TEA & SYMPHONY An Asylum For The Musically Insane A3/B3 1st PRESS Superb AUDIO
£
195
$
258
£ 195
Sold For
Jan 25, 2026
Sold Date
Jan 15, 2026
Start Date
20
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.
Tea And Symphony : An Asylum For The Musically Insane A-3U / B-3U 1st Press 1969 Harvest
This first pressing plays with superb audio on both sides and the only intrusion is a little at the beginning of S2, it does not last long. Apart from that the clarity and depth of the audio is stunning and of course there are many quiet sections on this record. Yes there are some hairlines but honestly the clarity of sound is so impressive.
The laminated gatefold is in excellent shape with only a little wear. A small name written on the inside is the most obvious but overall it is in great shape for 56 years old. The plain white inner sleeve is in very good condition although I'm not sure if it is the original one.
This may be a rare pressing as Discogs only has a 4U / 3U pressing but as you can see this one is 3U / 3U and it has the 'holy grail' G1 mother / stampers on both sides. One of the first ever off the press!
SHVL 761 // A-3U G 1 --- B-3U G 1
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 & T3 Near Mint- / T2 & T4 Near Mint)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T1 intro VG- / T3 Near Mint- / T4 Near Mint)
The laminated cover is Ex The inner sleeve is VG+
The Harvest labels are Near Mint - / Ex+
Visual description
I guess I would have to grade the vinyl as very good but that certainly doesn't tell the full story. Under a bright light you can see some faint hairlines and a couple of hairline scuff sections but these are purely superficial as they have no affect on the audio. As you can see from my play-grading below the audio is stunning for the vast majority. There is no groove or surface wear and the Harvest labels are very clean aside from a small transparent sticker on S2 and a little spindle wear on both sides.
Play Grading
The run in on S1 is so clean and then the acoustic intro on 'Armchair Theatre' plays perfectly. The first vocal section has no background, not even a dust tick, the clarity is stunning and the mid instrumental is just as impressive. The brief silent pause has only a couple of minor statics and and the remainder of this melodic number is close to perfect. There is a hint of barely audible static for 3/4 seconds, a couple of very quiet static ticks during the acoustic passage and the final vocal section plays beautifully. I will grade as Near Mint but it's safe to say the vast majority is better than that.
'Feel How So Cool The Wind' is so quiet and the clarity of sound is incredible. Starting with the intro this plays so clearly with no interference and Langston's opening vocal is equal to that. It continues in much the same way and there are only two very quiet ticks near the end. There is some extremely quiet static at the beginning of the singalong but again Near Mint is deserved.
The intro on 'Sometime' is nigh on perfect and the opening vocal section goes one better! From then on it plays with exceptional clarity and definition, I really cannot fault it. The mid instrumental is quiet (no surprise there) and yet it plays so clearly with no intrusion. The next vocal is just as clean and the final instrumental / vocal passage keep up the good work. A stunning Mint- version.
'Maybe My Mind' is outstanding! From the first note to the last there is nothing to detract from the audio. There are only a handful of very quiet ticks at the beginning of the instrumental but unless you were listening very intently you would not notice them. The 'recorder' section plays to perfection as does the final acoustic / vocal section. Langston's unique voice taking centre stage for sure. Mint-
'The Come On' ends the side with clinical precision. It's the longest track on the side and yet the clarity and depth of audio is first class. There is no inner groove distortion - in essence it could not play any better and I am 100% confident in grading it as Mint
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The piano intro on 'Terror In My Soul' has four light clicks at the beginning, a little background static and a little static distortion towards the end but plays very clearly overall. The acoustic section then plays with pristine precision as does the opening vocal section. The following instrumental is 'as new' and the same can be said for the next vocal section. It continues to play with sublime quality right to the final note / thunderclap! Ignore the intro and you have the perfect track! As it is I will grade the intro as VG- but it's Mint from then onwards.
'Travellin' Shoes' more than keeps up the standard and plays with STUNNING clarity, warmth and definition through every section. I mean the vocal 'sound' is flawless but the instrumental sections are sonically stunning to say the least! This is Mint in every way.
'Winter' again plays with genuine quality and very little background. There are a 3/4 very quiet statics and a couple of minor ticks during the mid instrumental but there is nothing that stands out as intrusive. Near Mint-
The intro on 'Nothing Will Come To Nothing' plays perfectly and there is only a couple of quiet static in the brief pause that follows. Very quiet! The opening vocal section has just one minor static and the following instrumental is superb! A very jazzy feel to it and it could not play any better, great musicianship. As the volume decreases the playback is still so clean and precise - this is a long section and yet there is barely any background. The final vocal has a minor touch of inner groove distortion but again it does not stand out. The extended organ note is perfect and the repeated 'spoken' vocal at the end has no background either. I think Near Mint is more than fair for this final track, it plays exceptionally well.
The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve
The laminated cover is in excellent condition with only minimal wear. The edges have hardly any rubbing and the spine remains very clean with only minor wear on the corners and very little compression. The right hand corners have only minimal rubbing also and the opening edge is in superb shape with just one tiny 'nick'. The front cover is in lovely condition with a handful of small edge creases next to the spine (the bottom half) and some light laminate creasing near the right edge. This can only be seen when you hold the cover at a certain angle under a bright light. The back cover is close to perfect with only a couple of tiny corner rubs and that one minor 'nick' by the left opening edge. The inside of the gatefold is very clean with only the bare minimum of fading around the edges and a name written just below the credits and the number 34 for some reason. All in all a very respectable example.
The plain white inner sleeve has one small side split and some age related fading on the left and right edges. There is no obvious marking apart from the number 33 printed on one side and it has hardly any creasing.
SHVL 761 // A-3U G 1 --- B-3U G 1
Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT VM-95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
Recent Feedback
THIS IS WHAT A SELLER SHOULD BE LIKE ON HIGH END VINYL! Exactly as described if not better ! I could not be a happier customer .. well packed for international flight .. and shipped and received very fast .. No worries here this guy is the topsGREAT AS DESCRIBED BEST SELLR OF ALL THE UK PEOPLE AND I HAVE BOUGHT FROM ALL OF THEM
Beautiful record as described, fast safe delivery, top seller. Cheers Steve.
Another fantastic LP from this seller - condition exactly as shown and the audio as described! Fast delivery, vinyl properly and carefully packed. Very highly recommended A++++
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Postage & Packaging
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item
EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £14.95 then £2.00 per extra
USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £22.95 then £2.50 per extra
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra
If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed. If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!
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