FOTHERINGAY Scarce Orig UK 1970 Island Pink EX+ LP.

	£		73
	$		97

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all. More details on this 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: FOTHERINGAY

Album Title: Fotheringay.

Producer(s): Joe Boyd.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Nothing More; The Sea; The Ballad of Ned Kelly; Winter Winds; Peace in the End.

Side 2: The Way I Feel; The Pond and the Stream; Too Much of Nothing; Banks of the Nile.

Cat Number: ILPS 9125.

Label / Format: Island – original deep pink format with matt, smooth surfaces and a deep inner ring ridge (please see my label pictures).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and highly attractive with only a tiny few ultra light and faint spindle traces that hardly even show. Being honest, had to check these under a magnifier to even seen them. Two of the ‘prettiest’ real pink labels I have seen for some time and this classic folk-rock gem appears hardly even played.

Cat Number: ILPS 9125.

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: 132 grams. A very solid weight for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Scarce: and getting hard to find with the record offering clean sound and played so lightly. The cover immensely difficult to find devoid of major wear, including wear, rubbing and sticker marks being the usual culprits. The matrixes below are recognised as a first pressing and this cover version has the wider, thick spine (which includes full text as seen in close-up). With the original date-coded inner sleeve included that has the exact issue month included of 0670, this ultimate first issued copy will be the rarest seen other than a test pressing.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9125 A // 2 1 1 2 & ILPS 9125 B // 2 1 1 2

Brief Artist & Album Info: After Fairport Convention’s 1969 classic ‘Leige and Leif’, Sandy Denny left the band and formed Fotheringay. Just the one album was issued at this time when they were still together, a self-titled folk-rock classic. This is a wonderful one-off gem (until the belated issue of the second many years later) and is a highly prized album on the Pink Island label. Why this album failed to sell well is something of a mystery especially given the popularity of Sandy at this time. The band split and she persued a solo career before rejoining the Fairports in 1974. Featuring stunning artwork and a gatefold design, this cover is as nice to own as the record itself. Neither record or cover are easy find in top conditions: the cover suffers all forms of wear and the record often less than well pressed and does not tolerate over-use on heavy tracking older equipment of the times. It’s a delicate album and often suffers surface sounds and crackle on the very quiet moments. Distortion to the more intense vocal parts are common when played on less than worthy equipment. This has very little to fault and offers very clean sound with and hardly any of the usual vocal stressing (one trace on ‘The Sea’ only), that a song that rarely escapes, and here mimimal for less than a second. Sandy’s wonderful voice makes this lovely album a real joy, proving yet again to me her status as one of the finest female vocalists the UK ever had - her tragic loss, even now, is hard to take. Fotheringay rightly deserves it’s place in any quality folk or rock collection and this very early pressing is getting quite hard to find, especially this clean.

Cover Condition and Details: NEAR EXCELLENT: an unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group, includes the June 1970 inner sleeve as seen in close-up.

Cover Front: A very difficult cover and prone to all forms of wear and few avoid it. This front has little wear: a small rub trace near the top edge and there is a little on the very bottom edge. The colour is strong with no fading and barely any creasing. Under light, a few light marks or minor blemishes are seen, but viewed normally full one, little of anything really shows and this uncompromising surface will not be that easy to find better with a first issue pink Island record inside.

Cover Back: The back goes still further for being difficult, Large areas of black ink rarely fair well, and overall this one has. A little mild surface rubbing but very little ink loss, and the lack of ring wear is a substantial plus. Again, a few light surface marks and minor creasing, but the main coloured logo graphic is near perfect. Not perfect, but it will again take some beating. It includes the original Basing Street address.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Again clean and attractive with little to fault, any minor blemishes again seen more critically under angled light.

Top Edges: Any rubbing is very light and faint, both edges are still straight and lie nicely flat.

Bottom Edges: Moderate and more consistent rubbing on both edges, black storage edges seldom escape. This is the reason I have been cautious with my grading as any real wear elsewhere is so light and little. I am sure many of these will be heavily penned-in masking such wear, but personally, I prefer to leave covers as nature finds them. In most cases such actions look terrible and more than obvious.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, reasonably sharp with little wear. Slight traces of thickening and minor burring viewed end-on. Record entered on the back edge, the front being closed, both guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid and thick, robust and wide. It has no compression but has a fairly gentle tilt to right and folded square, so the edges meet up near flush and parallel. All text is present and unworn, that no mean feat in it’s own right and can be seen on my close-up picture. The main black surface and folds retaining most-all ink and again, there appears to be no tip-ins.

Corners: Moderate tip rubbing, so difficult to avoid, again seen more full-on, and little with normal viewing of the main faces. Fine shape mostly retained.

Cover Summary: A cover crying out to be laminated but Island rarely did so on their UK issues – many German-made Island albums were but I have never seen this as a German issue. I have seldom seen many of these with less wear and I always expect rubbing to the edges at the very least. The lack of ring wear is a major plus and overall, this is a nice example. Not for the perfectionists, but many collectors will enjoy this difficult original Island cover.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: or thereabouts. On paper, just another Polydor-style lined inner sleeve. But when records are found including their original inners and they are cross-referenced with dates-of-issue and match to the exact month (even possibly date on this one?), they become very significant as far as I am concerned, as the proof of just how early the record was made and sent to the shop. This one (as seen in close-up) is date-coded 25 0670, meaning 25th June 1970. This one being only modestly aged, but at over 43-years-old, no real surprise I guess. Some mildish seam glue darkening, odd tone spots and one corner crease to the bottom right. The two window circles however are immaculate and crisp and the lining secure and very clear wtih barely any creasing and the edges intact with NO repairs. An inner with important information and guaranteed the one that came with the elusive album.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): very clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. Both playing surfaces show few blemishes with any surface marks few, very fine and light as seen critically under bright angled light. There are no penetrating scratches and it appears this has been carefully handled. For those who actually bought this within the first month of issue, most would have enjoyed many times and to find one so little used (and certainly not abused), is difficult. For sure, this has never been subjected to heavy old record players and this Island classic should please many, if not most collectors.

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: A folk-rock classic in lovely clean condition. Some copies I have heard before have had considerable amounts of crackle or even distortion, this album does seem especially prone to this, especially on ‘The Ballad of Ned Kelly’, where Sandy’s vocal gets quite intense. Overall, this plays cleanly with little unwanted – the odd gentle surface traces being critical – and I remind I play all my records on a very revealing Linn LP12. Beautifully recorded with a lovely clean production and sound, but often let down by the pressing quality, this was a joy in terms of detail and focus. I have heard few better, just the odd gentle reminder here and there you a listening to a 43-year-old vinyl record, not a squeaky clean digital format. The earliest-cut records are always extra special and shop issued examples hardly got earlier. It has been some time since I offered a pink ‘i’ copy of this evergreen folk-rock classic, but it was worth the wait.

End Piece: An album always in demand and not getting any easier to find. Beautiful vocals and gorgeous songs, this an album you won’t want to end. Sandy’s vocals never fail to move me, always hitting the mark, every song she sung had class written all over it. It’s always a pleasure to offer this wonderful record – a first issue makes it special, this deserves strong recommendation with just the small reservation for the rubbing on the cover’s bottom edges. I would think the record itself could prove a substantial upgrade for many – may even the cover too?

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 Terrarium 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 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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 2 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). 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 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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced 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 [£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’.