CATAPILLA (1st) VERY RARE ORIG UK 1971 VERTIGO SPIRAL EX LP + RARE PROMO STICKER

	£		242
	$		321

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World £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. More details on this 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: CATAPILLA

Album Title: Catapilla.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Naked Death; Tumbleweed; Promises.

Side 2: Embryonic Fusion.

Label/Format: Vertigo – Full spiral on side one and small spiral logo above outline Vertigo on side two. This a first issue, but that said, was this commercial flop ever repressed? – I really doubt it.

Label Conditions: Both generally clean and attractive. Side one with the full label swirl is superb with only a very small few light, fine and faint spindle marks. Side two has more, but less than moderate and a few are thicker. These only really show with angled viewing, viewed full-on, these hardly show. The more revealing white side two has a small minor mark near the outline ‘V’ in ‘VERTIGO’. Overall, both very clean and fresh looking as can be clearly seen on my high resolution scans.

Cat Number: 6360 029.

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: 130 grams. A very good weight for this year.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very Rare: and one of the rarest on this most collectable label, it sold in only tiny numbers and the majority were found in ‘bargain-bins’, often with huge price reduction stickers on the front. I saw one of these some time ago exactly as that – the front had a massive white sale sticker that covered almost a third of the cover. The owner had tried to remove it taking large chunks of the front’s surface with it – the attempt was abandoned and it looked a real mess. But this was a common practice on the now hugely sort-after Spirals that failed to attract any attention at the time. The obscure acts albums had only a brief time on sale before being deleted, and this caused little attention and probably had next-to-no promotion. Their follow-up, ‘Changes’ faired just as badly and even with it’s spectacular cover, is probably even rarer than this debut. This copy’s cover has some wear, but is still nice, it has a Vertigo promotional sticker on the front which I have never seen before, this seen in close-up. The record itself is in very fine condition and plays superbly with very little to fault. So a very rare opportunity for Vertigo Swirl collectors to fill one of the rare gaps – I have only had this band’s albums once before – and after checking through my archives, it was almost 10 years ago which I could hardly believe – it seems only like yesterday.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 6360029 1Y // 1 420 1 1 4 and 6360029 2Y // 1 420 1 1 2

Musicians: Anna Meek – vocals; Thierry Reinhardt – tenor and alto flutes, clarinet; Hugh Eaglestone – tenor saxophone; Dave Taylor – bass guitar; Graham Wilson – lead guitar; Robert Calvert – saxophones; Malcolm Frith – drums. NOTE: this Robert Calvert did NOT play with Hawkwind.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Within the fields of progressive rock, there are few bands that are wanted more or sort after than the pair of legendary Catapilla albums. Being on the highly collectable Vertigo Spiral label makes them even more desirable and I would guess many collectors are missing them. Justifiably adored these days by prog-rock collectors, this debut album simply did not deserve it’s fate of obscurity and is something of a ‘lost’ gem. Spiral bands were varied, many only were one-offs and many simply were doomed to total obscurity in ‘bargain-bins’. Like a high percentage on this label, many were thrust into sales of the early 1970s, some could hardly be given away and this was one of those. No airplay, little promotion, Catapilla had barely a chance of ever getting their quality brand of progressive, spacy, jazz rock into homes. Only a few really appreciated them initially and of course now more people wanting this album there are hardly any left around on offer and both their albums are seriously hard to track down. Vocals are provided by Anna Meek, with a very powerfully intense voice which blends well with the dense and powerful sound Catapilla make. She certainly is unique if far from technically gifted. Brilliant soloing from the wind players and the long title, ‘Embryonic Fusion’, that occupies all side two, is absolutely brilliant. Clearly Catapilla had considerable talent, they just needed to be promoted to an audience to appreciate them. This, and the follow-up album totally flopped with minimal to tiny units sold, they folded and are confined to the vaults of Vertigo ‘should-have-beens. A very rare opportunity for any Spiral or prog collector to own an impressive record that plays very well throughout. The cover has some wear, but still very respectable, and sometimes on the very rare titles that are not seen or offered often, a little compromise has to be made.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD: an unlaminated gatefold format with matt smooth surfaces. Printed and made by Howards Printers (Slough) Ltd.

Cover Front: I do not know the history of this record and both the front and small sticker on the back were present when I bought it. The front sticker is sizeable and promotes eight Vertigo acts on swirl as seen in close-up. If this was present from new, I simply do not know, and that is simply being honest. The main areas of the cover have little wear with any rubbing only quite light and not a great deal of it. A pressure line is lightly seen near the bottom edge area from the inside flipback construction and any marks are also fine, few and light. Most of any wear are the corner tips and a little on the edges. This has largely escape creasing, again any present are very few and very fine indeed. Just a light sense of ageing, but given to how few of these are round, it may not prove that easy to find an available one much better.

Cover Back: The back has a small Channel Islands sticker on the back, and it looks a real vintage one. This I am certain obscures a smallish surface pull-tear. As I said, this was bought as seen, and I am only describing what is in front of me as honestly and accurately as I can. Better than than colouring in of marks or damage, I feel anyway. The rest of the cover is again similar to the front with some moderate corner rubbing and a little edge wear just encroaching into view. Small and fairly light ring arcs are seen near the top and bottom edges, but little else really and this back has survived well. So many acquire heavy ring wear and rubbing over time which this one has avoided to any real degree.

Cover Inner Gatefold: A little gentle toning or faint stain traces near the bottom edges, minimal traces elsewhere and little detracts from what is quite a clean centrefold. In fact this is all quite impressive with no major issues at all, this will not be easy to find better.

Top Edges: Moderate rubbing, both straight and flush.

Bottom Edges: Light to moderate patchy rubbing, again straight and flush. No splits, repairs or tip-ins at all.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front has a real tucked and folded edge, this is again straight with minimal rubbing to the green surface. The inside back entrance edge is clean and sharp, the outside back edge has thickened a little but is still fairly neat and both are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid and straight with minimal compression, also folded very square, so all the edges meet up flush and parallel – this always good news for neatness. The top fold has some patchy rubbing, but most has little. Moderate rubbing to the very ends and some text erosion to the word ‘Vertigo’. Most of the ‘Catapilla’ text and the catalogue number is present. So some spine wear, but with most to the ends, this is again a very respectable spine, especially as many of these Vertigo non-laminates are seen threadbare.

Corners: All corners have moderate to moderate+ rubbing with reasonable shape retained, a little rounded but still solid.

Cover Summary: A very respectable very good cover, clearly not for the Vertigo perfectionist of highly discerning cover collector. But these are in such short supply, some give-and-take almost has to be made. Considerably better than a ‘gap-filler’ (to say the least), but most covers I offer are at least excellent. As I said, this is the first Catapilla album I have had to offer for nearly 10 years, and I would hardly expect another fast. As my pictures hopefully show, this is still quite attractive, and for sure, I have never seen this Vertigo sticker before. Many that strive to own this album or a complete run of Swirls, this could be just the copy you have been searching or waiting for.

The Spiral Inner: NEAR EXCELLENT: the famous inner looks impressive, especially the front. This is lined and has minimal creasing and no edge splits or repairs. Both window circles crisp and untorn and the lining intact. The back has the odd small scuff and a little edge adhesive darkening is present, how many fail to have this as a bare minimum? Overall a very solid and still attractive Swirly inner.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: or very close to. A very fine visual copy with mostly only very fine and light surface marks seen more critically under bright angled light. A couple of fine but more visible surface marks on side two that have NO sound. In fact this record plays very well indeed with very little unwanted. When discovered, Spiral classics like this got played and played hard, so to find this very rare record in this condition is little short of remarkable. Overall, clean, shiny and intense black, clearly it has been played a few times, but I would suggest, mainly with due care. The cover certainly does remind more of it’s 42+ years-of-age, but the record far less so. It could even mean an upgrade for anyone lucky enough to own it – but as the grading suggests, it is not for the perfectionists who only want near mint as any cost – and if this one came on to the market as such, you are likely to need VERY deep pockets.

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 highly elusive, rare and impressive spaced-out jazz-prog album plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and all the complex sounds – including the challenging reeds and vocals – all focused with no clipping or groove wear. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed with just a couple of three very light ticks heard and little else, highly likely few (available copies, if you can find one), will play much better than this. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played quite modestly and has probably not been played for some considerable time prior to my mandatory play-grade. Barely anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this progressive masterwork, that with justice, should have been a success for this clearly talented and original band. This actual record could prove very difficult to find significantly better and it merits strong recommendation.

Final Summary: Not quite the Holy grail for Spiral collectors, but anyone wanting an original of this rare debut album, this could be just the one you have been waiting for. My only other copy had significant cover issues – a sizeable sticker tear – and finding it without issues is fast becoming near impossible. In real terms, this is quite nice and can still be enjoyed. The record is very clean and sounds great, that the really significant factor for me. So hopefully for someone, the search for this rare and elusive ‘lost’ prog classic could be over – with my average of one-per-year since being an Ebayer – will I even find another?

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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 ask 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] = £4.75

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]) = £12.50 (enhanced 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 [£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’.