FAMILY A Song For Me RARER RSLP ORIG UK 1970 LP. LOVELY SOUND, COVER + INSERT.

	£		19
	$		25

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

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 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘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 will now be blocked 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: FAMILY

Album Title: A Song For Me.

Producer(s): Family.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Drowned in Wine; Some Poor Soul; Love is a Sleeper; Stop for the Traffic (Through the Heart of Me); Wheels.

Side 2: Song for Sinking Lovers; Hey - Let It Rock; The Cat and the Rat; 93’s O.K. J; A Song for Me.

Label/Format: Reprise – original three colour format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both clean, fresh and attractive – a few spindle marks are seen near the hole. As many will know, yellow ink shows alignment marks or scuffs more freely than most, so no real surprise to see a few on this vintage original. The record itself does have some surface marks, but the most important factor is the sound, which is mostly superb throughout.

Cat Number: RSLP 9001.

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: 155 grams. A typical heavyweight thick pressing from this label and it’s respective year.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce on the original label, especially in super playing conditions and including the elusive insert. Although this sold well in the UK, it failed to even chart in the US. The majority seen have horribly worn covers and records played into submission. This is a very fine all-round example with an exceptional cover, lovely clean insert and a record, although with some surface marks/scuffs, offering highly impressive sound with no pressing issues or hidden noises. A record not available long on this format, most seen are repressings on the tan label, by 1970, the tri-colour labels were nearing their end.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: RSLP 9001 A-2 / RSLP 9001 B-2

Mother & Stamper Codes: H 1 / K 1

Musicians: Roger Chapman – vocals, percussion; John Whitney – guitars, banjo, organ; Robert Townsend – drums, percussion, harp; John Weider – guitars, violin, dobro; John ‘Poli’ Palmer – vibes, piano, flute.

Brief Info: The third Family album and last to feature on the tri-colour Reprise label format. Now with two new band members: John Weider on bass and ‘Poli’ Palmer on keyboards, flute and vibraphone, these replaced Ric Grech who went to Blind Faith and Jim King for personal reasons. This album offered a variety of sounds and styles and proved very successful in the UK, but failed to attract attention within the US. A complex recording with intricate sounds and this vintage early-pressed copy plays very well with hardly anything unwanted. Even Weider’s, at times wild sounding violin remains focused, precise and sharp, and there are few greater tests than this. This was a hugely enjoyable play-grade and most listeners will enjoy it.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: this being very conservative, this cover looks considerably better. This is hugely prone to all forms of wear, especially ringwear. A matt-finished, unlaminated gatefold format. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press. This has the correct RSLP 9001 number and includes the original insert.

Cover Front: Impressive with little to fault. Clean, fresh and retaining that lovely dark finish. Any creasing minimal, few and faint on the very edges. No sticker issues or ring marks, the lack of rubbing to the dark surface makes this considerably above average.

Cover Back: A little fine creasing here-and-there, but the lack of ringwear is a massive plus, that too with a 155 gram record inside for around 45 years. The main reason for my overly cautious grading being some light press marks which are seen under angled light. Normal full-on viewing reveals little. I am not actually convinced they were not there from manufacture, but that is pure speculation, I have just graded a little below what it deserves to compensate. Like the front, this highly wear-prone back will prove hard to find better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Superb, and little short of as-made.

Top Edges: Both straight, flush and any traces of rubbing bordering on minuscule.

Bottom Edges: Same again, and somewhat unusual on these dark storage edges.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with any thickening or burring tiny, little and light. The front closed edge is the sharpest with little to fault. The back opening edges are also impressive and all are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: A superb spine, rarely seen like this. Solid, straight with barely any hint of compression. Also folded square, so the edges meet up very closely together and parallel, these finer details make all the difference for attractiveness. All the text is beautifully white, fully present, totally unworn – a rare sight for sure on this cover.

Corners: Any tip rubs are tiny and light, very fine to excellent shape retained with no dinks.

Cover Summary: This cover looks lovely, so rarely seen without major rubbing or wear. The press marks on the back are quite fine and again, show little with normal viewing. This should please many collectors.

The Lyric Insert: EXCELLENT(+): this original matt-finished insert is in very fine condition with barely any creasing or handling marks – the odd trace only. The Candle title side is superb, but printing quality on the lyric side is less impressive with some text not clear purely in manufacture. Not that uncommon when fine white text is printed on black thin card. So my grading is purely based on at it was made, I cannot compensate for substandard manufacture. What I will guarantee is, this insert is 100% original.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a heavy-duty polylined white inner sleeve that has only gently aged with the usual darkening of the seam adhesive. Minimal creasing, two crisp undamaged window circles and clear lining. All edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: VERY GOOD: this does have numerous largely fine surface marks and a paper scuff. But the most important factor, this record plays beautifully with hardly anything unwanted. The marks fail to register and are ignored. A heavyweight pressing, typical of this label prior to the Kinney changeover, deep grooves and the visuals purely superficial. So not a copy for visual purist, but if the sound is the more important factor, this record delivers.

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 more progressive sounding album plays considerably above it’s still fine visual grading with hardly anything to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and the marks are pretty much all ignored with no tracking issues*. The irony is, I have had one or two other copies of this in the past that look hardly played or marked, but had horrible invisible pressing noises and crackle. Whereas this one has visual blemishes, but plays terrific. So again, if audio quality is the priority over stunning good looks, this will please many collectors – it still merits high recommendation and is a very fine all-round copy.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Blue 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 programmes. 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 Blue 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’.