CAROL GRIMES and DELIVERY - Fools Meeting - VERY RARE ORIG UK 1970 B&C nr EX LP

	£		70
	$		93

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: CAROL GRIMES and DELIVERY

Album Title: Fools Meeting

Producer(s): Tony Chapman

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Blind to Your Light; Miserable Man; Home Made Ruin; Is it Really the Same.

Side 2: We Were Satisfied; The Wrong Time; Fighting It Out; Fools Meeting.

Label/Format: B&C with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Two lovely labels with only a very small few fine and light spindle marks. As many collectors will know, these are very revealing labels and show fingermarks and scuffs readily, so glad to state, these have little to fault at all and will not prove easy to find better.

Cat Number: CAS 1023

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 130 grams. A fine solid average weight for the time.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Quite rare and highly sort-after, one of the finest on this label and a truly magnificent one-off.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: CAS 1023 A-2U / CAS 1023 B-3U

Stamper Codes: 1 H / 1 A

Musicians: Carol Grimes - vocals, percussion; Steve Miller - piano, vocals; Phil Miller - guitar; Roy Babbington - bass, guitar, string bass; Pip Pyle - drums. Guest: Lol Coxhill - saxophones.

Brief Info: A brilliant UK band but very short lived and only making one album that featured the immense vocal talent of Carol Grimes. Delivery played progressive rock that blended jazz elements and blues. The band were of high pedigree and after splitting in 1971 they joined other bands including Gong, Matching Mole, Nucleus. Soft Machine and Paraphernalia. Although Grimes wanted to be a member of the band, ‘Fools Meeting’ was issued credited to Carol Grimes and Delivery. An album of intense power and superb musicianship, Lol Coxhill who guests on reeds is quite outstanding with his blistering reed-work. Grimes at times reminds of Joplin and Driscoll and gives a captivating performance throughout – a small lady with a huge voice. This is a somewhat ‘lost’ mini classic and such a shame it was a one-off. This a copy that plays very well indeed – half a dozen clicks from a tiny mark, but not a great deal else. B&C records could be variable, but this one pleased me a great deal, I almost expect minor sound issues from them, but this has few overall. This is brilliant prog-rock and this one surfaces rarely these days, that reflected in current price guides. Finding the record a great deal better will prove difficult. The cover has wear, that is rarely avoided either, still a very respectable one however, as seen.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD(+): a wear-prone cover that seldom seems to avoid it. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group, includes the plain white inner sleeve.

Cover Front: Lovely colourful artwork and oh so delicate. A real shame these were not laminated because this one does not wear well. This front was fared pretty well overall, a little gentle patchy rubbing, mostly seen near the very edges. Hardly any creasing and no sticker issues for which these types are also susceptible to. Still fresh with deep colour, this front remains generally attractive.

Cover Back: Like most covers with lots of deep single colour, this has some rim rubbing, probably less than moderate in terms of ringwear, it is largely confined to the top and bottom. Then with general light rubbing as per the front. The main issue is a dated name near the top left, this another from a collection where the owner signed every album he had. Being dark biro on a dark background, it shows less, but present nonetheless. In terms of overall wear, this back has again fared reasonably well put into context.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Gentle surface rubbing again near the edges, insides seldom rub, so it simply reiterates how wear-prone this cover is. It has a wide spine, so a little creasing to the right of hinge is almost the norm and near impossible to avoid, here only light. Fantastic artwork for a band that’s little seen, it still looks impressive.

Top Edges: Moderate+ rubbing, but straight, flat and flush with no splits. This deep blue-green ink is as intolerant as it gets.

Bottom Edges: Light to moderate rubbing again, less than above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and any mild thickening seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this back edge, both guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Somewhat against the odds, the robust spine has fared better with most of any wear near the ends. Solid, very thick and straight with minimal hint of compression or tilt. Folded square, so the edges meet up close together and parallel. Minimal surface rubbing, a very small few light chips, the really goods news, all the text is perfect and unworn.

Corners: Moderate tip rubbing with fine or better shape retained with no knocks or dinks.

Cover Summary: A rare and challenging cover, with most of the more significant wear on the edges, this still looks attractive on the more interesting surfaces. Wear almost has to be expected being honest, and with a name, this is not for purists, but the record compensates as it is better pressed than some B&C albums I have heard. For sure this elusive item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: and only gently aged. A basic plain white unlined inner with minimal creasing and no edge splits or repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: a very fine visual copy that is clean with nice shine and solidly pressed. One tiny (and I do mean tiny) mark has half-a-dozen brief clicks on side one. One more visible marks does nothing, then under my bright grading lamp, very fine surface marks which are are totally superficial, and how many 45+-year-old prog albums fail to have these are a bare minimum? These more out-there rock rarities were seldom bought by hi-fi connoisseurs, but usually the younger generation of the time with more basic listening equipment. But this brilliant album has survived well and appears to be pressed on better quality vinyl just before pressing quality (in some cases) dipped prior to the oil crisis of 1971 and beyond. Visually a lovely original B&C record that should please many collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: I regard this album as a true classic, this only the second copy I have ever had, my last one sold in 2009 as confirmed in my archives. This copy plays mostly above its visual grading with little to fault bar the aforementioned brief clicks on side one. It offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound with no tracking issues*. Any surface sounds are minimal, the odd trace being near impossible to avoid, overall this is a clean pressing for a fairly challenging album with powerful vocals and backing. In standard room light, it looks superb and I am quite sure this one has received only modest plays, although not definitive, the labels reiterate the opinion. Few available copies will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure, I doubt if this album was ‘in print’ very long, it did not sell at all well. Very little spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, this was a real thrill. Even though not pristine and not for absolute purists, this copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be highly recommended. Sometimes for the more elusive classics, a little give-and-take has to be allowed, if ‘perfection’ always has to be the case, such gems would rarely ever be seen at all. Do not lose this genuinely scarce album.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean it’s good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is minuscule in over 14 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT necessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.