THEM, THE ANGRY YOUNG THEM, 1965 UK DECCA 1st PRESS, VAN MORRISON

	£		283
	$		375

Hello, my name is Nick (aka playgraderecords). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.94/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection it is my pleasure to offer an exceptional example of the ultra rare debut studio album by THEM titled “THE ANGRY YOUNG THEM”, Catalogue Number LK 4700. This is an ORIGINAL 1965 UK MONO 1st PRESSING on the UNBOXED RED DECCA RECORD LABEL, with a JAMES UPTON LTD. FRONT-LAMINATED SLEEVE. Complete with the correct white poly-lined inner sleeve with “Foreign patents pending” text and “HANDLING” and “PLAYING” advice. [The vinyl matrix numbers are ARL-6819-3A and ARL-6820-4A].

SLEEVE

The sleeve is in EX+ condition with virtually no wear and only a few very minor creases. The front cover is near perfect. The back cover is very clean with just a little foxing. I can’t imagine that you will ever find a better one!     

VINYL

The vinyl is in EX(+) condition. It’s a top quality mid-weight Decca pressing which retains a lovely deep mirror-like shine and rotates evenly on the turntable. The grooved unboxed Decca labels are unmarked with only a few short spindle traces each side. I can confirm that the record has only received a few careful plays on top end hifi.

PLAYGRADE ASSESSMENT

Both sides play MINT- throughout. There are no loud pops, repeat clicks, hiss, distortion or anything else. There is also virtually no residual surface sound. It really is a beautifully clean-playing pressing. The mono sound quality is outstanding – very clear and vibrant with powerful driving bass. You simply will not find a better-playing 1st press copy of this wonderful album – I guarantee it!  

The white poly-lined inner sleeve is in unmarked EX condition with no splits or tears – just some age toning near the edges.

This is a great opportunity to acquire a top copy of this incredibly hard to find album.  

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega P5 turntable fitted with an Elys 2 cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat. Vinyl is not a perfect medium for sound reproduction, and all vinyl records from the 1960s/70s period were pressed with some degree of residual surface sound, albeit minimal in most cases. Please bear this in mind when bidding.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £10.95

Worldwide - £14.80