CAT STEVENS Mona Bone Jakon RARER UK 70 Pink Island LP

	£		78
	$		103

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

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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 – pink ‘i’ format with smooth finish (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with light+ to lesser side of moderate spindle marks. These are very fine and faint and show little. Clearly this has been played a few times, but ALL evidence suggests VERY carefully and only on quality equipment. Reitterated by fantastically clean playing surfaces and wonderful sound, this on a record that often gets heavily played on less than subtle equipment. The pink label copies are seldom seen this clean.

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: 137 grams. Around the average for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The album itself is fairly rare on the original full pink format, a late ‘pink’ and this did not sell at all well, it failed to even chart in the UK and managed a very lowly US chart position. This copy is made still rarer by the inclusion of the lyric inner which did not come with the more regularly seen pink rim issues. At first glance this Polydor-style liner inner looks like someone has doodled on it – but how wrong initial impressions can be. Both sides are factory over-printed with all the song lyrics as can be seen on my close-up pictures. This only came with a few initial pressings and few of these will be seen. Although this inner has aged a little with some mild discolour to the seam adhesive, it’s fully intact and looks very nice indeed. When was the last time you saw one of these?, a highly elusive inner that even the price guides seem unaware of – it has no mention at all. Also the early covers should include the ‘basing street london w11’address, later changed to 22 st peters square, london w6 9nw. So beware of cover swaps, the originals are rarer and seldom seen devoid of often considerable wear, ringwear and sticker tears being the usual issues.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9118 A 2 1 1 2 / ILPS 9118 B 2 1 1

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘STERLING : RL LH’ / ‘STERLING’ ‘LH’

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 are rare and again vastly underpriced in the guides. As stated this includes the very rare original lyric inner which only came with a few initial copies – why on earth are the so-called ‘experts’ oblivious to the existence of the original inner sleeve? Beautiful material, performances and production, this is a top quality album and more sort-after on the pink label. 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 has been played a few times, but only with utmost care with very clean playing surfaces and superb sound. A small cover blemish: two tiny staple holes near the top left corner – it was not unusual practice for some retailers to staple card information to covers, possibly as an alternative to using stickers? Anyway, small and hardly even drawing the eye’s attention, but a minor blemish nonetheless. In terms of wear, this unforgiving cover has little and the rare inner looks great too. I consider a complete copy of this album on the pink label to be one of the most elusive within the Island catalogue, do not underestimate this one like this either, a scarce opportunity.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: thin unprotected card, 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. A single unlaminated format with original Island address on back. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press. Includes the rare lyric Polydor-style inner (as seen in various close-ups).

Cover Front: One of the cleanest and freshest examples I have seen for ages. The blue always seems to fade and age, a bit like the inners that later came with the pink rim titles. This front retains rich and deep blue colour with no fading at all. A bottom edge ring arc has formed, but I can hardly remember not seeing one on this cover somewhere, this being relatively fine. A fine surface mark near the top edge shows little as do the two tiny staple holes mentioned further up – these are reciprocated on the back. Any creases are very few, fine and very faint and this seldom escapes them. Even with the few relatively minor blemishes, this front is quite exceptional all considered.

Cover Back: The back is even better, the two tiny staple holes apart, it’s close to perfect with no ringwear at all, a near impossible ask. Any creasing, marks or blemishes are tiny and faint and this really IS exceptional.

Top Edge: Any rub traces are nigh-on microscopic and barely any to be seen.

Bottom Edge: Mainly light patchy rubbing, this for a resting edge being very mild indeed.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with practically no wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A fine spine too: solid and quite straight with minimal compression, 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, all retain 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. If the tiny staple, pin-prick sized holes are an issue, please do not bid – but far better than sticker tears, fading and heavy penetrating ringwear seen on so many.

The Inner: EXCELLENT: as rare as the record is on the pink label, this inner is rarer still and will rarely be seen or offered, especially intact with no damage. This has darkened mildly, a little more around the edges but these remain unsplit with no repairs. The odd samll tone spot or two, so lightly aged, but at over 40-years-old, many would consider this to look perfect for it’s vintage. The windows are immaculate: both circles pristine and the lining firm and ultra clear with any dulling faint and no creasing or even crinkle. This is a traditional polylined Polydor style inner but highly customised. As stated above, one first glance, it appears it has been written or doodled on but NO. This has been overprinted with all the song lyrics and small line drawings. Only me second one ever and this one very impressive. This is date-coded B 1/03/70 which puts a precise issue time on this important Steven’s album. Please see the details on my close-up pictures.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, an incredible intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface blemishes ultra fine and faint seen critically under light. Visually a super record that should please most 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 outstanding and well-looked-after 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 very few, gentle and faint – barely any infact. 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 – even that cresdeno of voices on the short final song remains focused and clear, that is VERY unusual, the sound often saturates and clips – often worn by old stylus on this critical innermost band. 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 copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better on the pink label and most fans should treasure this 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 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.

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 promp 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 stiffners 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 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 – it’s always worth asking.

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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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’.