The Who QUADROPHENIA UK LP 1ST A1 / B2 RARE HOWARDS UK SLEEVE PLAYS 100% MINT

	£		113
	$		150

THE WHO - QUADROPHENIA

IN MAGNIFICENT  TWO PLAY MINT  CONDITION

VERY EARLY FIRST PRESS

• SET NUMBER 2657 013
• CATALOGUE:TRACK 2406-111 
• MATRIX: 2406110  A V 1  1 1 1  / B V 2 1 1 8 / 2406111 A v 1  1 5 1/ B V 2  1 1
• THIS IS A VERY VERY EARLY FIRST PRESS
• THIS COPY HAS THE ULTRA RARE HOWARDS UK SLEEVE

A FIRST PRESS QUADROPHENIA MUST HAVE THE FOLLOWING ATTRIBUTES

THE LABELS MUST BE A MATT FINISH (LATER ONES ARE GLOSSY)

THE LABELS MUST NOT HAVE A RIDGE RUNNING ROUND THE PERIMETER (LATER PRESSES DO)

THE MATRIX NUMBERS MUST BE A COMBINATION OF A1/2 B1/2 (ANYTHING ELSE IS A LATER PRESS

THE VINYL IS ALWAYS HEAVIER AND LESS FLEXIBLE ON A FIRST PRESS

THE OUTER EDGE OF THE VINYL IS SQUARE AND FLAT ON A FIRST PRESS

THE SLEEVE IS USUALLY PRINTED IN HOLLAND (THIS IS CORRECT)

THERE IS A VERY RARE UK SLEEVE PRINTED BY HOWARDS WHICH IS A SHADE DARKER THAN THE DUTCH ONE

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

ALL 4 LABELS ARE IN MINT CONDITION. THE JET BLACK BASE COLOUR HAS REMAINED UNRUBBED, AND THERE ARE NO MARKS OR STAINS ANYWHERE. THIS COLOUR FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THE SILVER TYPEFACE IS ALSO IN TOP CONDITION AND EVERY LETTER IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THE TRACK LOGO WHICH CAN RUB AND WEAR BADLY IS IN PRISTINE CONDITION ON ALL 4 SIDES. A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE SPINDLE HOLES REVEALS JUST TWO MINUSCULE SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE HOLE ON EACH OF THE 4 SIDES. SHOWING JUST HOW LITTLE THIS SET HAS BEEN ON A TURNTABLE

THE VINYL

BOTH DISCS GLEAM LIKE NEW AND COULDN'T LOOK ANY BETTER. ALL OF THE ORIGINAL LUSTRE HAS BEEN RETAINED. THERE ARE NO VISIBLE MARKS OR ANY SIGNS OF HANDLING ON THE DISCS. IN DAYLIGHT THE VINYLS ARE TOTALLY FLAWLESS, AND EVEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO SEE, BACKING UP THE FACT THAT THIS INCREDIBLE SET HAS UNTIL TODAY REMAINED JUST ABOUT UNPLAYED!!!

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 THE ENTIRE ALBUM FROM START TO FINISH. SOMETHING I NOW DO WITH ALL MY LISTINGS, BECAUSE I AM CONVINCED THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD BEFORE LAYING A BID.

THIS IS A SERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS

THE LP'S PLAY THROUGH MAGNIFICENTLY ON ALL SIDES, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A GOOD LISTEN TO THE SOUNDBITES WHICH DEMONSTRATE JUST HOW FANTASTIC THESE DISCS SOUNDS. THE SILENT BITS ARE SILENT, AND THE MUSIC COMES THROUGH CRISPLY AND CLEARLY, WITH EVERY NOTE HEARD TO PERFECTION

THE STEREO REPRODUCTION IS JUST SUPERB. THERE IS NOT ONE JOT OF DISTORTION AT ANY POINT ON EITHER DISC, MEANING THAT THE TWO PLAYS THIS SET HAS RECEIVED WAS COMPLETED ON A SYSTEM THAT HAS A CORRECTLY WEIGHTED AND UNWORN STYLUS

BOTH RECORDS PERFORM ABSOLUTELY PERFECTLY. THERE IS NO BACKGROUND CRACKLE WHATSOEVER, AND NO VINYL NOISE OR EVEN STATIC. THE CLARITY IS JUST AWESOME

I HEARD TWO REALLY TINY LITTLE POPS THROUGH THE ENTIRE PLAYTHROUGH

AN ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLE OF THIS SOUGHT AFTER COLLECTIBLE

I AM REALLY PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO GRADE THIS 2 PLAY SET MINT!!!!

TAKE A GOOD LISTEN AND JUDGE FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

WELL WHERE TO BEGIN WITH THIS SLEEVE?

FIRSTLY THIS IS THE VERY RARE HOWARDS UK SLEEVE. THE INFORMATION IS FOUND ON THE INSIDE OF THE REAR SECTION. VIRTUALLY EVERY COPY WILL HAVE 'PRINTED BY EURO-ALBUMS HOLLAND BV' AND THIS IS NORMAL FOR A FIRST PRESS HOWEVER LIKE MOST RARE UK RELEASES A SMALL BATCH OF UK SLEEVES WERE USED ON THE VERY FIRST ALBUMS OUT OF THE PRESS, AND HERE WE HAVE ONE OF THOSE RARITIES. THE SLEEVE STATES 'PRINTED AND MADE BY HOWARDS PRINTERS , ENGLAND' IN THE SAME SPACE

THE UK SLEEVE IS ALSO A SHADE DARKER THAN THE DUTCH ISSUE, AND DOESN'T HAVE THAT REALLY SOFT SKIN LIKE FEEL TO IT THAT THE DUTCH ONE DOES

IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT MOST COPIES FOR SALE, YOU WILL NOTICE IMMEDIATELY THAT THE SLEEVE LETS THE RECORDS DOWN, NO MATTER HOW GOOD THE VINYL IS. THERE ARE MANY REASONS FOR THIS, SO LETS TAKE A LOOK AT WHY THIS IS SUCH A HARD SLEEVE TO FIND IN A COLLECTIBLE CONDITION.

THE FIRST THING IS THAT THE SLEEVE IS MANUFACTURED FROM A VERY SOFT CARD. (ALL VERY FIRST PRESS SLEEVES WERE PRINTED IN HOLLAND) WHEN YOU TOUCH IT YOU CAN ALMOST GET THE SENSE THAT IT MADE OF SOMETHING LIKE PHOTO PAPER. THE SURFACE FEELS ALMOST SLIMY TO THE TOUCH. THIS DELICATE SURFACE IS THEREFORE PRONE TO SEVERE WEAR, USUALLY THE MOST NOTICEABLE BEING RING WEAR WHERE THE WHITE OUTLINE OF THE RECORDS HAVE CREATED A HIDEOUS RING ON BOTH THE FRONT AND THE BACK COVER. BEING THIS SOFT AS WELL MEANS THAT ANY STICKER THAT WAS ON THE SURFACE, IF REMOVED IT LIKELY TO TEAR AWAY THE TOP SURFACE. AND OF COURSE THE FACT THAT THE SLEEVE IS NOT LAMINATED MEANS IT IS PRONE TO STAINS AND HANDLING. HOWEVER THE UK SLEEVE IS NOT MADE OF THE SAME SOFT CARD AND AS SUCH IS ACTUALLY BETTER EQUIPPED TO HANDLE THE SHAPE OF THE RECORDS, SO FINDING ONE OF THESE RARE SLEEVES WILL USUALLY MEAN THE SLEEVE DOESN'T SUFFER FROM RINGWEAR.

 THE SPINE ALSO SUFFERS BADLY, AND MANY MANY COPIES ARE BENT, SQUASHED, FRAYED, SPLIT, OR COMPLETELY SHELF WORN.

INSIDE THE SLEEVE THERE IS A VERY VERY HEAVY BOOKLET WHICH WAS STAPLED INTO THE SPINE. IT ONLY TAKES A FEW ROUGH PAGE TURNS TO JOLT THIS LOOSE AND TEAR IT FROM THE SOFT SPINE. OR MORE COMMON THAN THAT IF THE SLEEVE IS LEFT UNPROTECTED, AND BY THAT I MEAN NOT HOUSED IN A PLASTIC SLEEVE, THEN THE WEIGHT OF THE BOOK GRADUALLY PULLS DOWN ON THE STAPLES WHICH EVENTUALLY GIVE WAY AND THE WHOLE BOOK COMES ADRIFT, WHICH IS WHY MANY COPIES, THE BOOK WILL BE FOUND HOUSED INSIDE THE SLEEVE WITH THE RECORDS. ANYWAY SORRY FOR THE HISTORY LESSON, BUT I WANTED TO GET ACROSS JUST HOW NEAR IMPOSSIBLE IT IS TO FIND ONE IN MINT CONDITION

THIS SLEEVE WHILST NOT IN STONE MINT CONDITION IS FAR SUPERIOR TO MOST COPIES

THE FRONT SURFACE IS TOTALLY FLAT AND 100% FREE FROM ANY LOSS OF THE GREY COLOUR. THERE IS ACTUALLY NO RING WEAR OR EVEN RECORD SHAPE . THERE IS NO BIG WHITE RING LIKE ON MOST, THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER HAS A SMALL DING AND THE TOP RIGHT HAS A LIGHT CREASE LINE RUNNING ACROSS IT

THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES ON THE FRONT SURFACE AND AMAZINGLY NONE OF THE SMALL LINES THAT FORM ALONG THE SPINE EITHER. THE TOP LEFT CORNER TIP ALSO HAS A SPECK OF WEAR

THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES HAVE VERY MILD RUBBING TO THE DELICATE SURFACES

THE LARGE WIDE SPINE IS IS NEAR PERFECT CONDITION. NO SQUASHING WHATSOEVER, AND VIRTUALLY EVER SINGLE AREA IS STILL COVERED WITH THE GREY TOP SURFACE, APART FROM THE VERY TOP AND BOTTOM TIPS WHICH ARE LIGHTLY RUBBED, AND A COUPLE OF MINUSCULE WHITE SPECKS SHOWING ON THE LEADING TOP EDGE

THE TWO OPENING EDGES ARE BOTH VERY SHARP, WITH JUST A COUPLE OF TINY THUMB NAIL NICKS TO EACH ONE.

THE REAR SURFACE IS EVERY LITTLE BIT AS BRILLIANT AS THE FRONT. AGAIN NO LOSS OF COLOUR AND NO CREASE LINES , EVEN NEAR THE SPINE, JUST VERY LIGHT WEAR TO THE FOUR CORNER TIPS

 AND NOW THEN OPENING THE GATEFOLD WITH SOME CARE REVEALS A  PRISTINE FRONT AND BACK PANEL WITH A PERFECTLY ADHERED BOOK.  THE STAPLES ARE STILL FIRMLY ATTACHED TO THE PAGES, AND THE BOOK IS PROPERLY FIXED INTO THE SLEEVE AND IS DAMAGE FREE. VERY RARE TO FIND LIKE THIS, BUT AGAIN THE STRONG OUTER PLASTIC SLEEVE HAS BEEN THE CAUSE OF THIS REMAINING PERFECT

THE TWO ORIGINAL INNER POLY LINED SLEEVES ARE IN NMINT CONDITION. FLAT AND UNCREASED AND NO SEAM SPLITS ETC.

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS MAGNIFICENT NEAR MINT MINUS!!!!

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

GARRY