URIAH HEEP - THE MAGICIANS BIRTHDAY 1st UK Press 1972 EX ILPS 9213

	£		20
	$		27

URIAH HEEP -

THE MAGICIAN'S BIRTHDAY

BRONZE (Island) ILPS 9213

1st UK 1972 

machined matrices A-1U  and B-1U

 The Magician's Birthday followed the enormously successful Demons And Wizards album. No doubt it was an overwhelming task to come up with a record that maintained that immense flow and energy. Uriah Heep was up for the challenge and responded with another metal-prog classic, and to boot they pulled it off in the same year.

The very first song, "Sunrise," is another Ken Hensley driving rocker with Mick Box providing the stinging guitar leads, David Byron the operatic shrieks, and Hensley the whirling dervish keyboard playing. "Spider Woman" was always one of my favorites; it's a straight ahead rocker that has a catchy riff by Box running through the entire song. "Rain" is a standout track that was typical of the Heep gothic metal sound complete with a great vocal treatment by Byron. The curtain falls on the title track "The Magician's Birthday." For over 10 minutes they show why they were one of the very best prog-rock bands in the world by changing gears several times without a hitch and offering the listener every facet of their complex makeup in one song. It's the kind of dark and mystical song that you never forget, it stays with you for a long time and when you listen to it again you hear what you missed the first time around.

What UH did in 1972 is quite incredible. To release one great album is a major feat, but two in one year? It's something very few bands have ever done. This was the final stamp of approval on their career; they had carved out a place in prog-rock history that would cement their legacy. In 2002, now more than ever, the relevance of what they did is more evident and valid when you listen to what they were creating over 30 years ago. It comes as no surprise that people want to hear all of that material as much today as they did back then. Its great music, so if you haven't found it yet its time to seek it out. (Taken from: Progarchives.com)

Vinyl: EX. Stunning deep glossy and very heavy vinyl. The absolute first press with -1U and -1U matrices and "G.Kong" etched into the runouts. This has certainly not been overplayed. A beautiful glossy vinyl with just a couple of wispy hairlines which are totally inaudible on replay. Under a strong light just some wispy retraction paper traces can be seen. These are totally invisible in normal light. I subjected the record to a detailed listen on my high end system and it sounded stunning. Lovely channel separation without any distortion or crackle. A little static mainly on the beginning of each side which is just a normal feature really on most LP's from the era. I would say that this LP is well above average condition and an upgrade for most of us and will sit nicely in a quality collection.

Gatefold sleeve: EX.  Without doubt one of the harder gatefolds to still find intact!! A great matt sleeve with just only the very light storage wear.  It still looks incredible. Only  light wear on the bottom edge. The spine is still 100% legible.  One light crease near the to bottom right, it is tiny. No writing or foxing anywhere. The inside gate is fantastic. NO price stickers or writing. NO tears, NO splits. On the spine the red field has discoloured because of light exposure. This has to be seen in the flesh to be properly appreciated. The pictures give you some impression of the quality at hand in this auction.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.