KEVIN AYERS Joy of a Toy SCARCE Early UK Harvest EX LP

	£		40
	$		53

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe (including Russia) £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

PLEASE NOTE: Overseas packets that go through the customs system, can take up to 4 to 6 weeks to process and deliver, this IS normal. For Russia, this can take even longer and is out of my control, so please be patient.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: KEVIN AYERS

Album Title: Joy of a Toy.

Producer(s): Kevin Ayers & Pete Jenner.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Joy of a Toy Continued; Town Feeling; The Clarietta Rag; Girl on a Swing; Song for Insane Times.

Side 2: Stop This Train (Again Doing It); Eleanor’s Cake (Which Ate Her); The Lady Rachel; Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong; All This Crazy Gift of Time.

Label/Format: Harvest – a very early second press with the EMI logo but still with the early Gramophone Co Ltd text on the rims (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both clean and attractive with only a couple or three on side two, barely anything on one. Side two has two small dull spots, I think likely in manufacture, but that is not definitive.

Cat Number: SHVL 763.

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: 135 grams. A typical weight for this pressing.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: this copy from around 1970-71, and to reitterate how early this still is, it has exactly the same -1 / -1 matrixes and very early 1 / 1 mother codes and very early stampers as seen further down.

Original Year of Release: 1969.

Matrix Nos: SHVL 763 A-1 / SHVL 763 B-1

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 0 / 1 L

Musicians: Kevin Ayers – Guitars, Bass and Vocals; Robert Wyatt – Drums; David Bedford – Piano; Mike Ratledge – Organ; Hugh Hopper – Bass; Paul Buckmaster – Cello; Rob Tait – Drums; Paul Minns – Oboe.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Again, with great sadness another one of my favourite pioneering artists has passed away. This his first solo album is a classic and there are few better ways of remembering him.

Kevin Ayers left the Soft Machine for a solo career when his basic pop learnings appeared at odds with the intense jazz-rock of his former colleagues. This album was a cult favourite at the end of the 60s for no reason other than that Ayers was well liked because he was ever so slightly mad. Take a look and listen at the content of this album: ‘Song For Insane Times’, ‘Eleanor’s Cake (Which Ate Her)’ and ‘Stop This Train (Again Doing It)’. Through the haze of quirkiness there is a strong light melodic feel to much of the music, and Ayers did possess a heartbreaker voice that prompted one woman to state, ‘he is the sexiest man in the world’. This scarce album, which boasts that unmissable cover, and that famous inner gatefold picture of the ‘Girl on a Swing’, did not chart in the UK or US - an astonishing fact. Featuring Robert Wyatt, and The Soft Machine on some songs, the instruments used on this album, as listed on the back cover with no specific details were: electric bass, Italian guitar, string bass, electric guitar, cello, electronics, piano, trombone, celeste, flute, drums, piccolo, tambourine, recorder, organ, oboe, alto melodica, mouth organ, Spanish guitar, kazoo and Hawaiian guitar - this should tell you it’s a complex record, and is. Although this copy is not an absolute ‘first pressing’, it pretty much is in all but the inclusion of the added EMI logo on the label. It is still very early and plays really well with just four light clicks near the start of ‘Lady Rachel’ but little else at all. The cover cover is lovely and this is one of the cleanest sounding copies I have heard for quite some time. An album that is very intolerant of heavy tracking or over-usage on old record players of the time. Many lose that superb clarity anbd focus of the vocal which I have encoutered several times. No such issue here and this is a copy that can be enjoyed visually and audibly.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a gatefold format with laminate on front and back, this covers all the closed edges and ends tucked inside the inner panels. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day.

Lamination: Front & Back: One of the classic covers in the Harvest catalogue and here looking lovely. The laminate retains a lovely shine, freshness and clarity with no blistering and barely any dulling, even under light. A very tiny hint of a peel on the back near the left edge, but look very hard. A very few ultra fine and faint surface marks when scrutinised closely with angled viewing but the lack of creasing on this cover is a huge bonus. A few fine ones on the edges and odd corner tip are near unavoidable, and please consider the significant age of this sleeve. A first Ernest J. Day example and these date right back to the beginning, but this gives away few clues of that for it’s impressive looks. The classic artwork retains immense colour and brightness, only the spine itself has faded a little, a trait for which this one is known and seldom escapes. A lovely original that will some beating.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Practically as made and looking fantastic, a tiny bottom edge chip (just) visible.

Top Edges: Both smooth and unworn, generally straight too.

Bottom Edges: A small chip to each, that apart, as above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with little wear and guranteed untrimmed. Any thickening or burr traces viewed end-on very light and small. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid and quite thick, straight with any compression only light, it has a gentle tilt to the left. Folded very square, so the edges meet up closely and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate that remains very smooth to the fingertip. A factor for this spine, the intense yellow ink tends to fade and this one has gone quite pale and to near white on the top fold. It seems any exposure to any light – not strictly sunlight, any light – will cause this to fade over time and I have rarely seen one that hasn’t.

Corners: All corners are crisp and sharp with excellent or even better shape retained. The odd tiny tip crease is seldom avoided.

Cover Summary: A beautifully designed cover, that’s all surfaces, the front remains one of the most iconic within the Harvest catalogue. The back with a fantastic picture of the man himself and the inside, the girl on a swing. This will seldom be seen a great deal better on an original Ernest J. Day manufactured version.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): the unlined, plain white solid inner has also aged little. A little lightish creasing but clean and still fresh, all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: and possibly worthy of a (+). A lovely visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface marks or blemishes few and very fine and light. A tiny mark on ‘Lady Rachel’ has four light clicks near the beginning, but little else and finding one of these really early copies much better will prove very difficult. Visually a super record that should please many, if not 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This Harvest classic plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, (this never to be taken for granted), 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 and no pops were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing overall. So often, this album has crackle and even mild distortions, a highly intolerant record that does not enjoy heavy tracking and over-playing on less than worthy equipment. This one without doubt has avoided such issues and offers lovely clean, fully focused sound. A couple of ultra faint ticks were (just about) heard at the very beginning of side two and four on ‘Lady Rachel’, but nothing else of any note at all. Let’s be honest, how many 42-year-old records will not have the odd tiny blemish at the very least? This too being played on very sensitive equipment, I consider this a near exceptional copy and I enjoyed immensely. Few copies will outperform this still very early pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, yes just the odd polite reminder you are listening to a vintage vinyl record and not a squeaky clean digital format. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be highly 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 ask 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]) = £12 (enhanced 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16 (£17 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced 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’.