KEVIN AYERS Bananamour SCARCE UK 1973 Harvest N/M LP

	£		93
	$		123

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Artist or Band: KEVIN AYERS

Album Title: Bananamour.

Producer(s): Kevin Ayers.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Don’t Let it Get You Down (For Rachel); Shouting in a Bucket Blues; When Your Parents Go to Sleep; Interview; Internotional Anthem.

Side 2: Decadence; Oh! Wot a Dream; Hymn; Beware of the Dog.

Label/Format: Harvest – original format with ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ on the label rims. Also ‘The Gramophone Company Limited’ text at the 9 o’clock position. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both little short of immaculate: very clean and attractive with only ultra light, very few and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. This superb album looks hardly played and offers sound to match.

Cat Number: SHVL 807.

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: 137 grams. Above average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Originals of this one are moderately scarce especially in very fine condition. The cover is incredibly wear-prone and is rarely seen without significant ringwear of which this one has little. Special mention must be made on a booklet that (possibly) came with a tiny (TINY) few initial pressings. This seems a little uncertain due to its massive rarity. It may have even been a promotional booklet or only available with ‘demo’ copies. Whatever, it has 16 pages and it’s a lovely item. Although listed in the price guides with the book at crazy, almost ridiculously low values, making such a copy seem achieveable, the truth is, the book is one of the rarest inserts ever made. Just about every one I have asked about this have never seen one before and many even doubt if it even exists. Well it does, I actually acquired one several months ago (at vast cost) and decided to make a repro for myself, but no ordinary repro, this looks fantastic. I know of only two people, both very serious collectors who actually own an original, and the times I have seen this album on ‘wants lists’ with the book is almost countless, almost proof itself this book is massively rare and close on impossible to find. So with this very early-pressed copy of this record I include a repro of the original booklet as a FREE example to the winning bidder to make this album like complete. You, the collector are bidding on the album itself, nothing else, this is a giveaway book, made slightly small than the original. Finding the original book is truly a near impossible task, and that is using the word ‘impossible’ in its correct context. Why the price guides are misleading people into thinking a ‘Bananamour’ book is only a scarce item is beyond me. When was the last time anyone actually saw the real thing?

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: SHVL 807 A-3 / SHVL 807 B-3

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 A / 1 P

Musicians: Kevin Ayers – Guitar, Vocals; Archie Legget – Bass, harmony vocals; Eddie Sparrow – Drums; Steve Hillage – Lead Guitar; Mike Ratledge – Organ; Robert Wyatt – Harmony Vocal; David Bedford – Orchestral Arrangement; Howie Casey – Tenor Saxophone; Dave Caswell – Trumpet; Tristan Fry – Cymbal; Lyle Jenkins – Baritone Saxophone; Ronnie Price – Piano; Barry St. John – Vocals; Liza Strike – Vocals; Doris Troy – Vocals.

Brief Info: The former, if brief Soft Machine man, this was Ayers fourth ‘solo’ album that ended his first series of Harvest titles. Vastly under-valued and rated, this being slightly more accessible than his more experimental early works and including some lovely haunting songs that pays tributes to Nico (Decadence), the pivitol track on the album and ‘Oh! Wot A Dream’, for Syd Barrett. Now featuring a new band, this has a different sound but Ayers distinctive vocals are dominant throughout. Last year, I offered a copy of this album with an ultra rare promotional ‘Family Tree’ insert, a totally original insert that few people would have even knew existed. Do not confuse that with the 16-page book that also exists but is rarely, if ever seen. This copy does NOT include an original book and only one in many thousands (or less, or indeed any) ever will. What is included is a FREE repro version taken from the original, just a little piece of icing on the cake for the winning bidder. The book has pictures of Nico and Syd Barrett with some interesting artwork. This is superbly printed to professional standard and stapled but is made slightly smaller than the original. Being honest, it actually looks better than the real thing.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High++. Within the Harvest catalogue, few are more wear-prone than this. The deep purple ink is totally unforgiving and most seen are badly rubbed and ringworn. This has a little wear but will more than match or better most found.

Cover Grade and Format: Near Excellent. An unlaminated gatefold format with the front and back quite heavily textured. The inside is smooth. The outer card is quite soft and intensely coloured, it usually suffers all the perils of rough handling, price sticker damage, creasing, ringwear and bad storage and few will even look half this good. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Cover Front: Firstly, this cover is folded squarely, and many are not. But the bottom fold on the artwork is slightly low, so it may appear the cover is not as square as it should be. But that’s far from the truth, this is one of best folded ones I have yet had with all edges meeting up neatly together. With that made clear, the front shows little wear. A little rubbing on the very edge on the right and a couple of small pressmarks near the top. Small corner rubs are also seen and few will ever avoid them. A few very fine hairline creases on the spine edge are very difficult to avoid but little else to fault on this highly vulnerable front. The colour is rich and vivid and the lack of rubbing unusual. Overall, a very attractive and clean front, the lack of grubbiness and speckle to the raised texturing a real bonus.

Cover Back: The back is even more prone to wear as the record rests against the back card. Hence ringwear is so often rife on most examples seen. This one has barely any at all and even record rim impression is very slight. Again this is very similar to the front, there are a few light creases to the left edge area and a little light rubbing or small chips. Again no speckle or note (that is white dots on the raised areas) and barely any ink removal to the very dark colour. Such a difficult cover and both front and back look real nice.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Both faces have practically nothing to fault and look superb.

Top Edges: Only very light, patchy rub traces, a little more near the centre of the back.

Bottom Edges: These are very neat indeed with barely any traces of rubbing and no wooliness from which this cover often suffers with the card being so soft.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both edges clean and mostly sharp with no feathering. A little mild burring towards the bottom but no trimming, again these pair up quite flush and neat. Viewed end-on, it will become very apparent just how thin and fragile this card is. Record enters on this back edge, the front being closed.

Spine and Text: There is some mildish, patchy rubbing on the top fold and one chip-rub which is only quite small. The ends have rubbed a little more. Still solid, straight, uncompressed and overall, little rubbing to the intense violet ink and most-all of the silver text is present and shows little wear. Not perfect, but ultra delicate and in pretty good shape.

Corners: The corners have rubs, mainly to the tip areas, all retain fine shape.

Cover Summary: Some relatively minor wear, but compared to some I have seen, this is very mild indeed. Near it’s best, a very attractive cover, but many do look very tired and scruffy. This hasn’t got a great deal to fault and should please many, if not most realistic collectors.

The Book: Originals are rare beyond belief and command huge prices. This is NOT an original but made from the original but at a slightly smaller size. You are NOT bidding on this book, it’s FREE to the winning bidder and it’s fantastic and actually looking better than the original. Sixteen pages all in the correct order and the perfect enhancement for this wonderful record. Quite why so few of these were ever put out with the records I do not know, but most-all of the few that were printed have been lost in the vaults of time.

The Inner Sleeve: This one includes the Harvest promotional polylined inner sleeve in super condition. The only minor blemish is some light glue browning on the edges. That apart, it’s fantastic and grades at least EX++. Not seen to many better than this with the lining intact, no creasing and all edges unsplit (or repaired).

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-). A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence, try to find a much better example. Visually a super record 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 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 wonderful Harvest record plays up to it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. 1973 was not a vintage year for quality pressings with many companies recycling vinyl and pressing very thin records to save oil, resulting in noisy inferior sound. NOT THIS ONE, this sounds fantastic with strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. No surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing, up there with my best ever. Kevin Ayers albums are critically revealing and often they have surface sounds or even mild distortions, this has none at all and plays to perfection. Yes even the heavy brass parts are fully focused, precise and sharp with no clipping or crackles. Few copies will even match this let alone outperform it I feel certain. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has barely even been played and has been clearly carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove near impossible to find better for audiophile sound 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 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 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 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’.