SPOOKY TOOTH - The Last Puff - RARER ORIG UK 1970 PINK TEXTURED ISLAND EX+ LP.

	£		63
	$		84

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 will now be blocked 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: SPOOKY TOOTH (Featuring Mike Harrison)

Album Title: The Last Puff.

Producer(s): Chris Stainton & Chris Blackwell.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: I Am The Walrus; The Wrong Time; Something to Say.

Side 2: Nobody There At All; Down River; Son of Your Father; The Last Puff.

Label/Format: Island – pink i format with the genuine first issue rough textured surfaces and deep inner ring. This pair have the most beautiful deep real pink hue and amongst the prettiest pair of Island labels I have seen.

Label Conditions: Superb clean examples that look little handled or used and practically as clean and fresh as when made. Any of the tiny few spindle traces very fine and faint, this record also plays as impressively as it looks.

Cat Number: ILPS 9117.

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: 145 grams. A very impressive solid weight.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Ultimate first issues in this condition are quite rare, quite a late pink album with the new pink rim format not too far away. Most ‘pinks’ seen have the smooth surface.

Original Year of Release: July 1970 [this copy has the matching inner sleeve date-code]

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9117 A // 1 1 1 & ILPS 9117 B // 1 1 2

Brief Artist & Album Info: This is classic Spooky Tooth and I regard this as one of the more difficult titles on Island to find in fine conditions. A ‘progressive’ set with a fair degree of heaviness, it includes their classic version of ‘I am the Walrus’ which is worth the price alone. A band who never really gained any degree of superstardom probably due to the fact they rarely kept a stable line-up for any length of time, also not helped by a very experimental third album that would have scared many listeners off. This is a superb first issue textured pink label pressing with practically the earliest matrixes as seen above, clearly hardly played with two stunning labels and sound quality. It offers fantastic powerful audio quality and will prove beyond difficult to find better. The very wear prone cover is also impressive with not a great deal to fault, especially with such a thick heavy record inside for over 44 years. For good measure, the original July 1970 inner sleeve is included.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: and arguably worthy of a (+). A single unlaminated format with matt, smooth surfaces, also made with very thin card which never wears well. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press. Includes the ultimate first July 1970 inner sleeve as seen in close-up.

Cover Front: Another difficult one with flimsy thin card, most of the early ones get ringworn which this one has avoided. Clean, fresh and attractive, there is a fairly light crease near the bottom right corner that has very modest visibility. A little very fine edge rubbing and the odd tiny corner tip crease, but overall, this front will take some beating and looks really nice.

Cover Back: Small tip rubs and the odd tiny tip crease, little else. Rarely seen one of these look better being honest, again the lack of ringwear is a major plus.

Top Edge: Thin but straight with any rub traces very fine and light.

Bottom Edge: Again straight with some surface rubbing, being the storage edge, most will have some, and in most cases more than here.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and still mostly sharp with little wear, any thickening or burring only small and light as seen more critically viewed end-on. Also seen end-on it will become immediately apparent just how thin this card is. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid, quite straight with some compression in places. The nipped manufactured ends have a little rubbing. The main area has a little patchy rubbing as well, most of the text is still present and strong with just the ‘ST’ eroded in ‘LAST’. Given the fragile nature of this spine, this is quite commendable overall.

Corners: All the corners have rubbed with fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: An attractive all-round example of this quite unforgiving and certainly wear-prone early 1970’s cover, one that it very likely to prove difficult to find much better. With most of any wear on the bottom edge and corner tips, this still attractive item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a Polydor style lined inner that is date-coded 0770, this of reitterates just how early this copy is. July 1970 is the exact month and year of issue, all confirmed by practically the first ever stamper codes seen above. Gently aged with some seam edge darkening, both window circles immaculate and the lining clear. One corner crease, any others only fine, all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): side one even better, this is a super record. Very clean with impressive shine, intense black and quite heavily pressed. Immediately striking are those incredibly deep pink labels that do come as close as possble of reminding of new – this a great indication of few plays – but never entirely definitive of course. But I am totally convinced this record has had very little use, any surface marks or traces are ultra fine and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. There merest hint of inner sleeve dulling – this being ultra critical under my intense desk grading lamp – barely a 1 on a scale of 1 to 10. No penetrating stylus marks at all and visually a wonderful vintage Island record that should please 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 somewhat lesser-lauded Island gem plays even above it’s visual grading with practically 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 registered and few available copies will play better than this. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this lovely first-issue Polydor-pressed Island record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and merits strong recommendation.

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’.