Sold Date: May 23, 2017
Start Date: May 16, 2017
Final Price: $79.00 (USD)
Bid Count: 1
Seller Feedback: 434
Buyer Feedback: 2313

Welcome! Here is a superb first UK press of Gong Angels Egg (Virgin V2007). This 1973 album has the original black and white Virgin label. And, it has the elusive, seldom-seen Radio Gnome Invisible insert booklet! AND, all components are in superb condition!

Matrix numbers and mother/stamper codes are:

Side 1: V 2007 A-2U; the mother/stamper is 1 R.

Side 2: V 2007 B-3U; the mother/stamper is 1 A.

Using the Record Collector grading system, what do we have here?

Sleeve: The white cover has stayed remarkably bright, with NO aging or discoloration, and no creases at all. On the front, there are two scuff marks to the left of the illustration. There is a tiny patch of surface loss underneath the second G in Gong, possibly due to a price sticker removal. The back is completely unblemished. The inside of the gatefold is pristine!

All edges and the spine are strong, with no wear at all. Only VERY minor bumping to all corners. The sleeve is unsigned. All in all, the sleeve conservatively grades Excellent.

Vinyl: Visually, the vinyl is lovely, with NO scratches or hairlines. And the album plays flawlessly, with no pops, crackles, or anything else. The vinyl grades Mint-! Really, you could not upgrade this record.

Labels: Both labels are very clean and show truly minimal spindle tracking.

Inner Sleeve: This album has what I thought was its original plain white inner sleeve. However, Wikipedia says that early issues of Angels Egg had “a plain inky blue innersleeve to match the gatefold and booklet.” In any event, the white inner here is superb, with no splits or discoloration.

Booklet: Yes! It is here – the Radio Gnome Invisible insert booklet! Virgin included this with only a handful of first presses of Angels Egg. All eight leaves of the booklet are present and in terrific condition: the pages are clean, there are no tears or folds, and the staples are firmly in place. Only the most minor surface handling is evident, pretty good for a paper giveaway now 44 years old.

And, in the end: With a clean white sleeve, excellent sound quality, early black and white Virgin labels, and a lovely Radio Gnome Invisible booklet, this really is an unbeatable – and complete – example of Gong’s second album for UK Virgin. You will like it! Please email me with any questions.

A Note on the Photos: Unless otherwise stated, any bright spots or glare in my pictures is from my camera’s flash.

Shipping: I will ship to ANY country on Earth! Just be aware that items shipped from the USA to some countries (such as Brazil and Russia) can require several weeks to arrive at their destination. Please be patient.

If your country of residence is known to experience occasionally difficult deliveries, please consider paying for signature-required delivery. Some sellers already mandate this. Me, I do not make this a requirement, but if I have a receipt from the Vestal, New York, post office confirming my shipment to you, that is the end of my delivery responsibility.

Pursuant to my statement above that I am not a dealer, I do NOT gouge anyone on shipping costs. If you are in the USA, figure on $4.00 for Media Mail; of course, you can do Priority, Overnight, you name it.

For shipments outside the USA, I generally use the value that eBay shows for First Class Mail International, although if I believe that my packing – which I pride myself on – will likely knock the cost up to the next price level, that is what I will go with initially. If the actual postage price turns out to be less, I will post an immediate refund for the difference. Please take a look at my feedback; no one has ever had an issue with my items or their shipping cost.

Insurance: If you would like, I will get an insurance quote for you. I pack things very well, but if you choose to not buy insurance, I will not be responsible if something nasty happens.

Namaste, everyone!