NICK DRAKE Fruit Tree SCARCE N/M LPs of COMPLETE WORKS.

	£		116
	$		154

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: NICK DRAKE

Album Title: Fruit Tree

What’s in the Box: A four LP box set that includes his only three albums, ‘Five Leaves Left’, ‘Bryter Layter’ and ‘Pink Moon’. Also a 14 track collection entitled ‘Time of No Reply’. Ten of the 14 songs being previously unreleased recordings. Seven completely new plus the four last session tracks. The records include individual covers and artwork as per the originals but not the gatefold formats. Lastly a 16-page book with the song lyrics and comprehensive text on this somewhat mysterious and ultimately tragic folk singer with elusive pictures of the man.

Producer(s): Nick Drake’s music was mostly produced by Joe Boyd.

TRACK LIST:

Five Leaves Left:Time Has Told Me; River Man; Three Hours; Day is Done; Way to Blue; Cello Song; The Thoughts of Mary Jane; Man in a Shed; Fruit Tree; Saturday Sun.

Bryter Layter: Introduction; Hazey Jane II; At The Chime of a City Clock; One of These Things First; Hazey Jane I; Bryte Layter; Fly; Poor Boy; Northern Sky; Sunday.

Pink Moon: Pink Moon; Place To Be; Road; Which Will; Horn; Things Behind the Sun; Know; Free Ride; Parasite; Harvest Breed; From The Morning.

Time of No Reply: Time of No Reply; I Was Made to Love Magic; Joe; Clothes of Sand; Man in a Shed; Mayfair; Fly; The Thoughts of Mary Jane; Been Smoking Too Long; Strange Meeting II; Rider on the Wheel; Black Eyed Dog; Hanging on a Star; Voice From The Mountain.

Label/Format: Hannibal, issued under the 1979 Island credit.

Label Conditions: All immaculate, little short of ‘as new’. Eight labels, three faint spindle traces, this set again came from the DJ collection purchased recently. The owner said he played each record once.

Cat Number: HNBX 5302.

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 in Issue Order: 121, 127, 128, 129 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: The set was issued for the UK market with UK credits on the back of the box but the records were pressed in France and truly superb they are too. At this time few UK pressing plants still were in operation and many ‘UK’ records were pressed in other parts of Europe.

Rarity: Scarce: limited and seldom offered on the vinyl format. Not only that, these records are truly immaculate and play to perfect - yes ALL eight sides are like new.

Original Year of Release: 1986. The original albums were issued in the early 70s.

Brief Info: A wonderful opportunity to own all the essential songs of this tragic iconic English folk singer. A man that could hardly sell a record in his own lifetime but now hardly enough around to meet the demands of the modern album collector. His original albums change hands for huge sums with prices rising at alarming rates - the three albums in this condition as ‘originals’ would almost certainly set-you-back between £1,000 to £1,500, possibly more and that is IF you can even find them all practically Mint as made. However, not all collectors have budgets to meet their appetite for originals or would not choose to spend such sums and this wonderful box set offers everything you will ever need. The only three official albums that were initially issued on Island Records plus a superb extra album with no filler material. All the unissued songs are superb and very well recorded. Over time, Drake has become one of the most sort-after folk singers of all time. Possibly not instantly appealing - it took me some time myself to appreciate this man’s work - his voice has a very limited range but the songs are of such quality and with beautiful arrangements, it remains a mystery why this man’s work failed to attract the attention of the buyers of the day. Vocally, I would compare, in female terms to Bridget St John - another cult folk artist with a limited range and equally elusive and collectable. Haunting and mystical and totally compelling, the failure of commercial success was a factor to his eventual self-destruction and only speculation can be made to what level of brilliance this man could have achieved. ‘Fruit Tree’ is a wonderful box set and for the more ‘average’ collector, it’s all you will ever really need. This example will prove very difficult to find better and the guide values for this are also now rising quickly as the originals become ever more elusive and unaffordable.

Box Grade and Format: EX++, little short of Mint(-) with just some light rubbing on the ‘storage’ edge (bottom). A one piece box with hinged lid. It has a matt top finish and a hessian fabric type bottom.

Box Front (lid): Superb and unusually clean with few marks or blemishes. The odd rub trace when viewed under angled light but no creasing, dents or sticker marks.

Box Back (base): Little short of pristine, try finding this better.

Box Inside: Pristine mint as made, the hinge is perfect with no stressing or weakening.

Edges: Bottom has light rubbing, top has odd microscopic rub trace, right practically nothing, left (spine) one small rub trace on top fold only, all text and logo unworn. All edges are clean with no creasing, crushing or splits.

Corners: All crisp and neat with NO repairs or damage, little short of ‘as-made’.

Box Summary: We all know box sets get bashed, rubbed, split and damaged - this one has bucked the trend and remaind in fantastic condition. It will come as no surprise from the buyers of other items from this DJ collection, this is easily up to the standard of the amazing items I have offered recently. This should please most, if not all collectors.

The Inner ‘Replica’ Covers: All near mint as made and importantly, ALL edges are unsplit because the owner lined these with soft anti-static Japanese inners for the ultimate protection of the playing surfaces. I am certain these have hardly ever been handled.

The Book: Surprise, surprise, Mint(-) with just a couple of small and faint handling traces on the front cover. Being matt the odd small fingermark trace will be hard to avoid unless opened with gloves on - hardly likely eh? Sixteen pages of lyrics, pictures and documentary about the reclusive artist. Held together with two staples that are totally tight and unloosened with no rusting. All pages clean and uncreased, hardly gets better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: All Mint(-), my highest grading for any record that has been played more than a mandatory play-grade from myself. Obviously undergraded at that but now all have been played twice but still all could pass for new. Barely a noteworthy mark or blemish to be seen and these look fantastic and I am sure they will delight even the most stringent audiophile collector.

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: All four records play up to their high visual grading with nothing to fault. 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 barely even register and no pops or clicks were noted and all are exceptional clean pressings and fans will know, these are not albums with vast volume so the highest quality pressings are essential. These pass with flying colours and easily match the Island originals - put these on to your turntable blind and you will not even notice any difference. For analogue vinyl fans, there will never be a better value-for-money way of hearing this folk icon. Wonderful detail that takes you into the recording studio itself. No damaging old needles have been anywhere near these eight supremely clean playing surfaces. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this man’s recognised entire catalogue. This set will prove near impossible to find better, possibly one of the least played examples of this elusive box set that will ever be offered on Ebay, maximum recommendation is mandatory.

End Piece: The Nick Drake legend continues to grow as more music lovers discover his music. An elusive character, he rarely performed live, a major factor to the lack of sales of his work. His Island albums are reputed to have sold less than 5,000 units hence their genuine rarity. He was a depressive and suffered from insomnia, he died of a drug overdose at the age of 26. A whole host of modern artists have cited his music as influential which makes his loss even more tragic. Three works of genuine beauty and in this set a fourth of equally wonderful songs. This instant collection of his work goes beyond essential.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£39).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.