THE BLUE NILE Hats Barely Played Audiophile Classic

	£		34
	$		45

ONEADAYRECORDS – NO Reserves – LOW Starting Bids – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: THE BLUE NILE

Album Title: Hats.

Producer(s): The Blue Nile.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Over the Hillside; The Downtown Lights; Let’s Go Out Tonight.

Side 2: Headlights on the Parade; From a Late Night Train; Seven A.M.; Saturday Night.

Label/Format: A&M/Linn/Virgin (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive and I am struggling to find any spindle traces at all.

Cat Number: SP 5284.

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: 100 grams. Forget the weight, here the sound quality.

Country of Manufacture: US.

Rarity: Moderately scarce.

Original Year of Release: 1989

Matrix Nos: SP 05284 - A-ES-3 / SP 05284 - B-ES-2 [06767 X]

Run-Out Groove Etchings: Em?

Musicians: Paul Buchanan - vocals, guitar; Robert Bell - bass; Paul Joseph Moore - keyboards.

Brief Info: The Blue Nile are a somewhat enigmatic band and difficult to pigeon-hole: with just four albums issued in 21 years and nothing since 2004, their output to say the least is sparse. That for fans (including myself), is a shame, as when they produce, they produce big time. Their debut album ‘A Walk Across the Rooftops’ was issued by Linn Records, which was not really a label but a high fidelity audio company famed for their Sondek LP12 turntable (of which I am massive fan and user). So impressive with what they heard, Linn asked the band to make an album to demonstrate the sonic qualities of their audio equipment. This indeed was one of the albums used for demonstration back at the time when I was buying my first high-end system and the sound totally blew me away. Some six years later came ‘Hats’, which took sound quality to even higher levels of brilliance. But sound is not the only reason to listen to this album. The songs are simply sublime with themes of love, it was issued to ecstatic reviews and sold quite well, especially in the UK. The sonic delivery and dynamic range of this record will sort out unworthy audio systems within seconds. I have heard this one on several systems within shops and friends set-ups, and being honest, few can handle the information embedded into these grooves. Less and adequate amps will muddle the information and speakers will simply give up trying to control the pulsating bass-lines. Heard at it’s best, this will quickly demonstrate to non-believers what real hi-fi is all about. ‘Hats’ will be well-known to most audiophiles and it is still widely used to demonstrate quality audio systems and this pressing is easily up to the task. One that appears hardly even played and listening to this for play-grade was simply stunning. It was recorded in the same Scottish studio as the debut and still endorsed by Linn with their logo appearing on the label and cover. Pressing duties in the United States was via A&M. So for those who want one of the most seductive albums ever issued and dare to see if their system is up to it, this merits my highest possible recommendation – surely a new album must be due soon?

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a single unlaminated format with a mild surface sheen. Printed and made in US.

Cover Front: A faint rub near the top edge and a moderate crease towards the right corner. That apart, little else to fault, and this cover seldom wears well.

Cover Back: Very mild rub traces near the top edge, little else bar a tiny few ultra fine edge hairlines.

Top Edge: Two small rub-chips, little else.

Bottom Edge: Any rub traces are tiny and faint.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression . All text is unworn and any rubbing to the blue surface is minimal and light.

Corners: Any tip rubbing is very small indeed and all retain very fine shape or better.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this somewhat wear-prone late 80’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find much better. This attractive item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): the plain white, rounded corner unlined inner is included almost as made. One minor crease with any discolouration minimal and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): this being beyond critical, this reference sound quality has barely (if ever) been played. A super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and fairly solidly pressed. Any surface traces are very few, light and faint. Visually a super record that should please most-all 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 beautifully produced record plays even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is simply stunning with an incredibly wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are few and very gentle (this does have a few quiet moments) and no pops or clicks were noted and this overall, a very clean pressing. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. A record that leads you directly into the recording studio itself – this has the small Linn logo – so that should speak for itself. The pulsating bass that opens side two will put any pair of speakers through it’s paces. Small units could even give up with thuddy booming uncontrolled noise rather than the crisp, tight defined deep bass that should be heard. This is a sublime recording made for the audiophile listener – the songs are achingly beautiful and meaningful. This is music for grown-ups with an ear to listen – not particularly commercial – simply gorgeous – this is a mini-masterpiece. The reviewers of the day got this one absolutely right. But I would wager many still have never even heard it – or of it – The Blue Nile are hardly a household name. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well 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. Even now, after 22 years, this album still sorts out the worthy from the unworthy and provides a demanding test on all parts of the audio chain. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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 - 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 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 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 total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. 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 Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver 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 and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap 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 less than one in two thousand based on over 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, 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 and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). 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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£46 maximum]) = £10. (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.