THE DANCE ALBUM OF CARL PERKINS rarest UK 1959 1st press LP London HA-S 2202 VG+

	£		51
	$		68

The original and first 1959 MONO UK pressing of the 12" LP 

THE DANCE ALBUM OF CARL PERKINS

The rarest UK Carl Perkins LP, in all round very good+ condition with beautiful, vibrantly coloured front side laminated flipback outer sleeve and silver on plumb centre labels

UK 1959 HA-S 2202

 Matrix Numbers : Side 1  AYL-1146-1B Stampers "1" and "C" at 9o'clock and 3o'clock respectively;  Side 2  AYL-1146-1B  Stampers "1" and  "U" at 8o'clock and 2o'clock respectively

Both sides of the thick vinyl still gleam! The lacquered sheen is nicely in evidence and a joy to behold and the overall appearance of both sides of the vinyl is very good+. Not mint or even excellent, however - there are a number of surface only scratches and "nicks" on each side of the vinyl, more noticeable when held up to a bright light, and in particular one on side 2 which spans most of tracks 3-5 though none of these seem to manifest themselves in the form of nasty clicks when played. There are also some very minor scuffs, each far less than  0.5 sq cm in area and one of them (the least noticeable, ironically) does result in 15 momentary "smudge" sounds on track 1, side 1.

 The overall quality of the audio is very good. Again, not excellent, however...each side does suffer from some light, background crackle (almost throughout), along with a few background "pops". The crackle does become less noticeable the closer the stylus porceeds to the centre but is is still there and it is noticeable. I suspect that much of this interference, especially since it is mostly background and does not significantly impede upon the overall very good audio quality, can be remedied by a professional clean. Turn up the volume and the sound quality seems to improve (a joy to behold!) but even at lower volume this classic music can be enjoyed for what it is - timeless.  

Each label is very good. There are a number of spindle marks around the centre holes but no unwanted writing or other blemishes. All of the silver lettering is intact and perfectly legible and set upon the plumb background is simply iconic. The photographs are a fair representation of the condition of each label.

The half-moon flipback outer sleeve is in truly excellent condition, with no unwanted writing, rips, staining, or fading - remarkable considering that this classic offering is now 53 years of age! The thin spine is completely intact with no creasing, as are the top and bottom edges - not even a small "nick" in evidence on either of the top or bottom edges. There is no creasing, the opening sides are not feathered in any way, the colours on the front are bright, vibrant and well defined; the iconic "London Records" logo located at the top right hand corner is completely unblemished, and the corners are also perfectly defined. The reverse side flipbacks are perfect and even the laminate is in virtually "as new" condition. All of the writing/lettering on the reverse side is perfectly legible with no unwanted writing, rips, tears, stains, or discolouration. Even the front side laminate is all intact and ringwear is barely in evidence, if at all - amazing for this type of 1950's "thin" cardboarded sleeve and of course considering it's age.

The original "USE EMITEX" inner, poly lined, die cut sleeve with "PATENT APPLIED FOR" lettering located at the bottom left hand corner is is similarly excellent condition and obviously fully functional.

The track listing is :

Side 1:

1. BLUE SUEDE SHOES

2. MOVIE MAGG

3. SURE TO FALL

4. GONE, GONE, GONE

5. HONEY, DON'T

6. ONLY YOU

Side 2 :

1. TENNESSEE

2. WRONG YO YO

3. EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO BE MY BABY

4. MATCHBOX

5. YOUR TRUE LOVE

6. BOPPIN' THE BLUES

I have no hesitation whatsoever in grading the overall condition of this offering as very good+. In fact, I would grade the outer sleeve as "excellent plus" and the appearance of the vinyl as "very good"...it's just the quality of the audio being only "good-very good" (but still perfectly listenable and enjoyable) which forces me to play safe at an overall "very good+" grading. Play it loud and enjoy it or, better still, frame it and impress your friends and watch the value of this ground breaking doo wop/rock 'n'roll gem rocket continue to rocket!!

A bit about myself : I have been collecting UK vinyl for over 40 years and have a huge collection. A combination of space requirements and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell some of my much loved gems. 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 questions asked" refund policy. If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. There is NO RESERVE on this item, by the way. Richard

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint

Description: The record 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

Description: 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

Description: 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

Description: 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, discoloration, etc.

Fair 

Description: 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 will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor

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

Bad

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