GROUNDHOGS Thank Christ… UK 70 Liberty STUNNING EXAMPLE

	£		104
	$		138

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

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

Artist or Band: THE GROUNDHOGS

Album Title: Thank Christ For The Bomb.

Producer(s): Tony McPhee.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Strange Town; Darkness is No Friend; Soldier; Thank Christ For the Bomb.

Side 2: Ship on the Ocean; Garden; Status People; Rich Man, Poor Man; Eccentric Man.

Label/Format: Liberty – Second black format. This was initially and very briefly issued on the blue Liberty label being one of the last that was. These are scarce.

Label Conditions: Both in stunning conditions with just one, yes ONE light spindle mark on side two and none at all on side one. These are immaculate and even the matt black, highly revealing surfaces have no fingermarks or handling traces. This another record from the collection of barely played records I am currenty offering.

Cat Number: LBS 83295.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 135 grams. A very good solid weight for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Not as rare as the blue label very first issue that came and went almost immediately. But as collectors will know, this is never an easy one to find in top conditions, especially in this case, the cover. Well this will take any winning bidder down memory lane, as this delicate textured pale yellow cover still looks almost new. Just light edge rubbing prevents my highest Mint(-) grading and how many will ever be found like this? The main four faces almost justify an impossibly unlikely full Mint and I never thought it possible. Just look how clean and unworn even my close-up pictures are, this is a 40-year-old cover of genuine beauty. Double that up with a Near Mint record that plays to perfection and you have an early-pressed black label copy in unsually wonderful condition. This is a copy to treasure and like this, it’s rare, make no mistake.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: LBS 83295 A-1G / LBS 83295 B-1G

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 T / 1 P

Brief Artist & Album Info: The third and my personal favourite by this hard-rock trio, far less bluesy than the previous two albums, this is The Groundhogs at their very best, a conceptual type album with a distinctive progressive edge. The subject matter is more than obvious from the title and cover, it features their best known line-up of Tony McPhee on vocals and guitar; Pete Cruickshank on bass and Ken Pustelnik on drums. Brilliantly powerful rock with McPhee again blazing away on guitar. Also great packaging with a classy heavily textured gatefold E. J. Day sleeve which truly in age-defying, and totally stunning condition Highly prone to all forms of wear and most found are grubby and ringworn. This is practically as clean and fresh as manufacture day and to say these are rare when seen like this is no understatement – I simply hope my pictures do this justice. It still amazes me this trio are not more popular, they made some of the most inspired rock albums from around this period but only seemed to be enjoyed by a modest minority of prog fans. With ‘Planet Rock’ now playing their music often, it seems more are now appreciating the talents of this band and this one is really the one to have. If this band have not been included in your collection this is a great album to start with, along with Split this pair remain truly essential.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high+: yellow is one of the most revealing colours for blemishes and marks and that too with unprotected, textured outer sides and somewhat soft card, makes for a highly wear-prone cover that is seldom seen even a decent very good, especially the earlier examples.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++) and the main four faces are nearer Mint. It’s a gatefold format, unlaminated with the front and back quite heavily textured. It was made in England by the E. J. Day Group and printed on soft card.

Cover Front: This is gorgeous and as close to ‘factory-fresh’ as you will ever see. The only tiny and almost inconspicuous blemish is a faint adhesive mark only seen under angled light as a faint dull, that apart it’s pristine. A minor smear almost certainly present from manufacture but I reitterate again, it’s nigh-on invisible. No discolouration, fading, grubbiness, creasing, pressmarks with absolutely no rubbing or speckle to the delicate textured surface. I doubt if I will ever seen another quite like this.

Cover Back: Stunning and I truly mean that. It’s practically the same as the front without the minor adhesive trace. How many of these will ever remain so clean and ungrubbied and devoid of often heavy ringwear? Any record rim impression is almost beyond minuscule and near impossible to see.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Two microscopic surface chips on the top right edge off being practically Mint. Superb with no traces of wear or ageing. Taken as a whole, this cover is one of the freshest, cleanest and most amazing example I have ever had to offer.

Top Edges: Light patchy rubbing, fairly inconspicuous as the cover is pale.

Bottom Edges: Gently rubbed with minimal visual impact. Resting edges on these soft textured covers have little chance of avoid this and clearly, this cover has been more than carefully looked-after.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear at all and guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on the back edge, the front being closed.

Spine and Text: A lovely spine too: so many are seen eroded and threadbare. Solid and thick, straight with minimal compression. Folded squarely with the right edges meeting quite closely together and only a fraction off parallel. A mild natural crease has formed, as they do, from opening but all text is present, clear and unworn.

Corners: Tiny tip rubs only and all retain excellent or even better shape.

Cover Summary: An equisite example for the discerning connoisseur collector, this will prove beyond difficult to find like this again. I should please practically all collectors and I can hardly stop looking at it as I type this piece.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): the United Artists promotional unlined inner sleeve is in super condition to match the rest of the set. One side promotes the budget Sunset issues and the other the full price UA titles. Minimal traces of grubbiness and only very mild record impression or rim marking. No creasing and the edges secure.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-), I simply cannot grade what looks like a once played record less. With utmost scrutiny under bright light, a few ultra fine, even lighter than hairlines can just be seen, but how many 40-year-old records will ever not have these at the very least? Just wish all records could look this clean and fresh and sound so wonderful. Retaining rich shine, freshness and jet black, this one is barely even run-in in vinyl terms and should delight 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 rock classic plays up to, and even beyond it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, powerful sound and with no distortions or sound flaws. All frequencies are sharp and clear and tracking is effortless with no problems whatsoever. Sound quality is high with a full dynamic range and very detailed sound, McPhee’s guitar is massively impressive and the backing is top class with real drive and clout. Barely any traces of surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted, few copies will play better than this. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. It may not be a blue label ultimate first press, but no copy will better this easily.

End Piece: Go on have a Groundhog day with nine of the best from this still under appreciated band. McPhee and Co rarely sounded better than this, an album with a stark message and brilliant musicianship. An elusive and prized example, that will stand proud in any rock collection, and a real delight to hear this original so clean and the cover is the ultimate – The End.

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 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 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’.