THE HOLLIES Butterfly 1967 (1978 reissue) STEREO Parlophone - AUTOGRAPHED

	£		31
	$		41

Here is a seriously rare 1970s ONE OFF re-pressing of the Hollies' legendary 1967 album 'Butterfly'. This album was by far their most psychedelic and was their last studio album to feature Graham Nash (apart from an ill-fated reunion album called 'What Goes Around...' issued in 1983). From start to finish this album is amazing! This is my personal favourite album ever by anyone and I have six copies of it on vinyl alone! I could talk about this album all day, but I'll try to keep this brief.  

This particular vinyl copy is a MEGA RARE 1978 re-issue pressed by EMI. It uses the same masters as the original 1967 stereo LP (same -2 matrix on both sides) and because it uses the same masters, this copy too is unbanded (all later LP pressings and CD issues (with the exception of one EMI issue) are not), so all the tracks play one after the other with no gap between. The difference between this LP and the initial 1967 pressings are the new EMI 'Parlophone' black and silver boxed labels (the original labels were yellow and black) and also the sleeve for this 1978 issue was totally re-designed. Make no mistake - THE REISSUE IS RARER THAN THE ORIGINAL!!! And the original is pretty rare and fetches a large sum whenever it turns up for sale. What really sets this LP apart from the rest is the fact that it is AUTOGRAPHED by ALLAN CLARKE, BOBBY ELLIOTT, BERNIE CALVERT and TONY HICKS!! Who all played on the original LP. Sadly it is not signed by Graham Nash.  This LP is in AMAZING condition, you'll struggle to find better! COPIES OF THIS MEGA RARE ALBUM DO NOT TURN UP OFTEN - SO DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ACQIRE A COPY!!!

THIS LP IS IN TRULY GREAT CONDITION. JUST A FEW ABSOLUTELY TINY FLAWS STOP ME FROM DESCRIBING IT AS NEAR MINT. I've METICULOUSLY graded this LP, not wanting to disappoint. Each track is detailed individually with an individual grading. Please take a few moments to thoroughly read the listing to get an accurate image of the true condition of this LP!  

The cover is in great condition - JUST EXAMINE THE PICTURES!!! There's NO SPLITS, NO TEARS and NO WRITING - other than those all important autographs, that is!  The cover is fully laminated and retains a full shine. The spine is neatly formed and fully legible although has a few creases - but these will have been caused by the Hollies signing this LP! Celebrity caused damage - now there's something that doesn't happen to LPs often! The sleeve has been very well looked after, but to be MEGA critical, there's a hint of ringwear on the front and back when viewed under strong light (PLEASE examine the pictures!) and there's a tiny bit of damage at the top (see last photo) but this HAS NOT punctured the sleeve, just the surface of it. I'm grading the cover a MEGA STRICT Excellent+ according to STRICT RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING STANDARDS TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT. This record has not been overgraded in any way. I doubt you'd find another copy with a sleeve as well preserved as this!!!

Now, the all important autographs! They have been signed across the image of the Hollies on the rear of the cover and have been signed in BLUE BIRO. Consequently they are not absolutely crystal clear due to the fact that biro struggles to write on laminated sleeves, but you can still make them out - PLEASE EXAMINE THE PHOTOS! They look clearer in person than they do in the photographs. As the Hollies are my favourite band, I have a few of their autographs myself and have seen many autographed items and these signatures on this LP match up EXACTLY although I have no concrete proof that they are genuine though I don't doubt for a second that they are. This LP would have been signed in 1978 or 1979 when this re-issue was released as bassist Bernie Calvert left the Hollies in 1980.

The LP has the 1970s black and silver Parlophone labels. These are in perfect condition - JUST EXAMINE THE PICTURES!!! There's not even any spindlewear! I'm grading the labels a VERY STRICT Near Mint to STRICT RC Standards. 

The vinyl visually looks STUNNING. Even when held under strong light, there's only a few superficial sleeve removal marks. NOTHING BAD AT ALL! It retains a full deep shine and looks STUNNING. Visually, I'm grading the LP a MEGA MEGA STRICT Excellent+++ to STRICT RC standards. Please see below for the individual track grading. 

SIDE 1:

1, DEAR ELOISE

Written predominantly by Allan Clarke "in less than 20 minutes" while waiting outside EMI's head office, 'Dear Eloise' is one of the best and most idiosyncratic tracks that the Hollies ever recorded. It sadly wasn't released as a single here in Britain, but was elsewhere in the world and did very well. Great interesting into/outro with a very catchy main section and the Hollies' legendary three way harmonies sound incredible here! The into and outro have some slight surface noise when played back on my equipment, but this quickly disappeared when the main part of the song kicks in. The bass is punchy and the track is free from any detracting flaws. I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Excellent+ to STRICT RC grading standards. 

2, AWAY AWAY AWAY

One of Graham Nash's writing contributions to the album, allegedly written on a trip to Morocco that also produced the now legendary 'Marrakesh Express'. This catchy number is quite repetitive but a great track nonetheless. There's some slight orchestral embellishment courtesy of Johnny Scott, who also was responsible for the lavish orchestration on the Hollies' single proceeding the 'Butterfly' album by a month, 'King Midas In Reverse'. The track plays faultlessly throughout and  I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Near Mint to STRICT RC grading standards. 

3, MAKER

This is perhaps as far into psychedelia as the Hollies ever went. This gorgeous sitar-drenched track was written by Graham Nash and features Tony Hicks playing George Harrison's sitar that he "borrowed" for the session. This is one of the real highlights of the album. Beautiful orchestral accompaniment too. The track plays great throughout with no detracting flaws. I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Near Mint to STRICT RC grading standards. 

4, PEGASUS

A bit random and certainly in-keeping with the flower power theme, this track was actually written by Tony Hicks during the sessions for their previous album, 'Evolution'. Although he didn't come up with the lyrics until the sessions for 'Butterfly' got underway. A little silly at times, the track is still great and very psych a-la-Toytown. There's some very slight distortion on the into and outtro which I believe is actually just a pressing flaw because my archive original 1967 stereo copy sounds the same. Other than that, it plays great. I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Excellent++ to STRICT RC grading standards. 

5, WOULD YOU BELIEVE

Another real highlight of this album. Written by Allan Clarke as an ode to his wife Jennifer, 'Would You Believe' is a beautiful lavishly orchestrated ballad which I think is among the Hollies finest tracks. The track plays really well although there's some very slight surface noise at times that I detected on my equipment. Nothing to detract from the over-all sound quality though, I'm grading both tracks a MEGA STRICT Excellent+ to STRICT RC grading standards. 

6, WISHYOUAWISH

A very light-hearted song complete with running water and birdsong effects! This is a great short track to close side one. It plays really well throughout although has some slight surface noise in places and the odd light click right at the end. I'm grading both tracks a MEGA STRICT Very Good+++ to STRICT RC grading standards. 

SIDE 2:

1, POSTCARD

This track was written by Graham Nash on a trip to Morocco where he also wrote 'Marakesh Express' and 'Right Between The Eyes' which wouldn't re-surface until his Crosby, Stills & Nash days. Although the Hollies did have a go at recordign 'Marakesh Express', it remains incomplete and unissued. According to those in the know, it's barely distinguishable from the version we all know. Anyway, I digress, this track plays beautifully with just a little surface noise on the fade out leading into the next track. I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Excellent+ to STRICT RC grading standards.  

2, CHARLIE AND FRED

This is one of the only tracks on 'Butterfly' to be written by all three members Allan Clarke, Tony Hicks and Graham Nash, even though the whole album was credited to them jointly. This is a fantastic eccentric track about a rag and bone man and his horse! The track plays great although there's some slight surface noise during the quiet intro and the accapella outro. I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Excellent+ to STRICT RC grading standards. 

3, TRY IT

Now this is a treat! This is a real psychedelic masterpiece! Backwards drum loops, spaced-out synthetic noises and gorgeous harmonies. This psychedelic gem was surprisingly written by Allan Clarke (who had earlier in the year mused to NME "We're about as psychedelic as a pint of beer wi' t' lads!)! The track plays great, really sharp percussion and the great melodic bass line sounds powerful on vinyl compared with the CD.  I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Excellent++++ to STRICT RC grading standards. 

4, ELEVATED OBSERVATIONS? 

Another Allan Clarke penned surprise, this track is all about Astral Projection which Allan was into at the time. Pretty far out for the innocent Hollies proclaiming "Ego is dead!" throughout the middle eight of the song. Another psychedelic gem with its 'wandering' stereo mix that pans left to right and sound effects with the track eventually speeding up at the end courtesy of some studio trickery. The track plays well with just a little hint of surface noise in places. I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Excellent+++ to STRICT RC grading standards. 

5, STEP INSIDE

Another real highlight of this album! 'Step Inside' is pure Hollies pop at it's absolute finest. With it's twee lyrics and very cathy melody, it's a shame that this track isn't more well known. It plays great with the punchy bass and drums sounding much better here on vinyl than CD. I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Excellent++ to STRICT RC grading standards. 

6, BUTTERFLY

Perhaps one of the most beautiful recordings that the Hollies ever issued, 'Butterfly' is a solo from Graham Nash with only a lavish orchestral accompaniment. This track is absolutely beautiful. The Hollies used to perform it live throughout late 1967 and early 1968 to tape recording from the master tape and Graham's live vocals which reportedly used to receive standing ovations of up to five minutes long. A rare live version of this with a real orchestra can be heard on disc six of the Hollies' "Clarke Hicks & Nash Years" boxset issued in 2011, featuring a previously unreleased live concert recorded in May 1968. Back to grading the LP, there's some slight surface noise on this track as it's so quiet, but it's still a very enjoyable listen. I'm grading this track a MEGA STRICT Very Good+ to STRICT RC grading standards. 

This record has not been over-graded in any way. DO NOT MISS THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ACQUIRE THIS RARE ALBUM - ESPECIALLY AN AUTOGRAPHED COPY!!! YOU MAY NEVER SEE ANOTHER ONE LIKE IT!!! Thank you for taking your time to read the listing. If you have ANY QUESTIONS WHATSOEVER ABOUT THIS LP, do not hesitate to contact me. I can send more photos, elaborate on descriptions and even send sound clips if you wish. 

Postage is £3.60 for First Class post to the UK Only. Mainland Europe (excluding France and Italy) will be £8 for standard delivery. I will also post to America, but please contact me BEFORE BIDDING for an exact quote. If you're wanting me to post to another country, please ask BEFORE BIDDING! It is my policy not to over-charge on postage, so any over-charges will be refunded. All LP's are sent in custom mailers, with card packing, a protective sleeve and the record removed from the sleeve to avoid damage. 

Any questions at all, feel free to ask. Happy bidding and good luck!!!