QUINTESSENCE In Blissful Company SCARCE ORIG UK 1969 NEAR MINT ISLAND LP.

	£		140
	$		186

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: QUINTESSENCE

Album Title: In Blissful Company

Producer(s): John Barham

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Giants; Manco Capac; Body; Ganga Mai; Chant.

Side 2: Pearl and Bird; Notting Hill Gate; Midnight Mode.

Label/Format: Island – Original full pink format with white i logo. These are the early, deeply coloured salmon pink types which are less often seen variants of the standard pink labels. Both are matt and quite smooth finished with a deep inner ring ridge, a high quality Phonogram pressing.

Label Conditions: Both immaculate – very clean, fresh and highly attractive. Just a faint spindle trace on side two, this elusive Island original is in stunning condition, very well pressed and hardly even played.

Cat Number: ILPS 9110Q

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. A very good weight for this or any record.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Scarce: and I regard this as one of the most difficult albums on the Island label for several reasons. The music style and content has varying levels of sound with complex vocals, guitar parts and flute, all testing delicate grooves for complex information and hugely intolerant of heavy tracking or stylus abuse. The groove information on side one especially are intricate looking more like a classical record with wide and narrow bands of dark and light areas. Can you imagine a 10+ gram blunt mono needle scraping into these delicate grooves, and the disastrous results and the terrible sound that would result? This record has suffered no such abuse plays superbly and devoid of the crackle, pressing sounds and distortion few seem to avoid. All is focused, sharp and precise with the very best sound I have heard on this album for years. The cover is one of the most lavish on this label too. A lovely design that cried out for laminate protection, but not to be. Most are seen in very poor condition with all forms of wear on the outer surfaces – this one is also very impressive with minimal hint of age or wear, it does the hardly played more than splendid justice. The inside has a 12 page book and this has die-cut parts that seldom remain intact without tears and damage – this one has bucked-the-trend and has all the pages nigh-on perfect, also still strongly intact. Lastly, the inner sleeve, this is rarely found with unsplit edges, creasing and even ring wear, this one is little short of as-made. To find this album at all is difficult, hardly a big seller and I still feel Quintessence are one of Island’s most under-appreciated acts, with many prog collectors still to discover their talent. Finding an intact copy is a challenge and with a first issue record sounding this clean, immensely difficult these days. A rare and elusive album, and a great album as well.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9110Q A // 1 7 1 2 & ILPS 9110Q B // 2 1 1 2

Musicians: Shiva Shankar Jones – voice, keyboards, percussion; Raja Ram – flute, percussion; Sambhu Baba – bass guitar, guitar; Maha Dev – guitar; Allan Mostert – lead guitar, bass guitar, sitar; Jake Milton – drums, percussion.

Brief Artist & Album Info: The first, and rarest of three albums Quintessence made on Island, only the first two were on the pink format. The quintessential hippy band, formed in London, that skillfully blended Eastern music with English electric guitars. All very smooth and working perfectly, Raja Ram’s superb flute work holds all the songs together beautifully and this band’s music and style worked very successfully, but sales were very modest. Both the pink album’s packaging was spectacular too, with the second album’s front cover opening from both sides like a doorway into heaven. This album has a mystical type inner sleeve (included here) and a 12-page book that remains fully intact to the cover with no damage to the die-cut pages. I rate this band highly, I can think of few others with a similar sound – wonderful mystical progressive rock with light jazzy elements that deserved a wider audience, and the same still goes today. For those still to hear this band, this is a great place to start and this very impressive first issue does it’s splendour high justice.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and very arguably, worthy of a (+) being so prone to all forms of wear and damage, this is a truly outstanding example. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt smooth surfaces. It has a 12-page book inside. This is stuck into the spine area, not stapled, hence vulnerable to falling apart. Some pages have die-cut shapes which makes them fragile and prone to all forms of damage. Printed and made in England by E. J. Day. This includes the unlined card graphic inner sleeve.

Cover Front: A beautiful front cover that has little wear, and so few will show less. When I state the only minuscule blemish is a tiny chip on the left spine edge. On its own, I would have no hesitation in grading this front near mint. Remaining very clean, fresh, barely creased, unfaded with no sticker issues. The odd tiny tip rub being critical, this unforgiving surface will rarely be seen better – a really beautiful front for this mystical album.

Cover Back: Tiny tip rubs only, little else to fault. The lack of rubbing and especially ring wear are major pluses. Both front and back are exceptional.

Cover Inner Gatefold and Book: All easy to describe – the inside and outside back covers are immaculate. All pages of the book are immaculate and still very solidly attached to the spine. Little to add, simply enjoy.

Top Edges: Both very straight, flat and flush, also close to parallel with only a little rubbing to the very ends of the front.

Bottom Edges: Light to moderate patchy rubbing, again, both straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with minimal patchy thickening and no trimming or enhancements. Record enters on the back edge, the front is closed.

Spine and Text: A very solid, thick and robust spine with minimal traces or rubbing and no compression. Straight and folded square with all text avoiding wear and superbly centred. The best spine I have ever seen on this cover, with even the folds showing minimal hint of rubbing.

Corners: Light (spine) to moderate (others) tip rubbing with very fine to excellent shape retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: A difficult and challenging cover and rarely seen like this. Only the rubbing on the storage edges stops a high grading which is arguably deserves anyway. An intolerant and wear-prone cover usually badly aged and worn, this is an exceptional one that indeed could prove a major upgrade for some. It should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT: a word I rarely contemplate using on any part of any album set unless fully merited. This equally wear-prone inner sleeve is simply in supreme, as-made condition – and they rarely ever are. Unlined and made with thin card. This is simply immaculate with no creasing, rubbing, fading, ring wear or edge splits (or repairs).

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR MINT: a gorgeous visual copy that is very clean with beautiful shine and very solidly pressed. A copy played no more than a couple of times, including my mandatory sound-check with any surface traces bordering on minuscule, very light and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, barely anything even registers. Visually a supreme Island original that should please most collectors – like the cover, this record could prove a near ultimate upgrade that plays practically as great as it looks. A truly age-defying example of one of the most challenging on the label.

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 brilliant, and arguably still underrated album plays up to it’s high visual grading with hardly anything to fault. I also realise that is a bold statement for a massively complex and challenging album that has intense sound and some quiet passages. The very best copy I have heard to date that offers 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 – absolute silence near impossible – but this has little to fault with any polite reminders of what is being played few and faint. Overall, an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Few available copies will match or outperform this early first pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played hardly at all, and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. Their unique sound is given full justice on this elusive record. 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 programs. 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’.