Soft Machine – Fourth

	£		27
	$		36

Soft Machine – Fourth – 1971 (Original 1st UK pressing)

Band: Soft Machine

Album Title: 4

Version: First, original UK pressing, textured and an embossed sleeve.

Producers: Soft Machine

TRACK LIST:

Side 1:  Teeth / Kings And Queens / Fletcher's Blemish

Side 2: Virtually Part 1 / Virtually Part 2 / Virtually Part 3 / Virtually Part 4

Label/Format: CBS Records – orange mono ‘eye’ label.

Label Conditions: All four are clean, fresh and attractive with excellent visibility.

Cat Number: S 64280

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, even ‘budget’ decks.

Country of Manufacture: England

Original Year of Release: 1971

      Musicians: 

       Bass – Hugh Hopper

       Cornet – Marc Charig

       Double Bass – Roy Babbington

       Drums – Robert Wyatt

       Engineer – George Chkiantz

       Executive Producer – Sean Murphy

       Flute [Alto], Clarinet [Bass] – Jimmy Hastings

       Organ, Piano – Mike Ratledge

       Producer – Soft Machine

       Saxophone [Alto, Saxello] – Elton Dean

       Saxophone [Tenor] – Alan Skidmore

       Trombone – Nick Evans

 Brief Info: Fourth is a 1971 studio album by the Canterbury band Soft Machine. The album is also titled Four or 4 in the USA; the numeral "4" is the title as shown on the cover in all countries, but a written-out title appears on the spine and label. Recorded Autumn, 1970 at Olympic Studios, London. Original version came in a textured and an embossed sleeve.

Outside Cover Front: The front is in excellent condition. The classic textured embossed features are clear and undamaged. There is a small 2cm price tag in the top left hand corner of the cover. I decided not to remove it so as not to damage the cover.

Outside Cover Back: The back is virtually immaculate. The textured embossed features remain clear and untarnished.

Spine and Text: Solid and quite straight with virtually no compression. The spinal text is semi legible (and for 40 years +).

Corners: Very mild rubbing, otherwise good shape is retained.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT +: this disc is a fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. There are virtually no surface marks and no penetrating scratches, hence few pops or significant clicks heard. Visually a splendid record that should please many a collector.

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 snippets 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 phenomenal Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This 1970’s record plays mostly above its visual grading with little 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. Any surface sounds are mainly light and infrequent; the odd trace on the quiet passage here and there, enough to remind it is a record being played, not a clinical digital format.

Equipment Used for Play-Grading: I now play-grade ALL the records I offer (unless clearly stated to the contrary) on the following equipment:

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES –

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

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

PLEASE NOTE: Overseas packets that go through the customs system, can take up to 4 to 6 weeks to process and deliver, this IS normal. For Russia, this can take even longer and is out of my control, so please be patient.

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 necessarily 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.