EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER (1st Album) RARER ORIG 1970 UK PINK ISLAND LP.

	£		86
	$		114

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: EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER

Album Title: Emerson, Lake & Palmer.

Producer(s): Greg Lake.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Barbarian; Take a Pebble; Knife-Edge.

Side 2: The Three Fates: a) Clotho b) Lachesis c) Atropos; Tank; Lucky Man.

Label/Format: Island – original full pink format with i logo that have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Viewed full-on, these look impresisve. Under angled light, some age dulling is evident along with quite fine, but moderate spindle marks.

Cat Number: ILPS 9132.

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: 128 grams. Not untypical for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The original on the Pink Label are getting harder to find especially in decent condition. And the cover is near impossible without substantial ageing, rubbing and ringwear. It remains one of the best and most intensely recorded Island albums ever made form it’s time. Early equipment often inflicted heavy wear to these most complex grooves, so they often suffer distortion and loud crackle unless treated well and played on more sympathetic record players. This one plays generally well with only a little quite gentle surface sound on the quietest of passages. But no distortion and any clicks few – I found this quite an enjoyable example to play-grade, but it is not perfect, so not for the perfectionists. So few pink label examples will ever offer that for all the reasons outlined above. So sometimes, a little give-and-take or compromise has to be made – still a very fine copy overall, this too being played on very revealing equipment as listed further down. The cover is really lovely and one of the best I have seen with a pink label record inside. This could prove a major upgrade on its own.

Original Year of Release: 1970 and not available too long before the pink rim pressing came along. Indeed, this was the penultimate original Island album issued on the full pink format, the final one being ‘Tea For the Tillerman’ by Cat Stevens.

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9132 A-2U / ILPS 9132 B-1U

Stamper Codes: 1 R / 1 A (this one of the earliest made)

Musicians: Keith Emerson – Piano, Royal Festival Hall organ, Moog; Greg Lake - Vocals, bass, electric & Acoustic guitar; Carl Palmer - percussion.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Featuring Keith Emerson, formerly of The Nice, Greg Lake (King Crimson) and Carl Palmer (Atomic Rooster) these three played high octane progressive music. Keyboard driven rock with a classical feel this debut for me still remains, for many, their best and definitive album. Featuring only six tracks but every one superb and of course the final song, ‘Lucky Man’ remains one of the definitive prog classics. A sublime song with stunning sound. This has to be heard via the vinyl source. Near it’s end, when the Moog kicks in right at the death, the bass frequencies hit below 60 Hz and on a big system this actually pulls at the stomach muscles. This is true hi-fi nirvana and nothing can better it. This is a very respectable copy that generally plays with very clean distortion-free sound – as stated further up, it does have a little gentle surface sound on a few of the quiet passages, but few will ever play silent, that a fact I know to be true over the years. A masterwork of high-fidelity sound and production with complex groove information often destroyed by vintage, often heavy-tracking mono record players. Fewer survive intact and play silent these days. The cover is equally difficult, and this one is very clean indeed. So a copy certainly worthy of consideration if perfection is not mandatory. I enjoyed it with all the sound intact and clear, personally, I can tolerate a little light surface sound, it is groovewear and distortion I cannot abide by, so this one is more than worthy of offering.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high indeed, one of the most wear-prone covers on this label and is seldom seen even a decent Very Good with a proper Excellent example being a very fine example. Highly rub and ring wear prone and often seen with huge sticker tears. It’s nigh-on impossible to find with absolutely nothing to fault, this will not be easy to find much better.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and tempted to add the extra (+) for one of the best I have seen for some considerable time. An unlaminated single format with matt smooth surfaces, highly intolerant of abuse, overhandling and bad storage. This one was printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group.

Cover Front & Back: One of Island’s most intolerant covers and seldom seen this attractive. In terms of surface rubbing and rim impression, both sides have little and amongst the least I have ever seen. Any traces are very light indeed with no ink removal. An ultra fine and faint vertical surface crease near the spine edge, barely even shows, and this blemish seems another regular feature of this cover. Deep fresh colour retained with any surface marks few and very faint indeed. The lack of ring wear is great news as is the lack of sticker issues. At last, one to hold and enjoy to near maximum pleasure.

Top Edge: Very thin indeed, but straight with hardly any wear at all up to the very ends that have small tip rubs.

Bottom Edge: As above with just a hint of end panel thickening near the right, which is being very critical of this traditional storage edge.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly very sharp with very few traces of wear, any thickening or burring minimal as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: A superb spine with possibly the least rubbingt and wear I have yet seen. Solid, straight with minimal traces of any compression. The ends are tapered in manufacture and both retain lovely definition with just tiny rubs to the very end corner tips. Unusually, ALL the deep pink text is unworn, fully present and unfaded – pink or magenta coloured ink often fades and rubs away totally – so this a considerable bonus, this text and graphic retains the deepest text you could imagine.

Corners: All the corners have small tip rubs but retain very fine to excellent shape with sharp points and no dinks or tip-ins.

Cover Summary: In terms of this uncompromising cover, this can almost be considered exceptional and an attractive all-round example, one that will prove VERY difficult to find much better. A cover that cried out to be laminated, but like the majority of Island covers, not to be in the UK. This should please many, if not most collectors. The plain white unlined inner has aged only modestly with some mild discolour and only light creasing, all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: or thereabouts, with some fine surface marks most more seen under angled light, around half-a-dozen being thicker and are more easily seen, but largely superficial and non-penetrating. Still very clean, shiny, with an intense black finish. Very solidly pressed with deep and wide grooves for super-fi sound, these have complex patterns. A copy without doubt played a few times but still visually a splendid record that should please many collectors, but not the more discerning collector who want perfection at any cost.

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 impressive original pink i ELP debut plays generally above it’s visual grading with stunning sound quality. With such detail and complex sound embedded, this was a record that could be easily destroyed if not treated with reasonable respect and many often have loud crackle and distortion. Well, this one has no distortion of pressing issues, but does have a little, fairly brief surface sound on the very quiet passages – enough to remind this is a 43-year-old vinyl record and not a squeaky clean digital version. It has strong, dynamic and powerful sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. With the most intense sound and dynamic range that no standard CD version can ever offer, at times, it gave me that rare tingle factor when playing. This is a vintage record with genuine hi-fi audio quality and will make any worthy system sound superb. A record with massive highs and lows, real church organ and deep bass synths, that will shake the foundations and then delicate piano pieces and some real quiet passages – as stated, there is a little gentle surface sound present here and there – this being played on very revealing equipment as listed further down. These type of records are the ultimate test for pressing standards and silence is near impossible, but this copy excels for realism, and for dynamic range and drama, it will prove unbeatable. A few sporadic ticks are near impossible to avoid also, but most of the visual blemishes on the record are superficial and ignored with no repetitive clicks. Even the immensely difficult to track church organ is focused and devoid of the clipping and the high frequences the same. Little spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this vintage prog classic – some blemishes and minor surface sound, but that’s records, and few get more difficult or challenging than this. Not for the perfectionist, but still worthy of solid recommendation, I enjoyed it alot and many collectors and fans are likely too also.

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’.