Vinyl: THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE Electric Ladyland 1/2/2/2 1972 TRACK Superb AUDIO! Stunning Glossy Cover & Final Upgrade Audio RARE

The Jimi Hendrix Experience : Electric Ladyland A1 / A2 / B2 / B2 Early Track Record Pressing

This classic album plays to a superb standard with no real intrusion. There are two very light ticks on S3 and a couple of tracks on S2 where the clarity of sound is perhaps not quite on the same level as the others but this is common with this LP, they still play with stunning quality! I sold a similar version to this one a couple of months back and this one is easily on a par with that one. I cannot overstate just how clean and strong the audio is - the clarity, depth, power and resonance of the audio is incredible and there is no distortion either which is a rarity. This is still a FINAL UPGRADE archive version in my opinion. It has been so well preserved and it is patently obvious it has hardly been played. The sonic quality certainly suggests that and there is also barely any spindle wear.

The laminated E.J. Day gatefold is easily one of the most stunning example I have ever seen and the only obvious wear is one small scuff on the bottom edge. Again so well preserved and the same applies to the two original inner sleeves.

This Track Record pressing is from 1972 and has the 1/2/2/2 matrix and 'Two Record Set' on the labels. The gatefold still has the first press design though as it still has the smaller photos of Redding and Mitchell on the inside . Now over 51 years old this entire 'package' is in remarkable condition for sure.

Side A / 6130 # 8(etched) A / 1 1 8 8

Side B / 61300 9 A ▽ 2 420 1 1 1

Side C / 613009 B / 2 420 1 1 9

Side D / 61300 8 B ▽ 2 420 1 2 1 1

The Track Record labels are Mint-

The original inner sleeves are Ex + Visual description The vinyls are immaculate! They both have a stunning jet-black glossy sheen and have no marks or scratches. Even when I look under a bright light I can only find a couple of ultra faint hairlines and they have can hardly have been removed from their inner sleeves or moved around for that matter. There is no groove of surface wear and the Track Record labels are as close to perfect as is possible. Side A has only a couple of spindle marks, Side B nothing, Side C a tiny barely visible one and Side D just one very small one. These are stunning examples! Play grading The intro on 'And The Gods Made Love' is so close to perfect with only a handful of very quiet statics and then the swirling tape loop section plays 'as new'. This is easily a Mint- start to this classic album. 'Electric Ladyland' plays with stunning precision throughout. From the Grandfather clock intro and then through every vocal and instrumental section the playback is so clean and that includes the fade out also. A sublime Mint version. The intro on 'Cross Town Traffic' plays with real power and depth and Hendrix's opening vocal is just as strong. It continues in the same precise with no background of any kind and another perfectly clean fade out. Mint The segue into the classic 'Voodoo Chile' has no intrusion and the opening quiet section can only be described 'as new'. As Mitchell comes in there is no let up in quality and the first verse is flawless. Not even a single dust tick so far. The first high octane section again has no interference and zero distortion and it continues in the same way with a sonic quality that is second to none. I cannot emphasise enough just immaculate the audio is - of course Hendrix's work is legendary here but Winwood's significant contribution is just as impressive. The long instrumental section around the halfway mark is phenomenal, the clarity and the depth and power of the audio is astonishing and again there is no distortion on the top end. The next relatively quiet vocal section has no background and the next instrumental passage is just as strong. Mitchell's 'main' work comes next and to say this section play well is an understatement! Redding's strong bass also adds so much to the overall 'sound' and as it builds the playback is incredible! The next quiet section is so clean so of course you can easily hear the audience in the background and the following vocal section is faultless. The high octane section at the end has to be the strongest I have ever heard, the sonic 'waves' envelop the room and it just could not play any better. Majestic! The audience end section plays with sublime clarity and I am confident in saying this is the definitive version as it just could not play with any greater precision. It is MINT in every single way. Wow! -

The acoustic intro on 'Little Miss Strange' is perfect and Redding's opening vocal is equal to that. From then on it plays with genuine quality and the bass sound is so strong here. The mid instrumental and final vocal have no intrusion although perhaps the clarity on the 'jangly' guitar sequence near the end isn't quite on the same level. Maybe I'm just being picky but I will say Mint- just to err on the side of caution.

'Long Hot Summer Night' plays with great quality from start to finish. It's true to say it often plays with a 'muddied' sound quality but that is not the case here. Again perhaps it doesn't quite reach the heights of S1 so I will say Mint-

'Come On' plays with outstanding clarity and power and clarity with no interference. The mid instrumental from Hendrix is so strong and clear and final vocal / guitar work is how it would have sounded back in '72. Mint

The percussive intro on 'Gipsy Eyes' is 'as new' and the opening vocal is comparable to that. It continues in the same way with no background, just pure clean audio all the way through. Another Mint track.

The classic wah wah intro on 'Burning Of The Midnight Lamp' could not play any better and the first vocal has no intrusion either. I would say the clarity is again not on quite the same level as per S1 but I am sure this is just how it was recorded / produced rather than any other reason. There are no ticks, clicks, pops or static and I will grade as Mint- accordingly. It still plays exceptionally well!

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The bluesy intro on 'Rainy Day, Dream Away' plays with wonderful clarity and definition. It takes up more than half of the track really and the audio is so deep and warm, never heard better. The vocal has no intrusion and the long fade out plays beautifully. Mint

The entire intro on '1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)' is crystal clear with not one dust tick let alone anything more. The opening vocal is just as strong and it continues in the same precise way. The opening 4 minutes are 'as new' and that is no exaggeration, the clarity of sound is stunning. The psychedelic section begins with sublime precision and every note of Mitchell's percussion is so clean and sharply defined, the sonic quality is out of this world. You can hear subtlety in the music, you miss nothing. Hendrix is restrained here and yet his work could not play with any greater clarity. This entire section is Mint and as we all know it is not short! Mitchell's percussive section in conjunction with Redding's bass is phenomenal and as the three of them build out of this section the playback is so strong and dynamic and there is no distortion. The final vocal is faultless and the guitar sequence that ends this all time classic is equally as good. From start to finish this is just STUNNING and you could not wish to find a more 'complete' version. It is MINT without a shadow of a doubt. An unbelievable version.

'Moon, Turn The Tides...' ends the side with near perfect audio. I noticed only a couple of very light ticks so I will grade as Near Mint but they are quiet and totally non-intrusive.

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'Still Raining, Still Dreaming' plays with impeccable quality all the way through. The intro is perfect as is the first vocal section and he following instrumental is superb - Redding's deep bass again adds so much to the sound. Hendrix is of course the star of the show here (no surprise there!) and to the end there is no intrusion. Mint is richly deserved.

'House Burning Down' is of the same exact standard with great power and depth and... no interference. The lack of distortion is again a stand feature and as stated earlier it is obvious these records have hardly been played. Mint

The definitive version of 'All Along The Watchtower' according to Dylan and you can see why listening to this version! From start to finish it plays with genuine quality and I cannot find one single negative. Such a strong version that grades as Mint through every vocal and instrumental section.

The intro on 'Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)' is as 'as new' and as Mitchell comes in the audio is equal to that. The next classic section from Hendrix is phenomenal and the opening vocal has no intrusion either. It continues to play with such a dynamic sound which is all the more impressive when you consider it is the final track on the side. The power is undiminished even when you turn it up to max and there is no inner groove distortion. This truly is audio of the highest calibre and I cannot overstate just how STUNNING this version is. It is MINT all the way through, jeez what a version!

In summary this is easily one of the finest versions of this classic album that I have ever listened to and it may well be the tops! I have graded four tracks as Mint- and one as Near Mint all the rest are Mint! I do not over-grade as my feedback confirms and I think it's fair to say this is a a FINAL UPGRADE archive pressing in every way. Ok a couple of ticks on 'Moon Turn The Tides...' but they are so quiet and non-intrusive. The clarity, depth and power of the audio on all four sides but in a sense that is not surprising when you consider the stunning visual quality of the vinyls. In conjunction with a superb glossy cover this will add to any high end collection.

The Gatefold & Inner Sleeves

The fully laminated E.J. Day cover is in superb condition with only minimal wear. It does not even fully open showing it has never been forced during its lifetime. It has one small white scuff on the bottom edge and that's about it! It is so clean and glossy and the top edges have only one tiny rub. The spine is immaculate and the corners are extremely clean with barely any wear. The opening edges are so close to pristine with only a couple of tiny 'crimps' and and the front cover is in lovely condition with only a handful of very small laminate creases next to the spine. The back cover has no wear at all and the inside of the gatefold is so clean and has that familiar crackle as you open it. It obviously has not been handled very much / hardly opened as the inner spine has no laminate wear. This is a stunning example of this infamous cover and is as close to Near Mint- that you will find.

The original poly-lined 'Plastic Bags...' inner sleeves (dated 0572 & 0772) are in great shape with no side splits and no real marking. All I can see are a handful of mega faint spots and minimal creasing.

Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT-VM95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

The records have been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

Side A / 6130 # 8(etched) A / 1 1 8 8

Side B / 61300 9 A ▽ 2 420 1 1 1

Side C / 613009 B / 2 420 1 1 9

Side D / 61300 8 B ▽ 2 420 1 2 1 1