JONI MITCHELL Clouds SCARCE Orig 69 LP + g/f Cover N/M

	£		72
	$		95

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Artist or Band: JONI MITCHELL

Album Title: Clouds.

Producer(s): Paul Rothchild produced ‘Tin Angel’ but no other songs have producer credits.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Tin Angel; Chelsea Morning; I Don’t Know Where I Stand; That Song About the Midway; Roses Blue.

Side 2: The Gallery; I Think I Understand; Songs to Aging Children Come; The Fiddle and the Drum; Both Sides, Now.

Label/Format: Reprise - original tan and orange format that was only used between 1968 to 1969. This replaced the US tri-colour version that was used until 1968. (please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: A superb looking pair, both look almost as new, I am struggling to find any spindle marks worthy of note.

Cat Number: RS 6341.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 136 grams. A good solid weight for any record.

Country of Manufacture: US.

Rarity: The title itself is not too hard to find, but this album exists in several different formats. The UK version as a first edition had a single format cover that was textured and a small number included a lyric insert sheet. Most found do not include it. These covers then were made smooth. This very early US version had a wonderful gatefold cover with unique inner artwork and all the song lyrics inside the centrefold. It was also made more robust but still prone to wear as per the UK version. For serious Joni fans, being so different, both I consider essential, and, unusually, I do have a preference for the US version with the far lesser-seen gatefold design. This, of course, will be much more elusive within Europe and will rarely be seen in such stunning condition. Yes both record, cover and even the 10th anniversary of Reprise promotional inner are in supreme conditions and a real feast for the connoisseur collector. More on the inner further down. A world-class example of an evergreen masterpiece and it simply blows away it’s years. I would feel certain, this copy has hardly ever been played and not seen light-of-day for decades. A keeper-copy and one to treasure, finding this album complete and clearly so little used or even handled, is a rare find.

Original Year of Release: 1969 and this one would be from that year.

Matrix Nos: 30885 RS 6341 A 1C / 30886 RS 6341 -B 1E

Brief Info: Second album from one of the most popular female singer-songwriters of her generation. Brilliant songs and lyrics, this album has minimal backing – Clouds is predominately Joni playing acoustic guitar and singing all her own compositions – all are performed impeccably with beautiful clean and natural sound. On this sublime US first issue, the production and realism of the recording has a true in-the-room quality, the guitar has a rich twang with beautiful rich clarity and Joni could almost be there with you. All the songs are pure class and this is folk-era Joni at here very best. Always a challenging genre for vinyl with no hiding places for surface sounds and blemishes but this copy has barely any and is one of the best pressings I have yet heard. Finding original UK copies that match this is beyond difficult, those fragile grooves so intolerant of heavy stylus abuse from equipment of the day. In the States, equipment had moved on apace compared to here and it appears more of their 60s records survived better. But for this record, it’s almost an irrelevant statement as this one appears barely played at all. The cover too is almost too beautiful for words, a very personal sleeve which is a portrait painted by the lady herself. Unlaminated with smoother surfaces, ultimately delicate and rarely found devoid of ugly ringwear or major surface rubbing. I have gone in pretty close on this stunning self-portrait to show just how unblemished this is, if one was ever to be framed and displayed, this one would take some beating. The gatefold format was not made available to the UK, the single sleeve was standard to all pressings, hence this US version is ideal for the serious collector and many fans will consider it superior, again I have taken a close-up of the lovely inner artwork detail. Special mention too of the inner sleeve: this being the 10th anniversary commemorative inner with some pictures of artists who were signed to this label including it’s founder, Frank Sinatra. A diverse line-up too, ranging from the popular in Frank’s daughter Nancy and The Kinks, then to the psych sounds of Hendrix and the way-out Fugs to the bizarre Tiny Tim. This special Reprise inner, historically significant of course, has also survived in wonderful condition. Little aged and quite possibly the first I h have with no edge splits or tears, how unusual is that on an imported record? This classic vintage Joni album will not be easy to find much better all-round and most collectors will enjoy owning this one.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+.

Cover Grade and Format: Mint(-) and what a beauty. Finding early US covers like this is very unusual to say the very least. A matt finished gatefold format with the lyrics printed inside. As stated, UK versions were only single format and did not include that lovely inside artwork and most-all never had the lyric sheet.

Cover Front: One of the great covers of its era with deep rich colour and very clean, fresh and vibrant. The lack of wear is immediately apparent as the the absence of creasing or dinks which these always seem to attract. Blemishes?, well an ultra tiny wrinkle on the bottom edge is almost beyond nit-picking and the spine fold is very slightly faded, that not certain as it could have been like that from new, but the lighter top area is paler on the extreme left. A truly gorgeous front that incredibly is mark-free with no friction rubs, scuffs or rubbing. Truly, a state-of-the-art reference front that will prove near impossible to even match or ever better.

Cover Back: More of the same with just the merest hint of a rim rub near the bottom edge. This being so faint it’s almost an insult to even mention it. With many of these and similar ones showing full circles of deep, penetrating ringwear, this simply reminds of one just being purchased back in 69. Both outside faces are world-class and look gorgeous.

Cover Inside: This has the paste-on style double panel and both faces are immaculate.

Top Edges: Totally unworn and very straight and robust.

Bottom Edges: Both unworn up to the very corner tips.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Also in superb condition: rock solid, thick, straight with just one minuscule compression trace on the bottom. The text is unworn, the title and number etc are centred a little low and the Printed in USA is inverted. The artwork itself is unworn bar a very faint and small rub trace near the centre. Try to finding one much better than this.

Corners: Any tip rubs are tiny, few and minor and all retain excellent to near mint shape.

Cover Summary: A truly beautiful all-round example of this very colourful but delicate cover, one that will prove beyond difficult to find better. With the main two faces looking so lovely and the edges showing the least wear I have seen (including UK ones), this raises the bar to near world record height.

The Inner Sleeve: This is the 10th-Anniversary of Reprise Records inner, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. This album was issued in 1969, so it seems logical this was pressed towards the end of the decade. This promotes artists and bands signed to the label, the only Joni album featured is her first as it should be. A fragile unlined inner, quite how this has survived all this time with all edges intact (with NO repairs) is beyond me, this making the long trip to the UK too. Clean with minimal traces of discolour and no creasing worthy of note. This historically special inner will also rarely be found better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and with two playing surfaces looking immaculate, this record could almost pass as new. A supreme visual copy that is ultra clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. This is also one of the very best playing copies of this album I have yet heard, so many of the 60s pressings were subjected to needle abuse and they fail to come up to scratch (with many seen on the majority). Any surface trace blemishes are near microscopic and barely any at all, remember, this is a 40+ year old record and we all know what that usually means. Owned by an audiophile, caring collector who certainly knew how to play and stored his records. Clearly this copy has hardly ever been played or even likely handled and it should please all collectors, those who want records almost as made.

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 wonderful, early pressed record plays up to its immaculate visual grading with practically nothing to fault. And this too on a ruthlessly revealing acoustic and vocal album. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is fantastic with a wide dynamic range and very detailed, real hi-fi sound. Beautifully produced by someone, but uncredited. Any surface sounds barely even registered with just a mere couple of ultra faint ticks within the entire duration of an immensely challenging record. How many will ever play CD silent from start to finish?, let’s be honest about it. Remember too, what I play my records on, all equipment listed further down. Silence for these types and vintage is almost unrealistic but this record gives off it’s very best with studio quality sound and I would put this against any other copy available. Few early examples will match or outperform this one I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been superbly stored and carefully handled within a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, still my personal favourite Joni album which I never tire of hearing again and again. No head in the clouds on this one, it will prove nigh-on impossible to find better for natural clean sound and merits my highest possible 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 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’.