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

	£		125
	$		166

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Best Folk-Psych to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Rates.

Artist or Band: FAIRPORT CONVENTION

Album Title: Fairport Convention.

Producer(s): Joe Boyd & Tod Lloyd.

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 - Intense red format with highly attractive shiny surfaces not dissimilar to the 1969-72 RCA Victor period. Under light, these appears very slightly textured and the rims have quite a deep bevel as well (please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both little short of immaculate with real freshness retained. Ultra clean and without doubt, little handled, any spindle traces being few and very faint. This rare record has survived the potential ravages of old vintage record players and I can hardly imagine ever finding this stereo record better.

Cat Number: 583035.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: A very impressive 150 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: This somewhat groundbreaking album was available in both mono and stereo, the mono version is slightly rarer but both are elusive and always difficult to find in very fine conditions. Not a big seller when issued and only available for a time before being repressed with a very bland new cover that pales into insignificance compared to this superb fully laminated original band picture version. As beautiful as the original cover is however, it does in most cases suffer laminate issues and few are found with none. I have barely seen any without some adhesion problem for which this cover is known.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: 583035 A // 1 420 1 1 4 2 & 583035 B // 1 420 1 3 1

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 within 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 has been 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 gem 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 skillfully blends the two genres together and remains one of the linchpins to the folk-rock sound. Judy’s vocals are pure class and on the wonderful cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Chelsea Morning’ it even matches Miss Mitchell’s standards. One of the leading transition albums that took psych into folk and this groundbreaking album will rarely be experienced with cleaner sound as on this hardly played record. So many of the few that sold were trashed and ruined by piledriver thick heavyweight stylus from yesteryear, yes even stereo copies suffered. As stated, the record looks superb and plays beautifully with nothing unwanted. Although the cover was fully laminated, it’s rarely seen looking really nice as it always seems to suffer often severe friction rubs and dulling and most rife with heavy creases and adhesion problems. These often in manufacture with line sliver creases being common, also often seen on Jack Bruce’s original ‘Songs for a Tailor’ cover, also on Polydor. Being so dark, this is hugely revealing of all blemishes. This one only has one noteworthy crease and has avoided the manufactured problems and overall it looks very nice indeed. More details on all below.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderate in theory, but only a very few escape major (often very heavy) creasing, severe dulling and laminate lifting. I have seen some very sorry looking examples of this before making this one look almost exceptional.

Cover Grade and Format: I would be very reluctant to grade this lovely rare cover less than EX, all surfaces are better but the front does have a moderate corner crease and one moderate laminate blister. My flash has washed it out a little but it can be seen on higher resolution computer monitors. It’s a single, fully laminated format that was printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day Ltd. This is the true stereo cover, the mono cover has a different catalogue number.

Lamination: Front & Back A hugely challenging cover to find in high conditions mainly due to quite thin card and the very dark artwork that emphasises blemishes and marks so freely. I also find this one of the most challenging to photograph too as the shiny surfaces reflect badly, it’s a case of getting the angle correct, but I am no photography expert. Anyway, both sides have very shiny laminate that is very fresh and clear. This has only light dulling near the top and bottom and only light traces around the rim shape, this is possibly the least I have seen on this cover, certainly for some time anyway. As stated, this has one moderate surface crease on the front bottom left corner area which is reciprocate to a lesser extent on the back, this actually shows little. Some fine edge hairline creases and a very small few, ultra fine half moons, mostly on the front. All-in-all, one of the least creased versions of this elusive stereo cover I have seen and one of the most attractive too. Laminate adhesion, apart from one moderate blister on the back, bottom right edge, is superb. Few will have none, fact and just to have one is highly unusual. Often the entire spine both sides have blisters of totally lifting all the way down, also not always just the spine, this cover regularly has lifteing issues anywhere. The one significant one here (any others are very tiny and not worthy of any special mention), has not peeled and any ‘breaks’ or cracks are ultra tiny indeed, so with careful storage, no further issues will happen. The richness and deep intense colour of the artwork is fantastic and the shine immense, even under light, there are few surface marks or even hairlines and this wonderful, almost classic cover will take a lot of beating. Not perfect, but really, really nice.

Top Edge: Very thinly made, totally unworn and dead straight.

Bottom Edge: Practically as above, minute bend on spine corner which has clearly taken a minor knock in the past.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with barely any traces of wear, guaranteed, untrimmed. The fine exposed strips where the laminate ends a little short of full width are practically unworn or chipped and very clean too. Record entered on this right outside edge.

Spine and Text: A superb spine and again constructed quite thin but very solid, mainly straight and uncompressed, all text unworn and all the laminate solid and intact with superb shine, clarity and no peeling. Few will get close to this one.

Corners: All four practically as made again with superb pointed definition retained and any tip rubs tiny and faint. As stated, the spine bottom has had a minor knock at sometime but the cornertip remains superb, the only light crease here is further in and shows little.

Cover Summary: Even with a single lift (far less than most offer) and one moderate crease (ditto), this is a very attractive (and highly difficult) cover. Okay a few minor blemishes but nothing in life (or record covers) are ever quite perfect. If the moderate crease on the front edge or the lift on the back is an issue, do not bid, if this impossibly difficult cover is wanted ‘perfect’, well the waiting game will have to continue. Sometimes a few small compromises have to be made for the really rare items. But few compromises will have to be made on the record…

The Inner Sleeve: The Polydor polylined inner is around excellent. It has a couple of moderate corner creases and has slightly darkened with age. The window is immaculate with the lining clear and all edges unsplit.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and a hugely impressive looking 1968 heavy pressed stereo record. Supremely clean clean and retains a lovely rich shine, intense black and without doubt, hardly even played. The playing surfaces look lovely, any surface trace blemishes are ultra fine and few indeed. One tiny pressing raised bump on ‘The Lobster’ that has seven faint clicks (‘click’ not really the correct word actually, more like faint ‘taps’, like tapping your finger on a table [but VERY lightly, give it a try and you will understand]). No damaging old needles have been near this record and visually this will please most-all collectors. It will take an incredible copy to better this significantly.

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 elusive and groundbreaking album plays up to its high visual grading and that is near perfect with practically nothing to fault. The tiny pressing ‘bump’, a natural blemish only, lasts only seven revs and is only very faint. Incredible sound with no distortion, never take this for granted on any record this age, all frequencies remaining sharp and clear. Sound quality is very high indeed with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound with barely anything else unwanted. The stereo mix is lovely and for more psychy music, it images beautifully. Tracking is effortless and no other pops or clicks were noted, this has master-tape clarity and quality. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful original record. This copy will prove immesely difficult to find better and is a great opportunity for the discerning vinyl collector to own this gem. Do not lose this beautiful record that justifies my highest recommendation for top quality sound and lovely looks.

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 QED Silver terminated cable). 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (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. 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 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’.