FAMILY "Fearless" 1971 UK REPRISE 1st PRESS MINT AUDIO

	£		38
	$		50

  FAMILY "Fearless" 1971 UK REPRISE 1st PRESS MINT AUDIO ONE PLAY, CLEAN G&L 4 LEAF G/F, LYRIC INSERT, TOP COPY
FAMILY
Fearless

ORIGINAL UK REPRISE (K 54003) FIRST PRESSING (November 1971) OF FAMILY's "Fearless" LP

THIS COPY IS IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION HAVING PROBABLY ONLY BEEN PLAYED THE ONE TIME - THE LABELS ARE CLEAN AND BRIGHT WITH ONLY ONE LIGHT SPINDLE TRACE
THE VINYL SURFACE ARE CLEAN, UNMARKED AND SHINE LIKE-NEW AND DELIVER STUNNING AUDIO THROUGHOUT
AND IT'S HOUSED IN ONE OF THE CLEANEST AND FRESHEST EXAMPLES OF THIS DELICATE COMPLEX SLEEVE I HAVE SEEN - SUPERB COPY, VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

PRESSED ON QUALITY MID/HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL (much thicker and more robust than later presses)
THE RECORD HAS THE FIRST ISSUE REPRISE TAN LABELS (which have no WB Logo on the bottom rim text)
FIRST ISSUE MATRICES: K - 54003 - A1 / K - 54003- B1
AND IS HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL, MATTE SLEEVE WITH 4 FOLD OUT LEAVES AND THICK STAPLED SPINE "Printed in England by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd"
COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL RED LYRIC INSERT (printed on one side only and so often missing)

THIS IS A REALLY SUPERB COPY (ONE OF THE BEST I'VE SEEN) WHICH DELIVERS SENSATIONAL CLEAN AND FRESH SOUND AND PLAYS PERFECTLY ON MY SYSTEM - AT A VERY LOUD VOLUME! (see detailed audio assessment below)

Roger Chapman: vocals, guitars & percussion
Charlie Whitney: guitars, mandolin & percussion
John "Poli" Palmer: keyboards, vibes, vocals, flute & percussion
John Wetton: guitars (including basses), vocals, contracts & keyboards
Rob Townsend: drums, paiste cymbals, and percussion

Fearless is regarded as one of Family's most innovative albums by critics and fans. Its ten tracks were arranged with great care and complexity, and the lyrics and music take unexpected turns. The musicianship was of especially high caliber, as the bass and vocals of new member John Wetton added a new dimension to Family's sound.
"Between Blue and Me," the opening cut, set the pace for the album with a gentle introduction shattered by Charlie Whitney's piercing guitar solo and Roger Chapman's impassioned vocal bleats. Family do a commendable job of approximating other styles and making them a part of their own sound; "Sat'd'y Barfly," about getting drunk on a Saturday night, suggested a Faces outtake, while the closing cut, "Burning Bridges," drew comparisons to Genesis. (Chapman's vocal even sounded like Peter Gabriel.) "Save Some For Thee," dominated vocally by John Wetton, was a favourite on Fearless, with a piano arrangement that slowed and started up again throughout, filled in by a prickly guitar line and complemented by a marching band ensemble.
Family showed the occasional light touch with gentle fare like "Children," though Chapman's vocal delivery and the acoustic guitar backup were halting enough to keep it from sounding too soft. "Spanish Tide," a somewhat spooky folk rocker that employed heavy bass a Poli Palmer's organ-sounding vibes, was more in keeping with the album's adventurous spirit.
Fearless was, as always, entirely different from Family's earlier work, but it was just as warmly embraced, doing respectably well in the British album charts and garnering attention in the United States, where Family's fortunes had always been meagre at best.

Track Listing:
Side 1: Between Blue And Me / Satdy Barfly / Larf And Sing / Spanish Tide / Save Some For Thee
Side 2: Take Your Partners / Children / Crinkly Grin / Blind / Burning Bridges

LABELS: CLEAN and BRIGHT with NO wear, NO writing and only ONE light spindle trace on Side One, NONE on Side Two - I would guess this copy has been played, or part played, just the ONE time
VINYL Visual: The vinyl surfaces still retain their DEEP, LIKE-NEW, GLOSSY SHEEN and are UNMARKED - AS-NEW in appearance
VINYL Audio: SUPERB - CRYSTAL CLEAR, RICH, WARM and VIBRANT SOUND. On playback at a LOUD volume there are NO scratches, NO clicks or pops and NO surface noise and the record plays absolutely beautifully throughout with TREMENDOUS SOUND QUALITY. This is one of Family's more challenging (and rewarding) albums with complex song structures and arrangements which contain many quiet moments but even these quieter sections sound STUNNING and play as quietly as vinyl possible can. Graded MINT for audio I guarantee you will not find a better sounding copy
SLEEVE: The original sleeve, with the 4 stapled fold-out leaves is also in OUTSTANDING condition (which is incredibly rare for this very easily worn cover). The front is beautifully CLEAN and WHITE with NO damage to any of the die-cut portions. The thick spine is similarly FRESH and SHARP with all text CLEAR and BOLD and only a couple of minor, light creases and the blue back of the sleeve displays only a little ring but this again, is very minor and this is easily the finest copy of this delicate, complex sleeve I have ever seen - very rare to find one so well preserved - EXCELLENT+
LYRIC INSERT: The delicate, thin paper, lyric insert is in BEAUTIFUL condition. CLEAN with NO marks and very little evidence of actually being handled AT ALL - NEAR MINT

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
SUPERB *COMPLETE* UK FIRST PRESSING OF ONE OF FAMILY'S FINEST PIECES OF WORK SOUNDING ABSOLUTELY SENSATIONAL ON THIS PRACTICALLY UNPLAYED COPY - VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - GREAT STUFF
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

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