CAT STEVENS Mona Bone Jakon ORIG UK 1970 Pink Island LP

	£		55
	$		73

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: CAT STEVENS

Album Title: Mona Bone Jakon.

Producer(s): Paul Samwell-Smith.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Lady D’Arbanville; Maybe You're Right; Pop Star; I Think I See the Light; Trouble.

Side 2: Mona Bone Jakon; I Wish, I Wish; Katmandu; Time; Fill My Eyes; Lilywhite.

Label/Format: Island – the rarest ultimate first pressed format. Deeply textured Island full pink format with i logo and deep inner ridge. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with moderate spindle marks, but on these robust labels they have little visibility and practically none with normal viewing.

Cat Number: ILPS 9118.

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: 143 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The album itself is fairly rare on the original full pink format, a late ‘pink’ and this did not sell at all well, it failed to even chart in the UK and managed a very lowly US chart position. This copy is made still rarer by the inclusion of the lyric inner which I truly deem one of the rarest inners ever. At first glance this Polydor-style liner inner looks like someone has doodled on it – but how wrong initial impressions can be. Both sides are factory printed with all the song lyrics as can be seen on my close-up pictures. This only came with a few initial pressings and few of these will even exist. Although this inner has aged a little with some mild creasing, it’s fully intact and looks very nice indeed. When was the last time you saw one of these?, a highly elusive inner that even the price guides seem unaware of – it has no mention at all. Lastly, this now rare album includes the original cover, again at first glance it’s identical to the pink rim version, but again, NO. The Island i imprint has a different address, this being basing street london w11 (again see my close-up). The pink rim version has the address changed to 22 st peters square, london w6 9nw. So beware of cover swaps as the pink rim version of this record, although fairly scarce, is much more common than the original full pinks that were only available for such a short time.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9118 A 2 1 1 / ILPS 9118 B 2 1 1

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘STERLING’ ‘RL LH’ / ‘STERLING’ ‘LH’

Musicians: Cat Stevens – guitar, piano, keyboards, drums, strings, vocals; Alun Davies – guitar, backing vocals; John Ryan – bass; Nicky Hopkins - bass, keyboards; Harvey Burns – drums, percussion; Peter Gabriel – flute; Del Newman - strings, arrangements.

Brief Info: After his departure from Deram, Stephen’s signed for Island records and this was his first on his new label. Now sounding very different with far darker material, this was the first of a string of superb albums and eventually they sold well. But initial sales of this album were disappointing and it failed to even chart on the UK. Hence pink originals are rare and again vastly underpriced in the price guides. As stated this includes the very rare original lyric inner which only came with a few initial copies. Beautiful material, performances and production, this is a high-in-demand album and especially sort-after as an original. It includes the wonderful ‘Lady D’Arbanville’ and the sublime ‘Katmandu’ on which Peter Gabriel, then of Genesis, plays flute. This is not a perfect copy, it has been played a few times and the record has some marks. Most of which are surface marks with no sound but a few light audible sounds were noted on play-grade. The inner is very nice but slightly aged - now fast approaching forty, I think it’s earned the right to have done. The cover’s main blemish is a small written price, looks like 50p. When this was put on, I have no idea, it’s small anyway, that apart, a nice original cover. So not a copy for the perfectionist, but many who seek out this rare ‘Cat’ album, its a very respectable copy indeed – that rare inner being the icing on the cake.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High.

Cover Grade and Format: At or very near EX. A single unlaminated format with original Island address on back. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press Ltd.

Cover Front: Small, slightly rubbed writing on top right, possibly a price from its history – recently or dated – don’t know. It’s only small and light and in real terms, only a minor blemish. That apart, the front is lovely with rich vibrant colour and not faded as many become. An ultra faint ring arc trace, but look hard. Odd minor light crease or two but clean and attractive. Very slight wave near the top but this again has little visual impact.

Cover Back: Really lovely this and devoid of the usual ringwear and creasing. Apart from a very few ultra fine edge hairline creases, this has little else to fault.

Top Edge: Light patchy rubbing only.

Bottom Edge: Slightly rubbed but this edge being white, it hardly even registers.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering, odd small burr trace if viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A fine spine too: Solid and quite straight with minimal compression. All text is perfect and unworn bar a tiny chip to the ‘O’ and ‘N’ in ‘MONA’.

Corners: The corner tips have rubbed with the odd small tip crease, nothing remotely excessive but what you would probably expect on a fragile cover like this.

Cover Summary: A strong all round example of this very fragile early 70’s cover, one that will prove quite difficult to find much better. This still attractive item should please many collectors but not the perfectionists. If the small writing on front is an issue, please do not bid.

The Inner: As rare as the record is on the pink label, this inner is rarer still and will rarely be seen or offered. This is around EX but has darkened around the edges but these remain unsplit. The window is very neat and clear and the lining solid. This is a traditional polylined Polydor style inner but highly customised. As stated above, one first glance, it appears it has been written or doodled on but NO. This has been overprinted with all the song lyrics and small line drawings. My first one ever. Please see some details in my close-up pictures.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Visually a VG record: it has a fair number of surface marks and paper scuffs. Most are ignored on playing and none are heavy and most-all non-penetrating. Only a few very brief, low-level ticks were noted and the vast majority of this rare record plays very well with very fine sound. Not quite to my usual standard, but this record is rare, make no mistake and it is easily worthy of offering. Visually more than a respectable record that should please many collectors but not the more discerning or connoisseur collector.

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 snippetts 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This fine record plays somewhat above its respectable visual grading with little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. This is a superbly produced album and has genuine hi-fi credentials. Any surface sounds are minimal but a little low-level and brief crackle was noted at the very start of side one, this fades fairly quickly but is never removely heavy anyway. A few brief ticks were heard on side two but again so light they did not spoil my enjoyment at all. These were very brief indeed. Very little spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – truly, this is still a very enjoyable listen on this too on a very revealing system. If this did not please me, I simply would not have offered it – and it truly did. Not perfect but still an immensely fine sounding album. Steven’s voice is incredible and it really does have an in-the-room quality and the lovely rich and warm sound of the backing is marvellous. This copy will still prove quite difficult to find significantly better for fine sound from an original copy and can be warmly recommended to many, but again if you have any doubts, please do not bid.

End Piece: VG by definition means Very Good, and this record is just that. I do not hype up VG records to make them sound like they are brand new because that’s plain stupid and simply not true. A VG record is three rungs down the grading ladder and VG records do not look or sound brand new. But this does not mean they are trashed or worn out either, far from it. This record has a number of marks, mainly superficial. When so few sound, this is a very good record, it plays generally very well and can and will give pleasure for many years to follow with due care. Do not underestimate the rarity of this as an original either. The inner is immensely difficult to find. I have been as honest as I can, you now decide.

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 - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, 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 its 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. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. 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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets out ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is no bad thing. Also: any item with a value over £40 will have to be insured as well, but for any item that sells for over £150, I will pay the extra insurance (then the lower shipping price applies).

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course of multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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. (Only for items under £40)

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (Compulsory for items over £40).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, [£500 Maximum]) = £11.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500 Maximum) = £15.

For items that sell over £150, I will pay the insurance, so the lower shipping price will apply.

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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.