INCREDIBLE STRING BAND The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

	£		35
	$		46

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

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

Artist or Band: THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND

Album Title: The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Koeeoaddi There; The Minotaur’s Song; Witches’ Hat; A Very Cellular Song.

Side 2: ‘Mercy’, I Cry, ‘City’; Waltz of the New Moon; The Water Song; Three is a Green Crown; Swift as the Wind; Nightfall.

Label/Format: Elektra – Original matt orange and black format with rough textured labels. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive. Spindle marks are only light, fine and faint, visible under angled light. For a record this considerable age, this looks very modestly played and sounds great. There is no wear around the hole rims whatsoever and both these vintage labels defy their vintage.

Cat Number: EUKS 7258.

Mode / Speed: The record is Stereo but the cover has the mono Cat. Number, if this is an issue, do not bid / 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: 145 grams. A very good weight for this first pressed record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite rare as an original EUKS stereo. NOTE: This copy comes in a Mono EUK cover and includes the elusive lyric insert that includes both mono and stereo catalogue numbers.

Original Year of Release: 1968.

Matrix Nos: EUKS 7258 A1 / EUKS 7258 B1.

Musicians: Robin Williamson - vocals, guitar, gimbri, penny whistle, percussion, pan pipe, piano, oud, mandolin, Jew’s harp, chahanai, water harp, harmonica; Mike Heron - vocals, sitar, Hammond organ, guitar, hammered dulcimer, harpsichord; Dolly Collins - flute organ, piano; David Snell - harp; Licorice McKechnie - vocals, finger cymbals.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Sorry to list this in 'English' Folk, because Heron and Williamson are Scots. The category should be changed to 'British Folk' instead, but that's for others to decide. In terms of folk-rock history few records compare to 'The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter' and the amazingly original and slightly bizarre Incredible String Band. This beautiful and challenging album surprisingly sold quite well peaking at 5 in the UK (but only a low 161 in the US). This is not a commercial album and it’s not for everyone, even dedicated folk fans - their complex song patterns and changing music structures, with a use of exotic and unusual instruments are not easily taken in straightaway. Like all quality albums some have to be worked on and perseverence pays off with repeated listens for this unique band, sound and record. A duo at this early time, Robin Williamson sang vocals on his own songs and played plays a host of instruments. Mike Heron, again sang vocals on his own songs. A beautiful recording, wonderfully produced by Joe Boyd, this ultimate first pressing, in stereo will rarely be found that offers very clean sound. No loud volume for flaws and blemishes to hide behind, this is flamboyant folk music with an edge and passion and this is a notoriously difficult record to find that plays well and this really does. Even clean little played examples can disappoint and often flawed by invisible pressing issues, I never take for granted any copy of this until sound-checked which can often prove a nervous time. I am delighted to say this plays with clean and very pleasing sound. The cover goes beyond beautiful - the ultimate original that’s in age-defying condition. I also prefer to display the reverse side of the cover and indeed many CD versions treats this side as the front – one of the loveliest ‘natural’ covers ever issued on a 60s album (in my humble opinion). The inclusion of the rare folded insert which is guaranteed ORIGINAL, is a real bonus too, this album is often seen with it torn, grubby or missing altogether. One of the folk classics that can be treasured forever.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT++ and I just hope my pictures do this justice. A fully laminated single format and this one has the mono Cat. No (if this is an issue, please do not bid). This is second such copy I have sold on Ebay with a stereo record with mono cover. Manufactured in the UK by Polydor and includes the single folded lyric insert.

Cover Laminate - Front & Back: Visually, a very pleasing cover that retains rich and vibrant colour under the fully adhered laminate. Just a couple of fine creases bar fine edge hairline types that show little. Very fine shine is retained with any friction rubs or dulling faint and light with minimal traces of record rim impression. One of my absolute favourite covers of the 1960s, and this one does it near full justice.

Top Edge: No real wear, thin, but quite straight.

Bottom Edge: Practically as above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, but made quite thin, straight, possibly a little compressed or maybe manufactured this way, again it appears very similar to the last one of these I sold, so my hunch this is normal. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate, there is however, a small scuff/laminate peel at the very top corner area.

Corners: Very small tip rubs only and all retain very fine shape.

Cover Summary: I love this album cover, a real favourite that encaptures the mood of the enclosed music beautifully and this one does is fine justice. This beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Insert: EXCELLENT++, this being ultra critical too. A superb example and clearly little handled and guaranteed original printed on salmon pink paper. This has become quite elusive and many examples has it missing. Often when it does surface it’s in two pieces or badly creased or torn, this is magnificent and does the rest of the set full justice. Clean, fresh, no grubbiness and any crease traces almost minuscule, this sets a very high standard.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: VERY GOOD+ / NEAR EXCELLENT – few records this great age avoid any blemishes and many would be happy to look half this good. Very Good because it has a number of ultra fine and faint surface marks, mostly on side one. Those super-fine friction traces that catch angled light with few more visible marks. All seen are superficial with NO audio sound at all, in fact this challenging record plays superbly well and offers very pleasing sound quality throughout. A fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. These mega-fine visual blemishes appear to me caused by slightly over-enthusiastic dry-cloth cleaning, often a trait of a super-careful owner, but as said, a little too enthusiastic - no harm done for audio quality. We all have opinions on record cleaning and maintenance, and this method is not for me. A copy modestly played on all the evidence reitterated by wonderful sound quality, and this a record that takes no prisoners if abused or overplayed on old equipment as mentioned above. Visually a fine, properly record that should please many collectors but the visual perfectionist.

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 wonderful acid-folk classic plays even above its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high indeed with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a difficult album. Being acoustic and often quiet the odd sporadic blemish will be near impossible to avoid, but this has barely anything worthy of mention and was a real pleasure to listen to. Few original copies will outperform this one I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played modestly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled within in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. With many of the original 60s ISB albums I have seen surface, so many are seriously marked, deeply scratched and the majority unlistenable with distortions, loud clicks and surface noise. There’s the difference, with only super-fine surface marks, these have no sound and most originals would be more than happy to sound this good. This copy will prove quite difficult to find significantly better and can be highly recommended. I state for the last time, this one has a stereo record and mono cover, but that tiny difference in the number apart, all is the same. A solid all-round copy for looks and sound and now over 42-years-old, it’s withstood the test-of-time well.

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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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’.