GENTLE GIANT Octopus RARER Orig UK 72 Vertigo Spiral LP

	£		67
	$		89

Artist or Band: GENTLE GIANT

Album Title: Octopus.

Producers: Gentle Giant

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Advent of Panurge; Raconteur Troubadour; A Cry For Everyone; Knots.

Side 2: The Boys in the Band; Dog’s Life; Think of Me With Kindness; River.

Label/Format: Vertigo – original Spiral format (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only very light and faint spindle traces and no wear around the hole area. A clean and lightly played copy and the quite possibly best ‘Octopus’ I have yet had.

Cat Number: 6360 080.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 111 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: like most of the Swirl titles, this is not getting any easier to find.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: 6360080 1Y 1 420 1 1 1 / 6360080 2Y 1 420 1 1 1

Musicians: Gary Green / guitars, percussion; Kerry Minnear / all keyboards, vibraphone, percussion, cello, Moog, lead and backing vocals; Derek Shulman / lead vocals, alto saxophone; Philip Shulman / saxophones, trumpet, mellophone, lead and backing vocals; Raymond Shulman / bass violin, guitar, percussion, vocals; John Weathers / drums, percussion, xylophone .

Brief Info: The band’s fourth album and all appeared on the famous Spiral format for Vertigo. Gentle Giant were always a little more challenging than some progressive bands. Complex music patterns with many time and structure changes - you either love or loathe them, but for sure they were original and had their own unique very polished sound. They usually appealed to fans of Yes, King Crimson, van der Graaf Generator and similar bands. ‘Octopus’ had another superb Roger Dean cover in the UK but a very different design on the US version. This one in particular is never too easy to find with a decent cover and a fine playing record. Even from new, this cover appeared to have wear but most of this lies within the design and the top areas of the cover sometimes give the appearance of wear but actually isn’t. This one is attractive with minimal wear and the record plays with high quality sound. A superb production that takes you almost into the recording studio itself, certainly a strong example for the Spiral collector, they will rarely be found much better (or earlier).

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+.

Cover Grade and Format: Very nice and solid EX cover and for any Vertigo album, that is more than just respectable. These wear so badly and are highly susceptible to just about all forms of wear and damage. Like most, this is an unlaminated gatefold format. Printed and made in England.

Cover Front: The best ‘Octopus’ front cover I have yet had, this looks stunning and only very faint surface marks that are only apparent under angled light. Clean, uncreased, fresh and unworn, this famous Roger Dean graphic will seldom be found looking better.

Cover Back: Mild rubbing around the record’s shape but is well disguised within the graphics. There is a mild crease towards the bottom area but this has little visual impact and overall this uncompromising back looks great.

Cover Inner Gatefold: A small light stain near the top right edge and some mildish toning around the central foldline near the top. This apart, little else to fault and this still looks attractive too.

Top Edges: Very mild and slight patchy rubbing only.

Bottom Edges: Light patchy rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear or feathering, faint wave if being critical when viewed end-on. Record enters on this outside back edge.

Spine and Text: A splendid spine overall and way better than average. With hardly any rubbing even to the corner areas, this is a very solid example. A light rub on the foldline on the back near the bottom but even on these vulnerable areas, most all of the ink is retained which is always great news. Robust and straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. All text is present and unworn and that makes a pleasant change on this Spiral cover.

Corners: Small and modest tip rubs and all retain a fine shape overall.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this very fragile 70’s cover, one that will prove quite difficult to find much better. A few mild blemishes but how many Spiral covers avoid any? This attractive Swirl cover should please many collectors if not the perfectionists.

The Inner: EX(-) with some mildish crinkle/creasing on one bottom corner area but still a very decent Spiral inner that has suffered no real damage. There is some gun darkening around the edges that few avoid but still fully lined with no edge splits or tears. There is one tone spot on the back. It’s an example that complements this copy perfectly.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Well worthy of an EX+ visual grading. A very fine copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and quite solidly pressed. Very light surface marks or hairlines under angled light but nothing effects play and this is certainly one of the best example of this title I have seen for quite some time. A copy with modest plays on all the evidence and one of the earliest made. Visually a super record that should please many collectors again.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This prog-gem record plays very well indeed and most even above its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound – this is a geniune high-fidelity recording. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed but slight traces were noted on the quiet passages on side two, mostly in the early stages but nothing major. Importantly no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album. Gentle Giant albums, like King Crimson and VDGG, were roller coaster rides between loud and quiet passages. Few records over 35 years old will ever play these types silently, its a near impossible ask. This one makes a great fist of it and is certainly one of the best examples of this title I have yet heard. A very clean performance with little unwanted and I enjoyed this one immensely. Of course there will be odd light sporadic click or crackle, the vinyl format can rarely ever play as silent as the digital formats. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, the lack of any groovewear distortions especially are a bonus on such complex recordings. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better for sound and looks and can be strongly recommended.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I usually post on Fridays, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.