TIM HART & MADDY PRIOR Folk Songs of Old England Vol. 2

	£		122
	$		162

Hi, I am Mike, now 48 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 34 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, 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 (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - 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. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Album Title: Folk Songs of Old England Volume 2.

Engineer(s): Tony Pike.

Track Listing: Side 1: My Son John; Earl Richard; Paddy Stole the Rope; The Gardener; Bay of Biscay; Queen Eleanor’s Confession; Horn of the Hunter; Copshawholme Fair; Oats and Beans; Fiddlers Green; Captain Wedderburn’s Courtship; Turkey Rhubarb; Bold Fisherman. Side 2: .

Label/Format: Tepee – Please see scans, I have never seen a Tepee label before.

Label Conditions: Both immaculate and highly attractive with only a couple of light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. This record I know for certain has only been played twice including my play-grade.

Cat Number: TPRM 105.

Mode: Mono.

Weight of this Record: 151 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]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very Rare, a late mono issue. A highly elusive and genuinely scarce folk record on a very rare label. This was issued within a gatefold cover on the Tepee label (this copy) and reissued the same year on Ad Rhythm in single cover and this is also very scarce. This original would have only been available for a few months at most and a twice played original mono copy within a very delicate cover that also looks near immaculate will be near impossible to find again. This is one for the serious folk connoisseur, I feel a better original copy of this gem will never be found.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: TPRM 105 A-1 H / TPRM 105 B-1 H

Stamper Codes: B 1 / A 1

Brief Info: Without doubt one of the rarest albums and most beautiful items I have ever offered on the Net. I really like folk music and ths is one of the very best yet. The guides are so way out on some albums and a near mint copy of this record is very rare indeed. How many records will ever show on the Tepee label in mono that have been played twice? A record reissued within the same year of issue on a different label with a different number and cover format, this would have disappeared within weeks of issue and sold only a mere handful of copies – how many record shops would have actually had a copy in stock to sell? This truly beautiful record has two little known artists that of course later went on to be stalwart members of Steeleye Span in the early 70s and beyond to present day. But when this was issued, few but the folk connoisseurs would have known much about them. To find a copy of this one in such conditions is little short of miraculous, a gatefold cover that is delicate, even flimsy, the front is only single thickness and it barely has a really noteworthy crease. A record like this is folk national treasure and these are no second-rate obscure artists. These are two of finest English folk artists ever, here young and pre-fame but after hearing this set no doubt could have been made for a hugely successful future. Maddy and Tim have supreme folk voices and this early talent was more than obvious on this vintage recording. Steeleye fans will adore this album and it could be the very best copy still in existence. I can just imagine what other existing copies of this will look like now but quite frankly apart from the odd tiny cover blemish, this set could pass for new. It looks and plays perfectly and was a true delight. I hope this classic piece of old England will find its way to a collector who will treasure it the way it deserves. This is a wonderful set and I guarantee, I will never find another like it.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high indeed – almost off the scale and this cover looks even better than my pictures. The flash has slightly washed out the back especially, this highlight area is NOT there, this has a uniform and consistent black finish with NO fading. The goes for the arc highlight on the double outside picture, its is NOT there either. A delicate flimsy (but truly gorgeous) cover with a centre-loading entrance holding a 150 gram record – well you can imagine – this hasn’t even got a spine split! Not only that, a black unlaminated back with no pressmark or ringwear, near impossible but true. A thin front that will bend, warp and crease without even trying – this still lies flat and has few creases at all. A cover like this could literally fall apart and have the most ugly ringwear imaginable. To find one like this is little short of remarkable.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and for any 35+ year-old cover so delicately made this is worthy of higher still. A truly beautiful collectors piece of ‘Old 60’s England’. This has a slightly unusual construction too, it appears to have been made in two clearly separate pieces with a giant outer rear flap holding on the front section, it appears as a giant flipback and is even laminated. It is a huge 19 millimeteres wide and very solid, near perfect. This a delicate gatefold with a laminated front and inner right side, the front is only single thickness, and thin card. The back and left inner are unlaminated and has a very flat-matt black ink finish that is ruthless in revealing fingermarks of which there are a light few – collectors will know the type. This half inner and outer laminate is very unusual and I am wondering if indeed I have ever seen this before. Most are either fully laminated on all surfaces or just the outside. The record is stored from within the centre making the spine hinge fold a very vulnerable area but his has withstood any wear at all which is more than proof this heavy record has hardly ever been removed. I strongly suggest the rcord be stored outside this delicate cover in the future. This almost unique and rare cover was printed and made in England by West Bros – Printers Ltd.

Lamination & Front: A gorgeous time-piece for the times, you can just image two great friends visiting their local Inn on a Sunday lunch-time, maybe to sing for regulars – just look at this stunning vintage picture in beautiful atmospheric black and white. This front looks simply marvellous and would look great framed. There is so little wear and no damage to one of the most fragile fronts I have yet had. The laminate is breathtakingly clean and clear and has the most astonishing shine with no ageing at all. No dulling, rubbing and barely any surface marks or blemishes at all. This ends around 3mm short on all edges bar the spine that wraps around on to the huge flap and all the exposed ‘strips’ show no damage or ‘grime-lines’ at all. The merest faint trace of a white burr on the bottom edge is almost an insult to mention. No peeling, dry area blistering, cracking, mottling or indentations, this is little short of remarkable on such a fine front. It even still lies almost dead flat too with no curling, warping or bending – laminate this age on thin front can – and most often does – tighten making these types of front distort but this has been kept so well and carefully, this has been avoided. Any exposure to moisture can totally destroy a cover like this and clearly this has not happened here. The lack of creasing is remarkable too with just a small and light bottom left corner one that shows little. Any others are just fine edge types that all will have at the very least. I have been a huge fan of Maddy Prior and Steeleye since the early 70s and have seen them in concert many times. What a delight to see this early picture of Maddy and Tim on this beautiful front cover. The rare Tepee logo on the top right corner is nice too and will be seldom seen. This front cover has avoided any pressmarks but the faintest of faint traces of the record impression but only when held critically to angled light. I will top here before I change my mind and keep this one.

Cover Back: The huge right flap that holds this cover together is laminated and rock solid and totally unstressed and neat. The left edge too is unlaminated but is not a flipback, it wraps around the laminated inside right side. The very edge, near the centre has a mild surface scuff, not really damage as such. This cover was originally sealed in cellophane, and a small part stuck on this, then sticky laminate end edge and pulled a small surface piece. Indeed there few a few pieces of this cellophane still attached in other places which I carefully removed for neatness. This minor blemish is the only tiny trace of any ‘damage’ (if you can call it that) on this remarkable and maybe unique cover. Just look at this back, how many will ever survive with so little wear and lack of damaging ringwear or rubbing? This has a mere trace of a central record mark if again critically viewed under angled light, normal viewing reveals little on this ruthlessly revealing matt black ink. Fingermarks are always the worst enemy on a finish like this, and this does have some mild handling traces. Any trace of moisture on fingertips will leave a dull blemish and this does have some but only light in context – an ‘expert’ may be able to remove them but being so minimal and mild, why worry? This impossible back has few real marks or blemishes and again any creasing is very little and ultra light. Still very black with little traces of any rubbing this back is exceptional and just compare to similar types. Heavy damaging ringwear is almost the normal on a lightweight unprotected black back and this will seldom, if ever be found like this again.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Another beautiful Inn scene with Maddy and Tim enjoying a drink together – pure 60s black and white nostalgia. This right side is laminated and again it appears as the front, near perfect with stunning mirror-like shine and crystal clear with only the odd small and light corner area crease. The left side is unlaminated and predominately white, exposed and vulnerable but again few blemishes and looking great. A couple of mild creases and slight surface blemishes that show little. Almost too delicate to hold this one, I can hardly wait to get this in a heavy duty protective cover again. The hinge foldline is almost too flimsy to hold this cover together. Any 150 gram record will leave its mark on a cover but this one could conceivably fall apart. Remarkably this centre-loader has survived with no splits to the spine hinge at all – I cannot believe thisi myself. It’s even still strong and unweakened. This is even more fragile than The Beatles For Sale cover that has a similar format, how many of those have no nicks or splits around this area? – this has none! This centrefold has aged little and will be near impossible to find like this again.

Top Edges: Practically unworn with even the front edge avoiding feathering or ‘spreading’.

Bottom Edges: As above – both these delicate edges are in remarkable condition.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Again as above with just a tiny central chip, this right back edge is sealed as the record enters from inside as explained already. The front edge again is pristine with no feathering and how difficult is that?

Spine and Text: Against all odds in superb shape too. Solid, quite straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together. The text on this one is inverted from the normal down-reading format. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate. Totally secure with no stressing, how this single thickness spine card has supported this record’s weight all these years is beyond me.

Corners: All show little wear at all, the odd tiny tip rub or small surface tip crease only. All retain great neat and well defined shape.

Summary: A beautiful folk collector’s piece that I will never be able to offer again like this I feel certain. A one-off in such conditions and a rare piece too. Rare label, rare late mono record, played twice, beautiful ultra delicate cover. Hesitation not needed on this one, it could be the only chance you get. This beautiful item should please most collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Tempted to grade this beauty as Mint but again, a couple of faint spindle marks and twice played, I will say Mint(-) taking nothing away from the stunning clean playing surfaces. A superb visual copy that is super clean, with a mirror-like shine, intense black and heavily pressed. A remarkable record that has not been handled for FOUR decades. It appears almost as a new record and mark-free, even practically devoid of surface traces. Visually a sublime record that should please most collectors again.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This amazing rare folk record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. All collectors know the potential wear and damage to mono records and how many will ever be found barely even ‘run-in’? Dynamic clear mono sound is not to be taken for granted, it’s almost a priviledge these days. Both vocalists have an in-the-room quality and this is a superbly produced record. Barely any surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album. No heavy loud moments for blemishes to hide in here, and this copy doesn’t need them. Few copies will match this rare original Tepee pressing I feel sure. A real quality product that was part of the Pye group. Clearly hardly handled, twice played only and very carefully stored within a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record record. This copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better.

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’.

My Terms For Bidding

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions for payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions.

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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I buy quality single items and collections also (I am regularly told I offer the best prices – please Email me if you have items for sale).

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3 or Special Delivery (Next day, fully insured), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured & Signed For: £8.00.

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured & Signed For (where available) = £11.00. Doubles add extra £1. Reductions for multiple items for all.

Any item that sells for over £75 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £100 get the same service Overseas. This gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

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 (£30).

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage, in fact I lose money on most packets (my packing standards are very high and the package weighs a little more - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR proper stiffners for extra protection (if space allows). More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new inner, but will include the original inner if available.

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

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.