PRETTY THINGS Parachute Rare Orig UK 70 Pre-EMI Harvest

	£		64
	$		85

Hi, I am Mike, now 48 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 34 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story - I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested reader – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic , and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Album Title: Parachute

Producer(s): Norman Smith.

Engineer: Tony Clark.

Track Listing: Side 1: Scene One: The Good Mr Square; She Was Tall, She Was High; In the Square: The Letter; Rain; Miss Fay Regrets; Cries From The Midnight. Side 2: Circus; Grass; Sickle Clowns; She’s a Lover; What’s the Use; Parachute.

Cat Number: SHVL 774 .

Label/Format: Harvest – original yellow and green format with NO EMI logos. This also has ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ text on the rims.

Label Conditions: Beautiful clean examples of this most famous progressive label. Just very light spindle marks on each side and not even a trace of any wear around the hole area. One ultra faint mark on side two but look hard to see it. An amazing pair of pre-EMI vintage Harvests that will be very difficult to find much better on this classic record. .

Country of Manufacture: Gt Britain.

Rarity: Getting very scarce now as an original, this one is really in demand and even slowly catching up SF Sorrow on people’s wants lists – this is arguably a better album too. A record in this astonishing condition of this vintage will seldom be found better.

Mode: Stereo.

Weight of this Record: 146 grams. Way over average, this is more like a mid-60s heavyweight. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Original Year of Release: June 1970

Matrix Nos: SHVL 774 A2 and SHVL 774 B2 (2 numbers of side two with the original number over stamped with the new number above it) The struck out number was 744-2 B2. The tiny stamper codes are 1P and 1R.

Brief Artist & Album Info: It’s been some time since I offered a copy of this classic prog album – but this copy was well worth the wait. From the first fractured riffs that immediately get into the subconscious you will know what to expect from this stunning progressive classic - for me its equals, at least, SF Sorrow and deservedly is now regarded on par with that conceptual classic. Copies of Parachute as an original pre-EMI format are like many of the early Harvest albums, getting extremely hard to find now, in fact this was the only album the band recorded on Harvest. Like SF Sorrow this sold only modestly and finding this one at all now is a challenge and finding high-grading, top copies of both record and cover (and inner) will never be easy. This fine set has a terrific cover which is mostly devoid of those annoying creases the front especially always seems to pick up. The actual record is sensational and is practically mark free. If the album’s beginning is memorable, the end is unforgettable, for those who have not heard this record, it ends with a tone that simply works its way up the pitch scale until the frequency eventually disappears from the range of human hearing, but I suggest you dont play to the pet dog, it will drive him nuts. The great thing about this copy too is that finalé phase plays exceptionally well with little unwanted – all to often this can break up into distortion and clip as vintage pickups could damage these delicate fine grooves. This is a truly lovely copy that should please most collectors, both vinyl, inner and cover exceptional, as is this masterful progressive experience and fans of the genre will treasure it.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderate+, even though this classic sleeve is laminated on both sides, it’s one that seems to always attract creasing and dulling.

Cover Condition and Details: Strong EX++ ( a mere whisker from Mint(-), this is a beauty). A gatefold format, laminated front and back. Designed by Hipgnosis and printed in Great Britain. File under POPULAR: Pop Groups is printed on the back, top left. One of the Harvest classic covers, the eerie child on the highway against the blood red sky backdrop. This is always a hard one to find in great shape, so often seen highly dulled and severely creased, this has few blemishes and little wear at all and looks truly beautiful. This copy includes the early Harvest advertising inner, a superb example too with the lining fully intact (for a change). This is also close to mint and looks absolutely superb, one of the very best Harvest promo inners I have seen for ages. This inner advertises many of the very early (and rare) Harvest pre-EMI bands. Even these inners are getting pretty scarce nowadays and must be treated with the utmost respect also by keeping the record stored elsewhere, in this case, like all my records, a brand new lined inner. .

Cover Lamination: Both sides retain an amazing deep shine and lustre, so-much-so, this cover was not easy to photograph as reflection became a problem. This truly like a mirror. Few marks and only remaining ultra clear with the freshness of almost a new cover. Creasing is a curse on this one but glad to state this has very few. A light one, that shows little at all on the top right corner area on the front and a ‘half moon’ type on the back near the bottom left corner area. Others are fine and light and confined to the edges that most all laminated covers have at the very least. No peeling, mottling, cracking, dry area blistering (lifting) or indenatations which is remarkable given the age. The amazing fron is practically devoid of any dulling or friction rubs and the back only shows a mere trace of a record impression with an ultra faint trace of dulling only visible under light. Not quite perfection but approaching connoisseur standard, this highly vulnerable laminate looks truly stunning.

Cover Front: Attractive and has real atmosphere, as stated a great Hipgnosis cover design. The artwork is very dark and unblemished under that strong laminate, looking really great.

Cover Back: Similar to front, little to separate, both superb and neither will be found much better easily.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Superb, rich and dark finish with no rubbing to the b/w band pictures. This will be difficult to find better also. The odd tiny corner rub being highly critical.

Top Edges: Unworn.

Bottom Edges: Similar again with the back right showing a very light rub towards the corner.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and no feathering. Record entered on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: A supreme spine example that could easily pass for new, the best seen on this title bar none. Solid, straight, uncompressed with no wear at all. The right edge is slightly short of the bottom edge, this is as manufactured, this spine is folded dead square and remains so. No text was printed on this one, the design flows around and it remains simply perfect with not even any wear to the top or bottom.

Corners: All near immaculate and wear-free – tiny tip rubs to the bottom right pair again if being critical. Beautiful shape and definition is retained by all.

Cover Summary: One of the great Harvest covers and an example that does it near full justice. This super item should please most collectors and will never be easy to find much better.

The Harvest Inner: Only very rarely can I even consider putting a Mint(-) grading on one of these, but here it is justified. The best seen for ages and proving just how little this record has been handled or played. These just never get seen this white and devoid of creasing or gum browing. No splits or tears, all edges rock solid. This appears to have a shop stamp on one side but little else to even think about mentioning. Even this inner is rare like this and is the icing on the cake.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Very tempted to Mint on this sensational copy, but let’s play safe and say Mint(-), it has a few faint spindle marks and it has been played probably two or three times most but this is an astonishing copy. Super clean and shiny, an intense black finish and pressed on very heavy, thick vinyl. A copy that looks pretty much unmarked and really quite exceptional. All the looks and feel of a record that’s hardly ever been played or even handled.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: Yes this plays as good as it looks too, a superb clean copy. Brilliantly produced by Norman (Piper at the Gates of Dawn Smith. A top quality pressing with no pops or clicks barely any surface sounds, this copy will never be beaten easily. All evidence points to a copy hardly played, the sounds are pin sharp and distortion free, as exemplified by that famous ending with the high frequency workout – any unwanted sounds on this highly critical passage are minimal indeed. Any major sound degrading here would destroy the whole effect, the same goes for the classic splintered riff at the beginning. Both channels are clean and detailed and stereo imagery is magnificent. Believe me no enhanced CD will ever better this sound, especially when all is this clean. Again this gem made my Rega deck sound stunning, this is how Smith wanted this album to sound, and like Piper original vinyl is the only way to fully appreciate an album like this. As good as the latest Japanese CDs are, this still has the edge with amazing depth and power and the fine details really shine though. At times some intense sounds, especially for an album this age, but all songs track superbly and effortlessly. This one is a wonderful example that could be near impossible to better significantly, This title is getting harder and harder to find, and copies like this are truly at a premium. So a wonderful opportunity and one too good to miss out on, I enjoyed this fantastic record from start to finish and most all reading this advert will too.

End Piece: At long last collectors are beginning to realise SF Sorrow is not the only Pretty Things album, Parachute for me anyway, is equally brilliant, and at times even better – a progressive rock classic. This too would be quite hard to find as a pre-EMI copy, by this time the small boxed EMI logo was just around the corner so I doubt that many were pressed without it. Not everybody took to The Pretty Things playing progressive music but preferred their RnB earlier works, it was only after some time opinions changed, this did not sell well so this copy with all the trimmings will be extra special for the serious Harvest collector. Do not lose this one, it may be some considerable time before another like this shows up again.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.

My Terms For Bidding

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions for payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I buy quality single items and collections also (I am regularly told I offer the best prices – please Email me if you have items for sale).

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3 or Special Delivery (Next day, fully insured), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured & Signed For: £8.00.

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured & Signed For (where available) = £11.00. Doubles add extra £1. Reductions for multiple items for all.

Any item that sells for over £75 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £100 get the same service Overseas. This gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£30).

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage, in fact I lose money on most packets (my packing standards are very high and the package weighs a little more - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR proper stiffners for extra protection (if space allows). More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new inner, but will include the original inner if available.

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal or IMO’s from overseas bidders.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer.