I think Loop's reputation is due a come-back, at least to cult status. One reason is that they're the peers of Spacemen 3 and The Jesus and Mary Chain, the precursors of My Bloody Valentine; yet most people seem to have forgotten that they existed. However, the main reason is that the value of this record of mine would then sky-rocket.
Mint condition, limited edition? Check. Double gatefold LP, with two slabs of heavy vinyl playing at 45 r.p.m.? Check. Signed by the band? Check. One of the signatures fading slightly where the marker pen hasn't quite bonded with the gloss surface of the cover? Yes, OK, but come on: that just gives it the authentic patina of age.
We've met these characters before. Loop's Robert Hampson went on to form Main, and the album is engineered and co-produced by Hampson's cohort and collaborator, Paul Kendall. Here's their Wikipedia profile.
I remember Loop as part of the UK arm of the US-led scene that included Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr and Swans. On this album they have some of the gothic gravitas of the latter — by the time of Main I think they'd jettisoned some of the testosterone, while retaining the fuzzy, droney guitar sound. I almost certainly bought this after taping one of their Peel sessions off the radio.
 MusicBrainz entry for this album
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