Santana 1969 UK DEBUT LP 1st Press Laminated Sleeve A1/B1 NEAR MINT AUDIO

	£		51
	$		68

SANTANA  - SANTANA

IN MAGNIFICENT 1-2 PLAY MINT!!!! CONDITION

FIRST PRESS  - A1/B1

& NEAR MINT LAMINATED SLEEVE

• CATALOGUE:CBS 63815
• MATRIX: S63815 A1  B1
• FIRST PRESS LAMINATED SLEEVE

•  TO LISTEN TO THE RECORD, PLEASE PRESS PLAY ON THE PLAYER, AND WAIT FOR IT TO LOAD. IT CAN TAKE UP TO A MINUTE. THE NEW SOFTWARE IS SLOWER THAN THE OLDER ONE. BY THE TIME YOU HAVE READ THROUGH THE DESCRIPTION IT SHOULD START TO PLAY

  Powered by eCommercePlayer.com Powered by eCommercePlayer.com

THE VERY VERY RARE FIRST PRESS SANTANA DEBUT ALBUM.

WHY IS THIS RARE?

WELL BECAUSE SANTANA'S DEBUT ALBUM CAME HOT ON THE HEELS OF THEIR SUMMER OF 69 PERFORMANCE AT WOODSTOCK, AND WHILST THE ALBUM WENT ON TO SELL REASONABLY WELL OVER THERE, MAKING NUMBER 4 ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS, IT COMPLETELY FAILED TO ATTRACT THE SAME SUCCESS OVER HERE IN THE UK. IT WASN'T UNTIL THEIR SECOND ALBUM 'ABRAXAS' WAS ISSUED THAT SANTANA HIT THE BIG TIME OVER HERE WITH TRACKS LIKE BLACK MAGIC WOMAN AND SAMBA PA TI. 

IT WAS ONLY THEN THAT INTEREST WAS SPARKED IN THEIR DEBUT ALBUM, AND SALES BEGAN TO SOAR. HOWEVER THE FIRST PRESS ALBUMS WERE LONG DELETED AND SUBSEQUENT PRESSES WERE DEAD EASY TO SPOT. QUITE SIMPLY ONLY A GENUINE FIRST PRESS HAS A LAMINATED SLEEVE, AND THAT'S WHY THEY ARE SO HARD TO FIND. VIRTUALLY EVERYONE YOU SEE WILL BE THE UNLAMINATED SECOND PRESS OR LATER

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

CBS ORANGE LABELS IN PRISTINE CONDITION. NO MARKS OR STAINS ANYWHERE. THE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THE BLACK TYPEFACE IS TOTALLY UNWORN AND PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. CLEARLY A WELL CARED FOR 51YEAR OLD ALBUM

A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE SPINDLE HOLE REVEALS BETWEEN 7-10 SMALL SPIDER LINES SHOWING JUST HOW LITTLE THIS MARVELLOUS VINYL HAS BEEN PLAYED

THE VINYL

THE VINYL GLEAMS LIKE NEW IN DAYLIGHT. IT LOOKS ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS, AND ONLY UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE OF HAVING BEEN PLAYED. THERE ARE SOME VERY VERY FINE WISPY SURFACE SLEEVE WITHDRAWAL HAIRLINES AND THAT'S ALL

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTABLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED THE ENTIRE ALBUM FROM START TO FINISH, AS I DO WITH ALL MY LISTINGS, AS I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD BEFORE LAYING A BID.

THIS IS A SERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS

THE CLARITY OF THIS FIRST PRESS IS JUST INCREDIBLE. EVERY NOTE IS CRISP AND CLEAN, AND THE WHOLE ALBUM SOUNDS SUPERB ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

THERE IS NOT ONE JOT OF DISTORTION AT ANY POINT TO THIS CRYSTAL CLEAR REPRODUCTION

I AM JUST BLOWN AWAY BY THE INCREDIBLE STEREO SOUND THIS RECORDING PRODUCES AND ALL OF THIS WITHOUT ANY BACKGROUND CRACKLE OR LOUD CLICKS

NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE AND ONLY A COUPLE OF SPECKS OF BARELY AUDIBLE STATIC IN THE RUN IN GROOVES

THERE IS A LITTLE VERY LOW LEVEL STATIC LIKE BACKGROUND AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF TRACK 2 SIDE 2

I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT I HEARD NO MORE THAN 1-2 OF THE TINIEST STATIC TICS THROUGH THE WHOLE PLAYTHROUGH

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS OUTSTANDING DISC NEAR MINT FOR THE AUDIO

TAKE A GOOD LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF AGAINST YOUR PERSONAL STANDARDS

THE SLEEVE

AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THIS IS THE FIRST PRESS WITH THE LAMINATED FRONT SURFACE AND THE NON LAMINATED REAR SURFACE.

THE FRONT SURFACE IS VERY FLAT AND CLEAN. THE LAMINATE GLEAMS LIKE A POLISHED MIRROR, AND THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES TO THE LAMINATE OR ANY BENDS.

NO RING WEAR OR RECORD SHAPE AND THE FOUR CORNERS ARE SHARP AND SQUARE

THERE ARE FOUR SMALL PRESSURE LINES BY THE SPINE. NONE ALONG THE TOP EDGE AND ONE ON THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND ZERO THUMB LINES NEAR THE OPENING EDGE

THE LAMINATE ITSELF IS FREE FROM ANY PEELING OR FLAKING AND IS PRISTINE.

THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE ALSO FREE FROM ANY SHELF WEAR, WITH THE LAMINATE RUNNING FULLY FROM CORNER TIP TO CORNER TIP. ALL FOUR CORNER TIPS ARE UNBLEMISHED

THE SPINE IS TOTALLY FLAT. IT IS 100% UNSQUASHED, AND EVERY LETTER OF THE TYPEFACE IS PRISTINE AND PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. NO LOSS OF COLOUR . THERE IS A TINY SPECK OF RUB TO THE TOP TIP

THE OPENING EDGE IS RAZOR SHARP

THE REAR SURFACE HAS THE FRAGILE DUSTY BLACK SURFACE WHICH USUALLY WEARS BADLY AND SUFFERS FROM SEVERE COLOUR LOSS, BUT HERE WE HAVE ONE THAT HAS JUST HAS A LIGHT SHADOW OF RECORD SHAPE, AND A LITTLE GREYING UNDER THE TOP EDGE

THE ORIGINAL CBS ADVERTISING INNER SLEEVE IS IN NICE CONDITION. NO SEAM SPLITS AND NO CREASES

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS SLEEVE  NEAR MINT 

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY