VAN MORRISON 1968 UK 1st PRESS ASTRAL WEEKS

	£		148
	$		196

Massively Rare Original 1968 Warner Records Nr Mint UK TRUE 1st Pressing (A1//B1 Matrix - Orange Warner Label) 'Astral Weeks'  by Van Morrison!!! Original UK 1st Press Thick & Chunky Nr Mint Vinyl!!! Complete with Mega Rare 1st Press Laminated Garrod & Lofthouse Flipback Sleeve with 1st Press 'Boxed' Warner Logos!!! Impossibly Rare as a True UK Orange Label Warner Brothers 1st Pressing!!! This UK 1st Press is Impossible to Find Anymore!!!

What can I say about Astral Weeks? It was quite rightly recently voted the best album ever made by NME readers here in the UK, but that is just the tip of the iceberg as far as this legendary record is concerned. This, in my opinion is also the most complete record ever made, with so many lush intricacies and musical ticks that I still find new musical & lyrical dimensions every time I listen to it, that to me is what marks a truly great album from a very good album. Like many of the best friendships, Astral Weeks can be hard work in the beginning, but is ultimately rewarding for the rest of your life. This is the only record, bar none, that I know I will never tire of listening to. I could talk all day about why everybody should own this record but I'll leave the final word with the great Lester Bangs who pretty much sums it up in one sentence:

"...there is something about it (Astral Weeks) that is more than inspired, something that has been touched, that's in the realm of the miraculous."

- Lester Bangs

You are bidding on the impossibly rare Orange Label Warner Bros. pressing  - the 1st EVER UK pressing -  of this amazing record. This is how Astral Weeks was originally intended to sound - straight from the master press. The quality of this pressing is quite rightly regarded as one of the peaks of 1960's UK vinyl production.  Even the immediate 2nd pressings of Astral Weeks (identified with later green Warner labels) show a marked deterioration in sound quality from this stunning record. Its not that these second pressings were of poor quality, its just that nothing ever quite captured the original audio perfection of this 1st pressing.  I have never bothered with 1980's re-pressings of this record, because after owning and listening to the orange label 1st pressing, they do not even come close. In fact, I can guarantee you that NOTHING plays like this, the 1968 UK 1st pressing.  It has the most amazing richness of depth and chiming string clarity, and when coupled with Richard Davis' awesome underlying bass, it is completely hypnotising to listen to, if you know and love this record but have never heard the 1st UK pressing then, take it from me, you have not fully 'heard' this record.  Those who know about this album don't only seek the orange label first pressing for it incredible rarity (although its rarity makes it very alluring), there is more to it than that, it is also the unique audio perfection of this record from start to finish that makes it such a treasured record.

Unfortunately, unlike a lot of other UK 1st pressings, not everybody has the opportunity to own a Orange Label Warner Bros. 1st Pressing of 'Astral Weeks' because there are just so few left in existence today, and when they do appear on the market, they change hands for a considerable amount of money. I'm saying this to give you an idea of the serious rarity of this record. Do not underestimate this chance and wait for another UK 1st Press copy to appear on eBay because I think you will be waiting a very long time. Check out a full description below and bid with confidence as whoever is lucky enough to win this record will have something very special indeed.  Rest assured, this record will be packaged with utmost care, bubble wrapped and stiffened on both sides, and shipped in a tough cruciform mailing box. You will receive it exactly as you see it now. Check out the full description below - and good luck!

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Cat No:

WS 1768

1st Press Matrix:

Side 1 - WS 1768 A-1

Side 2 -  WS 1768 B-1

The Classic Orange 1st press Warner Bros. centre labels are in Excellent condition with NO Tears, NO Peeling, NO Grubbyness, NO Scribbles and NO unwanted writing of any kind!!! There are the normal traces of spindle lines that can only really be seen when angling the record towards light (by holding the record angled toward a window). On the rare occasions the UK 1st press vinyl turns up today, they are usually in trashed condition. Whilst not mint, this is better than most I have seen. At Very Good, it falls below the usual high quality vinyl I offer you. However, the rarity value of this record is such that I just could not pass the chance to offer it you here on eBay. It has NO deep scratches and does not jump of skip when playing. It does have some hairlines and the occasional superficial waxy surface scuff (none feelable), but still retains a deep clean shine. As mentioned above this record easily grades as Very Good. The classic 1st press thickly laminated TRUE 1st press Garrod & Lofthouse flipback sleeve is also in great condition!!! Please note that this is the TRUE correct 1st press sleeve with the old style 'boxed' Warner logo in the top right corner on the front of the sleeve and top centre on the back. Beware sellers selling orange or green label 1st & 2nd pressings of Astral Weeks with the later non-flipback 'shield' design Warner logo on the sleeves  - these are LATER sleeves that came with repress albums and have been matched up with original discs!!! The original 1st & 2nd press orange & green label discs ONLY came with the 'Boxed' Warner logo sleeves, made by Garrod & Lofthouse  - nothing else!!! These 1st press sleeves always turn up totally worn out-looking nowadays with severe damage to the spine, with corner & edge wear, stains and ring wear (especially to the un-laminated predominantly white reverse side). Suffice to say, they have not remained in prime condition over the years. This example however is in great condition!!! With NO Tears, NO Scribbles and NO unwanted writing of any kind!!!  It is completely blemish free!!! The sleeve lies perfectly FLAT with virtually NO RING WEAR and a superb Nr Mint spine, with pristine Nr Mint legible spine text!!!  The extra thick 1st press laminate SUPERB. It has retained all its original clarity allowing the colours to come through as bold and vibrant and the day it was printed.  It has only the odd isolated laminate crease coming out from the spine edge, which is very common with this sleeve.  The front and back of the laminate are superb!!!!! Nice and clean with very little of the common grubbiness and NO unwanted marks!!!! The spine is in FANTASTIC  shape with perfectly legible title text. This cool sleeve grades as Excellent at the very least!!!! Of course it comes complete with its ORIGINAL 1st press inner sleeve with correct 'UK Patents ' text. The inner is lovely, nice and crisp with NO discolouration and NO writing/scribbles!!! This really is a one off chance to own a superb example of this, the scarce UK 1st Press of this classic and very rare LP. Don't miss this one as you will not see another for a very, very long time - if ever!!! Check out our feedback and bid with confidence as this is a no reserve auction with a very low starting price! 

I will be selling my entire UK 1st Press collection of 1960/70's Psych/Prog./Rock & Folk over the coming months, most of these records are in Mint- condition and each have 3 figure book prices. All will be listed here on eBay UK at a £2.99 start with No Reserve - bookmark my pages. Like the vast majority of my collection, this record has been archived upright in a thick outer PVC sleeve in a smoke & damp free environment for the best part of 20-30 years!

All my records have No reserve, a Low Start and No Surcharges!

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Hazey Jane Records... always combines P+P if you win more than 1 auction so you can save money on postage!  We always use a ridiculously low start price and never use nasty hidden reserves, so go ahead and bid, you just might grab this auction at a decent price... There are absolutely no surcharges or fees in our auctions, just pay what you bid plus the postage

Other Stuff ... Hazey Jane's grading adheres strictly to the UK Record Collector Grading System.  The record you are looking at in the images will always be the record you are being sold - we do not use deceptive stock photos.  Your record(s) will be shipped safely to you in the latest and strongest designed cruciform box-type mailers (1-4 records) or high quality thick sturdy purpose-designed record mailers (for single LP records and 7"s). Your package will also contain stiffening inserts to protect against bending or folding of the package during shipment. All records are professionally cleaned prior to being sent and are safely packaged outside their jackets to prevent seam any stress or 'knifing' during shipment.  Rest assured we will not send your record in a jiffy bag or Pizza Box (unfortunately it happens)!!!!

Payment ... Hazey Jane gives you many different ways to pay for our vinyl records. We accept virtually ALL forms of payment including Paypal (which we do not charge to use), Personal Cheques (GBP Sterling, Euro or USD), Money/Postal Orders (GBP Sterling, Euro, USD). Cash (UK £ Sterling, Euro, USD), Bank Transfer etc.  However if the method that suits you best is not listed below please email us and we'll do our best to arrange a method of payment that is most convenient to you.

A little note about Invoicing - Please read carefully. Please wait until we invoice you before paying via the checkout, we will do this as quickly as possible, usually within a few hours of you winning the auction, and no later that 24 hours after the auction ends.

UK -

• Personal Cheque (Our preferred UK method - if mailing payment PLEASE include Ebay ID as reference!)

• Paypal (unless otherwise stated)

• Bank to Bank Transfer - PLEASE include Ebay ID as reference! (Account No. & Sort Code will be sent upon request), Quicker than personal cheque

• UK Postal Order

• Bankers Draft

• Cash

• Many more payment options will be included in your invoice!

• If the payment option you prefer is not listed here please just ask!

EUROPE -

• Paypal

• Money/Postal Orders (Made GBP £ Sterling to cash in a UK Post Office (Issued in UK by Alliance & Leicester) - Common with our Italian Buyers

• Bank to Bank Transfer in Euro  - PLEASE include Ebay ID as reference! Buyer must accept any Bank processing charges (IBAN and BIC details will be sent upon request),  *Tip* - Do not try to convert funds to GBP £ Sterling using CHAPS etc. prior to transfer, as this will result in more charges from your bank. Just transfer us the payment in Euros.

• £ GBP International Money Order/Postal Order

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• Many more payment options will be included in your invoice

• If the payment option you prefer is not listed here please just ask!

USA, CANADA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE, KOREA & REST OF WORLD -

Please note, if you cannot pay via Paypal or in GBP £ Sterling, then US Dollars & Euro is the only currency we can accept. If paying via cash in USD your invoice will include an extra $15 USD to cover UK bank conversion fees.

• Paypal (No Fees!)

• Bank to Bank Transfer (Money Wire) - PLEASE include Ebay ID as reference! Please note this method incurs a reasonable charge to cover our own bank charges. (Account information will be sent upon request),

• Money Orders (Made GBP £ Sterling to cash in a UK Post Office (Issued in UK by Alliance & Leicester) - Common with our Japanese Buyers

• US Dollar Postal/Money Orders or Personal Checks (USD or GBP) In U.S.A this can include 'regular' Inland Postal Orders or Personal Checks (USD or GBP)

• In Australia & Canada, you can pay via Money Orders made in $ USD or Cash (USD, GBP & EURO Only)

• In Japan you can pay via GBP/ USD Money Order

• Cash

• Many more payment options will be included in your invoice

• If the payment option you prefer is not listed here please just ask!

Postage ... Hazey Jane has absolutely NO hidden surcharges; the price you win is the price you pay, just add the relevant postage, it's as simple as that! We always combine postage so if you win more than 1 auction you save money on postage costs! We will only ship to non-UK countries via Airmail - we do not use surface mail, it is way too slow and thus increases the risk of records being damaged during transit.

A little note about insurance - Please read carefully... If the value of your record(s) is over £30, your invoice will include an insured option. Being the responsible adults you are, it is entirely up to you to take this up  - we strongly advise you to do this but will not hassle you about it. You either add the required insurance or you don't. If you do add the required insurance and your record is lost/damaged, you will get a refund. If you don't add the required insurance and your record is lost/damaged, you will not get a refund. Can we be any clearer? I think not.

• LP/Album Postage and Packing within the UK = £3.85.   

• LP/Album Postage and Packing to Europe via Air Mail = £4.95. 

• LP/Album Postage and Packing to Rest of the World (USA, Japan, Korea etc.) via Air Mail = £7.95. 

• Double LP/Album Postage and Packing within the UK = £4.85.   

• Double LP/Album Postage and Packing to Europe via Air Mail = £5.95. 

• Double LP/Album Postage and Packing to Rest of the World (USA, Japan, Korea etc.) via Air Mail = £10.95. 

• 7" Postage and Packing within the UK = £1.49.   

• 7" Postage and Packing to Europe via Air Mail = £2.85. 

• 7" Postage and Packing to Rest of the World (USA, Japan etc) via Air Mail = £4.95. 

Refunds & Feedback ... Please read this carefully ... We try to give you the best quality examples of rare records available. However, there will always be somebody out there whose expectations far exceed UK record collector grading standards.  If you are in anyway unsatisfied with your record or our grading of it please refer to the UK Record Collector Grading Chart very carefully BEFORE emailing us. We strictly adhere to it and will only offer refunds (minus the postage AND our eBay costs) if we are satisfied that we have fallen below UK record collector grading standards. This will very rarely, if ever, happen. We will not be impressed with buyers disputing our gradings without even bothering to check the UK record collector grading standards chart first - you have been warned ...

Buyers who continually Haggle, Whine and Moan to try to decrease the price they won their auctions for will be blocked from bidding on future auctions and can toodle off down to HMV or Virgin where they can harass the counter staff there.

We will always leave feedback upon receipt of feedback. In an ideal world we would like to leave feedback as soon as the record has been shipped but due to feedback blackmail in the past (i,e, ",,,I want a partial refund or I will leave negative feedback") we have opted to take this measure. Contact must be made within 3 days of winning the auction. If payment has not been received after 10 days a non paying bidder alert will be placed. If payment is then not received within 7 days Negative feedback WILL be left and the buyer WILL be given a strike by eBay. Thanks for reading.

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