Jimi Hendrix AXIS BOLD AS LOVE UK LP 1ST MONO + INSERT

	£		340
	$		451

JIMI HENDRIX - AXIS BOLD AS LOVE

NEAR MINT CONDITION

• CATALOGUE: TRACK 612003
• MATRIX:612003 A-1 / B-1
• MONO FIRST PRESS
• 1967

AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING RARITY IN THIS CONDITION. I HAVE NEVER SEEN A BETTER COPY OF THIS ALBUM. IT IS TRULY MAGNIFICENT AND WILL NEVER NEED UPGRADING. IT HAS ALSO BARELY BEEN PLAYED AND LOOKS AND SOUNDS INCREDIBLE. THE RARE AND USUALLY MISSING LYRIC INSERT IS INCLUDED AND IN TOP CONDITION

THE MONO PRESSING IS FAR HARDER TO FIND THAN THE STEREO AND THIS STUNNING EXAMPLE WOULD GRACE ANY COLLECTION. EVERY PART OF IT IS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, AND I HAVE EVEN RECORDED 7 SECTIONS FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE TO PROVE JUST HOW MAGNIFICENT THIS RARE COLLECTIBLE IS

THE LABELS

THIS IS OF COURSE THE MATT BLACK TRACK LABEL WITH THE SILVER LOGO AND TYPEFACE. THE MONO LABEL HAS THE CATALOGUE NUMBER 612003 WHEREAS THE STEREO ISSUE HAD THE NUMBER 613003. THE MATT BLACK SURFACE IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. THE COLOUR IS VERY DEEP AND UNFADED AND UNBLEMISHED BY ANY MOTTLING OR FADING. THE COLOUR FULLY EXTENDS ACCROSS THE LABEL AND INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE.

THE SILVER TRACK LOGO IS ALSO UNBLEMISHED AND HAS NOT LOST ANY OF ITS SURFACE WHICH MEANS THERE HAS BEEN NO RUBBING. THE TYPEFACE IS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE, SHARP AND VERY CLEAR.

THE DISC HAS PROBABLY BEEN ON A TURNTABLE NO MORE THAN 4 TIMES EVER SINCE 1967, AS THERE ARE BUT 4 REALLY SMALL SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE SPINDLE HOLE, SHOWING THE CARE THE LP RECEIVED WHILST HANDLING

THE VINYL

A GLEAMING PRISTINE LOOKING 1967 RECORD THAT DEFIES ITS AGE. ITS NOT VERY OFTEN YOU WILL FIND THIS ALBUM IN PLAYABLE CONDITION, LET ALONE ONE THAT LOOKS LIKE IT IS NO MORE THAN A FEW DAYS OLD. IT IS HIGHLY POLISHED AND LOOKS MAGNIFICENT. A VERY DETAILED EAXMINATION OF THE DISC UNDER STRONG LIGHT REVEALS A COUPLE OF FAINT HAIRLINES WHICH ARE BARELY VISIBLE AND VERY SMALL. THESE ARE NO MORE THAN VERY VERY FINE HANDLING LINES AND ARE VERY SUPERFICIAL. RIGHT AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF SIDE ONE ACCROSS THE RUN IN WAX THERE IS A VERY VERY SMALL SCRATCH. I DIDN'T SEE IT AT FIRST BUT WHEN I PUT THE DISC ON MY TURNTABLE THERE WAS A COUPLE OF TINY LITTLE CLICKS, AND IT WAS AFTER REMOVING THE DISC TO EXAMINE IT, THAT I SPOTTED THIS LITTLE MARK. I HAVE RECORDED THE INTRO TO SIDE ONE AS I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO HIDE HERE. THERE ARE 3 REALLY LIGHT POPS JUST BEFORE THE ALBUM STARTS, AND THIS IS THE ONLY BLEMISH ON WHAT IS OTHERWISE AN ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT RARITY. BUT HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT IT IS ONE SECOND OVER THE ENTIRE ALBUM AND EVEN THEN ITS BEFORE THE MUSIC ACTUALLY STARTS. TAKE A LISTEN FOR YOURSELF. THE MARK LOOKS LIKE IT WAS ACCIDENTALY CAUSED BY A FINGERNAIL. IT IS NO LONGER THAN A HALF CENTIMETRE

PLAYING THE ALBUM

GENTLY LOWERING THE STYLUS ONTO SIDE ONE, THE FIRST THING AS I MENTIONED ABOVE ARE THE 3 LITTLE POPS JUST AS THE RUN IN TRACKS TO START THE MUSIC. AFTER THIS THE ALBUM IS FAULTLESS, AND BEARING IN MIND THIS IS A 41 YEARS OLD IDSC IT IS JUST INCREDIBLE. THE SOUND GENERATED FROM THE MONO PRESSING IS CRYSTAL CLEAR, AND CLEAN, AND EACH NOTE IS HEARD PERFECTLY. OF COURSE IN 1967 IT WAS STEREO THAT WAS MAKING ALL THE SALES IN THE UK WITH THE MONO ISSUES SELLING FAR FEWER AS COLLECTORS TOOK THE LATEST STEREO VERSIONS HOME WITH THEM. AGAIN THIS ENSURES THAT THE 67 MONO PRESSES ARE FAR HARDER TO FIND, AND EVEN HARDER TO FIND IN THIS NEAR MINT CONDITION, AS MOST COPIES WERE ROUGHLY TREATED AND LOOK AND SOUND AWFUL. I HAVE SEEN MANY COPIES OF THIS ALBUM OVER THE YEARS, BUT NONE HAVE COME CLOSE TO THE LOOK AND PERFORMANCE OF THIS ONE. I HAVE RECORDED SEVEN EXCERPTS FROM THE LP WHICH INCLUDE BOTH SIDES INTRO TRACK AND THE DEAD WAX RUN IN, AND 5 OTHER PIECES ARE WHERE I HAVE CAPTURED THE FADE OUT END OF A TRACK, THE SILENT LINKING GROOVE, AND THEN THE FIRST MINUTE OF SO OF THE NEXT TRACK. I CHOSE TO DO THIS AS I AM SURE THAT POTENTIAL BIDDERS WOULD FAR RATHER HEAR WHAT THE SILENT SECTIONS SOUND LIKE AS BACKGROUND NOISE IS OFTEN MASKED BY THE LOUDNESS OF THE MUSIC.

HERE WE HAVE 7 SUPERB EXAMPLES OF JUST HOW SPECIAL THIS ALBUM IS. PLEASE HAVE A LISTEN ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE EXAMPLES TO HELP YOU JUDGE THE SUBLIME QUALITY OF THIS LP. THE SOUND IS UNMOLESTED AND EXACTLY AS IT SOUNDS ON MY SYSTEM, SO I BELIEVE THAT ANYTHING I MAY WRITE HERE IS NEVER GOING TO BE AS COMREHENSIVE AS ACTUALLY LISTENING TO THE ALBUM. WHAT I WILL ADD IS THAT THE WHOLE ALBUM PLAYS AS BEAUTIFULLY AS THE EXCERPTS THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO HEAR ON THIS AUCTION PAGE. WITHOUT THE LITTLE CLICKS AT THE VERY START OF SIDE ONE I WOULD HAVE HAD NO HESITATION IN GRADING THE DISC AS A MINT PERFORMANCE.

ONE FINAL NOTE ON THE PERFORMANCE IS THAT WHAT LITTLE PLAY THE ALBUM HAS HAD, HAS BEEN DONE ON A DECENT HIFI SYSTEM AS THERE IS NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND WHICH COULD BE CAUSED IF THE STYLUS BEING USED IS OR WAS TOO HEAVY OR WORN. THIS ONE SOUNDS SUPERB!!

THE SLEEVE

THIS SLEEVE IS EVERYBIT AS SUBLIME AS THE VINYL. AGAIN VERY VERY HARD TO FIND IN A CONDITION THAT COULD BE CLASSED AS MUSEUM QUALITY, BUT HERE WE HAVE ONE THAT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF TIME AND HAS CLEARLY BEEN OWNED BY SOMEONE WHO CHERISHED THEIR ALBUMS AND LOOKED AFTER EVERY PART OF THEIR COLLECTION. USUALLT FOUND HEAVILLY CREASED, THIS SLEEVE IS SIMPLY INCREDIBLE.

BEFORE I DESCRIBE IT IN DETAIL IT IS WORTH MENTIONING AT THIS POINT THAT THE RARE LYRIC INSERT WHICH WAS ONLY EVER ISSUED WITH SOME FIRST PRESSES IS IN THE MOST PRISTINE CONDITION. THE FIRST THING TO SAY ABOUT IT IS THE CREASE LINE DOWN THE MIDDLE IS RAZOR SHARP AND IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE PICTURE YOU WILL SEE THAT IT WILL NOT LIE FLAT BECAUSE THE CREASE IS SO PRONOUNCED. WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT IT HAS PROBABLY BEEN OUT OF THE SLEEVE AND HANDLED NO MORE THAN A COUPLE OF TIMES IN 41 YEARS. OTHERS THAT I HAVE SEEN HAVE HAD FOLD LINES AND COLOUR LOSS ALL OVER THEM, BUT THIS ONE LOOKS ABSOLUTELY AS NEW.

THIS IS A FULLY LAMINATED GATEFOLD WHICH AS I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED USUALLY TURNS UP IN SHABBY CONDITION. THE FRONT SURFACE OF THIS SLEEVE IS JUST IMMACULATE. NO LAMINATE CRACKS OR FLAKING OR PEELING ANYWHERE, AND NO CREASES OR CREASE LINES ANYWHERE ON THE SURFACE AT ALL, WHICH I AM CERTAIN MEANS THE SLEEVE WAS KEPT IN APLASTIC OUTER FROM NEW. THERE ARE A COUPLE OF BARELY VISIBLE TINY LAMINATE LINES CLOSE TO THE EDGE BUT REALLY MINISCULE AND JUST INSIGNIFICANT. THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE ABSOLUTELY PRISTINE AND UNWORN, WHICH IS ONCE AGAIN UNUSUAL. I HAVE TAKEN A PICTURE OF THE SPINE, AND YOU WILL SEE THAT APRT FROM ONE VERY SMALL TIP OF SHELF WEAR TO THE VERY TOP TIP, THE SPINE IS IN TOP TOP CONDITION, WHICH IS AGAIN A RARITY. THE REAR SURFACE IS JUST AS CLEAN AND BLEMISH FREE AS THE FRONT. I HAVE TAKEN CLOSE UPS OF THE FRONT AND BACK AND A FULLY EXTENDED SHOT SO THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO SEE IT IN ALL ITS SPLENDOUR. THE OPENING EDGE IS AS NEW AND AGAIN IDENTIFIES THAT THE ALBUM HAS JUST NOT BEEN OUTSIDE OF THE SLEEVE

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS THE BLACK AND WHITE UNLAMINATED INNER SURFACE. THE 4 FLIPBACKS ARE IN MINT CONDITION AS I HOPE YOU CAN SEE, AND THIS IS THE PROPER FIRST ISSUE SLEEVE AS IDENTIFIED BY THE "PRINTED AND MADE BY ERNEST J DAY & CO LTD, LONDON" TYPEFACE ON THE LOWER RIGHT FLIPBACK.

THE ORIGINAL POLYLINED INNER SLEEVE IS ALSO INCLUDED AND I HAVE PLACED THIS CAREFULLY INSIDE THE SLEEVE, AND THE DISC HAS BEEN CLEANED AND PLACED INTO A NEW POLY LINED INNER.

THIS WILL BE SHIPPED TO ITS NEW OWNER IN A PROFESSIONAL MAILER WHICH WILL HAVE 2 CARD STIFFNERS INSIDE TO PROTECT THE SLEEVE. THE LP WILL ALSO BE PLACED INTO NEW PLASTIC OUTER SLEEVE FIRST AND THE DISC WILL BE PACKED OUTSIDE OF THE COVER TO PROTECT IT FULLY. THE WHOLE THISG WILL BE SENT RECORDED DELIVERY IF WITHIN THE UK, AND INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR IF ABROAD

SO HERE YOU HAVE A VAULT CONDITION, NEVER NEED TO UPGRADE VERY RARE MONO PRESSING OF THIS HENDRIX ALBUM

I HAVE GREAT PLEASURE IN OFFERING IT TO ALL THE COLLECTORS OUT THERE

GARRY