SHAPE OF THE RAIN RILEY RILEY WOOD & WAGGETT RARE NEON FOLK PSYCH MONSTER

	£		138
	$		183

               
WARNING: MAKE SURE YOU READ THE                        DESCRIPTION FULLY BEFORE BIDDING
 ALL MY RECORDS ARE PLAYED FULLY FOR GRADING PURPOSES
  NOT JUST GUESSED AT!


 POSTAGE RATES & GRADINGS ARE AT THE FOOT OF THE LISTING. 
 
    Artist.  Shape of The Rain.      Title.  Riley Riley Wood and Waggett.     Label. RCA Neon.     UK  First Press 1971.     Catalogue number. NE 7.      First Press Matrix numbers. AGBS 0545-3E & AGBS 0546-3E.           THIS IS THE ORIGINAL FIRST NEON LABEL PRESSING
Co-produced by Tony Hall and Eric Hine (who also played keyboards on the set), 1971's cleverly-titled "Riley, Riley, Wood and Waggett" showcased a wonderful collection of English flavoured folk-rock.  I'm not talking about conventional Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span styled moves, rather their sound was seemingly influenced by American folk-rock bands like The Byrds and Buffalo Springfield.  How many UK bands do you know that embraced 12 string guitars and pedal steel with as much enthusiasm as these guys ?   While it wasn't the year's most original offering, group-penned material such as 'Woman', 'Wasting My Time' and the psych-influenced 'Willowed Trees' boasted an impeccable mix of strong melodies, great harmonies and some stunning guitar (check out 'Yes'). Elsewhere, 'Patterns', 'Dusty Road' and 'I'll Be There' found the quartet aptly displaying that they were just as good in a folk-rock vein.  The degree of tastefulness and care shown across these dozen tracks was simply stunning.   It's one of the few albums in my collection that doesn't have a single bad performance.   This is one of those LPs that sounds better every time you listen to it.  
TRACK LISTING:
Side One.

1.) Woman   (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) - 
I'm a sucker for a song that starts with a good guitar introduction, so 'Woman' had me from the opening chords.  A nice introduction to the band's mixture of sweet harmony vocals and nifty folk-rock, the track managed to find a sweet spot between radio-friendly commerciality and FM credibility.  Add in a tasteful lead guitar solo and you had a great way to start the album.  That also probably explains why Neon released it as a single. 

2.) Patterns   (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) - 
English folk-rock tends to be dreary (guess it has something to do with the climate), but 'Patterns' broke the pattern with a glistening slice of jangle rock.  Roger McGuinn and company would have killed for access to a song like this one and the group vocals were simply to die for. 

3.) Castles   (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) - 
Pretty acoustic number that took a little time to kick into gear, but was worth the wait, if only for the blended vocals and  imaginative acoustic guitar work.  
  4.) Wasting My Time   (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) - 

Another folk-rock effort featuring a different (slightly more fragile) lead singer on this one and the country-tinges (Brian Wood's pedal steel), took a little getting accustomed to, but after a couple of spins, I warmed up to this one as well and the dueling pedal steel and slide guitar segment was one of the album highlights.  YouTube has an engaging clip of the reunited band performing the track:  

5.) Rockfield Soul   (Eric Hine) - 
Named after the studio they were recording in.  


Side Two.
1.) Yes  (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) - 
Side two found the band adding a tinge to their patented folk-rock sound.  Kicked along by Len Riley's hypnotic bass line and some of the album's best  jangle guitar work, this was easily one of the album standouts (although, it sure sounded like the chorus was singing 'yeah' rather than 'yes'). 

2.) Dusty Road   (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) - 
Opening up with some nice Woods pedal steel guitar and what sounded like guest keyboardist Eric Hine on harpsichord, 'Dusty Road' was one of the album's prettiest ballads.   Few bands do lonesome as well as these guys.

3.) Willowing Trees   (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) - 
Propelled by some of the album's best slide guitar work, 'Willowing Trees' has always reminded me of the kind of tune Donovan wanted to write when he was in his prime mid-'60s psych stage.   Mesmerizing melody that sticks with you long after the album's finished.  

4.) I'll Be There   (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) - 
Sporting what was probably the album's more commercial tune, 'I'll Be There' was another album highlight.  Glowing melody with a guitar riff I'd kill to learn.  I've asked my guitar playing son to see if he can figure the progression out.  Again, you had to wonder how radio missed these guys.

5.) Broken Man    a.) Every One a Gem (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) -     b.) After Collapsing At Kingsley's (Keith Riley - Len Riley - Brian Wood - Tag Waggett) -   
In Great Britain the set vanished without a trace and unfortunately was never released elsewhere. 

This is a first press disc on the short lived Neon label with first press black poly lined inner and first press gatefold sleeve.
Latest research says that fewer than 1000 of these were sold. That's how rare this LP is!
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THE VINYL AUDIO
All the way through every track plays with sharp definition. The music jumps out, with definition and clarity, the vocals come through with tremendous power. Its the same with the bass guitar and drums, whilst the guitars multi layers come through crisp and clear.  With the clear and extra loud first cut engineering giving the audio a vibrant sound which cannot be beaten.
This great record plays with no loud pops or loud clicks, and absolutely no skips or repeats. I did spot one small pressing dimple on the final track of side 1 and again on side two track one and track five but that's it. Pressing dimples usually give soft dull sounds when played.   A solid all round example of this great  vinyl.  No loud tics loud clicks or loud pops. 
 Super condition for a near fifty year old record.


THE LABELS
 Great all round deep coloured examples. See photos. No trace of spindle marks. Near Mint.

THE RECORD – VISUAL GRADING  
A great piece of glossy vinyl, and a really thick pressing. Deep clear grooves that can only be found on the original early pressings, this vinyl does have no removal marks and sounds brilliant. 

A really wonderful example. Graded EX.

THE COVER. Zoom on the pictures to see more.
This is a great cover too. ALL edges are strong and true. The spine is square and fully legible. There are no creases, dents or folds or any other marks on this sleeve. They are also prone to ring wear especially on the rear but NOT this one. See photos for more detail..
There is no scuffing to the corners and no rubbing along the edges. The opening edges are very square and unfrayed.  The back cover is nice and clean.
A great solid example. All round, this is a really nice original cover. Grades as Near mint.   


THE INNER
 Original Black poly lined inner.  with PATENT NOS. 1125555 1072844  MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN text.   A few folds but no rips or tears.

RARITY
An original Neon PRESSING of Shape of The Rain in this type of condition is scarce. The vinyl is so often played so much, heavily marked, scratched, with noisy, poor and distorted sound. Any EARLY UK PRESS example with a record in this type of condition, that plays with great AUDIO is very rare.
The cover is almost impossible to find without serious wear, even modestly worn examples are scarce and this one is one of the best examples. Near Mint. Yes, it's that good! 
=====================================================================================    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.
Will be sent with a NAGAOKA anti static inner sleeve as well as the original one.
Overall a really great looking AND sounding copy.
You will not be disappointed!

Due to parcels not arriving items sent to the following countries must be   sent fully insured. If value is between £20 and £50 the cost is £10.65. Each extra lp up to 5 lps is £1.60 each
 If value is over £50 the cost is £13.99. Each extra lp up to 5 lps is £1.60 each.
 This applies to Italy and Ukraine.
 Discounts given for multi purchases up to a maximum of 5 lps. SEE BELOW.
 UK 1-5 records £4.75 2nd class signed for. 
 Europe £13.99. International tracked & insured. Each extra LP £1.60 Maximum 5LPs    ROW £15.99. International tracked & insured. Each extra LP £3.20. Maximum 5LPs  

 Grading is as follows based on collector magazine UK
MINT: Virtually unplayed. The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. Cover is pristine.
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.
V.G PLUS: The record will still be nice and shiny, but may have a few light marks, and will play well. Slight wear and tear on the cover.
V.G: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items.
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, etc.
FAIR: Fair. It is noticeable that the record has been played so much that the sound quality has deteriorated very noticeably. The cover and contents are showing signs of folding, scuffing of edges etc.
 Further information. All records are separated from the covers and    sent in a brand new polythene sleeve and packed in heavy duty cardboard.
Do not ask for a Buy it Now   
  A full refund is guaranteed if you are not     completely satisfied with your purchase.