COLOSSEUM Valentyne Suite SUPERB ISLAND-BRONZE EX+ LP

	£		23
	$		30

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: COLOSSEUM

Album Title: Valentyne Suite.

Producer(s): Tony Reeves and Gerry Bron.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Kettle; Elegy; Butty's Blues; The Machine Demands a Sacrifice.

Side 2: Valentyne Suite Theme One: January's Search; Valentyne Suite Theme Two: February’s Valentyne; Valentyne Suite Theme Three: The Grass is Always Greener.

Label/Format: Bronze – ‘Age of Man’ format with Island text credits (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both little short of immaculate: very clean, fresh and highly attractive with just one ultra fine spindle trace on side two (see under a magnifying glass).

Cat Number: HELP 4.

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 very good weight for this Island-Bronze repress.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Originally issued on the Vertigo Spiral label, these are getting increasingly difficult to find, especially in anything like decent condition. Hence I have no hesitation in offering what appears to be barely played, and still quite early Bronze – Island credited – repressing. This has a very clean cover with the same gatefold artwork and the record offers nigh-on pristine sound, that far from guaranteed from the 1969 copies that were far more likely to be ruined on heavy-tracking old record players. If the music is more important than the label and rarity, this is to be played and enjoyed to the maximum.

Original Year of Release: 1969. This copy from 1972.

Matrix Nos: HELP 4 A-1U / HELP 4 B-1U (a very first EMI repress)

Mothers / Stampers: 1 A / 1 M (also first mothers and very early stampers)

Musicians: Dave Greenslade - Hammond organ, vibraphone; Dick Heckstall-Smith - saxophones; Jon Hiseman - drums; James Litherland - guitars, vocals; Tony Reeves - bass guitars.

Brief Info: The first ever Vertigo Spiral album and one of the very best. A blistering jazz-rock set that sold fairly well and set the standard for this label. Unfortunately not all the future acts could live up to this and all will know many albums on this most collectable progressive label are massively rare and elusive and some only selling in meager numbers. The musicianship of Colosseum was up there with the very best within this genre and the entire set fizzes. Only well looked-after examples do the complex sound full justice and this superb 1972 first EMI-cut repress does exactly that. This copy retains the same artwork and gatefold cover as the Swirls, this one has little wear at all, but with a fairly light crease on the back only only modest visibility. Like all unlaminated gatefold covers, this is highly wear-prone and I have seen few cleaner than this. So if the music is of more importance than the label and rarity, this should fit the bill perfectly.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: and this being very critical of what is a very impressive clean cover. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Cover Front: With normal viewing, this has little to fault, the colourful and surreal artwork looks very attractive to the eye and devoid of the usual heavy rubbing, creasing, grubbiness and marks most seem to acquire over the years. When tilted to light, very faint dulling traces are seen towards the right but fail to show when viewed normally full-on. Any blemishes minuscule and one of the most famous cover fronts from the Vertigo-era will seldom be seen a great deal better.

Cover Back: The back is virtually the same with the fairly light crease towards the top right corner area. It can be seen, but sufficiently light as not to really draw the eye and modestly quite fine. A very light rim rub near the top, but the lack of large penetrating ring wear on this cover is a massive plus and more than compensates.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The odd tiny chip or two, but little else to fault on this dark and equally wear-prone centrefold.

Top Edges: Both straight and barely worn at all.

Bottom Edges: A little very light patchy rubbing, most near back right corner area.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front has a real tucked and folded edge and in super condition with barely any wear. The back entrance edge is clean and sharp with any thickening or burring tiny and faint as seen critically viewed end-on, this is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Mainly solid, straight and quite thick with hardly any wear at all. A very small rub near the top corner, little else. A couple of super-fine hairline creases barely visible and all text perfect, as is pretty much all the spine area and folds.

Corners: Only quite light tip rubs that few non-laminates escape from totally. Excellent shape retained with just the odd tiny tip crease.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this very fragile 70’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. This attractive item should please many collectors but not the very discerning with the quite light crease on the back.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a plain white unlined solid inner. A little creasing on one corner, but little else to fault being clean, fresh and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): this being somewhat critical for a record that appears hardly even played. Any surface traces are whispy, fine and faint as seen with scrutiny under bright angled light. A lovely visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy played little and offering stunning clean sound. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This top quality EMI-pressed Island-Bronze record plays even above it’s visual grading with practically nothing 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. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Complex, sometimes blistering music, this sounds wonderful and all is fully focused, even Smith’s rasping reeds. Certainly one of the cleanest sounding copies I have yet heard and sadly not always the case. Few copies will outperform this still early issue, of that I am certain. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium 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 and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap 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 less than one in two thousand+ based on over 8,000+ items sold in over 10 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. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. 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 FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, 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 and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). 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] = £8. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 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 £3 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’.