Kevin Ayres - Shooting at the Moon First U.K. Pressing Excellent (Robert Wyatt, Mike Oldfield, Bridget St.John, David Bedford, Lol Coxhill)

Matrix  Side 1. ''SHSP 4005 A-2G'' Side 2. ''SHSP 4005 A-2G”

Catalogue number Harvest SHSP 4005      Originally released 1970

Overall condition is EXCELLENT

Sleeve EXCELLENT

The laminate front flipback sleeve is still bright and glossy in EXCELLENT condition with no tears or splits but there is a slight ringwear and some very light laminate creasing to the edge nearest the spine. The coloured front and monochrome back are both still clean and there isn’t any writing, taping or stickers.

Spine EXCELLENT the spine is firm and totally legible but has some slight creasing.

The original EMI Harvest advertising inner sleeve is still in good condition and features promotional photos of other EMI Harvest albums; although the edges are a little grubby (see photo)

I will also include the original plastic outer that I bought with it, which still fits tightly and has successfully kept the dust off for all these years

Record EXCELLENT It’s pressed on heavyweight vinyl The record itself is clean and glossy and the disc retains its deep, black vinyl sheen.

Labels EXCELLENT The classic 1st press green and yellow Harvest labels show no signs of use, have no writing and are clean with no visible spindle marking.

Audio Quality EXCELLENT It plays really well apart from some of the usual vinyl hiss and crackle between tracks that unfortunately are noticeable in some of the quietest passages but vanish after a few seconds and don’t detract from the overall sound, which is still amazing, although deep cleaning would probably remove them.

But, to quote the Record Collector grading system for the category of EXCELLENT, there is very little lessening in sound quality.”

(Please remember even new, factory fresh vinyl is likely to have some clicks and pops, but the richness of sound will always be better than digital. OK eventually the robots and aliens will make digital sound as good, but until then, it’s a compromise, you have to choose; deep rich tones and a beautiful sleeve (often with lyrics or other notes) or clinical sterility with nothing to see and a narrow frequency range.)

Since 1970 all my records have been played on a Pioneer PL12D with a Shure N75 ED-T2 cartridge and stylus, tracking at 1.5 grams which I continue to use today – although the stylus has been replaced regularly

TRACKS: Side 1 - Track 1. May I/Rheinhardt & Geraldine/Colores Para Dolores/Lunatics Lament/Pisser Dans Un Violin

Side 2 - Track 1. The Oyster & The Flying Fish/Underwater/Clarence In Wonderland/) Red Green & You Blue/Shooting At The Moon

Summary: this ICONIC, progressive rock/avante garde masterwork album is a lovely piece of genuine memorabilia from a bygone time that changed the world, as well as the way that music is made, and would grace any collection. This is what happens when an ex-Soft Machine guitarists, with the voice of a 1930s lounge lizard, teams up with avante garde orchestral maestro David Bedford, yet to be acclaimed ‘boy wonder’ Mike Oldfield, professional busker Lol Coxhill and added guest slots from legendary Robert Wyatt and folkie Bridget St.John. If you haven’t heard it on vinyl this could be for you. It certainly doesn’t sound 51 years old.

Admittedly it is not in Mint condition, although the album overall counts as EXCELLENT but that is why I’m starting at a sensible price so a genuine fan or collector can enjoy them without paying rip off prices.

If you check my feedback you will see many people think my grading is spot on.

I’m not a dealer of any sort, but am just downsizing and having to clear things out and trying to survive on a poxy pension. Good luck with your bidding and feel free to ask any question.

A Word About Payment and Postage

Sorry but I accept Paypal only and it will be posted as soon as payment has cleared, which must be paid within 24hours of the end of the auction. This may seem harsh but I’m fed up with time wasters!

I use 12" Vinyl LP Record Cruciform postal mailers and protect them with an additional layer of bubblewrap. In the UK I use Royal Mail Signed For.

Price for postage is for 2nd class. If you are outside the UK, I will use Ebay’s Global Shipping Program and you are therefore accepting their shipping terms and charges over which I have no control.

Record Collector grading system used

MINT: The record 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 will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

As well as the above grades, Near Mint is often used as well; this is really for a record that appears new but is known to have been played because the label has light spindle marks or because it has come from a previous owner and is assumed to have been played by them. For records which appear to fall between the accepted grades, + and - are also often added to the grading.