DR STRANGELY STRANGE Kip of the Serenes VERY RARE ORIG UK 1969 NEAR MINT LP.

	£		652
	$		864

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 arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to 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.

Artist or Band: DR. STRANGELY STRANGE

Album Title: Kip of the Serenes.

Producer(s): Joe Boyd.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Strangely Strange but Oddly Normal; Dr. Dim & Dr. Strange; Roy Rogers; Dark-Haired Lady; On the Wet Cork Hack.

Side 2: A Tale of two Orphanages; Strings in the Earth and Air; Ship of Fools; Frostly Mornings; Donnybrook Fair.

Label/Format: Island – Original full pink format with the orange and black ‘eyeball’ logo. These have a have a matt smooth finish and is a very first pressing.

Label Condition: Beautiful labels with hardly any spindle marks and minimal traces of wear at all. Ultra clean, fresh and hugely attractive, this a record time has largely overlooked, it plays with little short of pristine sound.

Cat Number: ILPS 9106.

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: 136 grams. Less than usual on this label format, the earlier titles were not Polydor pressed and this a typical label for this late and last ‘Eyeball’ Island record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very Rare and one of the rarest within the Island catalogue, I consider this rare than the second album on Vertigo. Also finding this record what appears to be hardly played is a massive task, but massive tasks can happen, this record is stunning. A copy does exist with very pale off-white of pale grey labels, but is immensely rare and hardly ever seen.

Original Year of Release: 1969 (and this I feel sure was the very last Island album pressed on this label format).

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9106 A//1 1 1 1 and ILPS 9106 B//1 1 1 1 [the ultimate first issue with nothing but ‘1’ stampers, these even hard to find]. Such a pressing in this condition is connoisseur territory.

Musicians: Jay Myrdal - Glockenspiel; Ivan Pawle - Guitar, Bass Guitar, Whistle, Fiddle, Percussion, Vocals; Tim Booth - Guitar, Mandolin, Performer [Sazaphone], Percussion, Idiophone [Thumb Piano], Vocals; Linus - Idiophone [Thumb Piano], Percussion, Vocals; Tim Goulding - Organ, Harmonium, Piano, Recorder, Glockenspiel, Violin, Synthesizer [Stylaphone], Vocals.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Doctor Strangely Strange play progressive folk, not dissimilar to The Incredible String Band, this was their debut and one-off album on Island, it was the final new album made with the orange and black ‘eyeball’ logo. One other followed on the Vertigo Swirl label, that also rare, but I truly consider this one harder to find. Probably due to the lack of promotion, they failed to sell at all well, and unlike The Incredible String Band, they were only short-lived. They also used multi-instruments and cleverly blended folk music into a progressive sound. Only my second ever copy in over 13 years of Ebay trading, my last one way back in 2004. This an outstanding record that offers little short of pristine sound. The cover is very prone to all forms of wear, especially with such a thick heavy record inside over 44 years. It has a little rim rubbing and mild wear, the spine especially has rubbed and most of the text eroded. So rarely things are ever ‘perfect’, but this still a very fine cover overall. The stunning record itself more than compensates, and this could prove the ultimate upgrade for the serious collector. With (1 1 1) stampers on both sides of this Polydor-made record, it makes a fabulous copy extra special and the sound and detail throughout is immense. Do not lose this beautiful example.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(–): only marked down as such for the spine rubbing. An unlaminated single format with matt, smooth surface. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day.

Cover Front: A small dink on the top edge and quite fine and light rim rubbing near the top and bottom that I can hardly imagine any will ever escape at the very least. Clean and still fresh looking, the thin card has minimal creasing and retains deep colour. So not perfect, but it will still take a lot of beating.

Cover Back: Superb artwork that is again clean with lovely colour. Some rubbing near the bottom, but somehow, this has escaped ring wear and any creasing fine and faint. Impressive given all the facts.

Top Edge: One smallish dink that can be seen, any rubbing however minimal and light.

Bottom Edge: Fairly light consistent surface rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with very little wear, minimal traces of thickening or burring even viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge which is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid and straight but thinly made. This has rubbed with most of the text eroded.

Corners: All four show light to moderate rubbing with fine to very fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: A very rare original cover with a little wear or small issues, mainly to the spine edge. But with such elusive items, a little compromise sometimes has to be made. Finding an available one a great deal better will prove very difficult for sure. This will please many collectors but not the highly discerning.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a plain white unlined solid inner. A little discolouration on the edges but hardly any creasing with all edges unsplit with no repairs. Interestingly, this has a small round sticker on one corner which states ‘In Window’, yes, back in the day, many retailers used to display album covers to promote them in shop windows. I remember clearly Mann’s Music Shop in Halstead did exactly that.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(–): and arguably even undergraded at that. A SUPREME visual copy that is unlikely ever to be beaten – that too with ultimate first issue stampers – this is a collector’s dream-piece. Super clean, very shiny, jet black and heavily pressed by Polydor. Barely a mark or trace to be seen, this looks really INCREDIBLE. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence, and when so, with utmost care on a quality record player. Visually a gorgeous Island record that should please ALL collectors. A strong contender for the best Island record I have ever seen, and one of the rarest too.

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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This sensational original Island record plays up to its immaculate visual grading with practically nothing to fault. The album has strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear with fine detailed sound and production. Beautifully pressed by Polydor and a class above many of the early Island albums for top quality quiet sound. A crucial factor on such delicate material, will this ever be found better? Any other surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted – few copies will even get close these days. Both channels are clean and sharp and I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has probably hardly been handled or seen light-of-day for decades. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this highly important and rare Island record. This actual record will prove near impossible to find better and merits my highest possible recommendation – DO NOT LOSE THIS ONE.

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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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’.