FAIRPORT CONVENTION (1st) RARE A1/B1 ORIG UK 68 N/M LP

	£		111
	$		147

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: FAIRPORT CONVENTION

Album Title: Fairport Convention.

Producer(s): Joe Boyd & Tod Lloyd.

Engineer(s): John Wood.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Time Will Show the Wiser; I Don’t Know Where I Stand; If (Stomp); Decameron; Jack O’Diamonds; Portfolio.

Side 2: Chelsea Morning; Sun Shade; The Lobster; It’s Alright Ma, It’s Only Witchcraft; One Sure Thing; M1 Breakdown.

Label/Format: Polydor (please see my label scan, both are near identical.

Label Conditions: Both truly immaculate, both could have been yesterday. Ultra clean and highly attractive with just two or three ultra faint whispy spindle traces. Both amazing copy has probably been played no more than once or twice and typical from the collection from where it came.

Cat Number: 582035.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 125 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very scarce – the guides hardly begin to tell the true story. A massively important record that blends psychedelia with folk-rock and few did it better than this landmark Fairport Convention debut classic. After all these years, this groundbreaking album has barely seen light of day and is barely even run-in in vinyl terms. A truly breathtaking record that will thrill even the most discerning connoisseur collector. The record will remind what these once looked like when first purchased and the cover is almost the same.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: 582035 A1 420 1 1 4 / 582035 B1 420 1 3 4.

Musicians: Judy Dyble – lead vocals, electric and acoustic autoharps, recorder and piano; Ian MacDonald on vocals, jews harp; Richard Thompson, vocals, lead electric and acoustic guitars and mandolin; Simon Nicol, vocals, electric 12- and 6-string and acoustic guitars, banjo and violin; Tyger Hutchings, bass and Martin Lamble, percusssion and violin. Clare Lowther guests on cello.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Still the definitive band for the genre - and this is where it all started. This is not quite the Fairport folk-rock formula we came to love on the three Sandy Denny era masterpieces that followed this incredible debut. This has strong psych elements embedded into the songs and was fairly recently featured in the Record Collector monthly magazine’s features on the best UK psych albums of all time. This almost lost masterpiece justifiably received rave reviews from the magazine’s writers. Never an easy record just to find on vinyl, most offered are reissues, and it’s the only album this wonderful band made on Polydor. It was reissued in the early 70s (only in stereo) with a very different, somewhat drab cover that simply does not even compare to this lovely original. Judy Dyble makes this album special - only the wonderful Sandy Denny was worthy of replacing her after this sublime debut. This folk-psych masterpiece should appeal to most serious music fans, not just folk collectors, it’s one of the most desirable albums to own within its field, but goes way beyond specialist territory. Even in these early years, Thompson’s song writing and guitar skills were way ahead of the rest. The album is beautifully produced by Joe Boyd and Tod Lloyd, the production is quite wonderful, it does exactly what is intended. Issued when folk and psych were truly in vogue and even ‘fashionable’, this album remains one of the most important. Judy’s vocals are pure class and on the wonderful cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Chelsea Morning’ it even matches Miss Mitchell’s standards. I strongly recommend Judy’s new album issued a few weeks ago. As stated, the record has barely been played and plays with pristine perfect sound. The cover is practically as made too but does have some relatively minor laminate issues on the back. There are fine laminate ‘adhesion lines’, a trait of manufacture where the laminate is not adhered perfectly flush. This is not uncommon on covers and I have seen this many times before on this and various other albums. There is NO blistering or non-adhesion. This manufacture blemish appears as fine crinkle, with normal viewing it shows little anyway. This is exactly as the cover was when purchased and this was confirmed and reitterated by the one and only original owner. If anyone considers this an issue, please do not bid. But I do say again, this minor visual imperfection is a natural blemish in the lamination process, I think some call them ‘heat marks’. The cover retains a gorgous beauty and is never easy to photograph when this shiny as it reflect badly. Hopefully my pictures do this beauty justice.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderate in theory, but only a very few escape major (real) creasing, severe dulling and laminate lifting. I have seen some very sorry looking examples of this before and even this one looks fantastic.

Cover Grade and Format: NOT taking into account of the manufacture laminate ‘wrinkles’ on the back, I happy grade this cover EX++ because it’s very close to the same as when purchased. The original put immediately into a protective cover and there is stayed, one time has forgotten and blemishes are few. It’s a single fully laminated format that was printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day Ltd, London. This is a stereo cover that came with this record. A cover unique to the earliest pressings before being reissued in a more budget looking, bland effort in the early 1970s. This original is in a different league of course with supreme artwork of the earliest incarnation of this remarkable band.

Lamination: Front & Back The front looks fantastic, just one small half moon crease and a small chip on the left edge. Both sides have mirror-like laminate that gleams in light and retains crystal clarity with no fogging or dulling at all. Even under light, barely even a faint hairline can be seen and this laminate is so fresh and rubbed, it appears almost sprayed on. I have mentioned the back has heat application crinkle, most on the bottom edge and going up. This at the highest on the left and diminishes moving to the right. A ‘natural’ occurrence in manufacture and it shows little when viewed normally. A few small ones are present on the top edge too. There is no lifting or blistering and for sheer good looks this will take a lot of beating. The freshness will be immediately apparent to any new owner. The only real blemish of note is a small and fine chip on the front spine edge near the centre, but this has not damaged the spine text. Both sides are lovely but if the blemish and laminate ‘crinkles’ are an issue, please do not bid. Please see my close-up of this 'heat crinkle' (cannot think of a better term for it really). This was not easy to photograph and possibly over-emphasises it. Hopefully it will help anyway. Truly, this cover is virtually factory-fresh and at 40-years-old or so, this is some achievement.

Top Edge: Totally unworn.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering, guaranteed, untrimmed. The fine exposed strips where the laminate ends a little short of full width are unworn or chipped and very clean too. Record entered on this right outside edge.

Spine and Text: An ultra fine laminate ‘split’ on the top fold has minimal visual impact bar a smallish chip near the centre. This I have seen on other copies of this cover and the sharpness of the foldline is probably a factor. The small chip is really on the only real blemish on this cover and this will not draw the eye’s attention to any real degree. That apart, solid, straight and uncompressed, all text unworn and all the laminate solid and intact bar the small chip that’s on the front rather than the spine.

Corners: All four as made.

Cover Summary: A lovely example time has virtually overlooked. Okay minor manufacture blemishes but nothing in life (or record covers) are ever quite perfect. If you want a cover that still looks almost as made, look no further.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), again where is the minus? You could search another 40 years to find another as good as this, a beautiful example that shows no mark traces of any significance at all. It is very clean and retains a lovely shine, intense black and solidly pressed. Like the cover, this has barely been handled and the term ‘factory-fresh’ comes to mind again. The record includes its lined Polydor inner which is also in superb Mint(-) condition, always a great indicator of use (or lack of in this case).

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 snippetts 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 rare record plays as good as it looks, and that’s pretty much perfect with nothing to fault. Incredible sound with no distortion, all frequencies remaining sharp and clear, sound quality is very high indeed with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. The stereo mix is lovely and gives strong imagery and presence. Tracking is effortless and no pops or clicks were noted, this has master-tape clarity and quality. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful original stereo record. This copy will prove near impossible to find better and is a great opportunity for the discerning vinyl collector to own this gem as good as it possibly gets. Near Mint examples of this album are at a real premiun and do not come along often, do not lose this beautiful record.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth 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.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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]) = £12. (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 timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.