CARAVAN Land of Grey & Pink RARE Orig Deram Brown Label

	£		205
	$		272

ONEADAYRECORDS – 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: CARAVAN

Album Title: In the Land of Grey and Pink.

Producer(s): David Hitchcock.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Golf Girl; Winter Wine; Love to Love you (and tonight pigs will fly); In the Land of Grey and Pink.

Side 2: Nine Feet Underground: Nigel Blows a Tune, Love’s a Friend, Make it 76, Dance of the Seven Paper Hankies, Hold Grandad by the Nose, Honest I Did!, Disassociation, 100% Proof.

Label/Format: Deram – original and much rarer orange-brown format.

Label Conditions: Both clean and attractive with only very faint handling traces (but look hard). Any spindle marks are very few and faint and without doubt, this stunning first issue has hardly been played.

Cat Number: SDL R1.

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: 146 grams. A substantial weight for this record. The more common red label version is usually substantially lighter.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The red Deram label pressings are much easier to find. Only a small initial run were pressed on the orange-brown label and are seldom seen or offered. Not only that, this copy is in supreme condition and offers the best possible sound quality you could ever imagine.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: ZAL-10424.P-1D / ZAL-10425.P-1D

Stamper Codes: 1 C / 1 C

Musicians: Richard Sinclair - bass guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals; Pye Hastings - Electric guitars, acoustic guitar,vocals; David Sinclair - Organ, piano, mellotron, harmony vocals; Richard Coughlan - drums, percussion; Jimmy Hastings - fluite, tenor sax, piccolo; David Grinsted - Cannon, bell and wind.

Brief Info: Brilliant third album, and my personal second favourite by the UK ‘Canterbury’ progsters. An immaculate follow-up to the majestic If I Could Do It Again, I Would Do It All Over You set. Superb and melodic keyboard driven rock with wonderful long instrumental passages, this is Caravan at their very best and via this lovely, ultimate first pressed record, the perfect and definitive way to enjoy their music. A typically heavy pressed Deram album, their first title on this progressive label, still part of the Decca company, with beautiful sound. This copy has clearly hardly been played and offers audiophile quality with details and dynamics I had never quite experienced before. It’s no wonder the discerning collectors want the earliest issues, this was a real ear-opener and will never be beaten for pristine audio quality. For those who demand their records to play to the highest standards, this copy could only be matched and never beaten.

Cover Grade and Format: MINT(-): a gatefold format that is laminated with Clarifoil front and back, the inside is matt finished. Printed in England by Robert Stace.

Lamination, Front & Back: The best example of this cover I have ever seen: the laminate is ultra clear, shiny and with the freshness of new. Just the low-level half moons on the front but little other creasing, and these hardly even show with normal viewing. The surreal pink artwork looks simply gorgeous seen through laminate as smooth as ice. All the laminate is fully adhered, that never to be taken for granted with Clarifoil that notoriously shrinks and lifts. Even under light, there is barely any traces of marks and devoid of friction rubs or dulling, hardly even a trace of record rim impression and as clean as is almost possible. My pictures probably do this scant justice, this is one for the connoisseur.

Cover Inner Gatefold: I hardly think a grand new one would look much better. These black and white inners often can rub and tone, and many will set-off where black rest on white. This shows none and any handling evidence is very light and faint too.

Top Edges: Practically wear-free, a small burr trace being ultra critical.

Bottom Edges: Both like new and ultra smooth to the fingertip.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with barely any wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on either edge as both are open – NEITHER have any glue line marks, so this is how this one was from new.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with just one tiny hint of compression and folded square. All edges meet up closely and parallel. All text is near perfect and unworn under the solid, clear and unpeeled laminate. A natural mild central semi-crease line has formed due to opening but the text has not sunken and this surface also remains ultra smooth and unscuffed to the fingertip.

Corners: All corners are practically unworn or rubbed and retain excellent to near mint shape.

Cover Summary: A fantastic all-round example of this classic early 70’s cover, one that will prove immensely difficult to ever find better. This beautiful item should please most-all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): Decca-style polylined inner has aged little and is still very clean. It is date coded 3-71 and has two immaculate crisp window circles and ultra clear lining. One corner crease and a lighter, fine one diagonally opposite. All edges unsplit and barely any adhesive seam darkening.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-) / EXCELLENT(++): with just one surface mark at the start of side two that has NO sound at all. A copy time has largely overlooked as did the original owner, minus the one visible mark, this would little short of reference quality and it offers absolutely the best sound possible. A very fine visual copy that is super clean, shiny, jet black and heavily pressed. Deram, like its parent company, Decca, pressed top quality records and this one again does not disappoint. A copy without doubt, hardly even played. Visually a wonderful and much rarer first brown label record that should please most-all collectors again.

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: A copy that plays even above it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault – this prog classic was a delight from start to finish with strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies being sharp and clear. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound – I have never experienced this Canterbury prog classic better, the detail, clarity and dynamics from a barely played first issue will never be beaten. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few available copies these days will even match this first pressing I feel sure. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove near impossible to find better for quality sound reproduction – and do not forget that exceptional cover too. A rare opportunity indeed.

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.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or prompt payment is a problem, please do not bid.

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: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.