CAT STEVENS Mona Bone Jakon RARER 1st Island Pink Rim

	£		20
	$		26

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £11.75. Rest of World £15.75. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P as low as possible after the Royal Mail price increases.

Artist or Band: CAT STEVENS

Album Title: Mona Bone Jakon.

Producer(s): Paul Samwell-Smith.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Lady D’Arbanville; Maybe You’re Right; Pop Star; I Think I See the Light; Trouble.

Side 2: Mona Bone Jakon; I Wish, I Wish; Katmandu; Time; Fill My Eyes; Lilywhite.

Label/Format: Island – this is one of those heavy pressed, deep punched matrix copies that first replaced the pink i originals – I feel these are even more scarce than those. The main label area is smooth with a deep inner ring ridge, the innermost area being textured. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with hardly a spindle mark to be seen. This more unusual ‘contract’ pressing also offers superb, clean sound that can never be taken for granted on others.

Cat Number: ILPS 9118.

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: 156 grams. Around 20 to 30 grams heavier than an average very first pressing. This is very thick and heavy, these deep punched early matrix variants are somewhat special within the Island catalogue and they offer reference sound quality too.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Issued before his two major seller that really bought him to a much wider audience – but this record is equally superb. Early copies sold modestly and this I feel is probably the rarest pressing of them all – and try to find one in much better condition.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9118 + A2 / ILPS + 9118 + B2 these are large and deep punched like the very early pink orange eyeball pressings (side two is error corrected with script)

Musicians: Cat Stevens – guitar, piano, keyboards, drums, strings, vocals; Alun Davies – guitar, backing vocals; John Ryan – bass; Nicky Hopkins - bass, keyboards; Harvey Burns – drums, percussion; Peter Gabriel – flute; Del Newman - strings, arrangements.

Brief Info: After his departure from Deram, Steven’s signed for Island records and this was his first on the new label. Now sounding very different with far darker material, this was the first of a string of superb albums and eventually, they sold well. But initial sales of this album were disappointing and it failed to even chart on the UK. Hence pink originals and the very first pink rim pressings (as per this) are quite rare. Beautiful material, performances and production, this is a top quality album. It includes the wonderful ‘Lady D’Arbanville’ and the sublime ‘Katmandu’ on which Peter Gabriel, then of Genesis, plays flute. This is an exceptional copy, it appears hardly even played and offers very clean and impressive sound. The cover, equally as fragile as the record, often seen with deep penetrating ringwear and rubbing, is also in exceptional and attractive condition. This more unusual pressed variant with it’s considerable weight and detail, should please most of his fans (and Island collectors).

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: thin unprotected card, a heavy thick record inside means ringwear in most cases. The blue also prone to fading with rubs and creases.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: and arguably undergraded for such a fragile design – this indeed quite possibly the best I have seen – certainly for some time. A single unlaminated format with matt surfaces and deeply pinched spine ends. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press. This first pink rim copy includes the plain white inner, the more standard versions had the blue lined inner.

Cover Front: One of the cleanest and freshest examples I have seen for ages. The blue always seems to fade and age and rarely escapes considerable ringwear. This front retains rich and deep blue colour with no fading at all and any rubbing around the very thick record’s rim hardly even shows. Just faint rub traces seen under light with the odd small surface mark or crease, but this really sets a very high standard for a very intolerant cover.

Cover Back: The back is even better and has practically nothing to fault at all – the very best I have yet had – quite how this has escaped ringwear is remarkable.

Top Edge: Any rub traces are very light and faint.

Bottom Edge: A little light rubbing, I cannot totally rule-out a little tipping-in – I did not ask the owner.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with practically no wear and devoid of thickening or burring. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A fine spine too: solid and quite straight with any compression modestly light, the ends are significantly tapered in manufacture which naturally, slightly distorts the word ‘ISLAND’ near the top right corner. All text is perfect and unworn, another considerable achievement on this cover.

Corners: Any tip rubs are light and faint, tip-ins? – if so, discrete, small and uncertain. One small tip crease on the bottom left front. All retain very fine to excellent shape.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this very fragile early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. The light blemishes are far outweighed by all the positives and this is very pleasing to the eye. Both front, back and even the spine are exceptional. This could prove a significant upgrade for some collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): when this first pink rim copy was made, the usage of the plain white inner was still employed. This is a superb example with just minor blue darkening of the seams the only real clue to age. That apart, little else to fault: crease-free, clean with all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, an incredible intense black and unusually heavily pressed. These ‘contract’ pressings are elusive and far fewer made – it was almost a step backwards in quality for all the RIGHT reasons. Heavy, thick vinyl with those deeper punched large ‘+’ matrixes, most copies of this are seen with the standard small versions. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface marks few, mostly fine and faint seen critically under light. Visually a super record that should please many 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This unusual and top-quality heavyweight pressed record plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. A bold statement for this one, I have heard this title crackle badly on some copies even with some distortion, but this copy certainly has no distortion and any surface sounds registered little. Superbly produced and all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. Steven’s voice is incredible and it really does have an in-the-room quality and the lovely rich and warm sound of the backing is marvellous. The sheer emotion of the songs cannot fail to move and this is a man nearing his absolute peak and wider success was only just around the corner. This elusive ‘variant’ copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better on the pink rim label and most fans should treasure it, highly recommended, this is an Island CLASSIC.

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 8,000+ items sold in over 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 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 as 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] = £4.25

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]) = £11.75 (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]) = £15.75 Add £3 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: 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’.