JONI MITCHELL (1st, Song to a Seagull) RARE UK RSLP EX

	£		29
	$		38

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Artist or Band: JONI MITCHELL

Album Title: Joni Mitchell [Song to a Seagull].

Producer(s): David Crosby.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: I CAME TO THE CITY: I Had a King; Michael from Mountains; Night in the City; Marcie; Nathan La Franeer.

Side 2: OUT OF THE CITY AND DOWN TO THE SEASIDE: Sisotowbell Lane; The Dawntreader; The Pirate of Penance; Song to a Seagull; Cactus Tree.

Label/Format: Reprise – first deep tan repressing and still with the RSLP number (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with spindle marks being light and light+ and only sh showing under light.

Cat Number: RSLP 6293.

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: 155 grams. An exceptional weight for this album, this is no lightweight repressing, it could and often will actually exceed the tri-colour first.

Country of Manufacture: RECORD: England. COVER: Canada (with UK RSLP stereo sticker inside as seen on my close-up pictures).

Rarity: QUITE RARE: I deem this first tan repressing with the original RSLP catalogue number to be harder to find than the first issue which was available longer. Most tan copies are Kinney examples with the new K- number. This heavyweight record has NO Kinney references at all and has the original deeply punched Roman-style RSLP matrix numbers. Also, being a Canadian girl, nice to include the gatefold cover from her national country in superb condition. It retains it’s original inside sticker for the UK market and seldom will these tan copies includes it. A wonderful debut set and it looks little played and sounds great with only the odd minor blemish or two.

Original Year of Release: 1968. This pressing from 1970 and only available for a brief time with far fewer issues on this format before the change to Kinney.

Matrix Nos: RSLP 6293 A-1*G STEREO / RSLP 6293 B-1*G STEREO (these being identical to the tri-coloured label first pressing)

Mother & Stamper Codes: AH 1 / AI 1

Musicians: Joni Mitchell - guitar, piano, vocals; Stephen Stills - bass.

Brief Info: A beautiful debut from one of the most gifted female singer-songwriters of all-time. ‘Song to a Seagull’ – the title somewhat hidden on the cover, written in small bird formation flying off a ship and only obvious when you know it’s there – is a conceptual album with two named sides. Pretty much a solo set with just a little bass from Stills, this is a delicate album and often suffers accordingly from vintage record players of the day. The earliest copies are notoriously difficult to find let alone in high quality playing conditions. This has little to fault and the sound and details embedded in these deep original grooves are a gateway into the recording studio itself. This was a poor-seller, just a fringe entry in the US charts but failed to make any impact in the UK at all. This has to be easily her rarest album here, this includes the Canadian gatefold cover and a massively pressed record – this is one of the very few I have seen and I feel sure the only one on this new label with the RSLP number. I can hardly believe this record is over 40 years old. Even from the outset, it was more than obvious this lady was special, exuding class from the very beginning. If your collection is missing one of the earliest ever issued in the UK, well it will not be easy to find a much better example. All details below.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High.

Cover Grade and Format: MINT(-): I simply cannot grade this beautiful cover lower. This is an imported Canadian cover used for the UK market which I personally think adds to this set as Joni is Canadian. I guess the record companies did not consider it worthy of a special printing initially and used ‘spare’ ready-made ones. A very heavy thick card format with the US-style paste-on panel inside the gatefold, this was unlaminated and is slightly textured to the touch. It was printed in Canada as is confirmed on the front and inside. This includes the RSLP sticker inside for the UK market, this obscured the incorrect information relevant here.

Cover Front: A superb front with little to fault and looking absolutely magnificent. Gorgeous artwork with minimal traces of any wear or grubbiness, no scuffs and crease-free (bar a tiny trace on one corner tip, this being critical). Great colour with no fading or rubbing, the original title is seen written by the small birds flying off the ship. This vintage cover, made in Joni’s native country will not be easy to find much better.

Cover Back: Stunning again with just the faintest trace of toning on the spine edge (but look very hard). Simply magnificent, the lack of ring marks or wear will delight even the most discerning collector – when was the last time you saw one of these looking close to factory-fresh?

Cover Inner Gatefold: Looks almost brand new as doest that little sticker that adds that extra fine detail and touch to a magnificent Canadian cover – all the song lyrics included.

Top Edges: Any rubbing or blemishes are tiny, very solid, clean and dead straight with no splits.

Bottom Edges: Almost beggar’s belief: both are like new.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp and both guaranteed untrimmed, one tiny tick trace on the back (but again, look very hard). Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Looks new again: very solid and robust, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. No wear at all with no discolouration and the artwork and text present. This has the Canadian RS prefix instead of the UK RSLP which I guess could not be covered up easily.

Corners: Practically unworn with any creasing tiny and few. All retain excellent to near mint shape.

Cover Summary: An incredible all-round example of this fragile late 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better, I would even go further and say, almost impossible infact. This beautiful item should please most-all collectors.

The Inner: EXCELLENT: only marked down a little due to corner creasing. It appears these were folded over to secure the record inside which was a common practice by many retails. at the very least, think I have undergraded this rare beauty. This heavy-duty, polylined plain white inner is included, barely aged and clean. The lining secure and with the incredible clarity of a new inner that has two pristine crisp circle windows and all edges unsplit. This is UK-made and patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: and offering the lustre and shine of a near new record. A super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. Side two does have a few fine surface marks which are practically all ignored, thus downgraded slightly, also one tiny pressing ‘pimple’ that has four clicks (two as the guitar fades away, two on the run-outs when the music has ended), it’s hardly bigger than a pin-head. That being a tiny manufacture blemish and nothing to do with wear etc. Side one is more EX++. A wonderful, still early copy of this landmark debut, it should please 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 rare debut plays even above its high 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. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed with just the odd sporadic click or two as well as well as the aforementioned ones at the very end of the album as mentioned above, overall this is an exceptional clean pressing for what is a typically challening early acoustic Joni album. Few hiding places for blemishes but little here anyway. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Remember also, the few originals that did sell, were often played on mono record players, many music-lovers still used them into the 70s, hence a high percentage would have been subjected to heavyweight, thick stylus ploughing through the grooves reeking havoc to the delicate sound. All serious collectors will know what I mean – this record has NOT been subjected to kind of use or wear and the few fine marks are pretty much ignored and audio quality is very high indeed with Joni sounding almost in the room. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played little and has been clearly well stored, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, the odd minor reminder you are listening to a record over 40 is the reality of vinyl at the very least. The lack of irritating crackle, distortion or high numbers of repetitive clicks is a huge bonus on these more fragile types. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. Do not underestimate how rare this album is on this label and in such fine all-round condition, the cover is a gorgeous work-of-art in it’s own right.

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.

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.

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 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 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 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); 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 [£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 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’.