RARE BIRD Epic Forest 1972 UK Polydor A1/B1 1st press with Bonus EP prog gem EX

	£		26
	$		35

RARE BIRD - EPIC FOREST

A solid excellent condition and beautifully presentable copy, with gleaming vinyl and brilliant audio reproduction, of this increasingly rare & sought after 1972 UK 1st press prog/rock gem with earliest A1/B1 vinyl matrix numbers on the Polydor record label, STEREO, 2442-101

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  2442101 A//1 with stampers "1 1  2" at 1.30 o'clock 

Side 2   2442101 B//1 with stampers "1 1  2" at 9 o'clock

A highly presentable and truly excellent condition copy of this original 1972 rock gem with glossy jet black sheen & earliest A1/B1 matrix vinyl with just a few very light paper scuffs on each side and a couple of slightly more visible (but still very light) line scuffs on side 2 - all non-feelable, purely superficial and only visible with close inspection under a bright light; pristine labels - completely unmarked with not even the usual one or two faint spindle trails; gorgeous condition 1st press E.J. Day non-laminated  gatefold outer sleeve with firm & virtually unscuffed edges (just 2cm of light scuffing on the bottom reverse side edge next to the bottom right corner), no cardboard creases, perfect spine (except for a 5mm scuff at the bottom of the spine which has been filled in with black felt tip - very innocuous, I have only just noticed this minor blemish), a little "scrunching" on the front side bottom right corner but the other corners are excellent, no fraying on the opening edges, and all colours/art work/text remain beautifully intact with rich vibrancy and perfect definition...the inside of the gatefold really is hard to fault; original plain white die-cut & poly-lined inner sleeve which is in near perfect condition - no splits, tears, obvious creasing, edge fraying or age discolouration and remains fully functional (note that I always house the vinyl inside a brand new poly-lined inner sleeve for shipping purposes in order to protect the original); brilliant audio quality with no sticks, jumps, repeats, skips, clicks, interference or background crackle. 

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. BABY LISTEN

2. HEY MAN

3. HOUSE IN THE CITY

4. EPIC FOREST

Side 2 :

1. TURNING THE LIGHTS OUT

2. HER DARKEST HOUR

3. FEARS OF THE NIGHT

4. TURN IT ALL AROUND

5. TITLE NO. 1 AGAIN (BIRDMAN)

Comes with original 1972 3-track bonus 7" EP, housed in original picture sleeve. The 7" vinyl and sleeve are each in very good plus condition : the three tracks play great and the only blemish I noticed was 4 very light background clicks on A1 and a few very light background clicks and some extremely light background crackle on side B (close inspection revealed no obvious cause), but not preventing both sides making for a great listen (side B is especially impressive); and for the sleeve no splits or tears but there is some mild corner creasing. The tracks are : Side 1 ROADSIDE WELCOME / FOUR GREY WALLS Side 2  YOU'RE LOST

A true "under the radar" early 70's prog/rock gem. UK 1st pressings in condition as impressive as this are now becoming hard to find. A welcome addition to any serious 1970's rock vinyl collection.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 65 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard mailer, along with extra protective flange edges, with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £4.00, Royal Mail 1st class, signed for; 

Continental Europe £13, and Rest of the World £17 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records 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 are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

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

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler