Wishbone Ash ARGUS 71 UK LP 1st Press 1L/1L BLUE/BLACK Close To NEAR MINT AUDIO

	£		23
	$		30

WISHBONE ASH - ARGUS

1ST PRESS BLUE AND BLACK LABELS

VERY FIRST PRESS MATRIX NUMBERS

RARE ONE DIGIT MOTHERS/STAMPERS

OUTSTANDING EX+ !! SLEEVE

• CATALOGUE:MCA MDKS 8006
• MATRIX: 7-LNMG-256-1L / 257-1L
• THERE IS NOTHING LOWER THAN A -1L MATRIX 
• MOTHERS/STAMPERS:1 U / 1 I

 A QUICK WORD ABOUT THE LABELS FOR MCA PRESSINGS. IT SEEMS THEY WERE FOREVER CHANGING THE DESIGN, BUT THERE IS A DEFINITE PROGRESSIVE PATH THAT THEY TOOK WITH THE EARLY 70'S PRESSES.

THE FIRST TWO WISHBONE ASH ALBUMS HAD THE MULTICOLOURED 'DOGBONE' LABEL WHERE THE CENTRE BAND YOU SEE ON THIS PRESS CURVED INWARDS IN THE CENTRE AND GAVE THE APPEARANCE OF A DOGBONE. THIS CAME IN ONE OF FOUR COLOURS AS I REMEMBER.

RED AND BROWN

YELLOW AND RED

RED AND PINK

ORANGE AND MAGENTA

ALL FOUR WERE ISSUED AT THE SAME TIME AND ONE IS NOT EARLIER THAN THE OTHERS, AND IT IS POSSIBLE TO GET THE FIRST TWO ASH ALBUMS ON ANY OF THE FIRST TWO COLOURS.

BY THE TIME ARGUS WAS RELEASED THE LABELS HAD UNDERGONE THE CHANGE YOU SEE HERE. A BLACK LABEL WITH A BLUE BAND ACROSS THE MIDDLE

THE NEXT CHANGE SAW THE BLUE BAND DISAPPEAR AND THE LABEL WAS SOLID BLACK WITH SILVER TYPEFACE. YOU CAN GET ALL THREE OF THE INITIAL 3 ASH ALBUMS ON THIS PLAIN LABEL. THEY ARE NOT 1ST PRESSES

WISHBONE FOUR IS A FIRST PRESS ON THE BLACK AND SILVER LABEL HOWEVER

AFTER THIS THE LABELS CHANGED AGAIN TO THE RAINBOW DESIGN ON THE BLACK SURFACE

TO LISTEN TO THE RECORD, PLEASE PRESS PLAY ON THE PLAYER, AND WAIT FOR IT TO LOAD. IT CAN TAKE UP TO A MINUTE. THE NEW SOFTWARE IS SLOWER THAN THE OLDER ONE. BY THE TIME YOU HAVE READ THROUGH THE DESCRIPTION IT SHOULD START TO PLAY

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE JET BLACK, AND BLUE BANDED  LABELS ARE IN MINT CONDITION. THE BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND HASN'T WORN ANYWHERE, AND IT STRETCHES RIGHT INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THE SILVER TYPEFACE AND LOGOS ARE ALSO IN TOP CONDITION AND ALL PERFECTLY LEGIBLE.

THERE ARE JUST 6-7 SMALL SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE HOLE SHOWING JUST WHY THIS INCREDIBLE VINYL HAS BARELY BEEN PLAYED

THE VINYL

THE HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL HAS LOST NONE OF IT'S ORIGINAL SHEEN AND LUSTRE. IN DAYLIGHT IT LOOKS FLAWLESS. UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE ARE NUMEROUS  VERY VERY FINE AND BARELY VISIBLE WISPY SURFACE ONLY HAIRLINES

THE WHITE LINE THAT LOOKS LIKE A SCRATCH IN THE PICTURES, IS IN FACT A DOG HAIR WHICH CAME OFF MY HUSKY AND SAT THERE  . I ONLY NOTICED IT AFTER THE PICTURE WAS TAKEN

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED THE ENTIRE ALBUM FROM START TO FINISH AS I AM CONVINCED THAT BIDDERS WOULD WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE CONSIDERING BIDDING ON, AND WHILST IT TAKES FAR LONGER TO DO, I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFF THIS AS A SERVICE TO MY CUSTOMERS

THE LP PLAYS THROUGH BRILLIANTLY ON BOTH SIDES, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A GOOD LISTEN TO THE SOUNDBITES WHICH DEMONSTRATE JUST HOW FANTASTIC IT IS, PARTICULARLY THE QUIETER EXCERPTS.

THE SILENT BITS ARE SILENT, AND THE MUSIC COMES THROUGH CRISPLY AND CLEARLY. THE STEREO REPRODUCTION IS JUST SUBLIME, AND THIS IS WITHOUT A DOUBT A CLASSIC WISHBONE ASH ALBUM IN FANTASTIC ORIGINAL CONDITION

THERE IS NO DISTORTION WHATSOEVER AT ANY POINT AND EVERY NOTE IS HEARD AS IT WAS INTENDED.

THERE IS NO HEAVY BACKGROUND CRACKLE OR CLICKS AT ALL!!

THERE IS SOME VERY FAINT STATIC LIKE LOW LEVEL VINYL NOISE HEARD IN SOME OF THE LINKING GROOVES AND A COUPLE OF THE MOST SILENT PASSAGES 

 I HEARD NO MORE THAN 1-2 MINUSCULE DUST POPS / STATIC TICS THROUGH THE ENTIRE PLAYTHROUGH

 THIS ALBUM PLAYS  VERY VERY CLOSE TO A NEAR MINT GRADE

DON'T JUST TAKE MY WORD FOR IT THOUGH, TAKE A LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF AGAINST YOUR OWN STANDARDS

THE SLEEVE

NON LAMINATED , GATEFOLD FIRST ISSUE SLEEVE FROM ROBERT STACE

THIS SLEEVE IS PROBABLY THE HARDEST WISHBONE ASH SLEEVE TO GET IN A HIGH GRADE COLLECTIBLE CONDITION. BEING UNLAMINATED IS ONE THING, BUT THIS SLEEVE HAS A POWDERY FINISH TO ITS SURFACE AND MOST COPIES OF THIS THAT YOU WILL SEE WILL BE VERY BADLY RUBBED. THE COLOUR THAT GETS AFFECTED MOST OF ALL IS THE SOLDIER'S RED CAPE WHICH IS USUALLY MORE GREY THAN RED AS THE TOP COLOUR GETS RUBBED AWAY.

HERE WE HAVE A SUPERB EXAMPLE SLEEVE. THE FRONT SURFACE IS FLAT AND CLEAN AND ALL OF THE COLOURS ARE RETAINED. EVEN THAT RED CAPE THAT I MENTIONED IS JUST IMMACULATE. THERE IS NO COLOUR LOSS WHATSOEVER ON THIS SLEEVE, JUST A VERY LIGHT SHADOW OF GREYING JUST ON AND ABOVE THE BOTTOM EDGE. AND A TINY DING TO THE BOTTOM LEFT CORNER TIP

THERE ARE JUST EIGHT SMALL PRESSURE LINES BY THE SPINE. NONE ALONG THE TOP EDGE, ONE ON THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND THREE THUMB LINES NEAR THE OPENING EDGE

THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES OF THIS SLEEVE ARE USUALLY WORN AWAY, BUT THIS SLEEVE HAS VERY WELL CARED FOR AND THE TOP EDGE ONLY HAS A SPECK OF RUB TO THE RIGHT CORNER TIPS, AND THE BOTTOM EDGE JUST A LITTLE LIGHT SHELF WEAR AND RUB TO THE RIGHT CORNER AREA, AND A FEW FLECKS OF WHITE ELSEWHERE

THE SPINE  LIKE MOST SOFT CARDED SLEEVES IS USUALLY FOUND VERY SQUASHED. THIS ONE IS NOT. IT HAS HAS SOME LITTLE DENTS ALONG THE LENGTH, BUT NO FINGER TO THUMB SQUASHING AND THE EDGES OF THE SPINE ARE UNWORN

ALL OF THE DELICATE BLACK TEXT IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE.

THERE ARE A FEW TINY SPECKS OF WHITE, AND A LITTLE RUB TO THE TIP ENDS

THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL RAZOR SHARP 

THE REAR SURFACE IS ALMOST AS IMMACULATE SHOWING A CLEAN RUB FREE SURFACE. A LITTLE RECORD SHAPE AND SOME EDGE PRESSURE LINES, AND A SMALL DENT IN THE MIDDLE

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A LITTLE GREYING AROUND THE EDGES

THE BLUE AND WHITE POLY LINED INNER SLEEVE IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. VERY WHITE AND ONLY A COUPLE OF LIGHT WRINKLES. THE DIE CUT HOLE IS UNDAMAGED, AND THE SEAMS ARE UNSPLIT. ,ONE TINY NICK ON THE TOP EDGE

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS MAGNIFICENT SLEEVE EX+

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

GARRY

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