FAIRPORT CONVENTION UNHALFBRICKING 1st Pressing & RARE PRESS CUTTING

Island original UK pressing.

Matrix ILPS-9102 A//1 1 1 1 8 - ILPS-9102 B//1 1 1 11

Catalogue number ILPS-9102 Originally released 1969

Overall condition is Very Good+

Sleeve Very Good

The unlaminated gatefold sleeve has some very light wear to some corners but otherwise is in very good condition with the colours still very bright there isn’t any writing, taping or stickers. This is the classic first pressing with the large font text ERNEST J DAY & CO LTD on the rear sleeve

By itself the the front would grade as excellent as it is still bright in very good condition with no tears or splits but there is a slight creasing near the spine to the lower left hand corner. However, the back has some noticeable creasing, ring wear and fading as well as a name written in biro in the black area above the word Unhalfbricking. This makes it almost invisible except in particular light when the record is held at a certain angle. I tried to show it in the photos but it would not register. All this reduces the grading to Very Good

Spine Excellent there’s only minimal edge wear and the spine is firm and totally legible but has some slight creasing.

Inner Sleeve The original plain white inner sleeve is still in good condition and

I will also include the original plastic outer , although it is starting to split slightly at the top, it still fits tightly and has successfully kept the dust off for all these years

Record Very Good+ It’s pressed on heavyweight vinyl The record itself is clean and glossy and the disc retains its deep, black vinyl sheen.

There are some faint hairline marks on both sides but nothing ugly or deep to affect the sound quality

Labels Excellent The classic pink disc labels with white "i" logo labels show some minimal signs of use, have no writing and are clean with minimal spindle marking.

Audio Quality Very Good+ The record itself plays well apart from some of the usual vinyl hiss and crackle between tracks that unfortunately are noticeable in some of the quietest passages but vanish after a few seconds and don’t detract from the overall sound, which is still amazing. although deep cleaning would probably remove them. There are a couple of quiet pops on side one at the end of the first track, but, to quote the Record Collector grading system for the category of EXCELLENT, “there is very little lessening in sound quality.” But, I would rather play safe with my grading of Very Good+

It lays flat on the turntable and plays well without the needle sticking or jumping.

(Please remember even new, factory fresh vinyl is likely to have some clicks and pops, but the richness of sound will always be better than digital. OK eventually the robots and aliens will make digital sound as good, but until then, it’s a compromise, you have to choose; deep rich tones and a beautiful sleeve (often with lyrics or other notes) or clinical sterility with nothing to see and a narrow frequency range.)

Until 1970 I only ever played my albums on a Garrard Sp25 Mk11 with a Sonotone 9TAHC cartridge and from 1970 onwards on a Pioneer PL12D with a Shure N75 ED-T2 cartridge and stylus, tracking at 1.5 grams which I continue to use today – although the stylus has been replaced regularly

side 1: Genesis Hall - Si Tu Dois Partir - Autopsy - A Sailor's Life

side 2 : Cajun Woman - Who Knows Where The Time Goes -Percy's Song - Million Dollar Bash

PRESS CUTTING I’m also including a full page double sided press cutting from Melody Maker from the a few years later which charts Fairport’s history, including a significant amount about this album. The reverse is a full page photo of some of the band. I think it is very rare, as I’ve never seen it referred to in books or on the web. Unfortunately the margins are a little torn, but the text is unaffected

Summary: this ICONIC, masterwork the band's 3rd album, and 2nd with Sandy Denny, marked the birth of British Electric Folk-Rock. It is a lovely piece of genuine memorabilia from a bygone time that changed the world, as well as the way that music is made, and would grace any collection. If you haven’t heard it on vinyl this could be for you. It certainly doesn’t sound 52 years old.

Admittedly they although the album overall could count as EXCELLENT I would rather play safe and grade it as VERY GOOD+ which is why I’m starting at a sensible price so a genuine fan or collector can enjoy it without paying rip off prices.

If you check my feedback you will see many people think my grading is spot on.

I’m not a dealer of any sort, but am just downsizing and having to clear things out and trying to survive on a poxy pension. Good luck with your bidding and feel free to ask any question.

A Word About Payment and Postage

Sorry but I accept Paypal only and it will be posted as soon as payment has cleared, which must be paid within 24hours of the end of the auction. This mady seem harsh but I’m fed up with time wasters!

I use 12" Vinyl LP Record Cruciform postal mailers and protect them with an additional layer of bubblewrap. In the UK I use Royal Mail Signed For.

Price for postage is for 2nd class and reflects the fact that eBay & PayPal take a combined total fee of 13.4% on shipping charges. If you are outside the UK, I will use Ebay’s Global Shipping Program and you are therefore accepting their shipping terms and charges over which I have no control.

Record Collector grading system used

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

EXCELLENT: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.

VERY GOOD: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

FAIR: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

POOR: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

As well as the above grades, Near Mint is often used as well; this is really for a record that appears new but is known to have been played because the label has light spindle marks or because it has come from a previous owner and is assumed to have been played by them. For records which appear to fall between the accepted grades, + and - are also often added to the grading.