TEA & SYMPHONY JO SAGO 1970 UK HARVEST A1/B1 no EMI 1st press prog holy grail

	£		453
	$		600

TEA AND SYMPHONY - JO SAGO

A truly excellent condition copy of this extremely rare and highly sought after 1970 very first UK press prog rock holy grail, on the coveted pre-EMI logo Harvest label, stereo SHVL 785

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    SHVL 785 A - 1 with stampers "1" and "G" at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

Side 2    SHVL 785 B - 1 with stampers "1" and "A" at 8 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively

Note these very low numbered mother stampers. making this one of the earliest copies from the first first production run. 

The appearance and overall condition of the flat and heavy vinyl is excellent (EX)...to be more precise, I grade "excellent" for side 1 and "excellent plus" for side 2.  In normal daylight each side of the vinyl comes across as in perfect "as new" condition, and even with very close scrutiny under a bright light there is nothing to suggest that this record has had more than a very small number of plays. Close inspection under a bright light reveals just a few small and very wispy hairlines and extremely faint paper scuffs, along with a single 2cm pencil thin very light scuff line on side 1 which is just visible in normal daylight when the vinyl is tilted at the right angle...all very trivial.  Amazing condition for this 50 year old antiquity - now virtually impossible to come across a UK 1st pressing of this prog rock gem in condition as truly excellent as this (actually it's extremely difficult to come across a UK 1st press copy of this LP in ANY condition!).

The labels are excellent plus (EX+). Near perfect in fact, with just x3 small and very light (barely noticeable) spindle trails on the side 1 label and x2 similarly small and faint spindle trails on the side 2 label. All of the black text upon the matt yellow background, and iconic yellow and green Harvest logo, remain in perfect condition and, of course, the absence of the "EMI" large font text authenticates this as a highly prized true 1st UK pressing. Truly top notch. 

The condition of the non-laminated Garrod & Lofthouse outer gatefold sleeve is a solid excellent (EX). All edges remain rigid, including the spine, with just a single 0.5cm light scuff mark on the top front edge and barely any scuffing at all on the bottom edges (just the hint of a 2cm light scuff line left of centre, but barely noticeable) - amazing! The corners remain near perfect right angles with minimal rubbing and the opening edges are firm with no sign of fraying or feathering. There is just the hint of some light age discolouration/"browning" towards the spine edges and opening side edges, there are x3 very small (barely noticeable) and very light scuff marks towards the opening edge on the front side, and there is some light discolouration on the spine itself though all spine text remains perfectly legible and intact apart from a small, light scuff mark partially obscuring the "S" in "SHVL"...these are all very minor blemishes. The art work, colouring, photographs, and text of both the exterior and interior of the gatefold remain in iconically beautiful condition with still vibrant colouring and perfect definition. This gatefold is renowned for it's fragility and susceptibility to wear and tear so it is extremely rare to come across a copy remaining in as truly excellent condition as this...there can't be many better, surely.

The quality of the audio is again excellent (EX) or better. Brilliant tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. No intrusive skips, jumps, repeats, sticks, clicks, or background interference. There is just a little (very minimal) background crackle at the beginning and end of each side and on the odd occasion during a quieter moment but these occurrences are non-intrusive and close inspection of the vinyl reveals no reason for their occurrence other than the odd dust particle caught in the grooves through decades of storage. In summary wonderful audio quality with the whole album making for a great listen : prog, rock, folk, psych - it's all here on this brilliant LP which sold in such small numbers upon it's release in 1970 - one of the reasons why 1st pressings such as this are so now highly sought after.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. JO SAGO - a play on music :

(a) Miniature

(b) Nyada

 (c) Journey

(d) Brother

(e) Africa Paprika

(f) Fairground Suite

(g) Desperate oil

(h) Umbilical Bill

(i) Goodnight

Side 2 :

1. TRY YOUR LUCK

2. YOURSELF

3. GREEN FINGERED - REDHANDED

4. SEASONS TURN TO ONE

5. VIEW TO THE SKY

6. THE NORTIHORTICULTURALIST

7. DANGLING

Comes with original poly-lined EMI/Harvest advertising inner sleeve (a rarity in it's own right) with the original "Made and printed in Great Britain" and "Patent Nos..." text, with no splits, tears, rips or obvious creasing - just ever so slightly faded, and still fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly impressive condition copy (there can't be too many better than this) of this extremely rare and highly sought after 1970 UK very first 1st press prog holy grail - highly collectable, a "must" for any serious prog vinyl collection and will only continue to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 65 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £6.00, Royal Mail special delivery; 

Continental Europe £12, and Rest of the World £16 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

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.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

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, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler