WISHBONE ASH "Pilgrimage" 1971 UK MCA 1st PRESSING

	£		27
	$		35

WISHBONE ASH "Pilgrimage" 1971 UK MCA 1st PRESSING
1st DECCA LABEL TEXT & 2L/1L MATRIX, SOFT R. STACE GF


WISHBONE ASH
Pilgrimage



HERE WE HAVE AN EXCELLENT UK MCA (MDKS 8004) FIRST PRESSING (October 1971) OF WISHBONE ASH'S OUTSTANDING SECOND LP, "Pilgrimage"

PRESSED ON QUALITY DECCA HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL WHICH DELIVERS OUTSTANDING AUDIO - AS YOU WOULD EXPECT FROM DECCA WHO CUT SOME OF THE FINEST SOUNDING RECORDS OF THE PERIOD

THE VINYL HAS THE FIRST ISSUE (SMALL) RED/BROWN 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Co Ltd" TEXT UNDERNEATH THE MCA 'ARROW' ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE LABEL (please see photos) - THIS WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY WITHDRAWN AND IS ONLY PRESENT ON THE VERY EARLIEST LABELS
MATRIX: 7-LNMG-244-2L / 7-LNMG-245-1L (w/ 'JT' TAX CODE ETCHED ON BOTH RUN OFFS) (the earliest matrix I have ever seen for this first pressing - normally found with -3L on side one)

THE LP IS HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL MATTE, GATEFOLD SLEEVE "Printed in England by Robert Stace" WITH THE CHARACTERISTIC FIRST ISSUE WIDE SPINE AND FACTORY SEALED LEFT SIDE EDGE

AN EXCELLENT COPY OF A TREMENDOUS LP

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 jazz bassline, slicing rhythm guitar, and gibberish vocals was their answer to "Hocus Pocus" (or vice versa as both were released in 1971) 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.
Even though this band toned it down a bit for this album, their impressive guitar playing was heightened due to the variance in their songwriting - 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: CLEAN and BRIGHT with NO unwanted marks/writing and moderate/heavy spindle traces - well played but well cared for
VINYL Visual: The vinyl still retains its DEEP, GLOSSY SHEEN. The surfaces have some light marks/scuffs but these are of practically NO audio consequence - plays beautifully throughout (see detailed assessment below)
VINYL Audio: SUPERB - CRYSTAL CLEAR, DEEP, RICH AUDIO. FANTASTIC DECCA CUT. There are NO scratches, NO skips or jumps and only some light surface noise (as always) on "Pilgrim" (nothing major). The LP plays to a very high standard with SUPERB AUDIO CLARITY, NO groove-wear and NO distortion. Sounds SUPERB throughout - FANTASTIC LP. Must be critically graded EXCELLENT for audio and NOT over-graded in ANY way as I use STRICT RECORD COLLECTOR grading standards (please refer to my feedback and 'about me' page)
SLEEVE: The original gatefold sleeve being soft, delicate and untreated is normally found heavily rubbed but this one is in GREAT condition - CLEAN and BRIGHT. There is hardly any wear to the top and bottom edges. There is however, some rubbing to the THICK spine but all text is still SHARP and CLEAR (please see photos). VERY NICE WELL PRESERVED SLEEVE

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 PICTURES AS I CAN BUT I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SUPPLY ANY ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ON REQUEST
GREAT COPY OF ONE FANTASTIC LP AND ONE OF THE EARLIEST UK FIRST PRESSES YOU ARE LIKELY TO FIND - EXCELLENT
AS WITH ALL MY RECORDS THIS HAS A LOW START PRICE AND NO RESERVE
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)
EU: Airmail: £5.00 (Insured & Signed For: £8.50)
INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: £8.00 (Insured & Signed For: £11.50)

UK bidders: PayPal or Cheque
INTERNATIONAL bidders: PayPal ONLY

REDUCED POSTAGE FOR MULTIPLE ITEMS (EACH ADDITIONAL LP: UK: £1.00, EU & INTERNATIONAL £2.00)
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
Insurance: In the unlikely event anything should go wrong I can only try to claim up to the standard compensation rate of £30. Therefore if your item is worth more than £30 I strongly recommend you take out the insured/recorded option.
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, QUALITY 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



 277 (GS 5.2 (277))