THE GROUNDHOGS Thank Christ for the Bomb RARER ORIG UK 1970 BLUE LIBERTY LP.

	£		48
	$		64

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World £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. More details on this 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: THE GROUNDHOGS

Album Title: Thank Christ For The Bomb.

Producer(s): Tony McPhee.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Strange Town; Darkness is No Friend; Soldier; Thank Christ For the Bomb.

Side 2: Ship on the Ocean; Garden; Status People; Rich Man, Poor Man; Eccentric Man.

Label/Format: Liberty – First pressing on the more elusive blue Liberty label. These have matt and very gently textured surfaces (please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Although they have some visible spindle marks – many record players of the early 1970s and before, had quite sharp steel spindles that left their mark more freely – both remain fresh and attractive. In terms of spindle mark numbers, only few, especially so on side two. A copy I feel sure has been played quite lightly and the sound remains strong and clear with very little to fault throughout.

Cat Number: LBS 83295.

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: 140 grams. First blue label issues in most cases are heavier than the black labels, this being 15 grams heavier than the last black second pressing I sold.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: A late Liberty album on the blue label, soon to change to the more often seen black new format. Indeed this was the final Groundhogs album to be made on this label and it remains elusive when found on it.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: LBS 83295 A 1 1 2 4 / LBS 83295 B 1 1 1 5

Brief Artist & Album Info: The third and my personal favourite by this hard-rock trio, less bluesy than the previous two albums, this is The Groundhogs at their very best, a concept album with a distinctive progressive edge. The subject matter is more than obvious from the title and cover, it features their best known line-up of Tony McPhee on vocals and guitar; Pete Cruickshank on bass and Ken Pustelnik on drums. Brilliantly powerful rock with McPhee again blazing away on guitar. Also great packaging with a classy heavily textured gatefold E. J. Day sleeve which unfortunately is very prone to all forms of wear. This one has been quite well looked after but still has a few mild issues, the record has little to fault and sounds impressive. A blues trio enjoying a renaissance of interest from collectors and justifiably so – this is a real classic.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high+: yellow is one of the most revealing colours for blemishes and marks and that too with unprotected, textured outer sides and somewhat soft card, makes for a highly wear-prone cover that is seldom seen even a decent very good, especially the earlier examples.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD(+): an unlaminated gatefold format with the front and back quite heavily textured. The inside is smooth. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group on soft card.

Cover Front: Overall, still attractive with any traces of grubbiness little and very light indeed. Some edge rubbing and gently faded on the spine edge, this cover is highly prone to that via natural light exposure in racks. A little creasing the top edge near the left corner and to the odd corner tip or two. No sticker issues and barely any other creasing or rubbing, so the main areas look really strong and impressive, all the graphics are superb. Compared to some I have seen, this cover is still pleasing, but not for the highly discerning.

Cover Back: The back has a few light creases and some quite mild grubbiness towards the left edge. A small surface scuff near the bottom edge. Again, the graphics are unaffected by rubbing and look strong. There is a small vintage price sticker near the top right corner with the price in both pre-decimal and new decimal prices (39/11) and 1.99 1/2. The lack of ring wear on this cover is a major plus for sure.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Mild edge rubbing, but little else to fault really, ultra faint set-off traces being almost beyond critical.

Top Edges: Light to moderate rubbing.

Bottom Edges: Only quite light rubbing on the front edge, the back moderate or a fraction more with some gentle wooliness that these soft covers acquired when rubbed.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely any hint of wear. But I am not ruling out possible trimming as the inner sleeve is a fairly tight fit width-wise and they look a little too neat. This only an opinion and I do not know the full history of this record. I am purely being as honest as I possibly can, if I suspect anything like this – including toughing-in of artwork, I will state as such. Basically, they look lovely and sometimes inners can be tight, but not often, possibly the wider spine has something to do with it and not all these covers have it.

Spine and Text: Quite solid and thick, straight with minimal compression. It has faded a little and has some grubbiness, both folds have rubbed but the main surface has little. Folded quite square so the edges meet up fairly close and only a little off parallel. To see this with practically all the text intact and present is unusual but the proof is seen on my close-up picture. That again, is a another plus-point as many are seen threadbare.

Corners: All corners have rubbed with most fine shape retained, some nearer very fine.

Cover Summary: A few wear issues, but given all the facts about fragility, and this is a cover that does not wear well unless kept in cottonwool, it is still a highly respectable example. The main areas are still quite attractive with most wear on the storage edges. So not for the highly discerning, but many collectors should be pleased.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a plain solid white unlined inner that has aged little. Very little discolouration or creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT to EXCELLENT: with scrutiny under bright light, some fine and faint surface marks are seen, but no penetrating scratches. How many 43-year-old records will ever not have these at the very least? Retaining fine shine and very solidly pressed, this I feel sure has had only quite modest usage, reitterated by very clean sound. It again should please many collectors, but not the visual purists.

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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This rock classic plays above it’s very solid visual grading with very little to fault. Strong, powerful sound and with no distortions or pressing flaws. All frequencies are sharp and clear and tracking is effortless with no problems. Sound quality is high with a full dynamic range and very detailed sound, McPhee’s guitar is hugely impressive and the backing is top class with real drive and delivery. Any surface sounds minimal, few and light, few of the genuine available first issues will play a great deal better I feel sure. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record which still merits high 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 - 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 Terrarium 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 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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 2 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). 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 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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced 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 [£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’.