BEE GEES Odessa – SCARCE ORIG UK 1969 EX LPs. STUNNING FRESH EX++ FELT COVER.

	£		207
	$		274

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 – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full 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. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

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. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: BEE GEES

Album Title: Odessa

Producer(s): Robert Stigwood and The Bee Gees

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Odessa (City on the Black Sea); You’ll Never See My Face Again; Black Diamond.

Side 2: Marley Purt Drive; Edison; Melody Fair; Suddenly; Whisper Whisper.

Side 3: Lamplight; Sound of Love; Give Your Best; Seven Seas Symphony; With the Nations (International Anthem).

Side 4: I Laugh in Your Face; Never Say Never Again; First of May; The British Opera.

Label/Format: Polydor – all with matt surfaces. The first record pair have a gentle hint of texturing, the second record’s labels are heavier textured with quite rough feeling surfaces.

Label Conditions: All four very clean, fresh and attractive with intense red colour. These have between two to four spindle marks, which appear to be inflicted in one go as the spindle locates the hole. These a little thicker than fine, but the lack of more than compensates. This beautiful album appears very little used

Cat Number: 583 049/050

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 these Records: 140 / 134 grams. Very good solid weights.

Full Matrix Nos: 583049 A//1 420 1 1 5 & 583049 B//1 420 1 1 2 & 583050 A//1 420 1 1 4 & 583050 B//2 420 1 1 6

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: This is a relatively scarce album, it never sold in the numbers the brilliance of the music justified. Not only that, this is a very difficult title to find in anything like decent condition. The ultra fragile and delicate felt cover rarely is seen anything like attractive and that’s no understatement. Most seen look shabby, grubby and aged, often with severe, deep penetrating ring wear and huge bald areas worn down to the card. Large chips, splits, tearing with dull darkened felt that looks ‘tired’ and covered with inground debris. Often with dust and foreign matter pressed into its delicate surface. Pale and faded, even washed out examples with large white areas are more the norm. Spines devoid of any felt at all and even split. Most collectors will have seen such examples – few will appear attractive and fresh these days. The card is thin and the surfaces amongst the most uncompromising ever made. This one on offer is very impressive indeed with amongst the least wear I have seen to date on a stereo example. Look at my pictures, they do not lie – no enhancements, no repairs, and importantly no damage. Even the edges retain full felt coverage with no friction rubs or grubbiness, that is just so hard to find and even achieve after around 47 years. Both records appear little used and sound for the vast majority is clean and impressive. A small mark on the end of side four has a couple of clicks as the music fades to silence, any other blemishes are few and very sporadic. One of my all-time favourite popular music albums from any decade, I truly consider this double set a masterpiece.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Brief Info: I always find offering this immense release a delight and a privilege, this album did not sell well and is such a hard one to find in either mode with lightly played records and a cover worthy of a second look. For the relative few who bought it, most played it heavily. An album of immense beauty that for me anyway, is the Bee Gees best ever album and a true late 1960s classic that was sadly overlooked and underrated by most at the time. The brothers Gibb wrote some incredible music and songs within the 1960s which was probably not as appreciated or recognised as it should have been at the time – with The Beatles and Rolling Stones around, many other popular music groups were often overshadowed or ignored. Time now seems to have put this right. With it’s famous felt cover that ages very badly if not stored with great care (see comments above on this), this is a near exceptional fresh example, hugely attractive with minimal hint of wear and no damage. An album of stunning harmonies and beautiful music, the title song is sublime – and the quality simply never lets up, not a single filler is on show. Forget the ‘disco’ 1970s phase – 1960s Bee Gees were simply marvellous and very different – quite why this album failed to sell well is a complete mystery to me. That said, hands up – I confess – I too only discovered the early Bee Gees later in life, but it really was worth the wait – their early records are very special indeed and all up to this album are essential. If your collection does not include any of their titles, this one will thrill and these two records do it strong justice. Any blemishes are few and light, this is beautifully recorded with intense sound and detail. Many can be degraded badly by worn stylus or heavy tracking record players (or both), groove wear and loss of clarity is rife on such records which this has avoided. This title was issued in both mono and stereo in the UK, both are magnificent and both are truly essential for collectors with very different sound presentation. So-much-so, the CD reissue deemed it important enough to include both modes for the discerning listener. There is no distortion or inherent pressing noises, the odd sporadic click is so hard to avoid totally, this has some quiet passages. Arguably, the most critical is the title song that opens the album, the vocals are truly immense. With few blemishes to either cover, records, sound and even the matching pair inner sleeves, this is a very fine example as I hope my pictures show.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): and grading a cover like this is difficult and subjective, compared to most I have seen, I consider this truly exceptional. A gatefold format with all outer surfaces covered in a red felt – delicate and fragile hardly more appropriately used. The inside is matt and smooth, this a dedicated stereo cover, it has a different catalogue number to the mono version. Printed and manufactured in England by Ernest J. Day. Includes the matching pair of polylined inner sleeves as seen.

Cover Front: A cover always worthy of a second look when seen like this. All surfaces on this one lack the wear and damage I have mentioned further up. The deep coloured red felt clean, fresh and very attractive, this has aged little. Only the faintest rim impression almost possible (unless the owner stored the records outside the sleeve all the time, that highly unlikely). Any scuffs or blemishes few, fine and faint, the gold block and embossing of the text is pristine as seen in close-up. Being cover-protected almost from new by the one owner, this has no inground dust or debris, no thinning or bald areas either. The card avoiding creasing or splits, the felt has no odour of age or nicotine either, clearly this has hardly been handled, exposed to light or surface contact. Even those fragile folds and corners are immaculate. Not seen one this nice for ages, they rarely surface as such and remain a thing-of-beauty when they do.

Cover Back: The back is very similar in most respects and again is superb for an area of single colour. A little pressure rubbing against the rim area near of the top is rarely avoided on any gatefold cover, let alone this one. Light traces near the bottom edge, but in context, this is almost as light as it’s likely to get. Then as per the front, I consider this even more perilous back little short of exceptional.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Nothing of note to fault inside, this is superb.

Top Edges: Both straight, flush and almost flat with minimal traces of wear. Edges on this cover are beyond delicate and rarely seen fully-felted, and this is pretty much that. Any hint of rubbing is minuscule with any white showing through the felt tiny and ultra, ultra fine and faint. No splits, no repairs, no trimming to any area of this cover guaranteed.

Bottom Edges: As above, and being the usual storage edges, these are remarkable. I would even say, they are actually even better than the top pair.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Two perilous entrance areas, the card is very thin, avoid a little burring and thickening is near impossible to avoid. So a little seen viewed end on, the almost total lack of chipping on the front and back on these edges is almost miraculous and most welcome. Both are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced any any way and it appears any removal of the records has been done with reasonable care to avoid damage. In terms of ‘wear’ to the cover, the very ends of these edges have the most, which should speak volumes for the rest.

Spine: Truly immaculate – look at the picture again – a contender for the best I have seen with total felt coverage without even a hint or rubbing or thinning. Ultra clean and unworn, few will get close, this makes a massive difference to the discerning cover enthusiast. No text was put on this spine which was probably a wise idea. Even the ends are neat and finely shaped without the usual huge white areas and erosion. What a beauty!

Corners: Incredibly, the spine pair are practically as-new and immaculate. Any tip rubs to the right sets are tiny and light, try finding one with less. The lack of bashes, dinks, grubbiness and creasing to these fragile ends is a massive plus.

Cover Summary: I would like to tip-my-hat to the original owner of this album, since ‘discovering’ this album around 20-years-ago, it has always been one I seek to offer. To date, this could be the very best one I have seen. In terms of colour intensity, freshness and lack of wear, it truly fantastic. Any hint of age or wear to the unforgiving surfaces are in context gentle and light, even arguably, minuscule. Indeed, this could prove a massive upgrade for collectors. I regard it as one of the most beautiful ever made – simplistic, well maybe – but original and gorgeous to the eye when seen like this. One most cover connoisseurs will cherish – I have never wanted to get a cover back inside its protective sleeve quicker to avoid any risk of picking up blemishes or dust.

The Inner Sleeves: EXCELLENT(+): a matching pair and both largely the same for condition. Clean with only light ageing and paper discolouration. Four crisp and undamaged window circles, the polylinings clear and still fresh. Any paper creasing or crinkle light, all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: and this grading has does this lovely pair of records full justice. A very fine visual pair that are very clean with lovely shine and solidly pressed. Probably only played a couple or three times, including my mandatory play-grade. A small fine mark at the very end of side four has a couple of gentle clicks as the music fades away, then only the run-out area. Any other visual blemishes are minuscule and faint, even under bright light, any surface traces are minimal and faint. Two lovely fresh records to 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 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 magnificent late 1960s album plays mostly 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. Intense and complex vocals, all sharp and unclipped with no degrading. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and generally clean pressings with absolutely no tracking issues*. As stated, a couple of gentle clicks as the music is all-but finished at the end of side four. The odd sporadic tick here-and-there also, this has some quiet passages and silence from albums this great age is just so hard, this even from new. Few available copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very little and has been superbly stored and mostly carefully handled within a non-smoking environment. Little at all spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful set, but not entirely blemish-free, will any one ever truly be? It will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended unless total.

* 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 2.2 grams.

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 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 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 it’s 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 programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14­ 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 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 withdrawals. 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 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’.