STRAWBS Grave New World SCARCE ORIG UK A&M TRANSLUCENT EX+ LP, STUNNING COVER.

	£		39
	$		52

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, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take longer 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.

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. Please only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: STRAWBS

Album Title: Grave New World

Producer(s): Gus Dudgeon and Strawbs

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Benedictus; Hey Little Man … Thursday's Child; Queen of Dreams; Heavy Disguise; New World.

Side 2: The Flower and the Young Man; Tomorrow; On Growing Older; Ah Me, Ah My; Is It Today, Lord?; The Journey's End.

Label/Format: A&M, first issue format with matt, very gently textured surfaces. The record is a red translucent pressing which means light passes through the disc when held directly against a bright light source (e.g. a light bulb), but you cannot see through the record itself. Viewed normally, this record appears to be a standard black vinyl pressing, only when put in front of a light bulb does the red affect become apparent as seen in my picture.

Label Conditions: Both clean, fresh and attractive with only one or two very light, fine and faint spindle traces and no wear around the hole area. This record purchased new by one owner, cover protected and appearing hardly played.

Catalogue Number: 68078

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Few vintage records are ever perfectly ‘flat’, so some slight or very gentle arm movement is normal. If any record I offer has more than that, I will mention it, and it can be assumed all I offer should track without issues, even on budget turntables.

Weight of this Record: 151 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Moderate, but hardly played, complete first issues with a lovely hardly worn cover are much harder.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: AMLH 68078 A-4 G / AMLH 68078 B-4 G

Mothers / Stampers: CL 1 / AU 4

Musicians: Dave Cousins – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dulcimer, recorder; Tony Hooper – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, autoharp, tambourine; Blue Weaver – organ, piano, harmonium, mellotron, clavioline; John Ford – lead vocals, backing vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar; Richard Hudson – backing vocals, drums, sitar, tablas.

Brief Info: The fourth Strawbs album and first minus Rick Wakeman that had left to join Yes. A very lavishly packed album that sold well and another magnificent set. Not an easy one to find as an original with light plays and this looks little played at all and plays very well with little unwanted – that never to be taken for granted. I have heard copies of this with some unpleasant pressing noises and distortion which this copy has avoided. The cover often wears very badly, but this has the least wear I have possibly seen to date. Overall a lovely age-defying copy of one of their very best albums.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and arguably better still, all the outer areas are truly immaculate. A double gatefold unlaminated format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press Ltd. This includes the 16 page lyric book and the A&M promotional inner sleeve.

Cover Front & Back: It is immediately apparent this has been cover protected almost from new as all the outer areas, including the edges are practically as-issued. This is notorious for rubbing and wear, but these black surfaces are in stunning condition as-seen. Clean, fresh with barely any traces of rubbing or creasing, the lack of rim impression, or ring wear from the thick record is almost remarkable. What a glorious piece of cover art this is, the front graphic is jaw-drop beautiful, the back the same. Try finding these surfaces better.

The Third Black Inner Face: This inside edge and there the record is inserted appears to have a little light rubbing near the top and bottom edges. But I am certain this is not rubbing, but gentle set-off from the face that rests upon it when closed. This natural and pretty much unavoidable unless a piece of square paper is insert inbetween – and being honest, who would have ever thought about doint that? Anyway, this set-off is minimal and very light. There is little else to fault on this face.

Cover Inner Gatefold: More superb artwork and looking very impressive with barely any wear to the main three inside faces. This silver-grey ink is quite delicate and rubs very easily – hence it sets-off so readily on any surface that makes contact with it. So to find this with no rubbing or wear is unusual. The only blemish per se is some natural waving of the inner card. This reasonably modest and not affecting the outer face card at all.

Top & Bottom Edges: All six – yes six folded edges, are immaculate. Straight, flush and parallel with no rubbing whatsoever. All perfectly natural with NO tipping-in or enhancements guaranteed. Cover protection has done a fantastic job of keeping all these outer surfaces as-made, and rarely with this be seen as such.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The left opening edge is very neat and sharp with barely any hint of thickening. This probably designed to store the book. The right side is closed, black and with no rubbing at all, this also very straight.

Spine and Text: Apart from a little neat tilt to the left, this spine is also immaculate. Solid, straight with no crushing or compression. Also folded square, so all edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn and that is quite unusual. The same for all folds and no enhancements again. In fact, there are no cosmetic improvements to this cover whatsoever – none needed.

Corners: All the corners area also in amazing condition with barely even a hint of rubbing. All retain near mint shape with no knocks or dinks.

Cover Summary: A beautiful all-round example of this magnificently designed, but very wear-prone 1970s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. Yes, a little natural waving inside, but I can guarantee this has never seen any liquid contact or abuse. This beautiful and somewhat lavish item should please many, if not most collectors. Cover art seldom gets much nicer than this.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): a single unlined A&M promotional inner that has little real wear but has aged with some moderate discolouration to the edge adhesive areas. Hardly creased and all edges are solid and unsplit with no repairs.

The Book: NEAR MINT: a 16-page lyric book with illustrations and another important part of this quality package. The two spine staples are solid and unloosened with any tarnishing traces tiny and light. The pages still fresh and clean with any blemishes minuscule, no creasing or tears. I doubt if this has hardly made the trip outside the main cover.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and quite heavily pressed on red transluscent vinyl – this term explained above in the label paragraph. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface marks few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, barely anything even registers. Minor dull traces in manufacture have no affect on sound. Visually a super record that should please many 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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This brilliant Strawbs classic plays even above it’s high visual grading with 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. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is a clean pressing with no tracking issues*. No inherent pressing rasps or distortion, an album that I have heard a few times that have it, but this minimal blemishes overall. Few available copies will outperform this early first pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been superbly stored and carefully handled within a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any major note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this lovely record. It will prove 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 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

I am one of the most established sellers on Ebay, trading since 2001 and offering the finest 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 all elements of the items I offer for sale. You may notice I only submit records quite 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 story. I will try to 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 near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. I hope the item below is to your liking – any questions can be emailed and I will do my best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, major 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 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie 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 D7500 DSLR 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.

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 bid retractions. 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 only 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 2 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive – if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund if the item is returned in the same condition is was sent e.g. as per the listing pictures.

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, 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.