THE PRETTY THINGS - S.F. SORROW

A highly impressive and clearly sparingly played copy of this exceedingly hard to find and highly sought after 1968 UK 1st press Pretty Things prog/psych classic, on the coveted silver & blue Columbia record label, MONO SX 6306

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side A  XAX 3738 - 1  with stamper "2" (inverted) at 3.30 o'clock

Side B  XAX 3739 - 1  with stampers "3" at 1 o'clock

In normal daylight the appearance of the vinyl is excellent plus (EX+). Glossy, completely flat and nicely heavy vinyl with jet black lacquering and a beautiful sheen on each side. Side 1 is actually stunning and even upon close inspection under a bright halogen light I found it difficult to identify any glitches - certainly no scratches or scuffs, and perhaps just a few small wispiest of wispy hairlines. Side 2 is exactly the same apart from a few very small, non-feelable and not immediately obvious and certainly surface only, scuff marks on the first 4 tracks of side 2 - I have tried to show these in one of my photos. I stress that these minor side 2 very light scuffs do not affect play back at all with the quality of the mono sound being exceptional throughout. Clearly, this record has been played sparingly and remains in overall amazing condition (remarkable considering its 50+ year antiquity) but because of the side 2 scuffs (trivial though they are) it is only fair to grade the condition of the record as EX+ for side 1 and EX for side 2.

The labels are excellent plus (EX+). Beautiful labels with the iconic blue and black Columbia logo along with silver writing upon the rough textured black background all in wonderful condition. There are just a couple of small, barely noticeable faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label but apart from that perfect!

The condition of the laminated Ernest J. Day outer sleeve is excellent (EX). All edges remain firm with no scuffing on the top edges, 2cm of mild scuffing on the bottom front edge towards the bottom left corner, and 0.5cm of mild scuffing adjacent to the bottom right corner on both bottom edges.There are also just a couple of small nicks on the bottom front edge. The spine is in similarly impressive condition - firm, devoid of scuffing, and with all text perfectly intact. There are x9 1-2 cm horizontal laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the spine on the front side and another x6 such laminate creases on the reverse side, and a 2cm diagonal laminate crease at the bottom right corner on the reverse side. There are just a few very small, light laminate marks but no further creasing of either laminate or the cardboard itself. The condition of the inside of the gatefold is excellent also, with all x4 flipbacks (top and bottom) remaining in great shape and fully functional. There are just a few very, very light and barely noticeable marks at the bottom of the inside spine but these are very trivial and do not diminish the overall excellent appearance, with all text, all artwork, and all colours remaining beautifully intact and vibrant. And the same can be said for the outside of the gatefold, front and reverse, where the colours and definitions are rich, crisp, and crystal clear. This iconic 1968 1st press outer gatefold sleeve is renowned for it's fragility so coming across one in condition such as this, despite the aforementioned minor glitches, is rare (especially considering the small quantities that this LP sold upon release way back in 1968).

Finally, the quality of the audio is excellent+ (EX+). There is great tone and clarity throughout even at higher volume and frequencies. There are no skips,sticks, repeats or nasty clicks. There is just the merest hint, on a couple of occasions (during run-in to track 1 on side 1, for example) and during a couple of the quieter moments, of some very faint background crackle but this is negligible, and there is just the occasional very light background click, hardly noticeable, certainly non-intrusive and not affecting the quality of the mono sound quality at all...I believe that such occasional very light background clicks are inevitable for a 50 year old vinyl where some dust particles are bound to have embedded themselves into the grooves. I can assure you that every track on this terrific LP makes for a great listen.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. S.F. SORROW IS BORN

2. BRACELETS OF FINGERS

3. SHE SAYS GOOD MORNING

4. PRIVATE SORROW

5. BALLOON BURNING

6.DEATH

Side 2 :

1. BARON SATURDAY

2. THE JOURNEY

3. I SEE YOU

4. WELL OF DESTINY

5. TRUST

6. OLD MAN GOING

7. LONELIEST PERSON

Comes with original EMI advertising inner sleeve with "PATENTS APPLIED FOR" and "Made and Printed in Great Britain" horizontal text, and no tears or splits, no fraying and no unwanted writing - truly excellent condition and remaining 100% functional. Note that I always post the vinyl in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly excellent condition copy of this exceedingly rare and highly sought after 1968 UK 1st press prog/psych masterpiece - worthy of being the focal point of any serious vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 49 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 64 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £5.00, Royal Mail special delivery; continental Europe £12 and Rest of the World £16, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail, tracked and signed for.

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

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.

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.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler