RENAISSANCE Prologue RARER ORIG UK 1972 1st PRESS SOVEREIGN EX LP, PLAYS GREAT.

	£		45
	$		60

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Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take longer from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

ANY ITEM or ITEMS TO BE PAID WITHIN A MAXIMUM OF 6 DAYS or they will be cancelled – NO EXCEPTIONS.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion, as will any bidder who cancels a bid. Please only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: RENAISSANCE

Album Title: Prologue

Producer(s): Miles Copeland and Renaissance

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Prologue; Kiev; Sounds of the Sea.

Side 2: Spare Some Love; Bound for Infinity; Rajah Khan.

Label/Format: Sovereign, first issue format with 'Gramophone' text on the rims, second issues had EMI credits. These have matt, lightly textured surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive, spindle marks around moderate, but this record plays superbly throughout and is very well pressed with no inherent manufacturing faults or noises. Second issue copies are especially prone to this making the first issue copies even more sort after.

Catalogue Number: SVNA 7253

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Few vintage records are ever perfectly ‘flat’, so some slight or very gentle arm movement is normal. If any record I offer has more than that, I will mention it, and it can be assumed all I offer should track without issues, even on budget turntables.

Weight of this Record: 149 grams. These first issue copies were usually much heavier than second issues.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Quite scarce as a first pressing, not a major seller.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: SVNA 7253 A-1 / SVNA 7253 B-2

Mothers / Stampers: 1 R / 1 M

Musicians: Annie Haslam – lead vocals, backing vocals, percussion; Rob Hendry – electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, chimes, backing vocals; John Tout – acoustic and electric keyboards, backing vocals; Jon Camp – electric bass guitar, lead vocals, backing vocals, tampoura; Terence Sullivan – drums, percussion. With: Francis Monkman – VCS3 synthesiser solo.

Brief Info: Arguably, the second Renaissance album, but many consider it the first as this version of Renaissance included a full new line-up – only the name remained the same. After the split of the Yardbirds the first version of Renaissance were formed by Keith Relf and Jim McCarty and included Relf’s sister Jane. They made one UK album for Island Records and a second issued in Germany that did not get a UK release until 1977. ‘Prologue’ now included a totally different line-up that included the brilliant vocalist Annie Haslam, and remained quite constant for several years issuing 10 albums including a live double at Carnegie Hall. The band played a classical orientated form of progressive rock and gained a cult following with this genre. I discovered them myself around the mid-1970s and have been a fan ever since. This first ‘Annie Haslam’ Renaissance album is less commercial than their later ones, one I rate highly, the final track the lengthy Raja Khan is a Renaissance classic and features Curved Air’s Francis Monkman on VCS3 synthesiser. First issues with the Gramophone label rim text credits are scarce, this sold in relatively meagre numbers, especially when first issued. This copy very well pressed and plays impressively with no inherent pressing issues.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: arguably better. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. The front retains a small original retailer’s price sticker. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse, includes the plain white polylined inner sleeve.

Cover Front: A very fine and unusually clean front for this cover that most often is seen grubby and aged. It retains the retailer’s price sticker of £2.45 – this a little discoloured, and possibly an attempt to remove was better thought of, and left alone. So many of these vintage stickers were not designed to be removed and often pulled and tore matt cover surfaces, although there is scant evidence of this on this one. The front surface clean, still fresh with minimal creasing. One of the finer ones I have seen in some considerable time.

Cover Back: All similar to front minus any sticker. A gentle hint of rim impression near the top, and seldom avoided on vintage gatefolds with thicker, heavier first issue records inside.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside is superb with barely anything to fault as-seen.

Top Edges: Both straight, flat and flush with hardly any trace of wear.

Bottom Edges: Similar to above, any hint of rubbing light and faint.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with any thickening light and patchy on the back edge. Record enters on the back edges, all are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression and folded square, so the edges meet up very closely together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn on a hardly worn surface.

Corners: Any tip rubs very small and light, excellent shape retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this quite unforgiving 1970’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. This attractive item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: the only blemishes, a couple of small splits on the front window circle paper. These I repaired to stop them catching and tearing, these neat and now appear as fine creases. A white polylined inner sleeve with minimal creasing and all edges unsplit. The polylining clear and fresh, this includes the dual patent numbers. Later copies of this had a unlined white inner.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: arguably better again. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and very solidly pressed. A copy played a few times on the label evidence, but any surface marks are few, mostly very light and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, little even register. Visually a super record that should please many collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This rarer, genuine first pressing plays even above it’s high visual grading with hardly anything to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues* or inherent pressing noises. The second pressings especially often include pressing rasps and crackles which this original has avoided. An album with some quiet passages, so a better pressed copy becomes even more crucial. Few available copies will outperform this early first pressing significantly I feel sure. Haslam’s beautiful vocals are crisp and sharp, the album proved a delight to play-grade. Both channels are clean and sharp, appearing played mostly with due care and generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

I am one of the most established sellers on Ebay, trading since 2001 and offering the finest records I can find. 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 all elements of the items I offer for sale. You may notice I only submit records quite sparingly on Ebay as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – not just bits to guess a grade – visuals alone do not always tell a true story. I will try to mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – 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 it’s good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. I hope the item below is to your liking – any questions can be emailed and I will do my best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, major warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D7500 DSLR Camera.

PACKING – THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site as will any suspicious bids or bid bid retractions. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I only accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 2 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive – if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund if the item is returned in the same condition is was sent e.g. as per the listing pictures.

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 necessarily 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, 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.