KEEF HARTLEY Battle of North West Six RARE LAMINATED

	£		42
	$		56

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £11.75. Rest of World £15.75. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases.

Artist or Band: KEEF HARTLEY BAND

Album Title: The Battle of North West Six.

Producer(s): Neil Slaven.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Dansette Kid; Hartley Jam For Bread; Don’t Give Up; Me and My Woman; Hickory; Don’t Be Afraid.

Side 2: Not Foolish, Not Wise; Waiting Around; Tadpole; Poor Mabel (You’re Just Like Me); Believe in You.

Label/Format: Deram – very first, smaller circle size format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with minimal traces of spindle marks. This truly beautiful looking and sounding record looks hardly used.

Cat Number: SML 1054.

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: 125 grams. A solid average weight for this era and label.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderately scarce: but a few of the very first issues included a FULLY laminated cover on the outside faces. Most seen are unlaminated. This makes a significant difference to the quality and appearance of this cover and they will rarely be seen a great deal better than this.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: ZAL-9179.P-1W / ZAL-9180.P-1W

Pressing Codes: 1 / 1 (Decca stamper letters are always difficult to read and I am not going to guess)

Musicians: Keef Hartley - Drums, Percussion; Miller Anderson - Vocals, Guitars; Henry Lowther - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Violin, Brass arrangements; Jim Jewell - Tenor Saxophone; Gary Thain - Bass Guitar; Spit James - Guitar; Mick Weaver - Organ, Piano, Percussion; Mike Davis - Trumpet; Harry Beckett - Trumpet, Flugelhorn; Lynn Dobson - Tenor Saxophone, Flute; Chris Mercer - Tenor Saxophone; Barbara Thompson - Baritone Saxophone, Flute; Ray Warleigh - Flute; Mick Taylor - Guitar.

Brief Info: After spells with The Artwoods and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, this talented drummer decided to pursue a solo career and this was his second album for Deram. He appeared at the famous Woodstock Festival in 1969 and this album skillfully blends blues, rock and jazzy elements and is regarded as one of his finest recordings. This a superb copy is a first pressed example which is easily identified with 1W matrixes and the cover having the mono/stereo peephole on the back – and, in this case the very first laminated cover which are quite rare. The blue inner on this copy indicates a stereo pressing. Overall, a fabulous copy for a set now into it’s 43rd year.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a gatefold with Clarifoil laminate front and back. The ends on the top edges inside. Printed and made in England by Moore and Matthes. This has the mono/stereo peep-hole on the back, the blue inner on this copy confirms a stereo copy.

Laminate: Front & Back: Both sides are very shiny, clear and fresh with barly any dulling or friction rubs even when viewed under light. A small light press impression of an old price sticker is only just evident near the top right corner if scrutinised. A small rub on the top right edge on the exposed strip where the laminate ends short of full width. The rear peep-hole is crisp and undamaged, interestingly, with close viewing, the shift in laminate position can be seen proving beyond doubt the natural shinkage ofthis product. The hole now has a small portion of laminate over it. Almost remarkably for Clarifoil, which has a major tendancy to shrinking over time, both sides are fully adhered with no lifting at all. Any marks or creases are very few and light indeed and the sheer freshness of this cover makes it very special and is little short of connoisseur quality.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Apart from very mild dust traces on the laminate ends on the top edges, this matt finished inside has little else to fault.

Top Edges: Unworn, straight and unscuffed.

Bottom Edges: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front edge is near perfect, crisp and sharp. The back opening inner edge is the same with just a couple or three small mild burrs on the outside one as seen viewed end-on.

Spine and Text: Solid and with the early thicker construction. Straight with barely any compression and no crushing. Still erect and very neat and attractive. Folded square so all edges meet up very close together and parallel. All text is pristine mint under the solid and clear, unpeeled laminate.

Corners: All corners are very neat with super shape retained with any tip rubs tiny and faint.

Cover Summary: A hugely impressive all- round example of this attractive late 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find better. The laminated version far rarer and visually more dynamic and ‘pretty’. This beautiful item should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: the heavy-duty, polylined blue inner, denoting stereo in the cover’s peep-hole, is in very fine condition. The only clues to it’s considerable age is some fairly mild glue darkening on the seams. A little paler than some but with all edges unsplit and two immaculate windows with clear, secure lining and barely any creasing, this original inner is quite impressive with only the natural ageing of the adhesive giving clues of it’s era.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a very fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy very little played for certain with any surface trace marks, few and very ligh as seen critically under bright light. Visually a super record that should please most-all collectors again.

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 quality Deram record plays even above it’s high visual grading with nothing 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. Devoid of surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing, but typical of the collectable Decca related Deram label. Few copies will match, let alone outperform this quality first pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – this is the best all-round copy of this album I have seen or heard. This copy will prove very difficult to find better and can be strongly recommended.

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 Terrarium 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 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 stiffeners 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 8,000+ items sold in over 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 2 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). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, 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 and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). 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] = £4.25

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £11.75 (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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 [£46 maximum]) = £15.75 Add £3 per extra LP. (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’.