UNIQUE TRAFFIC PACKAGE, MR.FANTASY LP1st PRESS, PAPER SUN 45 AND PRESS CUTTINGS

	£		73
	$		97

UNIQUE TRAFFIC PACKAGE, 1ST LP MR. FANTASY, 1st SINGLE PAPER SUN AND PRESS CUTTINGS

THE ALBUM: MR. FANTASY
RARE 1ST UK STEREO PRESSING 
MATRIX Side 1. ILP+9061+A2   Side 2 ILP+9061+B2
Catalogue number . ILPS 9061
Originally released on 'Island Records' in 1967
Overall condition is EXCELLENT / VERY GOOD
RE-LISTED PLEASE READ FIRST This was sold two weeks ago but sadly the loveable Post Office bent the album sleeve in transit, despite me packing it in purpose made record mailers. As the purchaser had paid quite a bit for a record with a sleeve in excellent condition, he quite rightly asked for a refund and I’m arguing with the Post Office; which looks like it will be a thankless task! Consequently I’m re-listing at a lower starting price. Note that although the sleeve is creased (see detail below) the record was fortunately unharmed – now read on ……
Sleeve VERY GOOD PLUS
The creasing referred to above is to the bottom right of the back cover and is not significant enough to have cracked the laminate. (see photo) All the same I think it’s just enough to knock it out of the Excellent category. (Note that you can only see the crease properly in the close up – which shows how relatively minimal it is) As for the rest; the outer-laminated gatefold sleeve with 'inside' flipbacks is still bright and glossy in very good condition with no tears or splits but there is the very slightest of ringware, but otherwise is in EXCELLENT condition with the colours still very bright and there isn’t any writing, taping or stickers.
The Back, apart from the creasing,  is in such EXCELLENT condition that you can clearly see the legendary cottage ghost in the fireplace – see press cuttings for more info.
Inside the monochrome unlaminated inner is clean and bright with no extraneous marks.
Spine the spine is firm and totally legible but has some very  slight creasing.
Inner Sleeve  The original plain paper inner sleeve is still in good condition, but is creased at the corner in a way that reflects the cover creasing.
Labels EXCELLENT These are the CLASSIC ROUGH TEXTURE 'PINK EYE' ISLAND LABELS have no writing and are clean with the most minimal spindle marking.
Record EXCELLENT  It’s pressed on heavyweight vinyl The record itself is clean and glossy and the disc retains its deep, black vinyl sheen. There are some faint hairline marks on both sides but nothing ugly or deep to affect the sound quality
Audio Quality EXCELLENT It plays really well apart from some of the usual vinyl hiss and crackle between tracks and some quieter passages. They vanish after a few seconds and don’t detract from the overall sound, which is still amazing. although deep cleaning would probably remove them. It lays flat on the turntable and plays well without the needle sticking or jumping.
(Please remember even new, factory fresh vinyl is likely to have some hiss, crackle and pops, but the richness of sound will always be better than digital. OK, eventually the robots and aliens will make digital sound as good, but until then, it’s a compromise, you have to choose; deep rich tones and a beautiful sleeve (often with lyrics or other notes) or clinical sterility with nothing to see and a narrow frequency range.)
Side One: Heaven Is In Your Mind, Berkshire Poppies, House For Everyone, No Face, No Name And No Number, Dear Mr. Fantasy 
Side Two: Dealer, Utterly Simple, Coloured Rain, Hope I Never Find Me There, Giving To You
I will also include the original plastic outer that I bought with it, although it is starting to split slightly at the top, it still fits tightly and has successfully kept the dust off for all these years

IF YOU'VE NEVER HEARD THE ORIGINAL STEREO MIX BEFORE, YOU’LL BE AMAZED; IT’S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE MONO VERSION. MANY OF THE TRACKS ARE DIFFERENT MIXES, WITH  DIFFERENT EFFECTS, INSTRUMENTS AND OVERDUBS. SOME TRACKS ARE CLEARLY ALTERNATE TAKES, MOST NOTABLY, I THINK, ON ‘GIVING TO YOU’ WHICH WAS DIFFERENT ON THE STEREO AND MONO VERSIONS AS WELL AS ON THE ‘B’ SIDE OF ‘PAPER SUN’ – AS YOU WILL HEAR IF YOU WIN THE AUCTION!

Until 1970 I only ever played my albums on a Garrard Sp25 Mk11 with a Sonotone 9TAHC cartridge and from 1970 onwards on a Pioneer PL12D with a Shure N75 ED-T2 cartridge and stylus, tracking at 1.5 grams which I continue to use today – although the stylus has been replaced regularly
Record Collector grading system used EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.
VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable

The Single: PAPER SUN This is the original 1967 version that I bought on the first day of release. It was meant to be on the album (as mentioned in the review on one of the press cuttings) but never made it, although it was on the U.S. and later versions.
MATRIX WIP 6002 A       111  2   /B         117 Both runouts have G&D stamped too  (NB there should be a triangle between the A & B and the numbers but it didn't copy across - bloody computers!)
Overall condition is VERY GOOD
SLEEVE GOOD original pink paper Island sleeve has some creasing and minor tears along the edges as well as noticeable ring marks but it still retains that subtle pink and there isn’t any writing, taping or stickers.
Labels VERY GOOD/ GOOD    These are the CLASSIC 'PINK EYE' ISLAND LABELS have no writing and are clean with the minimal spindle marking, but I used to identify my singles with paper reinforcer rings and this one has left a mark on side A – see photos, hence the lower grading
Record VERY GOOD The record itself is clean and glossy and the disc retains its deep, black vinyl sheen. There are some faint marks on both sides but nothing ugly or deep to affect the sound quality
Audio Quality VERY GOOD  It plays really well apart from some of the usual vinyl hiss and crackle that vanish after a few seconds and don’t detract from the overall sound, which is still amazing. although deep cleaning would probably remove them. It lays flat on the turntable and plays well without the needle sticking or jumping.
Record Collector grading system used VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable. GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

PRESS CUTTINGS I’m also including a few press cuttings from Melody Maker from the same period I found them tucked in behind the album. I think they are all very rare, as I’ve never seen them referred to in books or on the web. There are reviews of the album but unfortunately the side has been torn from one, but you can still get the gist of what was being said

Summary: this ICONIC, progressive rock masterwork album, single and press cuttings are lovely pieces of genuine memorabilia from a bygone time that changed the world and would grace any collection. If you haven’t heard them on vinyl this package could be for you. It certainly doesn’t sound 50 years old!
I’m not a dealer of any sort, but am just downsizing and having to clear things out and trying to survive on a poxy pension. I’m starting it at a sensible price so a genuine fan or collector can enjoy it without paying rip off prices Good luck with your bidding and feel free to ask any question.
A Word About Payment and Postage
Sorry but I accept Paypal only and it will be posted as soon as payment has cleared, which must be paid within 24hours of the end of the auction. This may seem harsh but I’m fed up with time wasters!
I use 12" Vinyl LP Record Cruciform postal mailers and protect them with an additional layer of bubblewrap. In the UK I use Royal Mail Signed For. If you require some other form of postage/delivery, I’m more than happy providing you meet the extra costs. If you are outside the UK, I will use Ebay’s own service.