SMOKIE SMOKIE'S GREATEST HITS 1977 A-3 UK Press STUNNING RARE COPY

	£		53
	$		70

'ITS THE VINYL COUNTDOWN'

Welcome to 'Its the vinyl countdown' music auctions. Here you will find some of the most incredible rare records and music memorabilia for your collection. We pride ourselves on auctioning only the highest grade records and items, you will not see anything listed here below EX+ condition, unles the item is extremely rare. You will not see worn covers, warped records or scratched records. We simply do not bother with them.

We list in many cases, 'Archived' & 'mint' condition items, we are able to source from private collections all over the UK. So we hope you can be put at ease that what you are bidding on is of the highest quality.

We play through most of the records, unless the item is clearly mint, or sealed..in which case we don't play them, thus maintaining their 'unplayed' status!  Obviously with some of these rare items there will be the odd 'anomoly' along the way , the odd little static pop or lead in 'sizzle' for a split second.. nothing is perfect we find! all systems differ, but we aim to describe these as accurately as possible for you.... PLEASE ENJOY THIS ITEM YOU ARE NOW LOOKING AT..

SMOKIE

'SMOKIE'S GREATEST HITS'

UK A-3 B-3  Pressing LP  - RARE LAMINATED SLEEVE

An outstanding 'ARCHIVED' example of this very collectable classic LP.

Released 1977

Label     RAK SRAK 526

Matrix    SRAK 526 A-3  Stamper: 2  RRT

               SRAK 526 B-3  Stamper: 7  ROR

THE VINYL   EX+    SUPER CLEAN

As you can see, this vinyl is the 1977 RAK  UK pressing - Very hard to find in this condition.

This -3  pressing is a superb vinyl which has retained its amazing glossy sheen and finish. There is no dulling anywhere and overall it is in incredible condition for an LP of this age. The edges are silky smooth, typical of these vintage pressings. We rarely see copies of this LP at all, let alone like this.

The centre hole shows some spindle skate lines -average possibly? , the holes remain tight with no wear of any note.

Under a very bright light you can see there are tiny light whisp lines & a couple of tiny hairlines. Clearly this LP has been archived for many many years, a few little dust specs are on the vinyl when we slid it for checking..

There is no damage or wear to either side or anything which spoils the play. We feel it is evident this LP simply has not been played for a very very long time.

We played th whole album through and there was some very light lead in static and the odd little crackle, and some light static in the dead grooves along the way..but the acoustic intros and quiet passages all sounded superb..no bad pops clicks or jumps at all!  There was the odd static in the background on a couple of tracks but nothing to spoil the listening in our opinion.

..The whole sound is huge and rich and exactly how you want to listen to this spectacular recording

THE LABELS   EX+    Both are superb condition, original matt labels with no damage or writing

THE SLEEVE     EX+ 

Correct LAMINATED  first issued GARROD & LOFTHOUSE earliest sleeve. Later presses were unlaminated

This whole sleeve is in SUPERB condition with very little signs of wear & NO DISCOLOURATION of any note..just the slightest discolour over the edges.

The edges are all super clean with no  traces of rub, just a few tiny laminate spider lines in a couple of places on the spine-

THERE ARE NO SPIDER LINES ON THE FRONT EDGES!

The lamination is gleaming like a mirror and there is no bubbling  down the edge - The laminate is pulled very tight creating the slight 'bowed' effect on the top edge, typcial of all laminated sleeves from this era..SUPER!

The open edge remains in immaculate sharp condition with barely a hint of handling.. some tiny signs of 'fluff build up' where the laminate stops short.

The spine edge is totally unmarked and all legends are perfectly readable, The lamination really is in stunning shape, and there is  barely a hint of any ring press!

WE CLARIFY BY SAYING, THIS SLEEVE IS SIMPLY OUTSTANDING QUALITY.

THE INNER SLEEVE   MINT-

Original pat.printed poly lined inner sleeve

We hope you enjoy looking at this item, and good luck if you decide to bid for it...We can safely say you will not be dissapointed- If you need to know anyting else, please feel free to contact us with any questions.

All our items are sent 'signed delivery' tracked to your door, (we have never had an item go missing anywhere in the world!) for peace of mind for both you and us! All items are sent in strong protective mailer boxes and stiffeners. With over 28 years in mail order and the music industry 'worldwide' we pride ourselves on the fact you can bid safely on all our items, and knowing you are being dealt with by professionals.

ENJOY! ;0)