FAMILY Music in a Doll's House RARER ORIG UK 68 EX+ LP

	£		102
	$		135

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options.

Artist or Band: FAMILY

Album Title: Music in a Doll’s House.

Producer(s): Dave Mason.

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 – Original tri-coloured steamboat format.

Label Conditions: Both in very fine and attractive condition: clean with only light spindle marks and no wear whatsoever around the hole area at all. The spindle marks are fine and only show with angled viewing and this is certainly one of the least looking played copies of this wonderful classic album I have seen as a first issue.

Cat Number: RSLP 6312.

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: 165 grams. A typical heavyweight Reprise pressing from this golden era – impressive even by their standards and above average.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce as a first issue. Available in both mono and stereo but the mono cut is well documented for pressing faults and few will ever play without distortion. The stereo issue does NOT suffer the same flaw.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: RSLP 6312 A-3G / RSLP 6312 B-3G. The tiny stamper codes are: S 2 / M 2

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 thrills from beginning to end and still sounds as fresh and exciting as it did on issue. This is a lovely stereo copy and it plays superbly with practically nothing to fault. It includes the original stereo sticker on the back to obscure the mono number on thte back cover and also it’s original Reprise inner. A tiny few originals included an insert picture of the band, it is very rare and elusive hence I include for free, a superb repro taken from an original to make this one like ‘complete’. The insert is full size and actually looks better than the original, many owners of this album have yet to ever see a real one and this superb bonus for the winning bidder.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: and actually looking better still. 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 has the original ‘Patents pending’ text. The back has the factory stereo sticker on the top right corner, just below the flipback to obscure the mono information. The insert is a superb repro taken from an original and actually looks superior.

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 bar one tiny blister near the top left corner (but look hard). A few, moderately small and light scattered surface creases only, half moon types, near the right edge. These have modest visibility with normal viewing. A few edge hairline creases as per usual and two or three fine surface marks, again seen under light. Barely any traces of friction rubs or dulling and the famous artwork still looks lovely. Now over 40-years-old, this is a splendid front to hold and enjoy.

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 – a tiny scuff on the bottom flipback end but little else. The beautiful back panel is practically unworn and ultra clean and attractive with no rubbing, grubbiness or creasing. Overall, the flipbacks are in super condition with no lifting, burring or damage – the small scuff apart.The stereo sticker has darkened with age but appears never removed or tampered with. 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, guaranteed untrimmed. 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, mainly straight with minimal traces of compression, all text is perfect and unworn under the solid laminate. Very slightly bowed maybe, this often due to laminate tightening over the years, but better this minor inpection than large lifts or blisters.

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

Cover Summary: A highly pleasing all-round example of this classic original cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. 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.

The Inner Sleeve: The original Reprise (with Pye distribution credits), is in super condition too. With just one tiny edge split, quite how this has survived so neat with such a heavy record inside all these years I do not know. This had no lining and made with thin paper only, so fragile and seldom seen so devoid of creasing and clean. It has to grade excellent minimum.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT to EXCELLENT+. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with fine shine, intense black and very heavily pressed, even by Reprise 1960s standard. Any surface marks are few and very fine indeed and this vintage prog-psych classic plays beautifully. Visually a strong record that should please many collectors, all indication tells me this has been very modestly played indeed and has avoided old damaging mono equipment from the past.

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 fantastic record plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing 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 barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing, such a shame the mono version, that does offer different sound, rarely, if ever plays to this standard. Few copies will match let alone outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. The few light and faint surface marks have no sound and this one sets a high standard for looks and sound. The massive pressing weight is always welcome for the more discerning collector too. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove difficult to find much better and merits high recommendation.

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’.