Sold Date: April 11, 2021
Start Date: April 4, 2021
Final Price: £121.00 (GBP)
Bid Count: 35
Seller Feedback: 961
Buyer Feedback: 0

PETER HAMMILL - 

FOOL'S MATE

CHARISMA 

Pink Scroll label

CAS 1037

1st UK Press 

 1971 Ultra Heavy vinyl

Weight : 140 gr.

A-2U  B-1U

Mother stampers: "H" and "R"

Only once or twice a year I will come across a major collectible LP in completely unplayed, pristine condition. It is extremely rare to unearth an LP like this Peter Hammill LP which is extremely rare but in top near mint condition to boot!!! It will be the ultimate upgrade for any serious prog / Van Der Graaf Generator collector. This is a barely played copy and a very 1st UK press on the Pink Scroll label.

On offer here is a VERY rare LP (especially in this condition!!!!) by Peter Hammill called "Fools Mate" and is an ORIGINAL 1971 UK 1st Pressing on the 1st Press Pink Charisma label!!!! THIS LP IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND!!!! THIS WAS PETER HAMMILL'S FIRST & RAREST LP EVER - AND VIRTUALLY NEVER TURNS UP FOR SALE!!!! JUST TRY AND FIND ANOTHER ONE!!!! BACK IN 1971 WHEN THIS LP WAS FIRST RELEASED - IT ONLY EVER SOLD IN ABSOLUTELY TINY AMOUNTS, AND WAS ALMOST IMMEDIATELY DELETED!!!! AS A RESULT IT IS SERIOUSLY RARE, AND INCREDIBLY HARD TO LOCATE TODAY!!!! NOT ONLY THAT BUT THIS LP IS IN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING CONDITION (BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN!) - AND HAS BARELY BEEN PLAYED AT ALL!!!! JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE PICTURES!!!! THIS IS THE ORIGINAL 1971 UK 1ST PRESSING ON 1ST PRESS PINK CHARISMA LABEL, 1ST PRESS INNER SLEEVE, AND 1ST PRESS 'E.J.DAY' GATEFOLD 'TEXTURED' COVER!!!! THIS LP IS SERIOUSLY RARE AND VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND LIKE THIS - SO DONT MISS OUT ON THIS AMAZING OPPORTUNITY!!!!

This is the ORIGINAL Charisma UK 1st Pressing from 1971 and is in AWESOME condition!!!! The record is pressed on THICK quality vinyl. The Cat. No is CAS 1037 on the ORIGINAL 1st Press Pink Charisma label (see picture) and is a UK Stereo 1st Pressing (there were NO Monos!)!!!!

The disc is in a NM condition. Pristine, deep-gloss surface, without surface marks or visible scratches. Careful inspection in strong daylight reveals that there is absolutely nothing untoward on this nearly perfect vinyl.   As such this is the ultimate upgrade copy, for vinyl as well as the outstanding quality sleeve.

Fool's Mate is the debut solo album by Peter Hammill of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. The title is both a chess and tarot reference. It was produced by Trident Studio's in-house producer John Anthony. The album was recorded in 1971, in the midst of one of Van der Graaf Generator's most prolific periods. Hammill used the album to record a backlog of songs which were much shorter and simpler than his Van der Graaf Generator material, and declared on the original album sleeve: "This isn't intended to be any kind of statement of my present musical position, but at the same time, it is an album which involves a great deal of me, the person, basically a return to the roots."

Guest musicians on the album included the members of Van der Graaf Generator, members of his label mates Lindisfarne, and guitarist Robert Fripp.

The UK music press was generally very positive about Fool's Mate. Melody Maker saw "one of THE albums of the year".

The cover was designed by Paul Whitehead who at the time was the favourite cover artist for Van der Graaf Generator and fellow Charisma band Genesis.

This copy may be impossible to upgrade!!

Machined matrices  : A-2U  B-1U  

The absolute rarity of this album is not to be underestimated. It hardly ever surfaces nowadays.  The feel of it is very solid. The vinyl is extremely heavy. This has a lovely deep glossy sheen!! Hauntingly beautiful songcraft!!! Immense quality prog album that ticks all the right boxes and incredibly hard to find. I have twenty five years experience in grading. It doesn't get much better than this!!

FIRST SOLO ALBUM PETER HAMMILL THAT HARDLY SOLD AT ALL BUT IS NOW VERY SOUGHT AFTER BY PROG CONNOISEURS

A CLASSIC PROGRESSIVE LP THAT SHOULD BE IN EVERY QUALITY PROG COLLECTION - if you cannot buy this you should at least try and get a re-issue and enjoy!

The surfaces display blazing factory-fresh gloss.

the audio is supreme, no static or clicks!!!

Please, also have a look at my other incredibly rare prog albums on sale this week.

In all my years this is only the second time I have come across this PROG/FOLK MONSTER. Immensely scarce and probably one of the hardest albums to find on Charisma pink scroll! Sensational sound quality, I have played this through in its entirety and it was a great joy!!! NO skips or jumps. NO clicks or crackle, this is really a stunning heavy glossy jet black vinyl .The audio is impeccable. Inspected under an intense lightsource and angled.

Vinyl: EX++ .  A sensational find!!! Barely played or possibly unplayed. I have played this in FULL twice over> The replay is ASTOUNDING!!! I first played for a general listen and a second time for a more detailed observation. I have played it on my very revealing Linn/Sondek/B&W/Rotel set-up and it sounded fabulous. An absolute keeper / museum piece. Fantastic songcraft!! A personal favourite of mine and I am very glad to be able to report that this is a fine slab of vinyl without any problems at all and as such worthy of inclusion of any great prog collection. This will be an ultimate upgrade version for most collectors.  Outstanding audio delivery in all respects with a crystal clear, deep, rich, warm and detailed sound and on playback at a loud volume (which is how I always listen to my LPs prior to listing and it's always an immense pleasure to return to this one) there is barely any surface noise. This is a beautifully clean pressing (and I must emphasise again how difficult it is to find a copy which plays this well). The whole LP sounds absolutely great and plays to a high standard with superb clarity, no groove-wear and no distortion and is very strictly graded a strong NM  for audio without anything untoward, hardly any static or crackle at all - great copy!! Of course, NO skips, NO jumps, NO ticks.

Gatefold Sleeve: EX++ .  A gorgeous textured  gatefold sleeve in impossible barely handled condition. The edges have just the lightest of minimal storage wear! The spine is 100% without any colour loss. There is no writing or damage or anything else untoward, the inside gatefold is likewise NM. The opening is super crisp. It is simply the ultimate keeper copy for this magnificent album!!! Needless to say, there are NO creases, NO writing or smudges. An LP that is rarely ever seen these days and possibly one of the last ever opportunities to achieve a copy in this marvellous condition.

***This is a unique prime investment opportunity!!! This album will only go up in value until no longer affordable for the average collector. Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible!!! This is  a great and seriously collectable super album!!  You will buy into a piece of  prog core history.*** 

Labels: NM!!! Unmarked. Barely any spindle traces. Barely played and fully looked after. These are the very desirable Pink Scroll labels. Please look at the pics!!

***This is a unique prime investment opportunity!!! Finding this album in any condition at all is nearly impossible!!! This is  a great and seriously collectible super album!!  You will buy into a piece of  prog core history.*** 

Important : International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 20.00.  These fees in England have gone up significantly last May. Please wait for my invoice before paying. Postage will be according to Royal Mail rates. Postage is NOT a money spinning exercise for me.

Important : International postage will be registered and insured if over GBP 20.00.  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 bid lists 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.