The Who LIVE AT LEEDS UK LP 1ST RARE BLACK STAMP NM

	£		114
	$		151

THE WHO - LIVE AT LEEDS

IN SUPERB CONDITION

THE RARE 1ST ISSUE BLACK STAMPED SLEEVE

ALL 12 ORIGINAL INSERTS

• CATALOGUE:TRACK 2406-001 
• MATRIX: 2406001  A-1  1 2/ B-1  1 2
• ABSOLUTE FIRST PRESS MATRIX NUMBERS

INCREDIBLE RARITY FROM THE WHO. WITH GOOD TINING THERE IS A SUPERB ARTICLE ON THIS ALBUM IN THIS MONTH'S RECORD COLLECTOR, SO WITHOUT APOLOGY I WILL INCLUDE A FEW SNIPPETS WHERE I THINK IT WILL ENHANCE MY DESCRIPTION. WHAT IS IN NO DOUBT IS THAT THE BLACK STAMPED SLEEVE WAS A VERY LIMITED ISSUE WITH A SET OF INSERTS THAT NUMBER 12 IN ALL. SEE BELOW FOR DESCRIPTION OF HOW TO SPOT THOSE 1ST ISSUE COMPONENTS

THE RECORD

THE LABELS

THE WHITE LABELS ARE ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT. THE WHITE IS PURE WHITE AND TOTALLY UNSOILED. THE BLUE TYPEFACE IS UNRUBBED AND PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THE SPINDLE HOLE IS ALSO TOTALLY UNWORN, AND THE BASE WHITE COLOUR FULLY STRETCHES INTO IT. A CLOSE EXAMINATION AROUND THE HOLE SHOWS 4-5 SPIDER LINES BARELY VISIBLE INDICATING THAT THE RECORD HAS HARDLY BEEN PLAYED

THE LABEL ALSO STATES 'CRACKLING NOISES OK, DO NOT CORRECT' MORE ABOUT THAT BELOW

THE VINYL

THE DISC HAS RETAINED ALL OF IT'S ORIGINAL LUSTRE AND LOOKS BRILLIANT. UNDER NORMAL LIGHT THERE IS NOTHING TO SEE ON THE SURFACE OF THE DISC, WHEN ANGLED INTO SUNLIGHT THERE ARE A FEW VERY LIGHT HANDLING LINES, AND SOME WISPY LINES WHEN PLACED UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION. THIS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE OF THE INBUILT NOISES IN THIS RECORDING (SEE BELOW)

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED FOUR THREE MINUTE EXCERPTS  FROM THIS  ALBUM,  I HAVE RECORDED THE FIRST TRACK FROM EACH SIDE WHICH INCLUDES THE DEAD WAX RUN IN, I HAVE ALSO RECORDED THE LINKING GROOVES TO THE START OF THE OTHER TRACKS THAT ON OFFER. THE REPORDUCTION IS PURE FIRST PRESS

THIS LP WAS RECORDED WITH CLICKING NOISES AND BACKGROUND CRACKLE IN IT AND IT WAS DECIDED TO LEAVE IT IN THE MIX IN ORDER TO ADD AUTHENTICITY TO THE 'BOOTLEG' STYLE OF THE LP.

IN THE RECORD COLLECTOR THIS MONTH THIS FOLLOWING SNIPPET APPEARS REGARDING THIS : THE RECORDING WAS NOT WITHOUT IT'S PROBLEMS. pETE WAS NOT IMPRESSED WITH PYE'S UNIT OR ENGINEERS. "THEY DID A TERRIBLE JOB ON THE RECORDING, THEY F***ED IT UP INCREDIBLY. THEY GOT CRACKLES ALL THROUGH THE RECORDING, BUT I'M GOING TO PUT IT OUT ANYWAY" HE TOLD ROLLING STONE AT THE TIME. THIS WOULD RESULT IN THE FAMOUS' CRRACKLING NOISES OK-DO NOT CORRECT' STATEMENT THAT APPEARS ON THE LABEL

THIS HAS SOMEWHAT DERAILED HOW I NORMALLY LIST THE QUALITY OF THE SOUND. WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT THE RECORDING IS CRYSTAL CLEAR AND WITHOUT DISTORTION, AND THE LINKING GROOVES ARE SILENT MEANING THAT WANT IS IN THE TRACK IN MOST CASES HAS BEEN RECORDED THERE. THERE ARE ONE OR TWO CLICKS THAT I BELIEVE ARE NOT PART OF THIS ORIGINAL RECORDING, BUT I HAVE RECORDED 4 TRACKS, WARTS AND ALL FOR YOU TO JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

THE LP LOOKS GOOD, SOUNDS CLEAN, AND HAS A GREAT STEREO REPRODUCTION, AND THE OCCASIONAL BACKGROUND CRACKLE AND CLICK

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL NEAR MINT MINUS

THE SLEEVE

NON LAMINATED PLAIN CARD SLEEVE

THIS SLEEVE IS NOTORIOUS FOR STAINING BADLY AS IT WAS MADE OF THE CHEAPEST MOST POROUS CARD IN AN ATTEMPT TO REPLICATE A CHEAP BOOTLEG LP. ON THAT COUNT A MARVELLOUS JOB WAS DONE, BUT IT HAS LIMITED THE NUMBER OF GREAT SLEEVES AROUND.

THE VERY FIRST ISSUE OF THIS LP RELEASED IN MAY 1970 HAD THE LIMITED BLACK STAMP ON THE FRONT COVER TOP RIGHT. FAR MORE COMMON IS THE RED OR BLUE STAMPED ISSUES WHICH BEGAIN APPEARING VERY VERY SHORTLY AFTER AND STILL HAVE THE A1/B1 LP INSIDE BUT NOT THE BLACK STAMP

THIS ONE HAS SUPERB NEAR MINT FRONT SURFACE WITH A SHARPLY DEFINED STAMP UNLIKE SOME WHICH ARE FADED OR WORN. THE LIGHT BROWN CARD HAS NO CREASES , CREASE LINES, BENDS, AND JUST ONE TINY DENT TOP LEFT CORNER, AND IS TOTALLY FLAT AND CLEAN, AND THERE ARE NO SMALL LINES ALONG THE SPINE LIKE MOST HAVE. THIS IS THE BEST FRONT SURFACE I HAVE SEEN ON A LIVE AT LEEDS ALBUM. THE 4 CORNERS ARE ALL VERY SQUARE AS WELL, CLEARLY AN LP COVER THAT HAS REMAINED INSIDE A PLASTIC SLEEVE FROM NEW.

THE REAR SURFACE IS JUST AS SPECIAL AS THE FRONT WITH JUST ONE TINY BIT OF STICKER RESIDUE IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER. THE THREE EDGES ARE ALL IN VERY SHARP CONDITION AND AGAIN IT IS CLEAR THAT THE LP HAS BEEN VERY CAREFULLY HANDLED.

THE SPINE IS ALSO IN PRISTINE CONDITION, NO WEAR OR SPLITS LIKE THE VAST MAJORITY

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PRISTINE INNER SURFACE WITH THE TWO POCKETS MADE BY A LARGE FLAP OF CARD TURNED UP AND STAPLED AT THE EDGES TO FORM THESE HOLDERS FOR THE LP AND THE INSERTS. THE LEFT HAND PANEL HAS A STRANGE ANOMOLY IN THAT WHEN THE STAPLE WAS PRESSED INTO THE CARD IT MISSED THE FOLD OVER FLAP, JUST CATCHING THE EDGE OF THE CARD, RESULTING IN THE LEFT FLAP BEING LOOSE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COULD IF YOU WANTED TO BE FIXED EASILY, BUT I HAVE CHOSEN TO LEAVE IT EXACTLY AS IT CAME OUT OF THE FACTORY.

THE SAME BLACK STAMPED INFORMATION APPEARS ON THE LEFT INNER POCKET. I HAVE SEEN ALL SORTS OF ANOMOLIES HERE WITH THE MOST COMMON BEING A BLACK STAMPED INNER POCKET WITH A RED STAMPED FRONT COVER. HERE HOWEVER IS THE CORRECT MATCHUP.

THIS SLEEVE EASILY GRADES NEAR MINT

THE INSERTS

RIGHT LETS START WITH A FIRST ISSUE POSTER WHICH IS THE LARGEST OF THE INSERTS AND USUALLY THE ONE FOUND TO BE MISSING DUE TO BEING PINNED TO THE ORIGINAL OWNERS WALL.

SIMPLY A FIRST ISSUE POSTER HAS THE WORDS 'TUESDAYS AT THE MARQUEE' ALL LATER ISSUES FROM NOV 70 ONWARDS HAVE 'LIVE AT LEEDS' IN THIS SPACE, SO HERE WITH THIS 1ST PRESS SLEEVE AND LP IS A GENUINE 1ST ISSUE POSTER

THE REMIANING INSERTS ARE ALWAYS ON THICKER PAPER ON THE 1ST ISSUES, BECOMING THINNER AND LESS DETAILED WITH SUBSEQUENT RELEASED, MOST NOTICABLY ON THE TOWNSEND GUITAR OVERHEAD PICTURE WHERE THE DETAIL IS CLEARER ON THIS 1ST ISSUE.

THE PHOTPRINT OF THE BAND AGAIN HAS FAR CLEARER DETAIL ON THE 1ST ISSUE WHICH THIS ONE IS

THE PREMIER TALENT PAPER IS ALWAYS YELLOW ON 1ST ISSUES NOT BROWN OR WHITE WHICH IS HOW IT APPEARED ON LATER RELEASES.

THE REST OF THE 12 INSERTS ARE ALL ON HEAVIER STOCK PAPER

THIS SUPERB SET OF 12 ARE ALL COMPLETE, WITH JUST THE ODD  SMALL CREASE LINE HERE AND THERE, BUT IN UNTORN AND UNSPLIT CONDITION

A STUNNING ORIGINAL SET WHICH GRADES NEAR MINT

THE LP COMES IN THE ORIGINAL POLY LINED INNER WHICH IS ALSO UNSPLIT, FLAT AND BARELY CREASED

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY