DANA GILLESPIE Box of Surprises RARE ORIG UK Unboxed LP

	£		323
	$		428

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Artist or Band: DANA GILLESPIE

Album Title: Box of Surprises.

Producer(s): Mike Vernon.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Box of Surprises; Like I’m a Clown; Taffy; When Darkness Fell; For David, The Next Day; If You’re Dreaming.

Side 2: Foolish Seasons; Grecian Ode; By Chasing Dreams; I Was a Book; Describing You; I Would Cry.

Label/Format: Decca – original unboxed format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both little short of immaculate, this from the collection acquired last year where the records were only played once or twice, this being just the same. Two stunningly fresh and ultra clean, attractive labels with only the merest traces of any faint spindle marks. Both look almost as made and this too on a very scarce album.

Cat Number: SKL 5012.

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: 156 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: Quite rare: hardly a major seller from a relatively unknown singer. If you need this elusive album in barely played condition, look no further, how many will still even exist like this will be few, of that I am certain.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: ZAL-9015-P-1W / ZAL-9016-P-1W

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 D / 1 U

Brief Info: A rare one-off album on Decca by actress and singer Dana Gillespie, born Richenda Antoinette de Winterstein Gillespie. This is a somewhat difficult album to pigeon-hole being a blend of 60s pop, folk, blues and even world influences – for sure it’s a beautifully crafted album – but elusive and quite rare, this being the very first time I have seen or heard this one. Better known in the 60s as girlfriend of Donovan, to land an album on a major label must have been something of a surprise in-itself. I am certain it will appeal to fans of the early Marianne Faithfull albums that were also i ssued on the Decca label. She later performed backing vocals on David Bowie’s ‘Ziggy Stardust’ album and went on to perform the part of Mary Magdalene in the original stage performance of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. She tended to concentrate more on her acting at this time and was blessed by impressive good looks and attributes. Her later music output was more blues-based and somewhat risque, this early Decca album bears little resemblance to that style at all and remains a highly sort-after pop-folk gem. In terms of condition, this record is a beauty and packaged within a lovely cover with super artwork. One of those elusive one-off Decca diamonds that is seldom seen or heard via the original vinyl, and they do not get much better than this. A record barely even run-in in vinyl terms and owned by man who had a quality stereo system almost from the outset. This record had not been removed from its inner since the back end of the 1960s, incredible, but true.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High: these early Decca’s were somewhat flimsy, the backs were highly vulnerable to wear especially. These also rarely seen without major laminate issues, being creasing or lifting as they tighten over the years.

Cover Grade and Format: A superb EX and I feel undergraded at that. A single format with front Clarifoil laminate that wraps around the spine edge on to the back for a short distance, this is always the most prone to lifting. This has the mono/stereo peep-hole on the back, this has the original blue polylined inner to denote this is a stereo version (the monos being red as most will already know). Printed and made in England by James Upton Ltd.

Lamination & Front: This is a gorgeous front with beautiful artwork and it grades higher than my overall grading on its own. The laminate is very shiny indeed and super-clear and most-all is fully adhered. The once exception, a small blister near the bottom right corner. Clarifoil is notorious for contracting over time and something has to give. Often large blisters form or the cover can even distort with warping far from uncommon. Any other non-adhesion is minuscule with just an ultra fine sliver one the spine edge, the area most have issues with. As stated above, this record has been inside this cover undisturbed for decades, hence a faint rim impression is visible under light. The lack of creasing on this glorious front is fantastic news too, any traces are hardly worthy of mention with just the odd edge hairline and one minor and faint (semi) half-moon near the donkey. Hardly marked, the surfaces are ultra smooth and almost glass-like with even hairlines being absent. The beauty of the intense and vivid colour makes this almost good enough to frame and this front is simply gorgeous.

Cover Back: This unprotected side as aged well overall but has a fine crease near the top edge and minor burring to the thin card’s end near the right top corner (this being somewhat critical). Again a little fine record impression against the thinnish card. Remember too, this is a thick heavy record and this in real terms is pretty minor. Any discolouration is light also and again hardly any other creases. A lovely close-up black and white portrait of the lady that shows barely any real wear at all. The peep-hole is crisp, neat and undamaged also and given the facts, this is a solid excellent back.

Top Edge: Little wear, minor thickening to the back panel which few will ever avoid totally.

Bottom Edge: Practically unworn, minor bow trace as that laminate has contracted a fraction. A typical symptom of vintage Clarifoil as most collectors will be aware of and outlined above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering or trimming. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid but again fairly thinnly made. Quite straight with barely any compression and all text is perfect and unworn under the solid and unpeeled laminate that has barely any cracks and none of any consequence.

Corners: A small chip bottom left but little else and all retain very fine shape and definition.

Cover Summary: A highly impressive cover and one to hold, view and enjoy, the front especially so. Elusve and quite rare too, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner: The original heavy-duty polylined inner is a lovely condition also. The window is immaculate and very clear with pristine circles. This clearly is blue denoting a stereo record inside which fills the peep-hole on the back cover. All edges unsplit and minimal creasing, but a some mild glue darkening on the seams. This is date coded 8-69, hence the genuine original which is 100 per cent guaranteed (Please see this detail in close-up). It is British patented but has the ‘Foreign patents pending’ text. The record had been undisturbed so long, it was a fair task in even removing it.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and almost certainly played only once or twice as typical from this collection. A superb visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and heavy pressed on the best quality vinyl possible. Decca were the master record manufactures and rarely does their vinyl disappoint and this is no exception. As stated above, this had been left undisturbed inside its original inner for decades and I know for certain, it’s hardly ever been played. With close examination, there are faint traces of polymer marks on the record’s surface (often referred to as ‘inner bag rash’). This a common trait of records left alone for many years inside polylined inners, this has NO effect on sound in any form or manner and in this case, it’s very light and minor indeed, I cannot lower my grading for such minor ‘natural’ blemishing like this. A record that has not seen light-of-day for around 40 years. An almost unnatural fact, but in this case true, nothing detracts from a record that looks fantastic. Any marks or blemishes are tiny and ultra faint and of course, non-sounding. Visually a super record that should please most collectors again.

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 beautiful, high quality and rare Decca record plays up to its high visual grading with 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 are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few copies will even match, let alone outperform this ultimate first pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, my very first one of these ever, never even seen it before. This copy will prove immesely difficult to find significantly better and merits my highest recommendation.

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 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners 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 FOUR 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 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.

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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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 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. 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 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’.