PRETTY THINGS PACKAGE – PARACHUTE LP & 45's GOOD Mr SQUARE & STONE HEARTED MAMA

	£		112
	$		134

UNIQUE RARE PRETTY THINGS PACKAGE – PARACHUTE LP &
SINGLES – STONE HEARTED MAMA & THE GOOD MR. SQUARE

The Album
PARACHUTE First U.K. Pressing
Overall condition is EXCELLENT
Matrix/Runout : SHVL 774 A-2  G1 / SHVL 774 B-2  G1
(these are machine-stamped  which denotes the original uk pressing) 
EVEN RARER this is one of the earliest copies as there’s a  MISPRINT ON THE MATRIX ON SIDE 2 WHICH SHOWS 772 CROSSED OUT WITH 774 PRINTED OVER THE TOP!
Released on HARVEST in Stereo. Made in Gt. Britain 1970
(Record Collector grading system used 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.)
Sleeve EXCELLENT
The outer laminated gatefold picture sleeve by Hipgnosis in the first press 'Garrod & Lofthouse'  'patents pending' cover is still bright and glossy in EXCELLENT condition with no tears or splits. It has the lightest of wear to some corners and the back has almost indiscernible ring-wear. There is some very light creasing on the bottom left of the back (see photo) but the laminate isn’t torn at all. Otherwise the sleeve is in EXCELLENT condition with the colours still bright and there isn’t any writing, taping or stickers.
Inside cover  the unlaminated black and white matt is in EXCELLENT condition with photo and lyrics totally clear and no writing, taping or stickers
The Square Spine is firm and totally legible
Inner Sleeve is a HARVEST poly-lined inner advertising inner sleeve still in EXCELLENT condition and features promotional photos of 26 other albums.
I will also include the original plastic outer that I bought with it, which still fits tightly and has successfully kept the dust off for all these years
Record EXCELLENT condition 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 condition: HARVEST name and logo Green/ Black text only. There is no EMI Logo First pressings do not have the boxed EMI logo anywhere on the label. Just  'The Gramophone Co etc' on the rims. The labels show some minimal signs of use, have no writing and are clean with no spindle marking to side 1 and only minimal spindle marking to side 2
Audio Quality EXCELLENT It plays really well apart from some of the usual vinyl hiss and crackle between tracks and some quieter passages, which doesn’t detract from the overall sound, which is still amazing. 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.)
Since 1970 all my records have been played 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 A  Scene One 1a. The Good Mr. Square 1b. She Was Tall She Was High 2. In The Square  3. The Letter / Rain 4. Miss Fay Regrets 5. Cries From The Midnight Circus
Side B  1 Grass  2. Sickle Clowns  3. She's A Lover
4. What's The Use 5. Parachute

THE SINGLES audio quality is VERY GOOD although deep cleaning would probably improve them. Both still in the original Harvest sleeves which, although slightly creased have no writing, taping or stickers
(Record Collector grading system used 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.
THE GOOD MISTER SQUARE c/w BLUE SERGE BLUES released shortly before the album. The A side taken from it and the B side from the same sessions.
STONE HEARTED MAMA c/w SUMMERTIME & CIRCUS MIND also from the album sessions

Summary: these ICONIC rock masterworks  are a lovely piece of genuine memorabilia from a bygone time that changed the world and would grace any collection. Of all the bands who started in the early 60’s and are still going today (touring small gigs here and giant gigs in Europe – go figure!) The Pretty Things were the most outrageous and underrated. They were always an underground band, appealing to a minority of outsiders, revolutionaries and idealists, yet their music was so much better and more visionary than most of their contemporaries. The album is an overall reflection of the time it was written, the dream of the Summer of Love had been replaced by the so called Winter of Discontent, the tragedy of Altamont and a general disillusionment within the ‘Alternative Society’. Perhaps this is most obvious in the bleak, grim inside cover group photo and on the track ‘Sickle Clowns’ which was based on the dark second half of the film ‘Easy Rider’. If you haven’t heard it on vinyl this could be for you. It certainly doesn’t sound 47 years old.
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. I’m starting it at a sensible price so a genuine fan or collector can enjoy it without paying rip off prices 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 may 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. If you require some other form of postage/delivery, I’m more than happy providing you meet the extra costs. If you are outside the UK, I will use Ebay’s own service.