DONOVAN - A Gift From a Flower to a Garden - SCARCE ORIG UK 1968 STEREO EX+ LPs

	£		103
	$		136

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: DONOVAN

Album Title: A Gift From a Flower to a Garden

Producer(s): Mickie Most

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Wear You Like Heaven; Mad John’s Escape; Skip-a-long Sam; Sun; There Was a Time.

Side 2: Oh Gosh; Little Boy in Corduroy; Under the Greenwood Tree; The Land of Doesn’t Have to Be; Someone Singing.

Side 3: Song of the Naturalists Wife; The Enchanted Gypsy; Voyage into the Golden Screen; Isle of Islay; The Mandolin Man and his Secret; Lay of the Last Tinker.

Side 4: The Tinker and the Crab; Widow with Shawl (a portrait); The lullaby of Spring; The Magpie; Starfish-on-the-Toast; Epistle to Derroll.

Label/Format: Pye with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: All four show moderate, but fine spindle marks with a little gentle rubbing, mainly around the hole rims. Still attractive and fresh looking, the main factor being all four sides play impressive and clean – that never easy on this quite delicate double set.

Cat Number: NSPL 20000/1 and /2.

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 these Records: Both substantial at 158 / 161 grams. Typical heavyweight Pye records.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: The stereo issue is harder to find than the mono. So-much-so, Pye did not issue a dedicated stereo box when first issued, instead they put a stereo sticker on the box to cover the mono prefix. For me, this is Donovans’s masterpiece, it is seldom found in anything like decent condition. The box often broken on the corners, flattened or crushed, also rife with rubbing and grubbiness. The inserts often torn, badly creased or missing altogether and the wallet the same. Records often ruined by heavy usage, scratched or worn by chipped stylus rendering unlistenable sound. This is a fine example, the box not perfect, but very respectable. The wallet and inserts are all superb and the records practically the same. Importantly, they play beautifully with little unwanted.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: NSPL 20000 A-1*G STEREO / NSPL 20000 B-1*G STEREO / NSPL 20000 C-1*G STEREO / NSPL 20000 D-1*G STEREO [sides 3 & 4 are error corrected]

Stamper Codes: B 1 / B 1 / B 1 / F 1 [these stampers very early, and the earliest I have seen]

Musicians: Donovan Leitch - vocals, guitar, harmonica; Harold McNair - flute; Tony Carr - drums, bells, conga, Turkish and finger cymbals; Candy John Carr - bongos; Ken Baldock - string bass; Mike Carr - vibraphone; Eric Leese - electric guitar; Jack Bruce - electric bass; Cliff Barton - electric bass; Mike O’Neill - organ, piano, harpsichord.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Donovan, an artist who does not always get the full accolades his music truly deserves. His comparison to Dylan is somewhat unfair; this highly individual and gifted Scottish singer is his own man. He wrote some of the most wonderful songs of the late 1960s and his style suited the classic hippy psych era perfectly. None more so than this stunning double box set, this for me is his greatest ever album with every song a gem. Gentle, haunting melodies with atmosphere and genuine beauty and sung with real passion – the male folk genre rarely gets better than this. Beautifully packaged with sublime acid-folk songs, this is fast becoming scarce – complete copies in very fine conditions are becoming more elusive and stereo originals surface far less often. This was lavishly packaged in a two piece box with printing on all the main surfaces. No compromising on quality, even the cards themselves are printed on top quality, watermarked paper. Finding the full set of 12 in near mint condition in a similar ‘wallet’ will always prove a challenge. These here are pretty much that. The box has some wear, but is still fully intact. Both records are lovely, the spindle marks do not tell the true story. The playing surfaces are very clean and impressive as is the sound. So a copy many collectors will be pleased to own and certainly hear.

Box (lid) Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: this the most vulnerable part in terms of wear as the outside edges are more exposed. Firstly the main top: the only blemish of note is the previous stereo sticker outline mark which can be clearly seen. As stated, only mono boxes were initially made, so this has the NPL prefix. The mark has not pulled or damaged the surface, merely left a dull where it once was – this is a very common trait for stereo copies and is seldom avoided. With the main surface reasonably clean and unrubbed this still looks pleasing. The graphic looks impressive with just a hint of grubbiness on the pale background, but still fresh with fine colour. The green inside part is practically like new with full UK credits. All corners are intact with NO repairs and minimal ‘spread’ of the edges. Minimal edge or even corner rubbing, that is quite rare to see, any traces are light and quite few with no major scuffs and no tears to the sides which are gently textured. So unusually solid and neat looking all-round.

Box (tray) Grade and Format: VERY GOOD(++): again vulnerable, the underside especially. This has a stick-on graphic which has a small tear on the top left corner with the same corner tip missing, that apart, the graphic is superb. The main surface has a moderate rub on the left side, so this appears a little faded on this area (top left), also a few tiny marks that show far less. The inside part again is immaculate. All corners and edges are very strong, unspread and fully intact with NO repairs. Hardly any edge or even corner rubbing, the main outer surfaces on this tray are again textured. So the underside has some wear, but being fully intact and neat is a real bonus on this unforgiving piece.

The Wallet: EXCELLENT(++): a super example in deep orange-brown with the artists name printed on the front. Printed on fairly thick matt finished card, the inside has two folded flaps that are shaped near the centre foldline. Both are pristine with no creasing and generally clean. A small inside tone spot with a lesser trace outside, any others are tiny and faint. The edges are quite crisp and neat with no tears and minimal thickening or burring, it remains barely creased and very fresh looking.

The Inserts: PRACTICALLY MINT – Just a tiny few gentle and light ‘spots’ on ‘the eleventh’. The 12 multi-coloured inserts are named ‘the first’ to ‘the twelfth’, I have scrutinised them all and most are ‘as made’. Beautifully printed and made on high class thick paper with a deep watermark (see under light). The paper also has a deep weave pattern and a textured feel to the fingers. These are pure class and superbly illustrated by Mick Taylor and Sheena McCall. Twelve inserts, twelve different colours for twelve songs, they are copyrighted ‘Donovan (Music) Ltd’. Most-all are very clean, and retain genuine freshness and (eleventh apart), devoid of any marks (front or back), toning, obviously unmounted and uncreased. All edges sharp, all exactly the same size, hence NO trimming or enhancements, all corners are perfect right angles with barely a tip blemish worthy of note. Practically specimen standard examples, these will be immensely difficult to find better and all are gorgeous mini works of art that are nigh-on impossible to reproduce or fake.

The Inner Sleeves: Both EXCELLENT with only a little tone spotting – one has one, the other three. Both are tracing paper lined, these intact, strong and neat with pristine window circles and no edge splits or repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): and arguably undergraded as such. Merely ultra fine and faint surface traces seen under bright angled light. Most super-fine, wispy with no penetrating stylus marks at all. Totally harmless and not even easy to see unless scrutinised. These records retain super shine, freshness and lustre, the labels may indicate usage, but if so, I strongly suggest with due care on very fine equipment. Finding this stereo pair better these days will prove beyond difficult and I can suggest with confidence, they are likely to prove difficult to find better.

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: These lovely records play even above their conservatively graded visuals with very little to fault at all. Offering strong, dynamic, distortion-free stereo sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear and sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. The lack of distortion, pressing issues or inherent surface noise is a huge plus factor on any album like this. There are no loud electric passages to mask imperfections but none needed for this one, there are no tracking issues*. The odd tick or crackle trace being totally realistic, is near impossible to avoid totally, but little heard. Donovan’s voice and backing instruments are sublime, superbly produced by Mickie Most and has a genuine in-the-room quality. The songs are simply wonderful with a truly haunting quality, a man at the peak of his powers without a second wasted on lovely material. This is a work-of-art with all the original mix, sound and packaging (those beautiful inserts are worthy of any price alone), this is merits my highest recommendation as a much better all-round example will prove immensely difficult to find.

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