DONOVAN HMS Donovan RARE ORIG UK 1971 EX++ LPs with VERY CLEAN SOUND incl POSTER

	£		82
	$		109

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 will now be blocked 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: DONOVAN

Album Title: HMS Donovan.

Producer(s): Donovan & Mickie Most.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Walrus and the Carpenter; Jabberwocky; The Seller of Stars; Lost Time; The Little White Road; The Star.

Side 2: Coulter’s Candy; The Road; Things to Wear; The Owl and the Pussycat; Homesickness; Fishes in Love; Mr. Wind; Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

Side 3: Celia of the Seals; The Pee Song; The Voyage of the Moon; The Unicorn; Lord of the Dance; Little Ben; Can Ye Dance.

Side 4: In an Old Fashioned Picture Book; The Song of the Wandering Aengus; A Funny Man; Lord of the Reedy River; Henry Martin; Queen Mab; La Moora.

Label/Format: Dawn – original orange format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: All four look beautiful: very clean, fresh and attractive with any of the few spindle marks mostly being light, fine and faint. This elusive genuine first press set appear only very gently and carefully played.

Cat Number: DNLD 4001.

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 these Records: 134 / 120 grams. An inconsistent label in terms of pressing quality and pressing weights – so average and above for this pair.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Firstly, this is a rare album in it’s own right. It sold very poorly, the popularity of folk had subsided and even the once popular Donovan was now struggling to sell records. This a real shame as this double set is a joy. There was now were more popular styles of music on offer - hard rock and progressive rock with glam-rock just around the corner. So finding early examples of this acid-folk classic is never easy. A few (briefly) included a poster, a large and truly beautiful one too. For the few who did shell out and buy this record that included one, most could not resist but to display it (and why not?). After time, many were torn down and discarded or ruined by the trauma of wall hanging (tears, pieces missing and fading). This copy INCLUDES the original poster, yes it has been mounted, the only evidence being pin-holes in corners that have minimal affect on on it’s visual beauty. Just finding this album firstly on the original orange label is hard enough, including the poster intact and looking superb even harder. BUT, arguably, even harder, is finding a copy that is very well pressed. I have had a few of these over time, but few have offered sound quality worthy of listening too. Dawn pressings are well-known to be indifferent and highly inconsistent – indeed I have another copy of this in stock that is covered with pressing bumps and blisters – this I will never offer. Often invisible pressing sounds and rasps are encountered and some rife with consistent crackle. Such issues made even more unbearable from a record that is fragile with most songs being quiet and gentle. Well this copy actually plays with very little unwanted at all with NO pressing issues. The odd light sporadic tick being probably as good as this album will ever get – this one lacking crackle or noteworthy surface sound. Indeed, after a somewhat nervous play-grade, this proved to be a really impressive copy all-round with amongst the finest sound I have heard yet. The orange label copies were not even available long, soon to be repressed on the purple Dawn label – I even had one copy a while ago that had one orange and one purple label copy inside. A truly difficult record, but such a beautiful double set when found in worthy conditions – the pressing quality is a pure lottery, and most WILL disappoint – this one is unlikely to do so – and even the hugely wear-prone matt gatefold is in equally excellent condition.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: DNLD 4001 A-1 *T / DNLD 4001 B-1 *T / DNLD 4001 C-1 *T / DNLD 4001 D-1 *T [these matrixes are identical the only other copy of this record I sold last year on Ebay, both had orange labels].

Mother & Stamper Codes: N 1 / N 1 / N 1 / J 1

Brief Info: The term ‘acid folk’ is often misused, but ths album is the perfect true ‘acid folk’ album. A truly beautiful double set now issued on the Pye spin-off label Dawn. It sold very poorly and remains one of the most elusive albums in his catalogue. Record one has music of surreal charm, using classic children’s poetry written by the likes of Lewis Carroll, Thora Stowell and Edward Lear beautifully arranged with music by himself. Record two comprises mainly self-written material with some magical and haunting songs. Some famously covered by other artists including ‘Lord of the Reedy River’ (Mary Hopkin and Kate Bush) and the most wonderful of all ‘The Voyage of the Moon’, one of his very best songs ever. The lack of commercial success must have surprised the record company and Donovan himself. A real shame for such a treasure. Not only is the material so charming, the packaging is also gorgeous. The cover is fabulous with beautiful artwork, but the real star was a large double-folded poster. So elusive and rarely seen, it came with an initial few copies and as this sold so poorly, few ever saw or owned one. Of those that made into people’s collections, the law of averages states many were used, damaged and disgarded. Well delighted to say, this copy includes the original large-size poster in very fine condition. Yes, it has been mounted, the only evidence being small pin-holes in the corners. But fully intact and with lovely colour and freshness. The main cover is very impressive as well, lacking the usual rubbing and ringwear most are seen with. Both original polylined inners are also included. Arguably the best news of all is the fact both records play very well indeed with little unwanted. Total silence near impossible, but this has little other than the odd sporadic tick here and there – all four sides will prove very hard to find better and there are no pressing issues. It has been some considerable time since I had an orange first pressing in such all-round condition, this should please many collectors and Donovan fans. This elusive album is rarely seen – and more importantly – heard like this.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): an unlaminted gatefold format with a matt smooth finish. Printed and made in England by Howard’s Printers. Includes both original inner sleeve and the genuinely rare large-format poster.

Cover Front & Back: Beautiful with stunning artwork on both outer faces. In terms of wear, this has very little and for a gatefold double set this is remarkably well preserved. The lack of heavy penetrating ringwear is particularly worthy of mention. Just a gentle trace of a rim rub near the front’s bottom edge, little else. Barely any creasing and no fading, this is simply out of a child’s fairytale and seldom does this cover retain such a high degree of freshness. What a gem this is and it will prove very difficult to find much better – a real work of surreal art.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The odd tiny mark, little else, this centrefold spread looks equally impressive.

Top Edges: Both stunning, practically as-made and very straight too.

Bottom Edges: Mainly light patchy rubbing, very little infact, only near the right corners is a little more moderate rubbing seen.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mainly sharp with little wear and any thickening or burring minimal and light as seen more critically viewed end-on. Records entered on these right edges that are both guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Little short of perfect and looking magnificent: solid, straight, uncompressed andfolded square, so all edges meet up perfectly together and parallel – these lesser mentioned factors making the difference between average and exceptional, always better for viewing of course when this neat. Barely any hint of rubbing to the main surface or folds, and even retaining deep colour with all text present and unworn.

Corners: Smallish tip rubs on the bottom right pair that few will ever avoid at very best. Hardly anything of note on the all others. Very fine and mostly better than excellent shape retained.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this very fragile and wear-prone early 1970’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This beautiful item should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeves: NEAR EXCELLENT: on has a corner crease and both have fairly light discolouration of the seam edges. Two matching text heavy-duty polylined inners that were included in most-all of the Dawn orange label originals. The window circles are all neat and crisp, the linings clear and intact. Some crinkle and all edges unsplit with no repairs. Both are UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text.

The Poster: EXCELLENT: and even though it does have several tiny pin-holes on the corners, this is still a very fine example of this large two fold poster. A rare one as stated above, only a small few very first issues included it. A real work-of-art in it’s own right, this is a poster of immense beauty, and the pin-holes apart, it has little else to fault. It retains rich vibrant colour and freshness, even the plain white back has aged only little. Just one minute edge nick and no real tears in the real sense of the word, also hardly any creasing either. Both the manufactured folds are strong and unweakened. Clearly enjoyed, probably briefly on the original owner’s wall, but little detracts from this wonderful piece of ‘modern’ art.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a super visual pair that are very clean with excellent shine and solidly pressed. A pair barely even played on all the evidence with a genuine freshness and clearly little handled. Any surface marks are few and very fine and faint as viewed critically under my bright lamp. As stated already: pressing quality for Dawn records are to say the very least, inconsistent. I have a copy here that is riddled with pressing bumps – this copy has NONE. And this one appears to be pressed on purer vinyl than many Dawn records I have seen, thus is plays impressively with very little unwanted. Visually super records that should please most-all 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: It is always with trepidation I play any records on this label, I have several albums on this label that have been poor to almost unlistenable, including this delicate piece. Both records play up to their high visual grading with very little to fault. Indeed my play-grade proved highly enjoyable, the lack of crackle and pressing issues a massive plus on a double set which is quiet and delicate. The odd sporadic tick is the very least to be expected, but it will take a near remarkable example to better this pair. 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 significant pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a well-known challenging album. Soft, delicate and gentle music, this is the ultimate test for any vinyl record, but this pair excel and cleaner sound will prove immensely difficult to achieve. Few copies will match or outperform this considerably above average Dawn original I feel sure. I am certain both records have been played very lightly, and have been clearly well stored and carefully handled. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading these beautiful Dawn records. This set will prove hard to find better and can be strongly recommended. Do not under-estimate just how difficult this one is to even find, let alone so clean and under-used. The inclusion of a lovely clean, little-worn cover and that beautiful poster make for a rare and impressive set.

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 Blue 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’.