Sold Date: February 23, 2020
Start Date: February 16, 2020
Final Price: £227.00 (GBP)
Bid Count: 33
Seller Feedback: 771
Buyer Feedback: 1200

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR -

PAWN HEARTS

CHARISMA - CAS 1051

PINK SCROLL

  1st UK PRESS 

Machined first press matrices:  A-1U  B-1U

So, so hard to find, VDGG's all time classic album and here it is where it all came together from start to finish although the three predecessors were awesome in their own right!! Splendid maniacal existential prog album in great EX+/NM condition!! This is grandeur from the first note till the very. last I am very happy to be able to present this fantastic and ULTRA rare album . This will be a great first acquisition as well as a terrific upgrade!!!

THE IMMACULATE VINYL PLAYS GREAT ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES. 

THE STEREO REPRODUCTION IS SUPERB AND EVERY NOTE IS HEARD CLEARLY AND CRISPLY WITHOUT DISTORTION.  NEEDLESS TO SAY, NO STICKS OR JUMPS!

SO HARD TO FIND THIS ALBUM IN THIS FANTASTIC CONDITION AND WITH THE ORIGINAL BLACK LYRIC SHEET. THIS WILL BE AN UPGRADE FOR MOST SERIOUS COLLECTORS. IT IS VERY HARD THESE DAYS TO STILL FIND THIS GEM IN THIS SMASHING CONDITION. IT ILL BE A LONG TIME BEFORE THIS TURNS UP AGAIN IN THIS SPLENDID CONDITION WITH AGAIN MORE TAKERS THAN EVER BEFORE. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT INVESTMENT PIECE.

Let me begin by saying I have one major gripe with this album: every time I play it, it's over before I know it! This is just an incredible album and plays like nothing else. This one will probably appeal to prog purists only, however, especially with its scant amount of guitar (although our old friend Robert Fripp drops in for some guest work). The sound and texture VDGG creates with its heavy organs is unique, fascinating, and scintillating. This sound contributes to the darkness Pawn Hearts and augments and complements the lyrics -- or is it the other way around? I like to call Hammill the original goth as his lyrics are somewhat Medieval and deal mostly with human nature and its flaws and his own mental anguishes. So, those of you who don't appreciate depressive lyrics, consider yourself warned as these lyrics rival The Wall in their sense of despair. For this, Hammill is often accused of being too melodramatic, but I think that all the lyrics on this albums combined do not amount to the melodrama found on "Killer" from H to He, Who Am the Only One.

 Hammill's singing style is also a turn-off for some, but it's a strong point if you appreciate it. I find his voice so powerful, raw, and emotional and his incredible vocal range only enhances his delivery. I've never heard a voice quite like his and it's amazing. However, the music is mainly what I listen for. After a few listenings, every organ note becomes a hook and every cry from Hammill a stab in the heart. His compositional prowess is among the best I've heard. The epic song "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers," which runs an entire  side of the album (23 minutes), is so great that I can say, "Aw, that's it?" after nearly a half hour. "Man-Erg" with its signature pounding sax riff and "A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers" are about even in my mind, the weak track being "Lemmings." Hell, if "Lemmings" is a weak track, then it's the greatest weak track in the world. It's great too, it just doesn't stand up to the other two. I need say no more -- pure musical goodness! (9/10)(from: rateyourmusic.com)

Vinyl: EX+ TO NM. Probably  barely played. A deep glossy sheen as if just from the presses. This album is 49 years old!! One spindle trace on each label. Audio is A++and this vinyl sounds out of this world, a majestic album that went largely unnoticed. The audio has beautiful separation and there is no background noise. I played this twice in full and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was even tempted to keep this as it will be very hard to find this again, it is indeed mega rare now. There are NO marks , NO hairlines just some paper retraction traces under a very strong light, actually every vinyl even new will have this. Needless to say NO jumps, clicks or ticks. This will be a fantastic upgrade for most long time collectors!!

Sleeve: EX+.  Fantastic looked after sleeve without any damage.  Two small hardly noticable mini corner creases stop from grading NM. The pictures tell all!!! There are not even any creases. Fantastic controversial inner sleeve with the infamous salute is NM. No writing, no marks , the best I have ever come across!! This is an upgrade copy!!

The original lyric sheet is also still there, it is in 90% of the cases not present. It has been folded a few times and has folding creases as can be seen in the picture. 

This is a unique investment opportunity!!! The next prog album to go completely through the roof. Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible so late in the day. Get this while you still can. This value of the album is only going to go one way ... up and up ... until it will be totally unavailable at all for a reasonable price.

Important : International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 45.00.  Please wait for my invoice before paying. Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.

Though there are rarely ever any problems with my items, I always try my very best to describe everything exactly!  PLEASE REMEMBER to contact me FIRST,  if you have any problems at all, before you leave feedback and star ratings, so I get a chance to turn any negative experience into a positive one!  I can always happily sort anything out for you, if you let me know you have a problem!  This way no one has to leave Negative/Neutral feedback - and we both walk away happy! Similarly with the amount of stars, anything less than a full 5 * rating is effectively detrimental to a seller's rating as lower ratings will incur higher Final Value Fees  and lower priority in the bidlists eventually making it unattractive to list items on Ebay at all. I know of at least one major previous Ebay seller who has decided not to list via Ebay again. Please do NOT bid if you cannot give me at least 1 chance to sort everything out to your FULL satisfaction in the unlikely event of a problem.  Thanks again!!

This an excellent investment opportunity!!! Any questions please ask me and I will try to answer soon.