FREE Highway SCARCER Orig UK 70 Island Pink Rim EX+ LP

	£		50
	$		66

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: FREE

Album Title: Highway

Producer(s): Free

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Highway Song; The Stealer; On My Way; Be My Friend.

Side 2: Sunny Day; Ride on Pony; Love You So; Bodie; Soon I Will Be Gone.

Label/Format: Island – Original pink rim.

Label Condition: Both clean, fresh and attractive with only light, fine and faint spindle marks.

Cat Number: ILPS 9138.

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: 144 grams. A very good weight for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderately scarce.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9138 A-1U and ILPS 9138 B-1U

Stamper Codes: 1 P / 1 MO

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

Brief Artist & Album Info: Free’s fourth album and the second issued in 1970 also the first that did not appear on the full pink label. Simply another classic that rarely gets the deserved praise it should, this remains one of my favourite Free albums and all nine songs are simply magnificent, none better than the delicate and sensitive final pair on each side ‘Soon I Will Be Gone’ and the sublime ‘Be My Friend’. Still featuring their strongest and best line up of Fraser, Rodgers, Kossoff and Kirke Highway is an overall a more mellow album with a more ‘gentle’ sound from Kossoff’s guitar. As essential as the previous three albums, and although the cover has a little wear, the record looks little played and offers nigh-on pristine sound, and this is not an easy album so this more gentle material.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD(++): a single unlaminated format with matt surfaces. Printed and made by the E. J. Day Group. It has the original embossed collage group back (seen in close-up). A very difficult sleeve to even find around the Excellent grade, unless ultra carefully stored and handled this one will discolour so easily and rubbing and ringwear are very common indeed. The card is quite thin too.

Cover Front: In terms of wear, this actually has little, the main issue is creasing. There is some around the corner areas ranging from moderately light to moderate. A fairly flimsy cover, so this is hardly unusual. Some record rim impression to with a very faint hint of ringwear near the top edge, this very mild indeed. Still clean with hardly any marks and the pale artwork still looks attractive. The creasing is noteworthy and only real issue as such, so if that is indeed an issue, do not bid.

Cover Back: The same creasing is almost replicated, maybe a little lighter. Again, barely any real wear in terms or rubbing, marks or discolouration, this still looks attractive too. The lack of ringwear on a highly prone back is very good news and the embossed band collage looks fantastic with no wear at all (as seen in close-up).

Top Edge: Any rubbing is very light and faint.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean sharp with barely any wear and guranteed untrimmed. Record entered on this right edge.

Spine and Text: Quite solid and straight, but compressed. In this case, not a bad thing as it means all the text has avoided any rubbing and is visible via the front.

Corners: Light tip rubbing but fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: Never and easy cover and seldom does it avoid issues of some sort. The creasing is compensated by the lack of wear and grubbiness. This will please many collectors but not the more discerning this time.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): a plain white unlined inner, only marked down a little for mild discolour to the edges. Barely any creasing at all and the edges fully intact, unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+) a very impressive visual copy, marked down from Mint(-) due to one surface mark on side one that has NO sound and a tiny mark at the very end of side two which has the faintest of ticks on the final 2 revs as the music has practically faded to nothing. A very clean record with lovely shine, intense black and quite heavily pressed on thick vinyl. Visually a very fine record that 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: This classic Island plays above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing to fault bar the minuscule blemish at the very end of side two. And even the worth ‘blemish’ is far too strong a word, this is nit-picking tiny and this record offers quite possibly the cleanest and best sound I have heard from this title. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a full dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or other clicks were noted, and few copies will even match, let alone better this. An album that does have a certain amount of quieter moments, it’s almost unrealistic to expect total silence in its entirity but this gives a supreme account of itself and listening was a real pleasure. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this sublime album. The cover may have creases but the record more than compensates, and if sound quality is a priority, this early pressed copy more than delivers – on that basis, more than worthy of 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 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.

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 prompt payment is a problem, please do not bid.

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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 3 or 4 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). 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 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. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.