Heart Dreamboat Annie 1980 Nautilus NR 3 Audiophile 1/2 Speed Master of 1975 LP

$

27

Heart
Dreamboat Annie
Nautilus NR 3 Audiophile LP
Gatefold Jacket
1979 Half Speed Master Re-issue of Original Mushroom Records 1975 LP
Very Quiet Teldec Virgin Vinyl pressing
Lyrics Sheet Insert

Item Details
Manufactured in: USA
Recorded: July-August 1975 Vancouver
Original Issue: September 1975
This Issue: 1979
Label: Nautilus NR 3
Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
Side 1: (etch:) NR-3/MRS-5005-AS4 JG/2 (stamp:) EDP
Side 2: (etch:) NR-3/MRS-5005-BS4 JG/2 (stamp:) EDP
Half speed mastering allows the cutting head twice as much time to render the groove. This means more fine detail on playback (especially in the highs) and less waver on long sustained notes.
Was bought new by this seller many years ago and now offered from his private collection (you have absolutely known provenance). Has had limited plays only on an expertly setup high-end audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. Has never been exposed to heat or tobacco smoke and always stored vertically in a specially designed record cabinet (Rackit) to prevent warpage.
Was cleaned on a VPI HW 16 with Audio Intelligent solutions and ultra-pure water rinse (50X purer than distilled water) before my pre-sale sound check. I wear nitrile surgical gloves while cleaning and play testing to avoid any chance of transferring finger oils to the vinyl.
Very sensitive play testing was performed straight off my Ayre P-5xe fully balanced phono preamp over Sennheiser HD 600 headphones using a Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 tube headphone amp fitted with Voskhod Soviet matched tubes (see last photo).
Track list
1: Magic Man, Dreamboat Annie(Fantasy Child), Crazy On You, Soul Of The Sea.

2: Dreamboat Annie, White Lightning & Wine, Love Me Like Music, Sing Child, Dreamboat Annie (Reprise).

I never take "distant" photos nor the so-prevalent type with the LP sticking halfway out of the jacket. I take close-ups under photo lamps so you can see nearly everything I describe in the jacket grading. It is virtually impossible to know the true vinyl condition from any photograph. That takes very bright and close visual inspection PLUS play testing with thorough coverage on high resolution equipment.
Grading Details
Note: Record grading by text characters is subjective and does not fully describe quality levels. Please see photos and my detailed descriptions below.

Outer Jacket Inspection:
VG++
The jacket is very close to NM. What keeps it from that in my opinion is the white "speckling" on the front cover plus the mild ring discolorations and upper right edge discolorations on the rear the jacket rear. Only the top edge has a little bit of rubbing wear. The rest of the edges and all corners are free of any rubbing wear.

Vinyl visual inspection:
NM-
Surface visuals were first inspected under high intensity halogen light. I rotated and tilted the record in multiple angles with my eyes a few inches away from the vinyl. Looks glossy and new except for a couple of hard to see "nano traces" on the very top surface of the vinyl well above the groove modulations. They are undetectable except under very close inspection and very bright light.

Play Testing:
NM
Extensive play testing was performed after cleaning. There are so many good tracks on this album that I chose to record both sides into ProTools as 192k/24-bit WAV files. I listened to them in entirety while recording and noted my impressions. The Nautilus quality control and materials selection really paid off on their first 1/2 speed reissue. This pressing is virtually dead quiet, even on transition grooves. The few "ticks" you might hear are very tiny and very far apart. My listening notes describe the audio quality as "dynamic, rich, detailed, wide, and deep." The 1/2 speed mastering seems to give the percussion and cymbals "breath." Nancy Wilson's guitar has perfect clarity and punch. The track "Sing Child" must be heard to know what I mean. The band thought that the tube-powered mix console and tape preamps were responsible for a large portion of the analog warmth and richness. My play testing leads me to rate the vinyl quality a solid NM. This Nautilus release is in the top of the heap among all NRs I have offered for sale so far.

Packaging

• Record will be placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting.
• Original inner sleeve is included separately.
• Record has been placed into a new "rice paper" sleeve, as the original, even if plastic lined, may be holding onto some dust. This will keep vinyl surfaces clean during shipping and ultimate buyer usage.
• Outer jacket is contained in a new clear polyethylene protective sleeve.
• Sent in good quality record mailer with cardboard stiffeners.

• Shipping will be via USPS Media Mail for a flat charge of $3.98 per single album sale.
• A combined shipping discount is available on multiple sales completed within 5 business days($3.98 plus $0.50 for each additional LP).
• If you intend to buy more than one LP do not pay immediately but wait for my all-combined invoice. A discount for the combined items will show on that invoice. Then, once payment is received, the items will ship.