Uriah Heep THE MAGICIANS BIRTHDAY 1972 UK LP 1st Press W/Inner PLAYS MINT MINUS

	£		53
	$		70

FULLY TEST PLAYED AND RECORDED SO YOU CAN HEAR IT BEFORE BIDDING

URIAH HEEP - THE MAGICIAN'S BIRTHDAY

 MAGNIFICENT MINT MINUS AUDIO

1ST PRESS A1U / B1U

MINT MINUS SLEEVE

• CATALOGUE:BRONZE ILPS 9123
• MATRIX: ILPS 9123 A-1U / B-1U (INVERTED 'U'S)
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 3 PL / 3 HL (BOTH ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE DEAD WAX) 
• FIRST UK PRESSING MATRIX NUMBER
• G.KONG ETCHED INTO THE DEAD WAX ON BOTH SIDES

THE ORIGINAL FIRST PRESS OF MAGICIANS BIRTHDAY. THE PRESSING CAN BE IDENTIFIED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. FIRSTLY THE MATRIX NUMBERS MUST END IN -1U AND THE LETTER U IS INVERTED 90 DEGREES WITH THE OPEN END OF THE LETTER FACING THE 1 DIGIT

SECONDLY THE PRESSING MUST HAVE THE ISLAND CATALOGUE NUMBER. DESPITE THE RECORDING BEING ON THE BRONZE LABEL, THE EARLIEST ISSUES WERE GIVEN THE  ILPS CATALOGUE NUMBERS. LATER ISSUES WOULD HAVE HAD THE  'BRON' NUMBERS.

THE LABELS ALSO HAVE ' MANUFACTURED AND DISTRIBUTED BY i ISLAND RECORDS LIMITED ' IN BLUE TYPEFACE AROUND THE BOTTOM OF THE RIM

THERE MUST ALSO BE A SMALL DOT IN BETWEEN THE ILPS AND THE 9213 ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LABEL

THE SLEEVE MUST HAVE THE ILPS CATALOGUE NUMBER IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE REAR SURFACE, AND BE PRINTED BY ROBOR (INSIDE THE GATEFOLD, BOTTOM LEFT CORNER)

ALSO FIRST ISSUES CAME WITH A PAPER LYRIC INNER SLEEVE WHICH ALSO MUST HAVE THE ILPS CATALOGUE NUMBER ON IT BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER OF THE B SIDE LYRICS.

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

BOTH LABELS ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION. THE LIGHT CREAM BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND IS UNMARKED AND FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE, . THE BROWN TYPEFACE IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, AND A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE SPINDLE HOLE REVEALS JUST 1-2 MINUSCULE SPIDER LINES, THE ALBUM CLEARLY HAS NOT BEEN PLAYED MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES

THE VINYL

THIS HEAVYWEIGHT (AND I DO MEAN HEAVYWEIGHT) DISC HAS RETAINED ALL OF IT'S ORIGINAL SHEEN AND LOOKS BEAUTIFUL.IN DAY LIGHT IT LOOKS FLAWLESS AND EVEN UNDER A MAGNIFIED LED HALO THERE ARE JUST A COUPLE OF NEAR INVISIBLE WISPY HAIRLINES 

ALSO UNUSUALLY THE MOTHERS AND STAMPERS ARE BOTH ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE DEAD WAX ON SIDE B THIS IS DUE TO THE 'G KONG' INSCRIPTION BEING PLACED WHERE THE STAMPERS SHOULD HAVE BEEN. FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER SEEN THIS ANOMOLY

PLAYING THE RECORD

THE FINAL TRACK ON SIDE ONE IS A GENTLE TRACK CALLED RAIN, AND I HAVE LOST COUNT OF THE NUMBER OF TIMES I THOUGHT I HAD A GREAT COPY TO LIST ONLY FOR THIS TRACK TO LET THE DISC DOWN. IT HAS ON MOST COPIES AN EMBEDDED LIGHT BACKGROUND WHICH IS HEARD ALL THE WAY THROUGH IT, SPOILING THE MUSIC.

ON THIS COPY IT PLAYS ALMOST PERFECTLY WITH JUST THE BAREST SPECK OF STATIC LIKE STUFF HEARD IN A COUPLE OF PLACES

THE VINYL HAS AN INCREDIBLE STEREO REPRODUCTION. YOU ONLY HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE OPENING FEW BARS, FOLLOWED BY THE AMAZINGLY CLEAR VOCALS TO BE CONVINCED.

THERE IS NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND AT ANY POINT, SHOWING THAT WHAT LITTLE PLAY THE LP HAS RECEIVED WAS COMPLETED ON A SYSTEM THAT HAD A CORRECTLY WEIGHTED AND UNWORN STYLUS

THERE IS NO HEAVY BACKGROUND CRACKLE AND NO LOUD CLICKS

APART FROM THE TINY BIT OF STATIC THAT I MENTIONED ABOVE, THE VINYL HAS NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE AND ONLY DURING THE MOST SILENT PASSAGES CAN AN ODD SPECK OF STATIC BE HEARD ON SIDE ONE

SIDE TWO PLAYS TO ABSOLUTE PERFECTION ALL THE WAY THROUGH 

THERE ARE NO DUST POPS TO BE HEARD ON EITHER SIDE

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL PLAYTHROUGH AS  MINT MINUS

THE SLEEVE

NON LAMINATED ROGER DEAN GATEFOLD SLEEVE FROM ROBOR. ONLY THE FIRST PRESS SLEEVES WERE FROM ROBOR, AND THEY HAVE THE ISLAND MATRIX NUMBERS ON THE SPINE AND TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE REAR SURFACE. LATER ISSUES WERE GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE WITH THE BRONZE CATALOGUE AND MATRIX NUMBERS ON THEM IN THE SAME PLACES.

THE FRONT SURFACE IS SUPERBLY CLEAN AND HAS RETAINED ALL OF THE ORIGINAL COLOUR. THE COLOURS ARE VERY DEEP IN COLOUR AND OFTEN HAVE FADED DUE TO BEING LEFT IN SUNLIGHT. HERE THOUGH THEY ARE RICH AND VIBRANT. THERE IS NO RUBBING AND NO LOSS OF COLOUR AT ALL.

THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES ANYWHERE,NO FOLDS OR BENDS

THERE ARE TWO INVISIBLE TINY PRESSURE LINES CLOSE TO THE SPINE. ONE MINUSCULE ONE ALONG THE TOP EDGE, NONE ALONG THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND NO THUMB LINES NEAR THE OPENING EDGE.

THE TOP EDGES FREE FROM ANY SHELF WEAR, WITH JUST THE RIGHT CORNER TIPS HAVE A PIN PRICK OF RUB.

THE BOTTOM EDGES ARE EVERY BIT AS PERFECT

THE SPINE USUALLY HAS FADED COLOURS , BUT THIS COPY THE COLOURS ARE AS RICH AS ON THE FRONT AND REAR SURFACES. NO COLOUR LOSS WHATSOEVER, AND NO SQUASHING AS THE SPINE IS TOTALLY FLAT.

ALL OF THE WHITE TYPEFACE IS PRISTINE AND PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THE COLOUR RUNS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM WITH JUST A PIN PRICK OF WHITE SHOWING ON THE BOTTOM TIP.

THE REAR SURFACE IS IN THE SAME SUPERB CONDITION AS THE FRONT. ONE TINY LINE NEAR THE SPINE , NONE ALONG THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES. 

THE OPENING EDGE IS RAZOR SHARP AND APTLY SHOWS JUST HOW LITTLE THIS ALBUM HAS BEEN OUT OF THE SLEEVE.

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PRISTINE INNER SURFACE . TWO MINT INNER PANELS

THE ORIGINAL LYRIC INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED AND IS INCREDIBLY UNSPLIT. USUALLY THIS HAS MULTIPLE SEAM SPLITS, BUT NOT THIS ONE. IT IS ALSO PERFECTLY FLAT AND STILL INCREDIBLY WHITE. 

I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SLEEVE MINT MINUS

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

GARRY