MASSIVE ATTACK Mezzanine SUPERB, HARDLY PLAYED 1998 CLASSIC. SUPEREB HI-FI SOUND

	£		159
	$		211

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: MASSIVE ATTACK

Album Title: Mezzanine

Producer(s): Neil Davidge Massive Attack.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Angel; Risingson; Teardrop.

Side 2: Inertia Creeps; Exchange; Dissolved Girl.

Side 3: Man Next Door; Black Milk; Mezzanine.

Side 4: Group Four; (Exchange).

Label/Format: Circa Records (‘WB’ prefix (Wild Bunch), this being part of Virgin Records) – originals with four matt plain orange labels that look all the same with scant text information. Tiny dot pattern details are seen under a magnifier near the rims.

Label Conditions: All four are immaculate: ultra clean, fresh and attractive with barely a trace of any spindle marks. This stunning double set appears hardly even played and sounds FANTASTIC!

Cat Number: WBRLP4 7243 8 45599 1 5.

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: 162 / 164 grams. Very heavy records for non-specialist pressings.

Country of Manufacture: Europe (EU) with no other details given.

Rarity & Info: Very scarce on vinyl. A groundbreaking album not just for its very modern sound and content. This was available for download on their own website, and one of the first legal MP3 albums, this prior to real ‘substance’ release. Most copies of this one were either CD or digital downloads. Few vinyl copies were pressed with most demand coming elsewhere. Towards the back-end of the 1990s, analogue vinyl was considered a specialist audiophile format and numbers made of this album were pressed accordingly. But this album is simply breathtaking on vinyl, the sonic delivery, intensity and dynamic range are fantastic. Real deep bass and gorgeous detail, this is modern, even groundbreaking music with sound for the connoisseur – this too on a ‘modern’ classic which has hardly been played. Very well pressed on heavyweight vinyl, this blows away all other formats I have heard for sound and will not be seen or offered often, OR better.

Original Year of Release: 1998

Matrix Nos: WBRLP 4 A-1-1-1 / WBRLP 4 B-1-1-1 / WBRLP 4 C-1-1-1 / WBRLP 4 D-1-1-1

Run-Out Groove Etchings: There is an encircled ‘W’ symbol on all four run-out areas.

Musicians: Robert Del Naja – vocals, production, arrangements, programming, keyboards, samples,; Grant Marshall – vocals, arrangements, programming, keyboards, samples; Andrew Vowles – arrangements, programming, keyboards, samples. With: Neil Davidge – arrangements, programming, keyboards, samples; Horace Andy, Elizabeth Fraser, Sara Jay – vocals; Angelo Bruschini – guitars; Jon Harris, Bob Locke, Winston Blisset – bass guitars; Andy Gangadeen – drums; Dave Jenkins, Michael Timothy – additional keyboards; Jan Kybert – Pro Tools.

Brief Info: A brilliant third album, and for me, one of the greatest more ‘modern’ albums. I am largely a man of the mid-1960s through to 1970s and a little beyond for the majority of my favourite music (with a few exceptions). But this somewhat groundbreaking album really hits the mark. Superb production and sound, the music is both moody, dark and beautiful – comparable to ‘Dummy’ by Portishead, another ‘modern’ classic. It includes the hauntingly beautiful vocals of Liz Frazer of The Cocteau Twins. This is a great hi-fi workout with very deep frequency and impressive inventive sound, this has been a long-time favourite and often played album in my own collection. From the sub-sonic deep basslines of the opening track, the scene is set – and the third track ‘Teardrop’ featuring Frazer, is simply sublime. I submitted this album to CD on play-grade for my own future enjoyment on my big digital system and on the move – nothing will ever better it. Since issue, this has featured in many all-time great album lists, this is unreservedly recommended.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a quite boxy and understrength single format with quite matt smooth surfaces. Printed and made in the EU, includes the two graphic inner sleeves.

Cover Front & Back: Wear-prone and quite delicate for holding two heavyweight records, but this has been very well looked-after and cover-protected. Hence this has little to really fault with both sides clean, still fresh with minimal creasing or rubbing. Any grubbiness or set-off to the white areas little, gentle and faint, the lack of ringwear or impression a major plus. This famous cover with its classic stag beetle graphic will take a huge amoung of beating.

Top Edge: The thicker than standard single format size is impressive with barely any hint of wear or compression.

Bottom Edge: Even better if anything, no crushing or distortion.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly very sharp with little wear, any burring or thickening minimal. Guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced, both the records are stored within this single edge.

Spine and Text: Still solid, straight with barely any compression, a tiny and fine central hairline crease that hardly shows. All text is perfect and unworn and hardly any rubbing to the main surface or folds, one near microscopic dink being ultra critical.

Corners: All four crisp and very neat with impressive shape retained with minimal hint of rubbing or wear. No knocks or dinks apparent.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this classic late 1990’s cover, one that could prove very difficult to find much better. This stag beetle cover almost as famous as the album itself, it should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeves: Both PRACTICALLY MINT: two unlined thin card inners that have no issues worthy of mention. The lack of edge splits, creasing or rim impression being great news for collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): which is almost a ridiculous grade for a pair of records that have hardly been played. Yes, some very fine surface line marks caused by those hard inner sleeves – most collectors will have seen these types – that is why most collectors, young and older, put such records inside replacement soft lined inners instead. Totally superficial, fine and light with no sound whatsoever. Viewed in normal room light, all four sides look superb – and are really. Clean, fresh with excellent shine and heavily pressed. A pair hardly even run-in in vinyl terms on all the evidence. Visually super records that should please most collectors – finding these records unmarked will prove immensely difficult for the aforementioned reason.

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: Both records play even above their high visual grading with barely anything to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is immensely high with a vast and wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds bordering on minuscule and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Immense bass and fantastic imagery, this has dark brooding undertones and gorgeous female vocals. A genuine hi-fi reference album with no tracking issues*, vinyl has to be the connoisseurs choice for this classic. Downloaded to CD via analogue transfer, the sound is beyond belief when played on my Naim CD2 deck. With no vinyl compression, no standard digital version will ever come close to this. And few copies will outperform this top-quality pressing significantly I feel sure. I am certain both records have been played little and have been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading these fine records, practically all of any ‘crackle’ heard is correctly within the sampling and music of the album (as fans will already know). This set will prove immensely difficult to find better and this classic album is unreservedly recommended, and seldom seen or offered on vinyl.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Blue 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 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’.