CURVED AIR Air Conditioning RARER UK Black WSX Press LP

	£		26
	$		34

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: CURVED AIR

Album Title: Air Conditioning.

Producer: Mark Edwards.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: It Happened Today; Stretch; Screw; Blind Man; Vivaldi.

Side 2: Hide and Seek; Propositions; Rob One; Situations; Vivaldi (cannons).

Label/Format: Warner Bros – orig deep green format with the WSX catalogue number. (Please see label scan).

Label Conditions: Both clean with moderate spindle marks and no wear around the hole rim. Although more spindle marks that I normally would like, these show little with normal viewing and for once, this is a very good pressing. More on that further down.

Cat Number: WSX 3012.

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: 162 grams. A massive weight for any green label Warner’s record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce. The first issues of this record varied: initially released as a limited edition picture disc, one of the very first made. It had appalling sound and can only be considered a novelty. A standard black issue was also issued with the WSX Cat. No., as per this. Although pressed better than the picture disc, this still often disappoints with crackle and sometimes even distortion. I have few copies of this record that offers top quality sound and, although this one has been played a number of times, this is one of the best I have heard for ages. Most ‘black’ copies are found on the Kinney Warner’s label and are much thinner pressings.

Matrix Nos: WS 3012-A1 / WS 3012-B1

Original Year of Release: 1970

Musicians: Sonja Kristina - lead vocals; Darryl Way - Electric violin, vocal; Frances Monkman - lead guitar, organ, piano, mellotron, electric harpsichord; special effects, VCS3 synthesiser; Robert Martin - bass guitar; Florian Pilkington-Miksa - drums.

Brief Info: Curved Air’s debut album and still one of my favourite progressive acts of the era. They played highly skilled progressive music that has more than a hint of the classics with Way’s brilliant electric and treated violin. Fronted by the stunning Sonja Kristina on vocal this band’s early albums were inspired and quite different from most and this debut more than lived up to its potential and promise. With heavy use of electric violin with electronic effects, groove-wear and damage is potentially rife and the majority of copies I have heard have disappointed with clipping, crackle or even mild distortion. Sometimes near mint copies are little better and clearly, pressing quality was an issue. The picture disc is a non-starter for the majority of vinyl listeners, that in every case, sounds terrible. Live this band were (and still are) stunning, a couple of years ago, I enjoyed them at Colchester and they were as good, if not better than in the 70s. This vintage first album should please their loyal fans.

Cover Grade and Format: MINT(-): a stunning example. A single, fully laminated cover that was printed and made in England by West Brothers Ltd.

Lamination: Front & Back: Rarely seen one quite like this, a gorgeous super-fresh cover that has really defied it’s great age. Clearly the owner looked after his records but played them. Both sides are very shiny and clear with full adhesion and barely any traces of friction rubs or dulling. Still incredibly white and unaged, a few mainly light surface creases, the most noteworthy, a half moon on the front. Of course, this has the original WSX catalogue, beware of Kinney substitutions, this supreme example sets the standard.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both appear unworn with the laminate fully intact and unscuffed.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A lovely spine: solid, straight with minimal compression. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate and again is totally unscuffed and clear.

Corners: All four are very neat with excellent or better shape retained.

Cover Summary: A superb all-round example of this impressive early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This beautiful item should please most-all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: unlike the Kinney pressing, this initially included a heavy-duty polylined inner. This is UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’. Some creasing and crinkle but the window circles are neat and crisp with one one very small and neat split. The lining very secure and crystal clear with barely any traces of crinkle. All edges secure with only modestly light age discolour.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(-): with some light surface marks that have NO sound at all. Much deeper grooves on this very thick and heavyweight record, this could easily withstand light marks and this has NO penetrating scratches. A fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and very heavily pressed on exceptional weight vinyl. A copy played a number of times but with minimal traces of any sound degrading. Visually a splendid 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This rare first-pressed black record plays above it’s very respectable 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. Without doubt, one of the very few pressings I have heard that has very few (if any really) unwanted sounds. There are NO pressing distortions or significant crackles, this too being played on ruthless revealing equipment. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is far better pressed copy compared to many I have heard – which must never be taken for granted on this one. As stated, the picture discs are a total waste of time for playing (but look good), but the black pressings so often disappoint. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Clearly, this has been played a number of times, but audio quality is still very enjoyable for this highly complex production. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. A band still under-appreciated by many and very difficult to find like this, the cover is truly exceptional as I hope my pictures show. This copy will prove 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 QED Silver 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.

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 prompt payment is a problem, please do not bid.

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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 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. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.