THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH Horizons 1970 UK HARVEST 1st PRESS - NEAR MINT
£
136
$
180
£ 136
Sold For
Mar 14, 2016
Sold Date
Mar 4, 2016
Start Date
£ 48
Start price
7
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
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Description
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH Horizons 1970 UK HARVEST 1st PRESS - NEAR MINT
THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTHHorizons
UK HARVEST (SHVL 769) FIRST PRESSING (March 1970)
AN OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL COPY - PLAYS BEAUTIFULLY
PRESSED WITH THE FIRST ISSUE HARVEST LABELS WHICH CARRY "THE GRAMOPHONE CO LTD..." RIM TEXT - NO EMI BOX
MATRIX: SHVL 769 A-1 / SHVL 769 B-2
MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 1/G and 1/G
HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL OUTER LAMINATED GARROD & LOFTHOUSE GATEFOLD SLEEVE
COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL POLY-LINED INNER SLEEVE WITH BRITISH PATENT NUMBER, “FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING” AND "MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN” PRINTED IN PURPLE (this pre-dates the introduction of the Harvest company inner - on which this record features)
Although the Greatest Show on Earth (GSOE) were not the first bunch of rockers to incorporate a powerful brass and woodwind section, they are among the best and heaviest-sounding British bands to have emerged from the post-psychedelia of the late '60s and early '70s.
GSOE were, in essence, the invention of EMI Records subsidiary Harvest, who were focusing in on new and progressive artists such as Pink Floyd and Deep Purple.
When the group was initially signed in 1968, they were an R&B/soul revue whose forte was more along the lines of Stax or Motown, instead of trippy acid rock.
After ditching their original vocalist, Ozzie Lane, they eventually settled on Colin Horton Jennings, a multi-faceted performer who would begin to compose originals that would allow the octet to incrementally abandon their Yankee soul leanings.
After a few months of woodshedding new tunes, they emerged with a fresh sound and material for their debut, Horizons (1970).
The extracted single "Real Cool World" is marked by its open-throttle, galloping tempo and some equally pungent electric organ riffs. As such, it was also given a few cursory spins on BBC's Radio One; however, the remainder of the disc was criminally overlooked.
To modern ears, this is a great shame, as the effort is full of well-crafted and adeptly executed material. Of primary interest is the aggressive rocker "Angelina" and the groovy "Skylight Man." The latter title features a brief and buoyant trumpet-led introduction by Dick Hanson that recalls the Tijuana Brass more so than, say, Blood, Sweat & Tears or Chicago.
The darker "I Fought for Love" stands as one of the edgier sides and is augmented by some stellar organ leads and fills from Mick Deacon. The title track extends over a quarter-hour and allows the combo room to demonstrate their remarkable improvisational skills in the context of an ensemble. In particular, Ron Prudence (drums/percussion) and Norman Watt-Roy (bass/vocals) stand out as a rock-solid rhythm section.
Although they stuck around for a follow-up effort, The Going's Easy, The Greatest Show on Earth were never given the due that this release so evidently deserves
Side 1:
Sunflower Morning
Angelina
Skylight Man
Day of the Lady
Real Cool World
Side 2:
I Fought For Love
Horizons
Again & Again
LABELS: EXCELLENT+
Clean, unmarked labels - a few spindle traces - not seen much play
VINYL Visual: EXCELLENT
Brush marks/hairlines are visible but no scratches - nothing of any audible significance
VINYL Audio: NEAR MINT
Plays beautifully throughout with no audible issues of note and a crisp, clean, sharp cut - great sound quality
SLEEVE: EXCELLENT
Little to fault - a deep gloss to the outer laminated surfaces and clean, unmarked inner surfaces - there are a couple of half-moon surface creases to the laminate and shop creases to the spine - nothing really - all edges are crisp and sharp
POST & PACKING:
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, NEW ANTI-STATIC LINER, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND AMPLE STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY
UK: FREE (2nd class standard)
UK: £9.00 (Royal Mail Special Delivery Next Day by 1pm)
EUROPE: Airmail: £14.00 (International Signed For delivery)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £17.00 (International Signed For delivery)
I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period (@£2 for each additional LP).
However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for in full and will be posted to you.
Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period.
I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
Guarantee: All records are unconditionally guaranteed (including sealed and/or unplayed) and I will offer a complete, no quibble refund upon return of the item should you not be pleased with it in any way I will email you when payment has been received to let you know when the item will be posted. Please leave feedback upon receipt of the item so that I know you have received it safely. Thanks 625 (GS 6.9.7 (625))
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