STRAWBS Scarce Orig UK 1969 Gold A&M N/M LP & EX Cover

	£		32
	$		42

Hi, I am Mike, now 50 – yes the big FIVE-O! Old enough to remember the golden era of original, high quality music, bands, artists.

Also records from the 1960s and 70s bought from the shops from new, I have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 37 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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 reader – 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 one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. 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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortophon 520 Mk II cartridge (tracks at 1.75 grams). Amps: Arcam 2 x 125W Pre-Power. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO massively thick stiffners for even extra protection and bubble wrap if deemed necessary. These stiffners are the thickest possible and custom supplied for ‘Oneadayrecords’ – these are NOT commercially available and you will not have seen thicker protection anywhere. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used as well as ‘Fragile’ tape for that extra professional touch for the packet. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the cheapest and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 3,500+ items sold in over 5 years of Ebay trading (I am now one of most established sellers via Ebay) and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

Album Title: Strawbs.

Producer(s): Gus Dudgeon.

Track Listing:

Side 1: The Man Who Called Himself Jesus; That Which Once Was Mine; All the Little Ladies; Pieces of 79 and 15; Tell Me What You See in Me; Oh, How She Changed.

Side 2: Or Am I Dreaming; Where Is This Dream of Your Youth; Poor Jimmy Wilson; Where Am I – I’ll Show You Where to Sleep; The Battle.

Label/Format: A&M – original deep gold format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both immaculate and this too on a 1969 album. Reference standard labels that could almost pass for new. No spindle marks on side one and just one trace on side two. This record, fast approaching forty is in sublime condition and will prove near impossible to find like this again.

Cat Number: AMLS 936.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 132 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce on the deep gold label. This copy is fairly rare and quite unusual as it includes the original centre loading cover that has an open edge on the right also. BOTH entrances have NO glue marks or residues and clearly this cover was manufactured this way. Most found have the side entrance only and this centre loading example was not available very long before being changed to the more conventional format, not only that, it’s in very fine condition too. I have never seen a dual-entry version of this cover before.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: AMLS 939 A-1 *T / AMLS 939 B-1 *T (deeply punched and pronounced).

Stamper Codes: P 1 / N 1

Musicians: Dave Cousins - Guitars, vocals; Tony Hooper - Guitars, vocals; Ron Chesterman - Bass. There is string and reed backing too.

Brief Info: An excellent debut album from this highly versatile folk-rock band that received glowing reviews when issued. An album that pleased both folk and rock fans and their subsequent albums continued to do so thereafter. Here a trio before others joined soon after and this set remains one of the strongest ever albums and includes some wonderful Dave Cousins compositions. This this original copy has been incredibly well preserved, the record almost as new and the delicate unprotected cover still very attractive with any wear modest. The record plays like new too and devoid of any pressing sounds of which I have heard on early Strawbs albums before especially their second album. This beauty will thrill even the audiophile sound purists.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: [Unlaminated covers are always the most vulnerable for rubbing, fading, sticker tears and ringwear, gatefolds are more prone still and the darker they are, the more this type of wear occurs and shows. Some sleeves have a textured finish or die-cut shaped edges or ‘windows’. These are even more delicate and the hardest to find in top condition. Fully laminated covers are more resistent to wear but often the laminate ages with dulling, creases and blistering. Many 60s covers have outer flipback construction, these are very vulnerable to damage]. (US covers are the most fragile of all, very rarely laminated and made with thick brittle card that rubs and ringwears badly. Seams and edges split easily). Please see format below to access this cover’s potential for wear and damage.

Cover Grade and Format: EX and this is no mean grading for this very wear-prone cover. This is an unlaminated gatefold format that has the original very wide thick spine. As stated, this is the rare original centre-loading format and unsually also has an open and never glued right edge too, these will more prone to wear and damage because of that. Most of these will be found with splits to the foldline and are far more vulnerable to damage. The front cover is only single thickness and is delicate, few escape creasing either and the back will be seldom seen devoid of ringwear from the soldily pressed record. This was printed and made in England by MacNeill Press Ltd.

Cover Front: Given to this covers delicate disposition, this is in very fine condition and the actual surface area looks fantastic. The only blemishing of any real note is rubbing to the left spine edge foldline. Being so thin and fragile this is hardly any surprise and most have it (and much worse too). This front is very clean and attractive and retaining a very rich and deep colour with no fading at all. The lack of creasing and rubbing is highly significant and the artwork looks fantastic and retains a high degree of freshness. Also for a change, the open edges are neat and devoid of burring and tattiness, few will be this neat these days.

Cover Back: Again in exceptional condition overall but there is a little mild burring to the top edge and lesser so to the bottom. Again the lack of creasing, rubbing and especially ringwear makes for a very attractive back.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The odd light mark and light traces of minor ‘set-off’ where the dark artwork rests atop the light but this is indeed ultra light and minor here and the least I have ever seen. The most significant factor is the lack of wear or damage on the delicate spine fold line. Yes, not even a nick split at top or bottom and that is very unusual indeed and is good proof the record has hardly ever made the journey out. As the record is stored here, via the centrefold (not the edge as per most later examples), most all will split and tear, the single thickness card shows little resistence for more ‘used’ copies. Was this the reason this format was changed later? Again this is a huge bonus on this original rare cover and is highly unusual and significant.

Top Edges: The thin front is very crisp and neat, the back has slightly thickened with lightish burr traces visible on the back but this is being somewhat critical.

Bottom Edges: Very similar to above overall.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear or feathering, the right edge is also open on this one and quite honestly, I don’t think I have ever seen one with access to BOTH centre and right edges being available. Clearly the record can enter via the centre or this right edge and I can guarantee, neither entrance has any glue marks or residues so it was clearly made this way. It this cover actually unique?

Spine and Text: A thin (in thinkness) but wide in width, but flimsy spine due to the single thickness and clearly these types have to withstand a fair amount of pressure and potential damage. The most of any wear lies on the top foldline and compression is almost unavoidable in storage and this has tilted from right to left making the right edge appear slightly short of the back. Still sold and unworn, the surface has darkened a little but all text is present and totally unworn.

Corners: The spine pair have rubbing, only light on the bottom but more moderate near the top. The right edges are have little wear and they retain fine shape and overall definition is neat.

Cover Summary: A splendid all round example of this very fragile late 60’s original format cover – I say original format, but how unusual is one with dual-entrance? All the centre loading originals I have seen have a close right edge but this one is opened and never glues on both sides. With so little overall wear and such good looks retained, it will prove difficult to find much better. This still attractive item should please many collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and again, it could almost pass for new. A superb visual copy that is super clean with excellent shine and still intense black and solidly pressed. Hardly a noteworthy mark to be seen and the grooves have lovely complex patterns which is always a good indication of high quality sound and true here. Visually a fine vintage record that should please most collectors again.

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 snippetts 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This wonderful debut album plays up to its high visual grading with 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 – this has real punchy bass and depth and sounded quite magnificant. Pretty much devoid of any surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this too on a mostly acoustic album. Few copies will match or outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, one I enjoyed immensely, this truly has few blemishes and given the material, this is I regard as truly exceptional. This copy will prove near impossible to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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 will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. US; Australia; Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.