WISHBONE ASH "Pilgrimage" 1971 UK MCA 1st PRESS NM
£
114
$
151
£ 114
Sold For
Apr 15, 2011
Sold Date
Apr 5, 2011
Start Date
£ 22
Start price
9
Number Of Bids
Great Britain
Country Of Seller
eBay
Auctioned at
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Description
WISHBONE ASH "Pilgrimage" 1971 UK MCA 1st PRESS NM
SUPERB SOUND, SOFT R. STACE GF, LIGHT PLAY, TOP COPY
WISHBONE ASHPilgrimage
ORIGINAL UK MCA (MDKS 8004) FIRST PRESSING (October 1971) OF WISHBONE ASH'S OUTSTANDING SECOND LP, "Pilgrimage" IN SUPERB CONDITION (looks and sounds like it has hardly ever been on a turntable) AND WHEN PLAYED AT A VERY LOUD VOLUME (which is the way I always listen to my LPs prior to listing) THE AUDIO DELIVERY IS SENSATIONAL - AS WOULD EXPECT FROM DECCA WHO CUT SOME OF THE FINEST SOUNDING RECORDS OF THE PERIOD - DEEP, RICH, WARM AND DETAILED WITH PRACTICALLY NOTHING TO FAULT - SUPERB COPY
PRESSED ON QUALITY HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL WITH THE FIRST ISSUE (SMALL) RED/YELLOW (variant) MCA LABELS, WITH THE "Made In England, The Decca Record Co Ltd" TEXT UNDERNEATH THE MCA 'ARROW' ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE LABEL (please see photos)
FIRST ISSUE MATRIX: 7-LNMG-244-3L / 7-LNMG-245-1L (w/ 'JT' TAX CODE ETCHED ON BOTH RUN OFFS)
MOTHERS/STAMPERS: 1/I and 1/UG
THE LP IS HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL MATT GATEFOLD SLEEVE "Printed in England by Robert Stace" WITH THE CHARACTERISTIC FIRST ISSUE WIDE SPINE
AND COMES COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL BLUE STEREO DECCA COMPANY INNER SLEEVE WHICH IS DATE CODED '3-71' (March, 1971)
Wishbone Ash's second release, Pilgrimage, unveiled their creative genius after a debut that presented them as a jamming, blues-based rock outfit.
The opening track, "Vas Dis," with its jazzy bass-line, slicing rhythm guitar, and jazzy scat vocals is outstanding and "Jail Bait" has gone on to become a Wishbone Ash staple as well as possessing one of the more memorable guitar riffs of '70s rock & roll.
A conscientious effort seemed to be in place for this band to write and perform material better suited to their gentler vocal tendencies and where Wishbone Ash essentially went full tilt throughout, Pilgrimage is a moodier affair that includes beautiful, slower melodies like the brief instrumentals "Alone" and "Lullaby" along with the chilling "Valediction," which should have been an Ash classic but is rarely featured on live and hits collections.
Next to Argus this is the Wishbone Ash album to judge all other Ash albums by
Track Listing:
Side 1: Vas Dis / Pilgrim / Jail Bait / Alone
Side 2: Lullaby / Valediction / Where Were You Tomorrow (Live)
LABELS: The labels are clean and bright with no unwanted marks/writing and less than a handful of light spindle traces - this copy has clearly seen very little play - NEAR MINT
VINYL Visual: The vinyl surfaces retain their original deep, glossy sheen and are practically unmarked - NEAR MINT
VINYL Audio: Outstanding audio on these first presses with a crystal clear, deep, rich and warm sound and a superb loud cut - very, very impressive indeed and on playback at a loud volume (which is how I always listen to my records prior to listings and it's always a real pleasure to return to this one) there are no no major audio issues of note - no scratches, no skips or jumps and no surface noise - this pressing is beautifully clean with practically silent run-ins and track divisions and with the quieter sections playing as silently as you could wish for. There is the (very, very) occasional light background static 'tick' but otherwise, the playback is flawless and the whole LP plays to an extremely high standard with stunning warmth, depth and clarity and no groove-wear or distortion (it's barely been played). Critically graded NEAR MINT for audio this is a fabulous copy of an outstanding LP and one very, very highly recommended indeed
SLEEVE: The original gatefold sleeve being soft, delicate and untreated is normally found heavily rubbed but this one is in superb condition - clean, bright and fresh with no marks and practically no storage wear to the edges or (thick) spine - where all text is clear and bold - fantastic example of this easily worn sleeve - a strong EXCELLENT++ (if not NM)
NOTE: Please let me put to rest the common misconception that the Black MCA labels are the first ones for early Wishbone Ask LPs (as cited by Record Collector 2010 Price Guide) - they are NOT. The Black MCA label was the last design Decca used for MCA for 1973/4 presses (the first pressings of Wishbone 4 released in 1973 has the black label). The first two Ash LPs have the two coloured (dogbone design) labels in Blue/Black, Red/Pink, Red/Yellow, Orange/Purple or Red/Brown. In 1972 (Argus) the label was two-coloured with a hexagon design in the centre. After these came the Black label, and in 1974 MCA severed links with UK Decca and switched its licensing deal to EMI. These later labels have the rainbow insignia and are EMI, not Decca presses.
PLEASE HAVE A LOOK AT MY PICTURES - I USUALLY TAKE QUITE A FEW SO YOU CAN GET A CLEAR INDICATION OF EVERY DETAIL OF THE ITEM
I HAVE UPLOADED AS MANY AS I CAN BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SUPPLY ANY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ON REQUEST
PLEASE CHECK OUT MY OTHER AUCTIONS FOR MORE RARE AND COLLECTABLE VINYL
AND PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME WITH ANY QUERIES YOU MAY HAVE
THANKS FOR LOOKING, CHEERS
PLEASE REFER TO MY 'ABOUT ME' PAGE FOR MORE DETAILED INFO ON MY PLAY-GRADING, EQUIPMENT USED, P&P etc
POST & PACKING
UK: 1st Class: £4.00 (recorded delivery)
EUROPE: Airmail: £11.00 (International Signed For delivery with tracking)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £15.00 (International Signed For delivery with tracking)
UK bidders: PayPal or Cheque
INTERNATIONAL bidders: PayPal ONLY
I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period. However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for in full and will be posted to you. Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period. I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation
Guarantee: I try to be as accurate and honest as possible when describing the condition of any LP but of course if you feel that I am mistaken and the description is inaccurate I will offer a complete, no quibble refund (through Paypal) upon return of the item.
ALL RECORDS ARE PROFESSIONALLY CLEANED BEFORE DISPATCH AND PACKAGED WITH THE VINYL OUTSIDE OF THE SLEEVE TO PREVENT ANY 'KNIFING' DURING TRANSIT.
A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, NEW INNER WITH NAGAOKA ANTI-STATIC LINER, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY I will email you when payment has been received to let you know when the item will be posted. Please leave feedback upon receipt of the item so that I know you have received it safely. Any problems please email me. Thanks 420 (GS 6.0.8 (420))
