JIMI HENDRIX Band of Gypsys RARE UK 1970 1st PRESS PUPPET COVER EX++ TRACK LP.

	£		215
	$		285

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Artist or Band: JIMI HENDRIX

Album Title: Band of Gypsies

Producer(s): ‘Heaven Research’ (Jimi Hendrix)

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Who Knows; Machine Gun; Changes.

Side 2: Power of Soul; Message to Love; We Gotta Live Together.

Label/Format: Track – intense matt black surfaces with a very gentle hint of texturing. Interesting the two different spellings of Gipsies that vary on label to cover.

Label Conditions: Two highly impressive Track labels that are ultra clean, fresh and attractive with only a mere couple of small light spindle marks on what are always very revealing surfaces. This superb example without any doubt, has hardly been played, and to date, one of the cleanest sounding copies I have heard on a first issue copy.

Catalogue Number: 2406002

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps or Lateral Movement: Assume all records I offer have no significant warping or lateral movement to cause sound or tracking issues. All should play fine even on budget turntables.

Weight of Record: 146 grams. Above average for this album, one of the heaviest copies I have ever had.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: The very first-made UK copies included the famous Puppet cover (as this one), which was fairly quickly withdrawn from sale. A totally new cover was quickly made with a picture of hendrix instead of the dolls which are moderately common to find. The American version had a different cover again right from time of release. The puppet cover ‘originals’ are way rarer and now getting increasingly hard to find. Finding a first issue with a hardly played record is even harder to find.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: 2406002 A 1 1 1 2 / 2406002 B = 1 1 1 1 [one of the earliest ever pressed, just look at those ‘1’ stampers]

Musicians: Jimi Hendrix – electric guitar, vocals; Billy Cox – bass guitar; Buddy Miles – drums, vocals.

Brief Info: Issued when Hendrix was still alive after he disbanded the ‘Experience’, this was the last album under his control and was a live set recorded at the Fillmore East, New York in 1970. The songs were all new. A great performance with a quite raw sound that works perfectly, a legendary album famed for it’s original cover. An iconic and highly prized and collectable cover that was quite quickly withdrawn from sale adding to its mystery. This is a very fine example, yes, the cover had a little ageing and mild wear, but so many found are trashed – this is a delicate matt cover and one that does not age well. The record is fantastic, and I have no doubt whatsoever, it has hardly been played. Even the inner has the earliest manufacture dates as seen in close-up. Musically, this has some superb virtuoso guitar breaks and includes the impressive ‘Machine Gun’. It can be argued it does not hit the dizzy heights of the three previous albums, but being honest, it would have been a near impossible task to do so, however, still an impressive set, and this a very fine example with a record that comes very close to reminding of as-made, with almost the earliest first stamper codes you are likely to find. Even the June 1970 date-coded inner sleeve has withstood the test-of-time impressively as well. With these becoming increasingly hard to find, this is a very fine example to please many fans and collectors of the genius that was Jimi Hendrix.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(–): A single unlaminated format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press, includes the polylined inner sleeve.

Cover Front & Back: One of the most famous, prized and cherished album covers for collectors of this legendary musician. As stated, this was quite quickly withdrawn from sale and remains one of the most sort-after albums with the puppet cover in the history of rock music. The front features four dolls that depict Brian Jones (Rolling Stones), Bob Dylan, and the DJ John Peel, as well as Hendrix himself. It certainly proved controversial, especially as the four dolls (or puppets) had little association with each other and do not perform on the album itself. It is reputed pressure was made for its withdrawal, and it was quickly changed and reprinted. The puppet cover has always been highly prone to wear and is seldom seen anything above very good at best. This one, although a little aged with minor wear/general ageing and the odd blemish (a small surface scuff on the front on the Peel doll’s hair), is still a very fine example given the age and fragility. Printed on thin card, the quite heavy original record will often mean ugly penetrating ring wear which this has pretty much avoided. The card has some darkening and mildish grubbiness around the side areas with moderately fine creasing towards the upper corner areas and edges here-and-there, but these have not broken the ink, hence they show far, far less than so many have these days. No writing or sticker issues, both common and this cover is massively intolerant of any sticker removals. Both sides artwork retain super deep colour with no fading, again, if exposed to daylight over time, this will caused to ink to fade making those famous dolls look less impressive. Beware of ones that look too good to be true – because they probably are. This is 100% the real deal, and although it does politely remind of age, it is still one that can be cherished with the reassurance of the fact.

Top Edge: A thinly-made edge that is still quite straight with only light, patchy surface rubs.

Bottom Edge: Similar overall, but thin matt storage edges will always acquire more friction rubbing than the top. However, this is still only moderately light and still quite patchy.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The very thin card is still impressively sharp with any hint of thickening gentle, very little and light. The factory cut card end naturally discoloured which proves this has not been trimmed or enhanced – indeed every aspect of this rare is totally natural.

Spine and Text: Also quite a thin spine, but still solid, quite straight with any compression mild and patchy, the ends are pinched in manufacture. The text is virtually unrubbed and strong and easily read with just a gentle rubbing to the final two digits of the catalogue number near the bottom corner area. Being a white spine, some darkening/mild ageing of the card is massively difficult to avoid over a span of 50+ years.

Corners: Tip rubbing is mostly small and light with fine to very fine shape retained with no knocks. A cover more often seen with huge corner creasing or impact damages which this has avoided. Again, just enough to politely remind of age and handling.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this lovely original, legendary early 1970’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. Enough to politely remind of age and handling over the course of over half-a-century, but this still attractive item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: the polylined inner sleeve has little to fault bar the usual age darkening on the adhesive seam areas. Two neat untorn window circles, the lining still clear and fresh. No hard creasing with any crinkle minimal and light, all edges naturally intact. This is date-coded 1/0670 (June 1970) with British Patent numbers: 800513 & 973939.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and very solidly pressed. A copy appearing hardly played on all the evidence with any surface traces ultra light and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, hardly anything even registers. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This fourth Jimi Hendrix album plays up to, and most even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this an album with some very quiet passages so silence is close to impossible on a record this huge age. A very clean pressing with no tracking issues* or inherent pressing noises. Few available copies will match or outperform this very early, first pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and, the record especially very well stored and carefully/little handled. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this lovely record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played on my Pro-Ject Turntable with Ortofon Blue Cartridge tracking at 2 grams, Naim SuperNait 2 Amp and Spendor A7 speakers.

All records I offer are cleaned using my German-made Nessie, professional quality record cleaning machine.