EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER (ELP) 1st ALBUM, RARE ORIG UK 1970 EX+ LP – SUPERB SOUND

	£		109
	$		144

ONEADAYRECORDS – Serving-up a Christmas & New Year Feast of Entertainment

I would like to wish all my customers, regulars and newcomers, a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Over the Holiday Period, I am offering some interesting Christmas ‘Crackers’ – lovely albums – some rare – ENJOY!

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 (£2 per extra record). All boxes sent FIRST-CLASS & TRACKED in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS with extra 7mm side protection and bubblewrap.

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: 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 surfaces and a very gentle hint of texturing.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh with excellent deep pink colour. Spindle marks are only few, fine and faint, the record superbly pressed by EMI and plays impressively throughout.

Catalogue 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: 143 grams. A very good solid weight, one of the heavier copies I have held.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: The original on the Pink Label are getting harder to find especially in decent condition, it was one of the last original albums to be issued on this label. And the cover is very difficult without substantial ageing, rubbing and ring wear. It remains one of the best and most intensely recorded Island albums ever made. 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 very impressively with no groove wear, pressing noises or distortion. The audio quality and production immense, it still remains one of the best-recorded albums from its era and this copy does it strong justice. Clean early copies like this are getting increasingly difficult to find.

Original Year of Release: 1970, and not available long before the pink rim pressing replaced the full pink label. 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 GL / 1 R (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. So sad now Keith and Greg now gone. 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, and has Greg Lake ever sounded better? 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, 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 lovely little-used copy that plays with very clean distortion-free sound. Also very well pressed with minimal hint of any surface sound or other unwanted issues – gentle traces on the solo gently strummed acoustic guitar on ‘Take a Pebble’ for example, this being played on a ruthlessly revealing Linn Sondek LP12 – absolute silence I fear nigh on impossible, this just politely reminds, here-and-there, of what is actually being listened to – a 46-year-old, challenging vinyl record – but this sets a high standard that many, if not most will enjoy. A masterwork of high-fidelity sound and production with complex groove information often destroyed by vintage, often heavy-tracking mono record players. Fewer survive with focus fully intact and play silent these days, this one of the cleanest I have had for some time. The cover is equally difficult, and this one has far less wear than average as seen. So a copy worthy of strong consideration, indeed the record could prove a substantial upgrade for some. I enjoyed it with all the sound fully intact, precise and clear. The loud and very loud passages simply blew me away, this is still an immense recording and experience.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(–): an unlaminated single format with matt, smooth surfaces, highly intolerant and very prone to wear, especially with a first issue heavier record inside. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group, includes the plain white inner sleeve.

Cover Front & Back: One of Island’s most intolerant covers and seldom seen without often heavy rubbing and deep penetrating ring wear. Both front and back have largely avoided ring wear with only gentle traces near the rim area. In fact rubbing in general on the entire cover bar the bottom edge and corner tips is very light. A few creases on the front, but not heavy, less on the back. Fine gentle marks seen under light, but strong colour retained with no fading. Difficult, challenging and uncompromising, this is a fine example that remains generally attractive, but not for the very discerning.

Top Edge: Straight with a little patchy rubbing, and at the ends.

Bottom Edge: Again straight, but with more consistent moderate rubbing, this storage edge seldom avoids it.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with any thickening or burring light as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Quite thin, but equally straight with minimal compression. A little rubbing to the ends and only ‘spot’ rubs here-and-there. All the band/title text fully present with any clipping to the catalogue number tiny as seen. This area more often than not badly rubbed, even threadbare, this one has fared generally well.

Corners: All the corners have moderate tip rubbing with mostly fine shape retained with no bashes.

Cover Summary: In terms of this uncompromising cover, this can almost be considered a highly respectable example. Just enough to politely remind of age and difficult, but still generally attractive enough for many collectors to enjoy.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): a plain solid white unlined inner has aged little. The paper still mostly white, any discolouration near the seam edge adhesive areas. Hardly creased and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): arguably better, this is a really impressive copy in all respects. Any surface marks very fine, wispy and faint as seen with more scrutiny under bright light, there are no penetrating stylus scratches. There is a tiny speck near the very end of ‘The Three Fates’ – actually pink – and a tiny other mark just beyond – both do NOTHING. A very clean shiny record and very solidly pressed with deep and wide grooves for super-fidelity sound and immense detail with have complex patterns. A copy appearing little used and still visually, a splendid record that should please many, if not most collectors. A record that really does defy its years and popularity, more often than not seen ruined by scratches and trashed sound, this one is really lovely.

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: This impressive original pink i ELP debut plays mostly even above it’s high 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 due respect and many often have loud crackle and distortion. This one has no loss of clarity and the immense detail, warmth and power is fully retained. No pressing issues or invisible sound faults, it offers strong, dynamic and distortion-free sound with no tracking issues*. All frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is immense with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. With the most intense audio quality 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 and fragile soft acoustic guide pieces. Absolute silence, as stated further up, immensely difficult, only gentle traces noted on the utmost quiet segment – 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. The two tiny marks purely superficial nothing of note spoiled the drama of this legendary recording. Even the immensely difficult to track church organ is focused and devoid of the clipping and the high frequencies the same. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this vintage prog classic – the odd tiny blemish or and minor surface sound, but that’s records, and few get more difficult or challenging than this. One many, if not most collectors and fans will treasure, and strong recommendation is mandatory.

* 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’.