FAMILY Music in a Doll's House RARE EARLY UK 68 MONO LP

	£		51
	$		68

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Rare Mono Classics to the World

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Artist or Band: FAMILY

Album Title: Music in a Doll’s House.

Producer(s): David Mason.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

A Special Note About This Record: This is a rare mono example of this legendary album: but I must explain the mono pressings very often had major problems with the pressing hence I include a picture taken from the Record Collector’s piece about this album (please see my picture of this text, I hope it can be read). Basically, John Whitney, the band’s guitarist, states the mono pressing of Doll’s House had ‘technical problems’ and it kept jumping the grooves. I have spoken to a couple of other dealer-collectors who said few, if any copies of this album actually play through and is rife with noise or distortion. Whitney also states in the piece, the mono record was withdrawn which seems a little more uncertain. This copy on offer certainly DOES play all the way through with no problems with tracking and no groove skips or sticking. But this copy does have some sound distortion albeit only very brief and few. I can only presume the distortion parts are the areas of the cutting problems on this record but as stated, this DOES play all the way through with no skips, jumps or sticking which in terms of this album is a major bonus. I sold another copy of this in mono a couple of years ago that had far more distortion than this one, that was significantly louder and more of and at times was quite unpleasant (as distortion is). This one has has less and is only brief but nonetheless present. But as many collectors out there simply want the earliest and rarer pressings of the classic albums, warts and all and quite honestly this title, in mono, seems very unlikely to ever be found in ‘perfect’ condition – sad, but true. I have included the book text extract to prove the point. A small few early pressings included an insert too, this one was not one of the lucky ones. But I have included a superb full-size repro taken from an original and this actually looks better being printed on high quality, thicker card. The mono mix is incredibly dynamic and powerful and again as Whitney states in the extract, it is different to the more common stereo version with extra guitar parts and sound. This is NO stereo to mono meltdown, this is a very different and superior recording. It’s a real shame this is not perfect all the way through but most-all does play brilliantly. When it comes to sound, I am highly critical, but I found this a joy to experience with the elusive single-channel mix. More detail and information are locked inside these grooves, just a pity the manufacturing standards at the time let it down slightly. I am NOT making excuses, these are the facts, few, if any mono copies of this evergreen classic will play without some issues and being honest, this one is the best I have heard to date with the RLP number. So this is certainly a collector’s piece in terms of rarity and the mono mix is unique, but if perfect sound is mandatory, this is not for the perfectionist by any means but realistically, this mono copy may just be as good as they get. If you have any doubts about this record – PLEASE DO NOT BID.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Chase; Mellowing Grey; Never Like This; Me My Friend; Variation on a Theme of Hey Mr Policeman; Winter; Old Songs New Songs; Variation on a Theme of The Breeze.

Side 2: Hey Mr Policeman; See Through Windows; Variation on a Theme of Me My Friend; Peace of Mind; Voyage; The Breeze 3 x Time.

Label/Format: Reprise – a mono pressing issued on the tri-coloured steamboat label. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Very clean and attractive examples with less than moderate spindle marks which remain faint, fine and with minimal visibility.

Cat Number: RLP 6312.

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: 156 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. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite a rare one in mono.

Original Year of Release: 1968.

Matrix Nos: RLP 6312 A-3-G / RLP 6312 B-3-G

Stamper Codes: C 1 / E 1

Musicians: Roger Chapman - lead vocals, harmonica, tenor saxophone; John Whitney - lead guitar, steel guitar; Jim King - tenor, soprano saxophones, harmonica, vocal; Ric Grech - bass guitar, violin, cello, vocals; Rob Townsend - drums, percussion.

Brief Info: Issued in the UK in 1968 to great acclaim but it only peaked at 35 in Britain and it failed to even chart in the US at all. ‘Doll’s House’ is a classic album and one of the greatest UK debuts ever. Blending powerful rock with psychedelia and superbly produced by Traffic’s Dave Mason. Fronted by the slightly eccentric Roger Chapman with one of rock’s most powerful and inventive voices his vibrato voice remains distintively unique. A highly inventive and thrilling debut, the use of saxophones, cello and violin at this time was highly inventive and gave Family extra profile – an album that never flags throughout and still sounds as fresh and exciting as it did on issue. Such a shame many of the mono copies had these technical problems as detailed above as the sound is very different to the regular stereo version. If early groundbreaking progressive rock-psych is for you, but only bid if the brief sound issues can be lived with, this is a rare gem. A collector’s copy rather than one for the audiophile connoisseur possibly, but if the text is to be believed – and why shouldn’t it be from an ex-band member? – it seems like most copies will probably play with even more serious problems than this. At least this copy DOES play all the way through without jumps or sticking. I state again, any doubts, DON’T bid.

Cover Grade and Format: A superb EX and one of my favourite covers of the 1960s, this one does it high justice. A single format with front laminate that wraps around the closed edges on to three large external rear flipbacks. This was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and this dedicated mono cover has the original ‘Patents pending’ text. The insert is a superb repro taken from an original and actually looks superior. Only one in many hundreds will ever include an original and most that surface are tatty and damaged.

Lamination & Front: Not only one of the greatest albums of the late 60s, one of the greatest covers too – and that’s front and back. The lamination is still very clear, fresh and shiny and all is fully adhered with no lifting of blistering. A few, mainly small and light scattered surface creases only, with normal viewing they show little (if indeed at all). A couple of minor surface marks, but look hard to see them and the lack of any really significant friction rubs or dulling, this famous old cover front will take a fair degree of beatinig, expecially a more elusive mono one.

Cover Back: One of my favourite back covers ever: the gorgeous doll on the tricycle looks fantastic, please see my close-up picture. Blemishes?, well not very many on a 40+ year old really. This was owned by a female who put her first name and her then boyfriends too, they were married soon after and remain so to this day. There is a minor scuff to the flipback end just above. So I have taken a close-up picture of this area to show the very neat and small names, the minor rub and to show the rarer RLP catalogue number too. The beautiful back panel is practically unworn and ultra clean and attractive with barely any rubbing, grubbiness or creasing. Overall, the flipbacks are in splendid condition with no lifting, burring or damage – the small rub on the top right being small and minor, there is little else to fault bar a small bottom right corner tip rub. Both front and back are age-defyingly lovely and most collectors will enjoy them.

Top & Bottom Edges: Little wear to either up to the corner tips.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering. Odd minor burr trace when viewed end-on, this being critical. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A very strong spine too that retains unpeeled laminate that still shines too. Solid, straight with minimal traces of compression, all text is perfect and unworn under the solid laminate. Very faint scuff traces near the ends, again being critical.

Corners: Small tip chips or rubs only and all retain fine to very fine shape.

Cover Summary: A beautiful all round example of this elusive classic cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better as a genuine mono. This attractive item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Family Insert: I reitterate again: this is a repro insert at full size taken from an original. Originals are immensely scarce and seldom seen or offered, when they do surface they are invariably in poor shape. This very highly quality repro is absolutely superb and of course gives that more ‘complete’ satisfaction.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Very Good. A fine visual mono copy that is clean with fine shine, intense black and heavily pressed. This has light surface marks and has clearly has been played several times but far from excessively, it has NO damaging deep scratches and most of the mainly fine marks are ignored. Visually a strong record that should please many collectors but again not the more discerning. The record includes its original polylined inner in near excellent condition.

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.]

Distortion/Noise On: A single rev distortion on ‘Mellowing Grey’ and the same on ‘Never Like This’ and ‘Old Songs, New Songs’. On my other copy, in nigh-on identical places, this was far more severe, longer and unpleasant. These come and go quickly and last less than a second each. Side two has avoided these issues unlike the other copy I sold.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This mono record has distortion on three songs as listed above. These being one single revolution on each song, so all ultra brief. My other example was far more serious and I feel this is superior in those terms. I refer any interested collector to the aforementioned paragraph at the top of my advert about the known pressing issues with the mono cuts of this title. What I do feel worthy reitteratting again is the fact the first pressed mono copies of this album clearly did have pressing or cutting problems and to just find one that plays through without jumping or sticking is a noteworthy bonus. This album plays very well indeed, it does have a few sporadic very light ticks and traces of very gentle surface sound, again only in places. Let’s be honest, how many old mono records will ever play dead silent? on modern ultra clinical equipment? These old gems were not really designed to be played on highly revealing stereo equipment and many were destroyed on the vintage equipment of their era. Blunt, heavy tracking inferior thick stylii stripped groove walls and left heavy, serious marks freely. This has largely avoided such abuse, and I promise and guarantee, these distortions have NOTHING to do with wear, only manufacture. To experience the unique mono mix is a joy in-itself, any minor sound blemishes washed over me, that said, the three revolutions of ‘distortion’ is upfront and cannot be missed or ignored (that’s why I keep mentioning it so any interested collector knows it’s present on this copy). A collector’s record for sure, many will just want this record because of what it is – a genuine rare UK mono record with a superb cover and insert. Fair enough, but this record plays sufficiently well to still enjoy and to hear the mono mix and that is a rarer priviledge, it really does sound different and most connoisseurs, including Whitney, the guitarist think superior to the stereo version. I like both being honest. Even with the brief unwanted sounds which really only affect three songs for the shortest time possible, I still enjoyed the record immensely. Yes I wish I could wave a magic wand and remove the distortion but alas, not possible. You either take this album for what it is or if you have any doubts, do NOT bid. I real terms, this mono cut will prove very difficult to find better – you decide. I feel this gem is worthy of high recommendation, for sure it will not appear often and I have tried to be as honest as I possibly can.

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’.