Kaleidoscope - Tangerine Dream. Holy Grail UK psych monster in MONO just listen

$

918

Holy grail time! It is going to be a LONG time before one of these turns up in this condition again. WARNING: Bootlegs of this record exist, so I will make careful notes and photos. The original labels contain the “℗ 1967” with an encircled P, while on bootleg labels the P is in brackets. See the ℗ 1967 clearly in the photos, as well as the MONO ▽ imprint just to the right of the 33 1/3 text on both Side 1 and Side 2 labels. There are three different styles of catalogue numbers: The first one is the on label only (TL.5448, note the period in between the letters TL and the numbers 5448), the other two mentioned on both the label and on the cover (TL 5448, with no period, and 687 969 TL). The earliest few copies made prior to release had 'textured' labels and first date codes on the inner sleeves. This copy has the textured labels, so apparently is one of the VERY earliest. All subsequent copies made around the time of, or after release had smooth labels. Sadly, I was so young and naïve when I bought this ca. 1981, as an audiophile (rather than a collector), I switched the inner sleeve directly to a then-new VRP sleeve to avoid static and dust, and did not save the original. The spine and the other seams and corners all show minor bumping and flaking and the artist/label info has worn off. No seam splits, but there is a 6cm piece of Scotch tape neatly applied to the spine (see photo). The cover is solid all the way around even if the cardboard is neither thick nor stiff. The glossy – but not truly laminated – front cover remains remarkably shiny with minor creases, basically following along the outline of the LP inside, with no ringwear visible under bright light, all of which I have tried to show in the photos. The back cover has “88” written in blue ink on the top left corner and a random stain on the bottom left near the “Warning” text concerning unauthorised broadcasting (see photos). The white cardboard of the back cover is also lightly faded towards grey with age and the laminated flipback flaps from the front cover show minor ringwear and creases, normal for an album nearly 60 years old. Spindle marks can be difficult to assess on textured labels such as this. There are ZERO visible spindle marks on the Side 1 label and perhaps a dozen on the Side 2 label (see photos). That said, there are plenty of spider traces on the vinyl under bright light. As for the sound, the record played flawlessly even BEFORE running it through my Moth-MKII Pro Record Cleaning Machine. The sound file is taken from the lead track on Side 1 (Further reflections) In the room of percussion to demonstrate the absolute lack of crackle on the deadwax as well as the long, quiet lead in to the music before it rocks out. This is, quite simply, an astonishing copy of this album. If you are not a cover freak and want the music as clean as possible in MONO then this is truly a keeper copy, so no need to ever upgrade, unless you insist on having the artist/title/label info visible on the spine!

I am planning to list some ultra-rarities from my personal trove of vinyl LPs and 45s over the coming months. These have been painstakingly collected since the late 1970’s. Included are the absolute crown jewels of psychedelia, garage, prog, acid folk and folk-rock, all ranked 3-6 stars in Hans Pokora’s books. Artists like Vashti Bunyan, The Haunted, Fresh Maggots, Kaleidoscope, Plastic Cloud, Loudest Whisper, Reign Ghost, Synanthesia, Blues Section, Jormas, Mighty Baby, Sunforest, Trees, The Folklords, Anne Briggs, Kak, Moving Sidewalks and countless others. Most are stupidly rare, especially in such jaw-dropping condition. All have been extremely well cared-for across 4+ decades, and some are nearly un-played. In many cases, I also have the accompanying 45s for sale, including insanely rare non-LP tracks for e.g. Vashti Bunyan, Reign Ghost, Kak, Kaleidoscope, etc. These are not “spare” copies, these are THE copies from my personal collection. I am selling these only reluctantly, and if the first few samples do not attract an appropriate level of interest, I will simply return the rest of them to storage. All records have been dust vacuumed on a Moth-MKII Pro Record Cleaning Machine. 

My vinyl rankings are only slightly modified from Goldmine Standard for grading Please read them (below) carefully. I will describe every LP and 45 in detail and include photos as well as sound files. If you pay close attention to the cover/vinyl condition descriptions, check the photos in high-resolution and listen to the sound files, then you should know exactly what you are aiming for before you start bidding. I try to carefully note any flaws with the disc and the cover so that there are no surprises when the box arrives. I have 100% positive feedback on eBay and want to keep it that way. If there is ANY issue after receiving a shipment, please let me know immediately so we can resolve it before sending any feedback. 

Please do not pay before confirming your preferred shipping method and total shipping costs!! The domestic shipping costs to US are NOT real since the item comes from Finland! The international shipping costs also depend on the buyer’s location and preference in terms of service used. NOTE for US and Canadian buyers: Apparently, I CANNOT ship to Europe as eBay US only recognizes the buyer’s official eBay address. Otherwise they hold my payment for 30 days and I cannot do that. 

Buyer pays packaging, which costs $5 USD. I use top quality packaging and need to cover those costs, which will be included in the invoice. Vinyl will be packed extremely securely and LPs are double-boxed with cardboard stiffeners added inside the inner Euromailer to increase stability to avoid any damage in transit. The discs are always removed from the jackets to prevent seam splits, and all albums and 45s come in plastic outer sleeves. Each LP itself comes in a VRP rice paper-style inner sleeve. UPS and DHL Global Express Shipping from Finland are both available with or without insurance. Finnish Posti service is available to everywhere except the US, albeit without insurance. Posti no longer sends packages of any kind to the US, only documents/letters. 

Be sure to check my other listings now and in the coming months as these items almost never turn up for sale, much less in this condition!

I do not use Mint (M) unless the album is sealed. Near Mint (NM) means I literally unsealed the record myself and played it once or twice to record it to cassette. Any surface noise is therefore a function of the pressing and not due to wear and tear. I do not use EX. 

Very Good Plus Plus (VG++) will show only very minor – if any – wear, has been extremely well taken care of and plays with top-notch sound. The cover is crisp with minimal defects, and the record label shows very few spindle marks or other signs of wear or damage. The vinyl retains full gloss and for 45s the picture sleeve is mostly intact. This is as close to NM as it going to get for 99% of rare vintage vinyl for sale anywhere. 

Very Good Plus (VG+) will show minor yet visible cover wear, has been well taken care of and still plays with generally excellent sound. Spindle marks on the label may be more pronounced, yet vinyl gloss and sonic clarity both remain solid and surface noise minimal. For 45s the picture sleeve is intact but has significant defects, such as seam splits, age-related discoloration, wrinkling or visible rubbing.

Very Good (VG) will show visible wear and tear on the cover, have significant spindle marks on the label and the vinyl will have lost some of its gloss and/or sonic clarity. Surface noise is evident. I will offer almost no LPs or 45s rated VG as I simply do not own them, except a very few that are exceptionally rare in any condition.