KEVIN AYERS - THE WHOLE WORLD Shooting at the Moon RARE NO EMI, 1G/1G 1st PRESS

	£		112
	$		148

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, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled 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: KEVIN AYERS and The Whole World

Album Title: Shooting at the Moon

Producer(s): Kevin Ayers and Peter Jenner

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: May I – Rheinhardt and Geraldine – Colores Para Dolores; Lunatics Lament – Pisser Dans un Violon.

Side 2: The Oyster and the Flying Fish – Underwater – Clarence in Wonderland – Red Green and You Blue; Shooting at the Moon.

Label/Format: Harvest – very first, and scarce format without the EMI logo, and ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ on the label rims. These have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with any of the very few spindle marks being fine and faint. This very elusive ultimate first pressed record appears hardly played.

Cat Number: SHSP 4005

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: 140 grams. A very good weight for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Scarce, and much harder to find as a genuine first issue. Not only that, this one has the prized 1 G / 1 G mother and stamper codes a the 9 and 3 o’clock positions of the run-out areas. ‘G’ being the very first run in the pressing sequence. This was amongst the last Harvest records not to include the EMI logo on the left side of the label and most seen include it. Finally, this is a complex prog-rock album with the usual volume level contrast, and this one has areas of quietness, so only the best-pressed and lesser-played copies hit the mark for collectors. This one delivers on all accounts.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: SHSP 4005 A-2G / SHSP 4005 B-2G

Stamper Codes: 1 G / 1 G

Musicians: Kevin Ayers – Guitar, bass, Vocals; David Bedford – Organ, Piano, Accordion, Marimbaphone, Guitar; Lol Coxhill – Saxophone, Zoblophone; Mike Oldfield – Bass, Guitar and vocal; Mick Fincher – Drums, Percussion, Bottles & Ashtrays; Bridget St. John – Vocals; The Whole World Chorus – vocals.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Kevin Ayers’ second album after he helped to found and then leave Soft Machine. His first solo album was Joy of a Toy in which he was backed by his former band members. This album, arguably better still. Shooting at the Moon is a great album and, for me anyway, his best ‘solo’ work. A complex progressive album featuring the lesser-known (at the time) talents of Mike Oldfield. Quite challenging and a very original piece of work with great production and sound. Ayer’s distinctive vocals interweave and dazzle around the complex arrangements, The Whole World literally revolved around this incredible backing band, it features cameo vocals from cult female singer Bridget St. John. Hardly a commercial, big selling album, finding any decent copy is always difficult – finding an ultimate 1 G / 1 G very first issue little used and clean goes beyond that. This original has the flipback cover – repressings omitted them – this has a few quite light issues described further down, but is still impressive, especially compared to most seen. Even the Harvest promotional inner sleeve is clean and hardly aged. Not seen a better one of these myself, this album seems to have dried-up, so a great opportunity for collectors.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: but actually looks much better. A single format with a laminated front. This covers all the folds and ends on the back on three external flipbacks. The main back panel is matt and smooth. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd, includes the Harvest promotional inner sleeve.

Front and Lamination: Firstly, the one original owner of this put clear tape on the opening edges. Over time this dried out and came off. This has had very little affect on the front, the back has a light darkened line as can be seen on my back cover picture, more on that in the next paragraph. The main issue on what remains a very deeply coloured and attractive front is a near moderate crease near the top right corner. There are a few light edge ones as well with a hint of a thumb semi-crease towards the right edge lower down. The laminate retains superb shine, freshness and clarity with minimal traces of any dulling or rim impression from the thick record inside for 46 years. One tiny lift on the bottom right corner tip (look hard), but that’s all. A tiny chip is seen on the left edge near the centre. A cover so often ruined by large lifts, and when present with such a dark ink graphic, it really degrades the looks of this sleeve considerable – so the lack of those on this one is great news.

Cover Back: This is a back that is very rarely seen better than this, with considerable areas of white, this usually darkens, ringwears and becomes very grubby indeed. The aforementioned clear tape residue mark on the left is only quite pale, looking no worse than a laminate end seen on many back covers e.g. Decca types without flipbacks. As seen, the main matt area is still mostly very clean and even fresh looking, it may not be perfect, but trying finding a true original flipbacked cover much better these days. As for the three flipbacks themselves – well apart from a little end burring traces on the centre of the bottom one, little else to fault. All solid, unlifted, clean and neat, without the usual grime lines and cracking most acquire.

Top Edge: Straight, fully laminated, smooth, unchipped or worn.

Bottom Edge: Largely the same, a hint of a gentle ‘graze’ near the centre being critical.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Very sharp, crisp and neat – the tape (all now gone) did a job for its owner keeping these edges this well. Barely any hint of wear at all, and these are guaranteed untrimmed, the record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, mainly straight, minimal compression, the ends are deeply pinched in manufacture as seen. A blemish as seen in my picture: an ink smudge is seen near the centre – possibly from manufacture, but more likely from an intentional discrete tip-in of the tiny chip on the front edge. Whichever, it is there, but hardly major – this cover has far more positives than small negatives. All text is present and unworn under the solid and unpeeled laminate.

Corners: Barely any tip rubbing, just a tiny tip crease on the top right. Excellent or better shape retained.

Cover Summary: Even with relatively light blemishes, this is the very best flipbacked original cover I have seen or had for this scarce album. Not for perfectionists, but many fans wanting the first-made version will be happy.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): and arguably even better, a superb example of this famous Harvest promotional inner sleeve. Aged little, still clean and fresh with minimal traces of creasing, all edges unsplit with no repairs. They rarely get seen much better than this.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): very clean with beautiful shine and quite heavily pressed. A copy hardly played on all the evidence with any surface traces seen under bright angled light, very fine, gentle, few and faint – nothing more than hairlines at most, or finer wispy traces. There are no penetrating stylus scratches. Visually a very impressive record that should please most 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This quality album plays up to, and mostly even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. Offering 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 this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Some very quiet passages in the usual prog-rock tradition, so the odd minor sporadic tick or blemish is nigh-on impossible to avoid on a record this age. This gave a great account on play-grade, and it will take an amazing example to better it. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this rare 1 G / 1 G, ultimate first-press Harvest record – these in most cases, offer the very cleanest, detailed and dynamic sound and that is why collectors want these earliest-made copies. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 Black 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’.