PETE BROWN & BATTERED ORNAMENTS A Meal… V. RARE HARVEST

	£		192
	$		254

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: PETE BROWN and HIS BATTERED ORNAMENTS

Album Title: A Meal You Can Shake Hands With in the Dark

Producer(s): Andrew King & Dick Heckstall-Smith.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Dark Lady; The Old Man; Station Song; The Politican.

Side 2: Rainy Taxi Girl; Morning Call; Sandcastle; Travelling Blues.

Label/Format: Harvest (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both look fantastic: very clean, fresh and attractive with only a couple of ultra light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: SHVL 752.

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: 144 grams. A little above average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity & Special Notes: Rare: it’s debatable which is the rarest Harvest rock album from the very first from 1968 being Deep Purple’s ‘Book of Taliesyn’. Most would say ‘Jo Sago’ by Tea and Symphony and that is probably correct. But this first album by Pete Brown, the famed Cream lyricist is not too far behind. It sold in small numbers and has always been elusive and difficult to find.

This copy on offer is something of a curate’s egg: it came from a superb small collection that was in fantastic condition. But this one visually was the one exception. So-much-so, I am not even prepared to put a grading on this for looks, to do so would be purely subjective and some would agree to disagree and I prefer to simply to try to describe it. Absolutely, for certain, this record has hardly been played, but both playing surfaces have scuff patterns on them. The only way I can try to explain this is to say it looks like a child has ‘drawn’ patterns on it, like loop circles with a fine rubber. I can honestly say, I have not seen anything quite like it before. They do not look pretty but are only largely seen under light or with closer angled viewing. Let me make is perfectly clear: these rings on the record are scuffs, they are NON-PENETRATING, they have NO SOUND WHATSOEVER, and the record plays little short of FULL MINT. Yes true, these marks are totally superficial and have NO sound at all. Quite how or why they got on this record, I have no idea. So clearly this is NOT a record for the visual pursist, but, and a significant BUT, if you want this rare Harvest record in your collection that offers probably the best possible sound, this IS for you. It is superbly pressed and even the spoken intro parts on ‘Politician’, play to perfection. Let me make this doubly clear: I bought this record only after I had the chance to play it totally, if any of these superficial marks had sounded, I would not have took it. But the truth of the matter is, this plays with absolutely stunning sound and truly, a near mint looking copy would not better it. This too, on one of the world’s most revealing turntables. In 10 years being on Ebay, this is only my third ever copy of this rare album. My first had a couple of jumps, the other some surface sound – this one being marked on both sides has barely a trace at all and offers studio quality sound. The cover is also in very fine condition and for those who want nigh-on audio perfection over stunning good looks, well this is the copy. The more I look at this record, the more baffled I get to how these marks got on this record, I will never know. But what I DO know is, it sounds FANTASTIC. So if these ring abrasions on both sides are an issue, for goodness sake do not bid – this is NO looker – but the audio quality is little short of perfection – chalk and cheese – and one of the strangest records I have had to offer. I regard this as one of the ‘lost’ prog Harvest classics. A brilliant album by this famed poet and lyricist, not the greatest vocalist ever and here he sounds a little under the influence. But that’s why is sounds to wonderfully spaced-out. The backing by the Battered Ornaments is wonderful. A really jazzy mind-fest and brilliant lyrics. ‘The Politician’ has to be the most bizarre song this label ever produced, it’s simply hilarious with very risque lyrics. A totally unique experience with Brown in overdrive and almost out-of-control, this is one of my favourite early Harvest albums ever and it truly will rarely be heard cleaner or better on vinyl. Just do not scrutinise the record for looks, just enjoy the music. Any doubts at all, DO NOT BID.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: SHVL 752 A-2 / SHVL 752 B-2

Mothers / Stampers: 1 M / 1 O

Musicians: Pete Brown - lead vocals, trumpet, slide whistle, talking drum; Nisar Ahmed Khan - tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, flute; Chris Spedding - lead guitar, slide guitar, piano, Portuguese chittarra; Charlie Hart - organ, mourth organ; Pete Bailey - congas, African drum, assorted percussion; Butch Potter - bass guitar, banjo; Rob Tait- drum; Dick Heckstall-Smith - tenors saxophones.

Brief Info: An absolutely brilliant and one of the earliest Harvest ‘rock’ albums ever. It sold in tiny numbers and both label variant pressings are equally difficult to find. Inventive and totally unique, no other album sounds anything like this. Brown, the famed Cream lyricist is let loose with The Battered Ornaments, but only briefly, he was dismissed soon after this legendary recording and joined Pibloko. No great singer, but his use of words is wonderful and at times amusing. His love of the word ‘baby’ for his woman is very 60s and boy does he use if often. I have mentioned in detail the issue with the visuals of this record and I am not going to repeat it all again – simply read my paragraph on ‘rarity and notes’ above. I will mention however mention again how well this 41-year-old record plays, and that is stunning, lovely cover too. Easily in the top three or four rarest Harvest albums ever and still vastly undervalued. Quite a long album too, but you simply will not want it to end – this is Brown at his excentric best and my personal favourite of his ever – YEAH BABBBYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a gatefold format with front and back laminate. The inside is matt finished. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day.

Lamination – Front & Back: Both sides retain impressive shine and clarity and are fully adhered with no lifting or blisters. Light rim impression with light dulling around the same seen on the back under light, any on the front near the top and bottom edges, but only very light indeed. A few very light pressmarks and a tiny few light creases seen also under light. The top left corner of the back has some moderate creasing. But little spoils the look of this elusive cover: the bright vivid red colour of the front is hugely impressive and few available examples will better is significantly I feel sure.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Odd light crease but any grubbiness on the white surfaces is minimal, very light and faint. Both are very impressively clean and fresh.

Top Edges: Both unworn, smooth and unscuffed.

Bottom Edges: A couple of tiny surface chips, little else.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no real wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on the back edge. Very lightly bowed being critical, so not resting dead flat, this hardly unusual on laminated gatefolds.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with mild compression. A central recess formed by opening hence the text has slightly sunken but is fully present and unworn. Folded square so the edges are flush and neat and the spine retains practically all it’s laminate with any peeling light and small.

Corners: All retain excellent shape with any chips or wear tiny and light.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this rare late 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This visually very pleasing sleeve should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): a plain white solid unlined inner. Little aged and very neat with hardly any creasing and minimal discolour. All edges unsplit with no repairs.

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.]

Vinyl Condition/Visuals & Sound: NO GRADING: it is purely down to individual opinion. This record is marked – it has several full ring marks as explained above. One side more than the other, I have no idea whatsoever how or why these got on their. These are scuffs, NOT scratches and they have NO SOUND at all. Not a record for the visual purist for sure, but as stated, these marks have NO sound whatsoever, not even a trace, in fact this record plays nigh-on perfectly and not even one pop or click was noted and a very quite pressing too. It retains a lovely shine and is solidly pressed, the rings and loops more seen under light but sufficiently present to be seen regardless. Probably the most bizarre record I have seen as the marks appear deliberate in a strange kind of way. Maybe a drunken attempt to locate the spindle?, whatever, this record looks hardly played and these marks could not have been made by a stylus, that I feel is impossible. They cannot be felt or heard and that is the most important factor, purely visual and superficial ring scuffs. The sound is pristine, fully focused and quiet. In terms of audio quality, this is nigh-on unbeatable and offers studio quality sound. If the music and it’s clarity is a priority over looks, well this is for you, but if you enjoy drooling over a pristine unmarked record, this is certainly is not for you. You pays your money, you takes your choice, if marks on records are not tolerable, do NOT bid.

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 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.

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.

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 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 3 or 4 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). 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 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. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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: 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 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’.