FAIRPORT CONVENTION Unhalfbricking ULTIMATE 1st PRESS

	£		136
	$		180

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4. Europe £10. Rest of World £14. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: FAIRPORT CONVENTION

Album Title: Unhalfbricking

Producer(s): Joe Boyd, Simon & Fairport.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Genesis Hall; Si tu Dois Partir; Autopsy; A Sailor’s Life.

Side 2: Cajun Woman; Who Knows Where The Times Goes?; Percy’s Song; Million Dollar Bash.

Label/Format: Island - original first press pink block format. Please ignore the price guides that still suggest the first pressing is on the pink orange eyeball label – this is not so. If anyone owns such a copy I sure would like to see it and it is largely believed my most, it simply does not exist.

Label Conditions: Both look fantastic: very clean and fresh and highly attractive. Spindle marks are incredibly light and faint, hardly any at all in fact. This gorgeous first issue looks hardly played reitterated by immaculate sound throughout.

Cat Number: ILPS 9102.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 135 grams. an average weight for this era.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Quite rare: the Island label was in constant change from 1967 to 1970 with four distinctly different formats. There are were also variants on the main design too e.g. texturing and styles depending on what company pressed them. Of the four formats, the pink block is the least seen with the leasat albums issued on it. Of those few that were, fewer still were new titles and this second Island Fairport album was one of them. A format that was only available for around six to eight months before the more common pink i design replaced it. Although the price guides, over the years, have put glaring errors right, for some reason, they have failed to correct this one. It seems almost universally agreed, this album did not make issue on the orange eyeball pink format and the very first pressings are on the pink black block, as per this one. Only available for a short time before being repressed and first issues of this classic folk-rock album on this label are quite rare especially with the record in such supreme condition.

Original Year of Release: 1969.

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9102 A // 1 1 1 & ILPS 9102 B // 1 1 1 1 [simply a case of how early do you want them? This looks an ultimate first of the line]

Musicians: Sandy Denny - vocals, Harpsichord; Richard Thompson - electric and acoustic guitars, electric dulcimer, piano accordion, organ, backing vocals; Ashley Hutchings - bass, backing vocals; Simon Nicol - electric and acoustic guitars, electric dulcimer, backing vocals; Martin Lamble - drums. Guest:Iain Matthews - backing vocals; Dave Swarbrick - fiddle, Mandolin; Trevor Lucas - triangle; Marc Ellington - vocals.

Brief Artist & Album Info: The second of three masterpieces that featured Fairport Convention with the wonderful, and sadly missed Sandy Denny. Unhalfbricking – a strange title was actually thought of by Sandy during a word game in the group van while travelling – her parents are the couple on the front cover. This a genuine folk-rock classic, the quality of the songs is astonishing from the very beginning, ‘Genesis Hall’, a catchy short song with a lovely haunting quality, then ‘Si su dois partir’, a surprise hit single which features Dave Swarbrick on fiddle, he actually features on half the album and his influence is highly important for this album’s quality and sound. Two more legendary Fairport titles are also included: the traditional ‘A Sailor’s Life’ which is embolded as one of the greatest folk-rock songs of all time, beautiful vocals by Sandy complemented perfectly with Thompson’s distinctive guitar and then ending with a blistering fiddle frenzy by Swarbrick, and of course Sandy’s tour de force the majestic ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’, not just a classic within this genre, but for me, one of the greatest songs ever written – once heard, never forgotten. This wonderful song, like the lady herself is written in folk history as one of the true greats. Also featured are three Bob Dylan songs, lesser known gems, and again are beautifully performed. A rare delight to find a genuine first pressing too – an album that does not wear well – the music complex and fragile, the cover hugely prone to all forms of wear. This is a very fine all-round example, a little cover wear but still an attractive one. The record hardly even played and offering sound that will rarely be matched, let alone beaten. One that takes you directly into the studio itself, I have never heard better. Island records pressing quality does vary considerable – some were stunningly perfect, some could be very noisy and disappoint. This beauty more the former and little short of reference standard. I politely remind however, I do play my records on hugely revealing equipment and little escapes it.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+. Few avoid often heavy ringwear, sticker tears, severe creasing, fading and significant rubbing. The early examples with heavier records inside all these years make this delicate cover wear even worse.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a single unlaminated format with a matt finish and smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by Ernest J Day.

Cover Front: A lovely simplistic front that has great charm and finding a much better example will not prove easy with a first, thick pressed record inside. Minimal wear at all with just the odd small faint surface crease that hardly even shows. Clean and attractive with no sticker issues, this is attractive.

Cover Back: The back shows a little more wear, being so dark it usually does, but in terms of this one, very modest indeed. There is a litttle light surface rubbing near the bottom areas, this greatly overemphasised by my camera flash, this is only light. A fine vertical crease near the spine edge also shows little with normal viewing. The lack of ringwear is a major bonus and overall, this back looks quite impressive too.

Top Edge: Very light, slightly patchy rubbing, little at all actually.

Bottom Edge: Mainly light, odd small moderate area, patchy rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with little wear. Any thickening or burr traces are minimal and light. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression. Wear is modestly light but some text has clipped or rubbed. The vast majority present and solid, the most rubbed is the word ‘ISLAND’ with around 50% missing.

Corners: All corners have rubbed but nothing excessive, few will ever avoid it totally. Fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: Still an attractive all-round example of this famous cover, one that will prove difficult to find significantly better and my grading for the two main faces is somewhat harsh. This original EJD printed cover should please many collectors but not the perfectionists.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: the Polydor style lined inner has aged little with only slight discolouration and hardly any creasing. A very clear lining is seen through two very crisp and undamaged window circles. All edges unsplit with no repairs. This date coded /119 (November 1969).

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-): not only the best genuine first pressed copy of this album I have seen, it is a contender for the best 1960s pressed Island album I have seen– certainly for some time anyway. Both the playing surfaces are very clean, shiny, intense black and pressed on very solid vinyl. Even under bright angled light, very few traces of any blemishing at all. An impressive sight for a classic that has without any doubt, hardly even been played. A 42-year-old record that sets a very high standard and looks really fantastic – one for the connoisseur collector.

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: It is always with great anticipation I play any early Fairport’s album and knowing pressing quality is never guaranteed, it can be a little nervous experience too. An album I truly adore – all Fairport albums up to 1970 are truly essential and this title is simply magnificent. A record that plays up to it’s high visual grading, this is a wonderful example that does this classic album perfect justice. A copy devoid of the so-often-heard crackle and clipping to the wonderful Denny voice and fiddle solos. Again I remind, I play my records on a Linn LP12, still one of the most revealing front-ends ever made. No distortion or sound degrading at all and a clean pressing by Polydor. Sandy’s vocals are crystal clear, detailed and have an in the room quality. Thompson’s guitar chords are defined and sharp, even Swarbrick’s fiddle, always one of the most vulnerable to damage on vintage vinyl, is precise and sharp. This without any doubt has never been subjected to piledriver vintage needles and has probably not seen light-of-day for decades. An ultimate first issue for the highly discerning collector – do not lose it.

End Piece: ‘Classic’ and ‘Essential’ are two words often overused (often by myself when I get carried away with a real personal favourite), but I make no apology for using them for this album. The thing that amazes, is the next album, Leige and Leif was arguably even better. The standards set by the early Fairport albums was such that they probably will never will be equalled within this field - Thompson and Denny were like peaches and cream - they complemented each other perfectly. This actual record on offer is beyond impressive and has to set my benchmark for future copies. It barely reminds of it’s age and was a delight. The detail and precision of this first pressing is second to none. Listening to this classic album rarely fails to move – a mini work of genius. I hope the winning bidder enjoys this beautiful record as much as I did.

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 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 3 or 4 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). 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: Please as 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.

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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.