Item Description
zipedit FREE FIRE AND WATER IST UK PRESSING CAT NO.ILPS 9120 STEREO RAREST AND HARDEST TO EVER FIND WITH NEAR PERFECT STUNNING AUDIO QUALITY PINK I LABELS THIS VINYL LOOKS TRUELY AWESOME ORIGINAL UNLAMINATED 1ST PRESS MACNEIL PRESS PRINTED COVER IN AWESOME CONDITION EARLIEST 1 1 MATRIX Another from my personal collection.
This is my original playing copy and one of my favorite all time blues rock albums.
Out of the many copies that I own of this album this one is exceptionally sounding through out.
Rich and very vibrant and one of the very few to not have the known pressing faults that are prevalent on many early copies.
These early Island pressings are notoriously bad pressings in my opinion but this copy is amaizing and I have recorded the complete album for you to hear for yourself so you don t have to take my word for it.
Very rare to find like this indeed.
This vinyl has obviously been played by me but has been well carefully kept and sounds as good today as it did when I originally purchased it over 40 years ago.
This is complete with the original poly lined record sleeve and 1st issue MacNeil Press cover.
different to later covers There are no loud clicks or pops and audio is graded at least excellent plus to near mint throughout with out any signs of distortion what so ever Fire and Water is the third studio album by English rock group Free.
Unlike their previous albums Tons of Sobs and Free it was a huge success, reaching 2 in the UK charts and 17 in the American, making it the most successful Free album.
This is largely due to the album containing the hit single All Right Now which they later played to a crowd of over 600,000 people at the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival, which generated them huge publicity Click on the player to hear my sample recording of the complete album Actual recording from the vinyl.
The album carried on the Fraser/Rodgers writing partnership that characterised the bulk of the Free canon, with five of the seven tracks being credited to them.
The album was made very much with the intention of gaining the band a hit single: the band only had one song The Hunter from Tons of Sobs that would generate the ecstatic reaction they desired from an audience and they badly needed another.
This commercialised ethos is immediately obvious: many of the tracks seem to be intended to be listened to individually rather than as a coherent whole and as such the relationship between the songs is less distinct than on the band s previous albums.
The tracks are arranged in a fairly basic form of alternating fast songs with slow ones Like their previous album there is little that could be called hard rock such as their debut album had contained, with the album continuing the fairly lightweight soulful sound of their previous album.
There are also no blues songs, that being a genre where the band had their roots.
The production is considerably less polished than their previous album as Fire and Water had been produced by the band themselves, a fact that Island Records boss and the producer of the last album Chris Blackwell later regretted The album and single were a massive successes, catapulting the band to near-iconic status.
Fees for live shows rose to 1000 a considerable amount in 1970 and they began to be featured in mainstream music magazines.
Commercial success brought with it accusations of selling-out which the purist Kossoff took badly: he took a defensive stance in one interview, stating that obviously All Right Now is part of us, but it s a frivolous part, it isn t what we want to be remembered by.
We re generally more serious quoted in Phil Sutcliffe s album liner notes .
Nevertheless All Right Now is indeed what the band are remembered by it is estimated that the song has been played somewhere in the world every day since its release in 1970, especially since it was remixed Bob Clearmountain and re-released in February 1991, being discovered by a new generation of fans.
Since then, it has frequently appeared on generic budget rock compilation albums.
Free are somewhat regarded as a one-hit wonder in the USA and if it were not for this song it is doubtful how well any more of their catalogue would be known Fire and Water 3:57 Oh I Wept Rodgers/Kossoff 4:26 Remember 4:23 Heavy Load 5:19 Mr.
Big Fraser/Rodgers/Kirke/Kossoff 5:55 Don t Say You Love Me 6:01 All Right Now 5:32 Free s best known track, this is a pounding riff-driven song that has become a classic of the genre.
Please note The version on the album is longer than the single release that people are familiar with: the second verse is repeated, and the guitar solo is longer The vinyl.
The vinyl looks absolutely superbe on initial visual inspection this looks Awesome , This is the thick and heavy, chunky slab of vinyl, Please note I have compared the vinyl with the slightly later label variation and the vinyl is slightly thicker.
The vinyl still retains its orioginalsheen from new and is free of any warping Please note for the last 25 years this has been stored in a case with the vinyl seperated from the sleeve and cover to prevent ringware and damage This is how i have always stored my records When angled to the light only can possibly any sleeve removal marks scuffs light whispy scuffs be seen.
I can t see any deep needle or what would be audio sounding marks, or any thing that would cause any loud clicks or pops The Audio Quality I have played this through track for track prior to listing at very loud volume on a top system.
The audio quality is cristal clear and extreemely vibrant through out in fact this sounded so good it has always been my playing copy because so many copies suffer from notorious pressing faults.
There are no signs of any distortion or grooveware at all IMPORTANT POINTS TO NOTE It is easy to be critical about these Island late 60s pressings due to the many quiet places and tracks ,, Please allow for some very light isolated background static crackle ticks not consistant throughout the audio Most of this static is caused by dirt or dust trapped in the grooves from over the years of laying dormant in my opinion A constant clean before each play would reduce this and greatly enhance the audio quality From my experiance especially the fact that i can see debrit on the playing surface after play In strong light there is no deep needle scratches audio sounding and nothing that I heard that caused any loud clicks or pops Importantly I heard no loud clicks or pops at all during the play of this vinyl Please note this vinyl has been stored seperately from the cover in a poly sleeve for all of its storage life it has obviously been played but in no way is there any distortion or grooveware or that this has been overplayed This is the way I always have stores my records To sum up The audio is extremely clean, clear and vibrant I could hear light static ticks crackle especially during some quiet tracks in the form of static crackle ticks in most cases not loud clicks From my experience and in my opinion, most of this is caused by dirt and dust trapped in the grooves from laying dormant in a case for over 35 years I would class myself as very highly critical Please Note This vinyl was played a few times prior to listing at extreemely loud volume on a top system I have also noticed that on another system or played at a lower volume, that static is not or at least hardly heard , and also it is possible that at a lower acceptable volume this also may not be heard I must emphisize that this is not consistant throughout the audio ,, and the audio is exceptionally clear and vibrant throughout Audio is graded at least excellent plus to near mint throughout.
Listen to the complete album yourself in the player above.
the complete album is the actual recording from this album for sale and any who know about this album will appreciate how good this lp sounds compared to many bad sounding copies that are around.
The Labels PINK ISLAND LABELS smooth labels They are clean and bright with minimal wear only.
Spidering can be seen angled to the light There is little if no ware around the spindle hole the hole is perfectly round This has been played a few times by me on a top system and has been my playable copy for over 40 years.
The Matrix side 1.
1LPS 9120 A 1 side 2.
ILPS 9120 B 1 The Cover This is the original 1st issue MacNeil printed 1st press cover Pinched end at the spine only 1st press different print at the rear compared to later ressings In top condition Very minimal storageware to mention in the form of light creases at the front near spine and a small crease near the opening edge, only really noticed if looked for in my oinion.
The lightest of rubbing ,, Superbe strong and straight This must grade at least Excellent to Excellent plus Certainly an audio archive copy.
Having experienced many copies that feature poor audio quality this copy is up there as one of the best sounding that I have heard that can not be found like this in any other format available.
HOW I SEND MY RECORDS THIS ALBUM WILL BE SENT IN A LARGE BOX WITH CARDBOARD STIFFENERS THE ALBUM IS ALWAYS PUT IS A POLY SLEEVE AND ENCASED IN THE BOX WITH PLENTY OF BUBBLE WRAP FOR ADDED PROTECTION SEE PHOTOS As always I have tried to give my honest personal opinion when describing items listed Although it is my honest opinion I always urge others to do their own personal research on any items that they are interested in purchasing, before, they commit to bidding I have Highlighted all aspects as clearly as possible I have taken time to play this vinyl track for track to give a clear and accurate description of the audio quality.
please look at my completed listings of albums that I have sold of this calaber more than 800 items and you will see that I normally get it right I have also provided as many photos as I can and supersized so that all aspects can be seen clearly in strong light Please note These photos are the actual item for sale and not copies of other items Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions regarding this item or any other items that I have listed I HAVE 100 POSITIVE FEEDBACK SO PLEASE BID WITH TOTAL CONFIDANCE SHIPPING TO THE USA, CANADA JAPAN IS 14.76 GBP INCLUDES INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR DELIVERY WITH INSURANCE AND TRACKING SHIPPING TO EUROPE IS 12.76 GBP INCLUDES INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR DELIVERY WITH INSURANCE AND TRACKING POSTAGE WITHIN ENGLAND IS FREE SENT BY RECORDED DELIVERY Please note All items are now despatched by signed for 1st class delivery I normally despatch within the next working day on receipt of cleared funds not on Weekends All items are despatched securely with ample reinforcement It is my prime interest to make sure that the items arrive in the same condition that they left me I offer a postage discount for multiple purchases ,, but i do insist that the buyer pay for the items as they are won I can not any longer allow winning bidders to run up a large bill and then not pay I do not have a problem with holding the goods to be despatched untill they are ready at the buyers request , for multiple items purchased MY NEW POLICY Because of the unfortunate recent problems that I have had with non payments, Any new ebayers with low, poor or no real history, Please contact me before bidding These bids will be cancelled and the bidder will be blocked from further attempts to bid on my items.
PLEASE LOOK AT MY OTHER RARE 1ST UK PRESSINGS LISTED NOW click the link bellow gt gt gt gt lt lt lt
