RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON I Want to See… SCARCE SUPER ORIG UK 1973 ISLAND EX++ LP

	£		60
	$		80

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: RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON

Album Title: I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight

Producer(s): John Wood and Richard Thompson

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: When I Get to the Border; Calvary Cross; Withered and Died; I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight; Down Where the Drunkards Roll.

Side 2: We’ll Sing Hallelujah; Has He Got a Friend For Me; The Little Beggar Girl; The End of the Rainbow; The Great Valerio.

Label/Format: Island – Original pink rim format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both look fantastic: very clean, fresh and attractive with any of the very small few small and faint.

Cat Number: ILPS 9266.

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: 124 grams. Fairly typical for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: almost universally ignored on issue, and try finding one a great deal better. This is a beautiful copy, the cover is stunning.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: ILPS - 9266 - A-1U / ILPS - 9266 - B-1U

Mothers / Stampers: 1 L / 1 A

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘STERLING’ [in tiny punched type both sides]

Musicians: Richard Thompson – guitar, vocals, hammered dulcimer, mandolin, whistle, piano, electric piano, harmonium; Linda Thompson – vocals; Timmy Donald – drums; Pat Donaldson – bass guitar; John Kirkpatrick – accordion, concertina; Simon Nicol – dulcimer; Brian Gulland – krummhorn; Richard Harvey – krummhorn; Royston Wood – harmony vocals; Trevor Lucas - harmony vocals; The CWS Silver Band.

Brief Info: A magnificent album, and arguably the best post Fairport Convention album Thompson ever made and that is a bold statement considering the quality of this man’s catalogue. Vocal duties are largely shared and this has some truly sublime moments and includes of course plenty of Richard’s very distinctive guitar sound. Hard to actually believe this record is over 42 years old now. A magnificent copy in all departments. Superbly produced with real hi-fi sound quality, but I have known it to be spoiled by noisy pressings – this one has little to fault at all and is a very early original. The cover is fully laminated and this one comes very close to reminding of new – it is a stunning example. Includes the lyric inner sleeve which is unsplit and only very gently aged with a tiny hint of toning. Quite how this album failed to sell when first issues is something of a mystery, apparently the music press of time largely ignored it too which would not have helped of course. Beautiful detail and a very powerful bass in the mix, this album has long been a favourite of mine and I never tire of hearing it again. Nothing particularly unusual in the fact that a poor selling album has over time been now labelled a masterpiece – and Bright Lights certainly is that. The contents of this album are sublime and this very early pressing does it close to maximum justice.

Cover Grade and Format: MINT(–): by a distance the very best one I have ever seen. A single fully laminated format. Printed and made in England by Robor Ltd, and includes the card lyric inner sleeve.

Lamination – Front & Back: Wow! – this one is a little big special – it almost looks new. One-owner since purchase and then cover-protected, I doubt if these superb laminated surface have hardly been touched. The artwork may look quite simplistic, but this works beautifully and is seen to maximum advantage under ultra shiny, super-fresh and clear laminate. No lifting, no dulling and hardly any creasing at all, even fine edge hairline types are tiny, very few and faint, that same goes for any marks. Any traces lines are purely from the print factory machine grippers that are natural and faint, these are commonly seen on many covers of this era. Having worked in print for 35+ years, I know these type of marks well. Even the deeply pinched spine ends, seen as flats with front-on viewing, are immaculate. Honestly, I can hardly imagine finding this gorgeous cover better and most-all collectors will treasure it.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both perfectly straight and very smooth with no scuffs or chips.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp and practically wear-free, one tiny burr trace being ultra critical seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Immaculate: solid, straight with no compression, the ends quite deeply pinched in manufacture. Not quite as deep as Traffic’s ‘Canteen’, but quite close. These details are totally unworn as well. All text is perfect and unworn (as seen) under the solid, clear, untoned and uncracked laminate.

Corners: Any tip rubbing is minuscule to none with nigh-on perfect shape retained with no knocks or dinks.

Cover Summary: Simply a beautiful age-defying gorgeous cover, quite possibly the best you will see offered for a long time. It should please most-all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): in terms of wear or damage, this has none. But it does have some small and faint tone spotting to gently remind of age. A thin unlined card inner with lyrics and graphics of the then husband and wife. One side has a deep recessed opening to aid removing the record, this is crisp and totally unworn as well. No creasing, edge splits or repairs. All very neat indeed.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and quite solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface trace marks few, very light, fine and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. Most traces finer than hairlines and as most realise, these card inner sleeves are never surface friendly. But I doubt if this has been out of the cover many times anyway. Visually a super record that should please many, if not 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 brilliant album plays even above it’s high visual grading for most-all 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. Great songs with top-class production and sound values, this will make any quality system excel. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed – this especialy noteworthy as I have heard a few of these that crackle, but this one has very little. A trace on the final difficult song ‘The Great Valerio’, that often being the most difficult on the album, this actually being one of the cleanest ones I have heard for it overall. Generally, an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been expertly stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, the odd crackle trace being nigh-on impossible to avoid on such records, 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’.