BLONDIE - RARER FIRST on ORIGINAL 1977 UK PRIVATE STOCK. A-1U/B-1U EX EXAMPLE.

	£		57
	$		75

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: BLONDIE

Album Title: Blondie

Producer(s): Richard Gottehrer.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: X Offender; Little Girl Lies; In The Flesh; Look Good in Blue; In the Sun; A Shark in Jets Clothing.

Side 2: Man Overboard; Rip Her to Shreds; Rifle Range; Kung Fu Girls; The Attack of the Giant Ants.

Label: Original Private Stock label, very quickly repressed on Chrysalis. These have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only a small few, light, fine and mainly faint spindle marks.

Cat Number: PVLP 1017.

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. Never to be taken for granted on this album.

Weight of this Record: 111 grams. Most of the first UK Private Stock originals were quite thinly pressed, thus many are found warped. I have never found Private Stock copies that easy to find, and even harder still that lay anything like flat. This one being an exception with minimal arm movement at all.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Much scarcer on the original UK Private Stock label. Only after the hit single ‘Denis’ from their second album did the whole Blondie hit machine phenomenon take off and most copies of this are seen on the later blue Chrysalis label. The band was always going to be far too popular for such a small label, Chrysalis quickly seeing their potential. Only limited numbers pressed on Private Stock, thus they are quite scarce and often elusive.

Original Year of Release: 1977

Matrix Nos: PVLP 1017 A-1U / PVLP 1017 B-1U

Stampers: 1 GM / 1 GD

Other Etchings: MELYS (both sides)

Brief Artist & Album Info: Issued when the punk rock revolution was getting into top gear, but Blondie were never really that. I went see them on their first UK tour in London before most people had ever even heard of them, and from the very beginning I knew they were going to be BIG. Debbie’s on stage charisma, charm and stunning looks won over the audience immediately. Her band too were exceptional, far too talented to ever be labelled ‘punk rock’, this was almost ‘bubble-gum’ power-pop and what an amazing evening it was – the drummer, Clement Burke, had definite ‘Keith Moon’ qualities and style. This vintage debut album captures the mood perfectly, and for me anyway, remains their best album. Brilliant, vibrant, exhilarating, pop music with infectious riffs and great songs, the new Blonde bombshell had arrived. Play-grading this scarce Private Stock copy – most are found on the reissued Chrysalis label – brought all those mid-70s memories flooding back, this album has always had a special place in my affections. It’s always rewarding to discover a new band that later go on to be huge before anyone else even knew they existed. My favourite record shop, a small independent called Parrot Records, had one import copy which they let me hear – it had a price tag of £6 which for an apprentice printer represented nearly a week’s wages at the time, I reluctantly had to decline it. I bought the first UK copy that arrived shortly afterwards, the only one too, as they did not stock up on new virtually unknown bands, US ones especially. When friends heard it and wanted their own copy, the Private Stock version had gone. This one on offer is the first Private Stock copy I have seen for some time and is in very fine condition. The record clean, and for a change, not warped, it plays great for most all – a gentle crackle was heard only towards the very end of the final song – that only on the odd quiet part as well. It’s a lovely overall copy that should delight collectors of this great pop band in their infancy.

Musicians: Deborah Harry - vocals; Chris Stein - Guitar, bass; Gary Valentine - bass guitar, guitar; Clement Burke - drums; James Destri - Farfisa organ, grand piano, RMI piano, Roland synthesiser.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: a single unlaminated format, printed by Robert Stace in England. This has the correct Private Stock Records Ltd logo printed on the back as seen in close-up. Includes the plain white inner sleeve.

Cover Front: Clean, still fresh with just a faint rim rub near the bottom edge. Some corner tip rubbing as well, but not a great deal else. Barely a crease to be seen and the artwork looks fantastic, the first picture of Debbie on an album cover simply sublime.

Cover Back: Quite similar again with barely any record rubbing and less tip rubs as well. A very fine vertical surface crease near the spine edge is minor and light.

Top Edge: Straight with any rub traces light and small.

Bottom Edge: Small rubs near the ends, any general surface rubbing being very gentle and light, again straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mainly sharp with little wear or thickening and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A great spine that again states Private Stock. Very straight, no compression and square, with hardly any traces of rubbing or wear. All text is perfect and unworn, the surface clean and unfaded.

Corners: Light to moderate tip rubs with fine to very fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: Only very gentle hints of wear and a lovely original cover, never easy to find this clean and little worn with the Private Stock imprint. It will please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: some age darkening mainly to the edge areas. A plain solid unlined white inner with hardly any creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: and would have added at least a (+) if not for a surface mark on side two that has NO sound at all. Any other surface marks are ultra fine and faint whispy types seen under bright angled light. A very clean copy with fine shine and quite solidly pressed. Visually a lovely record that will 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 more elusive UK original record plays mainly above its high visual grading with nothing to fault bar a little gentle brief crackle towards the end of the final song on side two. As this is a very clean pressing apart, not quite sure why there was anything here at all really – nothing can be seen visually, and I am being quite critical anyway. This offers strong, mainly very clean distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Sound quality is superb with a full dynamic range and a very lively, detailed sound, Debbie sounds wonderful with superb vocal delivery. Little of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this new-wave pop classic. Tracking effortless*, and even ‘In the Flesh’ has no issues, most the Private Stock copies I have heard appear to have a jump – NO such issue was heard on this copy. This original UK will prove very difficult to find significantly better and is strongly recommended. This Blondie at their raw brilliant best with the catchiest songs they ever recorded.

End Piece: Almost the perfect pop record – an album of inherent catchiness and still ‘fun’ to listen too. Great ‘new wave’ pop songs that immediately stick in the mind, but no major hit singles on this one. The first song ‘X Offender’ was a controversial single, originally called ‘Sex Offender’, the nervous label insisted on a less offensive and safer title before it was issued. A mixture of slow, fast and very fast songs, swirling synths and pulsating drums, Blondie had it all. The cover too is a gem, one of the best pictures of Debbie ever. This Private Stock original will be hard to find much better, it really is a tricky one to find anyway, especially without warps. Even today, I consider Blondie’s music to be some of the finest ever pop music ever made from the mid-1970s and onwards - it was near perfect, if you need this one, look no further, it’s here.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Blue 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 programmes. 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 Blue 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’.