIFF AND UNWORN.

ONE LAST THING. USUALLY THIS SLEEVE ON THE INNER SURFACES GETS VERY VERY BADLY MOTTLED. I HAVE SEEN MANY THAT LOOK FOR WANT OF A BETTER DESCRIPTION 'MOULDY' THIS ONE HAS TWO TINY BROWN DOTS ON THE TOP EDGE, AND THATS ALL

THE INNER SLEEVES ARE THE TWO FIRST PRESS INNERS DEPICTED BY THE CATALOGUE NUMBERS ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNERS. BECAUSE THE LP'S HAVE NOT BEEN PLAYED IT IS THE REASON WHY BOTH OF THESE INNERS ARE IN MINT UNBLEMISHED CONDITION. THERE IS NOT ONE CREASE ON EITHER OF THEM, AND EVEN THE RECESSED TOP EDGES ARE PERFECT. I HAVE PLACED THE VINYLS INSIDE 2 NEW POLY LINED INNERS TO KEEP THE ORIGINALS PERFECT. NATURALLY THERE ARE NO SEAM SPLITS EITHER

THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THIS IS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF THIS SLEEVE I HAVE EVER SEEN, EVEN CRISPER THAN MY OWN COPY THAT I TREASURED FROM THE DAY OF RELEASE

IT GRADES MINT MINUS

GARRY