URIAH HEEP The Magician's Birthday A-1/B-1 1st Press Stunning COVER & AUDIO NM/M
£
57
$
75
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Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently. Uriah Heep : The Magician's Birthday A-1U / B-1U 1st Press 1972
This first pressing is stunning! I have never found one before that plays with such pristine precision. The clarity, depth, power and resonance of the audio is so impressive and it has clearly hardly ever been played. The lack of spindle wear adds further weight to that theory. All tracks bar one grade as Mint or Mint- and 'Rain' only grades as Near Mint because of two very minor ticks, it hardly qualifies as interference! The vinyl is in lovely condition also with only one hairline mark on S2 that is a little more obvious. Audio wise I'm happy to call this a FINAL UPGRADE archive pressing as it would be very difficult to find a better one.
The gatefold is a thing of beauty also! It is in beautiful condition and has retained its shape and structure perfectly. With barely any wear this is by far the most stunning one I have ever seen. The lyric inner just has one small tape repair but is otherwise in excellent shape.
The first pressing has a large Bronze logo on the inside of the gatefold and the catalogue number on the labels have a dash after ILPS as opposed to a dot on later versions.
ILPS 9123 // A-1U MH 3 // B-1U HM 2 (G. KONG etched on both sides)
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T5 Near Mint)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-)
The gatefold is Near Mint The lyric inner is Ex
The labels are Mint-
Visual description
The vinyl is in superb condition and still has a fine glossy sheen with barely any marking. S1 is immaculate and S2 just has one hairline mark that is a little more obvious and a section of faint hairlines but neither of these have any affect on the stunning audio quality. This hairline section you can only see when you hold the vinyl at a certain angle. The Bronze labels are so clean with barely any spindle wear.
Play Grading
The quiet build intro on 'Sunrise' plays perfectly and the first high octane section is stunning! Byron's opening vocal has just one very quiet tick, you could easily miss it, and it continues to play with real quality. There is perfect clarity during the quieter moments and the power and depth during the louder sections is outstanding, no distortion whatsoever. I cannot overstate just how immaculate the audio is here. Byron's voice is as impressive as always and it could not play with any greater precision. This is very much a Mint- start to the album.
'Spider Woman' keeps up the standard and plays with stunning quality throughout. Every section plays with supreme power and definition and even the quieter ending has not so much as a dust tick. Mint
With complete silence in the dead wax the acoustic / electric intro on 'Blind Eye' is 'as new' and the opening vocal section and chorus plays with remarkable quality also. It continues in the same way and again there is not one single negative. This is quite simply audio of the highest calibre and Mint is deserved.
The entire intro on 'Echoes In The Dark' plays to perfection - no static and no distortion and obviously no ticks, clicks or pops. The quiet piano piece prior to the first vocal has not one dust tick and the opening two verses bridged by an instrumental have no intrusion either. The chorus is faultless and the next instrumental is equal to that. To the end it plays with impeccable quality - the a friend vocal is stunning with no distortion and the fade out has zero background. Mint
The gentle piano intro on 'Rain' plays beautifully and there is no background static. There is one minor tick towards the end but that is literally the only other 'sound' apart from the piano! The opening vocal has no intrusion and it continues to play with wonderful clarity and warmth for such a quiet number. I 'picked up' a couple of barely audible dust ticks and just one mega quiet tick towards the end but in all honesty it could hardly play any better. I will grade this classic as Near Mint but the vast majority i.e. 99% is better than that!
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'Sweet Lorraine' plays with imperious quality through every vocal and instrumental section with no sign of any interference. The clarity, depth and power of the audio I am sure is equal to how it would have sounded when first released in '72, the playback is stunning. Mint
The intro on 'Tales' has no background and the opening vocal plays to perfection also. Every note is so clean and 'fresh' it really deserves a good listen! It progresses in the same way with a clarity and warmth that is second to none. A vocally driven track it plays with STUNNING quality and the fade out has no background either. Mint
'The Magician's Birthday' again impresses on every level. I can't 'dissect' every section but needless to say I listened to every second of this 10 minute classic and it plays with exceptional quality through every section including the Happy Birthday section! As the music hands over to the main 'instrumental' the playback is phenomenal and Box's solo work accompanied by Kerslake's superb drum work is incredible. This has to be played loud and wow the sonic quality is out of this world! A well worn phrase of mine - it just could not play any better! The power is unrivalled and the separation equally so. The final section is of the same high end standard and Byron's Love will find love vocal on the higher register ends the album in fine style with no intrusion, no distortion. This is easily the most 'complete' version I have ever heard and grades as Mint all day long, it is outstanding!
The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve
It's good to see both the vinyl and the cover preserved for posterity! This cover just happens to be the most stunning example I have ever found. It is in lovely condition, practically 'as new' in fact and I do not say that lightly. A couple of barely visible corner 'rubs' and two 'specks' on the back cover that is the only wear to be seen. It is so clean on both sides without any marking and the inside of the gatefold is immaculate. Oh and I have just noticed one small faint crease on the front! A superb Near Mint example.
The paper lyric inner is very clean with barely any marking and has just one small tape repair in the top left corner. There are no side splits or tears and only minimal creasing.
ILPS 9123 // A-1U MH 3 // B-1U HM 2 (G. KONG etched on both sides)
Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT VM-95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machine
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
Recent Feedback
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Postage & Packaging
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item
EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £12.95 then £2.00 per extra
USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £22.95 then £2.50 per extra
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £21.95 then £2.50 per extra
If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed. If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!
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