FREE - Free - RARER EARLY PINK ISLAND EX++ LP with VERY CLEAN, IMPRESSIVE SOUND.

	£		175
	$		232

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 arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing 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 to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to 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.

Artist or Band: FREE

Album Title: Free

Producer(s): Chris Blackwell.

Track Listing:

Side 1: I’ll Be Creepin’; Songs of Yesterday; Lying in the Sunshine; Trouble on Double Time; Mouthful of Grass.

Side 2: Woman; Free Me; Broad Daylight; Mourning Sad Morning.

Label/Format: Island – Pink i format with smooth matt surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with spindle marks light to light+, largely being fine and faint and mostly seen under angled light. There were various pink Island pressings of this famous album, this being one of the cleanest and best-sounding examples I have heard for some time.

Cat Number: ILPS 9104.

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: 127 grams. A quite typical weight for this pressing.

Rarity: Scarce on the pink label, and never easy to find with very clean sound. Over time, I have found sound quality on this quite delicate album to be somewhat variable. Many have inherent crackle and even pressing noises, this one has no manufacturing issues and plays clean and very impressively. Island records used various pressing plants to make their records, and this is yet another variant. First issues included an E. J. Day cover, later ones were by Robor, so always be aware of substitutions. This one has a little wear and a very small price sticker residue mark, but still a nice one. The record is very impressive indeed and certainly one of the cleaner sound pinks I have heard for some time.

Original Year of Release: October 1969.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Matrix Nos: SP # 4307-1 1A / SP # 4308-1 1B [hand scripted] The small stampers are 1 3 / 2 2 [in the puched Polydor pressing style]

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘Bell Sound sf’ [on both sides, in a real script punched typeface]

Musicians: Paul Rodgers – vocals; Paul Kossoff – lead guitar; Andy Fraser – bass guitar; Simon Kirke – drums.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Free’s second album and one of their most cherished. A band in high demand and why not? Featuring their most famous line-up of Rodgers, Fraser, Kossoff and Kirke this classic British blues-rock band had a wonderful unique sound and hearing them via their original format is a real pleasure. Their albums were beautifully recorded and produced with the basslines at the front of the mix giving a solid and punchy, rhythmic sound. Free saw the band progressing with a more individual sound with powerful songs and Kossoff’s stinging guitar coming more to the forefront - Rodgers bluesy vocals are sublime. This album features a very daring cover for the time - a girl viewed from way down and the centrefold is erotically morbid – both beautiful in their own way. In terms of sound-quality, this is one of the cleanest I have heard for some time.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: with a small price sticker residue mark near the top right corner. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by E. J. Day. Includes the Polydor date-coded November 1969 inner sleeve as seen in close-up.

Cover Front: This has always been a difficult cover to find in fine condition, being unprotected and quite pale, the back especially, this is prone to just all forms of wear. The first thing to emphasise it is the first E. J. Day cover, later ones were by Robor – they look almost the same, this one apart from the different imprint as a thicker spine and edges. A small top right corner sticker residue mark is the main issue, it really is very small with a little mild surface pull traces. This surface is highly intolerant of those vintage price stickers that in so many cases, were not peelable and these matt covers suffered accordingly. I will never apply fake stickers to cover up such blemishes, they are just a natural hazard these covers faced at the time. A little light edge and corner rubbing and fine press marks seen under angled light, but this is clean and still attractive, and ‘Day’ printings dating right back to release time are never easy to find a great deal better.

Cover Back: Minor traces of grubbiness with the odd small tip crease. Little else really and this unforgiving back sets a high standard overall.

Cover Inner Gatefold: One or rock’s greatest centrefolds: looking impressive with little to fault. A light ‘secondary’ crease to the right of the main fold, this with the wider spine cover is almost the normal and seldom avoided, only light anyway. A gentle trace of darkening near the top edges, little else. The girl is seen blowing dust from Rodgers’ square stone amid the sparse gravestone scene. Marvellously morbid and more than a hint of eroticism, this will not be seen a great deal better on this older original cover.

Top Edges: Fairly light to moderate, patchy rubbing, Both straight and close flush.

Bottom Edges: Similar to above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both quite clean and sharp with minimal traces of wear or thickening. The record enters on the back, both guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid and thick, straight with barely any compression. A little grubby and the ends have rubbed, however all the fine text is present and intact, barely worn at all as seen in close-up. Also folded squarely, so the edges meet up practically flush and parallel. On these thicker gatefolds, I consider this important for looking neater looks and viewing.

Corners: Moderate tip rubbing with the odd small tip crease, fine shape generally retained.

Cover Summary: A very respectable original example of this famous Island cover. Not for the purist, but these are always so challenging to find anything like ‘perfect’. This E. J. Day first printing could still prove quite difficult to find significantly better, the small sticker mark and edge rubbing being the most significant factors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: althought the matrixes are not standard by any means for a Polydor record, but it was still pressed by them as the small stamper digits prove. The Polydor inner sleeve also has the issue date of /119 included which is November 1969. This has aged a little with fairly minor discolouration that few will ever avoid totally. Two immaculate undamaged window circles and clear polylining. Minimal creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++) a very strong and visually pleasing copy with any surface traces very fine and faint as seen with scrutiny under bright angled light. Most even finer than hairlines and with NO penetrating scratches at all. Very clean with fine shine and solidly pressed and manufactured up to the highest standard. I feel sure this has been played only lightly, and appears with due care on a quality record player. All reitterated by lovely clean sound, that so difficult on this quite delicate and difficult album. I have rejected far many of these over the years than I have offered due to too much unwanted surface noise and pressing issues (or over-usage). This is a lovely example and was a pleasure to play-grade, it should please many, if not most collectors. Even a possibel upgrade for some?

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 superb Free album, arguably their very best, plays up to, an d most even above it’s visual grading with very little 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. Some fairly quiet songs on this one, but any surface sounds are minimal and faint. Island pressing quality is known to be variable but this one failed to disappoint me, and many do. Throughout, the sound is fully focused and sharp with no groovewear distortions or pressing noises, one that has avoided harsh treatment from old record players as well. This was a highly pleasureable album to play-grade and it will take an exceptional copy to match, let alone better it for clean sound. The odd crackle trace or faint tick is nigh-on impossible to avoid on a 44+-year-old record, this also being played on a very revealing system. Truly, I have seen near mint copies of this album that crackle constantly and often quite loudly, I will not purchase or offer those, and this copy easily makes the grade. Island had their records pressed by different manufacturers, Polydor being one of the, and those are usually more reliable. The cover may have some wear, but the record merits strong recommendation and I feel most will enjoy this one.

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’.