PETER HAMMILL - 

Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night

CHARISMA 

Large  Hatter label

CAS 1067

1st UK Press 

 1973 Ultra Heavy vinyl

Weight : 137 gr.

Machined matrices: A-2U and B-1U. These are the very first matrices used. The quality of this album make it a keeper/archive copy

"Sofa Sogood" etched into the runout groove indicating the very first press for this classic Hammill solo album.

 It is extremely rare to unearth an LP like this Peter Hammill LP which is very rare as a genuine first press!!! It will be an upgrade for most serious prog / Van Der Graaf Generator collectors. This is a very 1st UK press on the Large mad hatter label with first press machined matrices.

On offer here is a VERY rare LP (especially in this condition!!!!) by Peter Hammill  an ORIGINAL 1973 UK 1st Pressing on the 1st Press Pink Charisma label!!!! THIS LP IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND!!!! THIS WAS PETER HAMMILL'S FIRST & RAREST LP EVER - AND VIRTUALLY NEVER TURNS UP FOR SALE!!!! JUST TRY AND FIND ANOTHER ONE!!!! BACK IN 1973 WHEN THIS LP WAS FIRST RELEASED - IT ONLY EVER SOLD IN ABSOLUTELY TINY AMOUNTS, AND WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY DELETED!!!! AS A RESULT IT IS SERIOUSLY RARE, AND INCREDIBLY HARD TO LOCATE TODAY!!!! - AND HAS BARELY BEEN  PLAYED, TWO SPINS AT MOST TAKE A LOOK AT THE PICTURES!!!! THIS IS THE ORIGINAL 1973 UK 1ST PRESSING ON 1ST PRESS PINK CHARISMA LABEL AND 1ST PRESS 'E.J.DAY' GATEFOLD 'TEXTURED' COVER!!!! THIS LP IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND LIKE THIS - SO DONT MISS OUT ON THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!!!! 

Boasting much stronger compositions than the preceding Fools Mate, Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night is regarded as one of Peter Hammill's best albums. Although Hammill is still in piano/acoustic guitar mode, the passion in his vocals is nearly unparalleled. But what separated Hammill from other early-'70s folk-rockers was that he had a knack for injecting art rock into his compositions and singing his mellow songs in a rough (rather expectedly laid-back) style. The opening track "German Overalls" could be compared to David Bowie's early acoustic period, as well as "What's It Worth" (the latter containing flute work that complements Hammill's acoustic strumming nicely). But Hammill successfully slips back into rock territory with "Rock and Rôle," which contains some great, dirty sax work. The album's production is very straightforward (nearly without any studio enhancement), which helps bring out the intensity of Hammill's stark arrangements. Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night could fall into the concept album category, since the theme of growing old seems to be repeated throughout.

This is the ORIGINAL Charisma UK 1st Pressing from 1973 and is in AWESOME condition!!!! The record is pressed on THICK quality vinyl. The Cat. No is CAS 1067 on the ORIGINAL 1st Press Pink Charisma label (see picture) and is a UK Stereo 1st Pressing (there were NO Monos!)!!!!

The disc is in EX++ (some would say NM) condition. Pristine, deep-gloss surface, without any hairlines. Careful inspection in strong daylight reveals that there is absolutely nothing untoward on this nearly perfect vinyl. Probably barely played!!!  As such this is the ultimate upgrade copy, for vinyl as well as the outstanding quality sleeve.

Machined matrices  : A-2U  B-1U  

The absolute rarity of this album is not to be underestimated. It hardly ever surfaces nowadays.  The feel of it is very solid. The vinyl is extremely heavy. This has a lovely deep glossy sheen!! Hauntingly beautiful songcraft!!! Immense quality prog album that ticks all the right boxes and incredibly hard to find. I have twenty five years experience in grading. It doesn't get much better than this!!

 SOLO ALBUM BY PETER HAMMILL THAT HARDLY SOLD AT ALL BUT IS NOW VERY SOUGHT AFTER BY PROG CONNOISEURS. ALL VDGG ENSEMBLE, comprising Guy Evans, David Jackson, Hugh Banton and Nic Potter collaborate which would make it pretty much a Van der Graaf Generator LP in all but name!

The surfaces display blazing factory-fresh gloss.

the audio is supreme!!!

Please, also have a look at my other incredibly rare prog albums on sale this week.

BACK IN 1973 WHEN THIS LP WAS FIRST RELEASED, IT ONLY EVER SOLD IN ABSOLUTELY TINY AMOUNTS - AS A RESULT IT IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND INCREDIBLY HARD TO LOCATE TODAY!!!! 

Vinyl: EX++ .   I first played for a general listen and a second time for a more detailed observation. I have played it on my very revealing Linn/Sondek/B&W/Rotel set-up and it sounded fabulous. An absolute keeper / museum piece. Fantastic songcraft!! A personal favourite of mine and I am very glad to be able to report that this is a fine slab of vinyl without any problems at all and as such worthy of inclusion of any great prog collection. This will be an ultimate upgrade version for most collectors.  Outstanding audio delivery in all respects with a crystal clear, deep, rich, warm and detailed sound and on playback at a loud volume (which is how I always listen to my LPs prior to listing and it's always an immense pleasure to return to this one) there is barely any surface noise. This is a beautifully clean pressing (and I must emphasise again how difficult it is to find a copy which plays this well). The whole LP sounds absolutely great and plays to a high standard with superb clarity- great copy!! Of course, NO skips, NO jumps.

Gatefold Sleeve: EX++.  A gorgeous textured  gatefold sleeve without any creases or writing.  The spine is 100% legible. There is no writing or damage or anything else untoward. The inside gatefold is likewise fantastic with all lyrics and credits. The opening is super crisp. Even the top and bottom edges look totally unworn. It is simply a beautiful keeper copy for this magnificent album!!! An LP that is rarely ever seen these days and possibly one of the last ever opportunities to achieve a copy in this great condition.The colours are just gorgeous!

***This is a unique prime investment opportunity!!! This album will only go up in value until no longer affordable for the average collector. Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible!!! This is  a great and seriously collectable super album!!  You will buy into a piece of  prog core history.*** 

Labels: NM. These are the very desirable Pink Large Hatter labels. Please look at the pics!! The later re-issue has small mad hatter labels..

***This is a unique prime investment opportunity!!! Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible!!! This is  a great and seriously collectible super album!!  You will buy into a piece of  prog core history.*** 

Important : International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 20.00.  These fees in England have gone up significantly last May. Please wait for my invoice before paying. Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.

***This is a unique prime investment opportunity!!! Finding this classic album in any condition at all is nearly impossible!!! This is  a great and seriously collectable super album!!  You will buy into a piece of  superb prog history.*** 

This is a unique investment opportunity!!! The next prog album to go completely through the roof. Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible so late in the day. Get this while you still can. This value of the album is only going to go one way ... up and up ... until it will be totally unavailable at all for a reasonable price.

Important : International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 20.00.  Please wait for my invoice before paying. Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please doNOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.