GONG Flying Teapot - RARER ORIG UK 1973 A-1U/B-1U STUNNING N/M COVER, LP & SOUND

	£		180
	$		239

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 arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for 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.

FINALLY: Late payers will now be blocked at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: GONG

Album Title: The Flying Teapot [Radio Gnome Invisible part 1].

Producer(s): Giorgio Gomelsky.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Radio Gnome Invisible; Flying Teapot.

Side 2: The Pot Head Pixies; The Octave Doctors & The Crystal Machine; Zero The Hero & The Witch’s Spell; Witch’s Song / I Am Your Pussy.

Label/Format: Virgin – original first black and white ‘Twin Virgins’ format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both look fantastic: very clean, fresh and highly attractive with any of the very few spindle traces being very light and faint. This one plays as good as it looks as well, this is quite a difficult album.

Cat Number: V 2002.

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: 110 grams. quite light, but beautifully pressed on quality pure vinyl. With many records from this time pressed using recycled vinyl with poor and noisy sound quality, this is a MAJOR factor on the more challenging progressive albums that always have more quiet passages. This record plays superbly throughout.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: early pressed copies of this prog classic are getting increasingly hard to find. And I simply have to mention the condition of this copy: the cover, inner sleeve, record, labels and sound are little short of immaculate

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: V 2002 A-1U / V 2002 B-1U

Mothers / Stampers: 2 GG / 1 GA

Musicians: Daevid Allen - vocals, guitar; Steve Hillage - guitar; Gilli Smyth - vocals; Didier Malherbe - saxes, flute; Tim Blake - keyboards, vocals; Christian Tritsch - guitar; Francis Moze - keyboards, bass; Laurie Allan - drums; Rachid Houari - percussion.

Brief Info: The first part of the ‘Radio Gnome’ trilogy, the others were ‘Angel’s Egg’ and ‘You’. Brilliant spaced-out, jazz-tinged, acid-prog and including their strongest ever line-up that included guitarist Steve Hillage. This is a superb record musically and very well pressed. Virgin were not always the most quietest of pressings and this, like other Gong albums has some very quiet passages, but this still very early pressing plays beautifully with hardly anything unwanted. The colourful cover is STUNNING, and I mean the VERY best I have ever seen bar none. Such examples on the first format labels are beyond difficult, this copy could prove the ultimate upgrade for any collector.

Cover Grade and Format: MINT(–): and arguably better still – this will take people of my age back to the time of issue as this is as close to perfect as they are likely to be found these days. So many of these are seen badly rubbed, aged, creased and ringworn – this is an absolute stonker and a real work-of-art. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England, uncredited, includes the plain and lined inner sleeve.

Cover Front: STUNNING: this is a front that time has practically overlooked. Cover-protected from new, this is reference standard. Any blemishes are smaller than minuscule, I am truly struggling to even find an edge hairline crease. You want nigh-on perfect, this front is simply just that.

Cover Back: Practically the same again in all respects – the lack of ringwear is a massive bonus on a cover that is very prone. The odd gentle dull spot seen critically under light being ultra critical, invisible viewed normally. For me, nothing can ever be truly ‘perfect’.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Both faces are immaculate with practically nothing to fault.

Top Edges: Practically unworn up to the very right corner tips, both straight and totally scuff-free.

Bottom Edges: As above with just light, small rubs near the very ends. Storage edges hardly get a great deal better on non-laminates.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front edge is tucked and folded giving a neater finish, this has barely any wear at all. The back entrance edge is clean, mostly very sharp with barely any wear. A little thickening and burring is minuscule as seen viewed end-on, this is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced. The manufactured trim is not quite parallel to emphasise the fact.

Spine and Text: Pristine, practically as-made. Solid, straight, with no compression and folded square, so all edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn and the surface and even the folds include complete ink retention. An incredibly fine hairline surface line from opening is natural and impossible to avoid unless ‘unused’, this so fine and faint, goodness knows why I even mention it. Finding a better spine on this cover will prove near impossible.

Corners: The spine pair are practically as-made again. Minimal to light tip rubbing on the right ones can seldom hope to be avoided as a bare minimum. Excellent to near mint shape retained with no dinks or knocks.

Cover Summary: This is a beauty, and knowing this, and similar unlaminated gatefolds of this era well enough, few, if hardly any will survive quite like this. Only the most discerning and careful of collector stored and protected covers like this since purchase, but the difference when so is more than apparent – simply look at the pictures again. I have taken close-ups to simply reitterate how unblemishes the outside graphics are. The lack of wear on the four main surfaces and spine is unusual as is the lack of sticker marks and major rubbing and ringwear. This colourful and super-clean item should please most-all collectors.

Inner Sleeve: MINT(–): a plain white, and more unusually for EMI-pressed albums, polylined inner. I was assured from the owner, this is the inner sleeve this early Virgin record came with. Hardly aged to match the rest of the set, with any toning or marks minuscule. No creasing of any note and all edges unsplit with no repairs. This has the typical EMI style black text on the bottom of the back side.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and practically Mint(–). A superb visual copy that is very clean with impressive shine and fairly solidly pressed. Even under my bright grading lamp, any surface traces are bordering on meagre, being ultra fine and faint with no stylus marks at all. The vinyl is pure with no dulling or mottle, thus sound quality is superb throughout, lacking the irritating crackle many, especially later copies seem to have. Visually a wonderful record to match that fantastic cover, it will again please most-all 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This first b&w label virgin label copy plays even above it’s impressive visual grading. 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 sound registered little, and this is an album with some very quiet passages, the odd one-off tick nigh-on impossible to avoid for the entire duration, but this has little at all. Will any example of this nearly 42-year-old album ever play truly silent via vinyl? – well it would be a very tough ask to say the least – this copy gives a very strong go. The complex groove patterns indicate many dark and lighter rings that indicate extremes in volume and content, but no tracking issues* or pressing noises at all. These are always hard to find devoid of scratches and damage, this has avoided anything like that and was a genuine pleasure to play-grade. Few copies will match or outperform this hardly played copy I feel sure. The first black and white label changed very quickly to the colour version, thus few originals survive quite like this – and Gong were a little too out-there for many. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this prog classic – I am a big Gong fan and this example does it nigh-on full justice. – this also being one of my very favourites. This copy will prove immensely difficult to find better and can be strongly recommended. All elements of this set are exceptional.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Blue moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Blue moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.