MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND Solar Fire EX++ LP + Inner

	£		19
	$		25

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND

Album Title: Solar Fire.

Producer(s): Manfred Mann.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Father of Day, Father of Night; In the Beginning, Darkness; Pluto The Dog.

Side 2: Solar Fire; Saturn, Lord of the Ring – Mercury, The Winged Messener; Earth, The Circle Part 2; Earth The Circle Part 1.

Label/Format: Bronze – The ‘Age of Man’ format.

Label Conditions: Very clean, fresh and attractive with just two or three light spindle marks. Another hardly played record from the same collection recently purchased.

Cat Number: BRNA 265.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 120 grams. Around the average for this era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: BRNA 265 A-2 (ILPS 9265 A-2) / BRNA 265 B-1U (ILPS 9265 B-1U) the original ILPS matrixes are struck through. The Mothers are 3 /1 and with ‘Bilbo’ text on side two.

Musicians: Colin Pattenden – bass; Chris Slade – drums and vibes; Manfred Mann – organ, synthesiser, vocals and Mick Rogers – vocals, guitar.

Brief Artist & Album Info: After 60s pop and then a brief excursion into jazz-rock on Vertigo, Manfred Mann formed his Earth Band that now played progressive rock and this album is his true classic. A brilliant album based on the planets, this has always been my personal favourite within this man’s catalogue – but he did a host of gems with the band. From the very opening seconds of the first track the brilliance of the album is apparent: the delicate, haunting choral vocals for Dylan’s classic ‘Father of Day: Father of Night’ fades in before the full band kicks-in hard. No progressive rock lover can fail to enjoy this fabulous album. The Dylan song is totally reworked into a lengthy prog-rock classic. When reviewed in the ‘Record Collector’ monthly in the Island (and related label) reviews, the critic rated this album as his favourite of all time. I can hardly believe myself the age of this album, but yes it’s over 38 years old now. This is a strong copy, the wear-prone cover does have a little mild rubbing – my camera flash has over-emphasised this on my picture – and this Bronze copy includes the lyric inner sleeve. The record, like most from this collection, hardly played and offering nigh-on perfect sound. Manfred Mann clearly more at-home with rock rather than jazz, this album more than proves that beyond any dispute.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: or very close to. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. Manufactured and distributed in England by Island.

Cover Front: Some light rubbing, over-emphasised by my camera flash and a small corner dink (top left). This apart, little else to really fault on this dark and revealing cover. Barely any other creasing bar the small trace on the forementioned corner and this unforgiving front sets a high standard.

Cover Back: Again light rubbing and a fine rim impression and rub – the lightest trace of ringwear in other words. A crease on the bottom left corner tip and a tiny few small and faint pressmarks. A few fine and faint creases near the top right corner hardly even show.

Cover Inner Gatefold: A light crease near the top of the fold hinge, that apart, little else to fault. Rich and dark, almost exactly as made with barely any traces of handling to the revealing surfaces.

Top Edges: Any rub traces are tiny, few and faint, a possible very small tip-in on the spine corner tip.

Bottom Edges: Any rubbing again minimal, no tip-ins.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both edges in superb shape, the front is ultra neat being folded and tucked. The back entrance, sharp with barely a trace of any wear and this guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with barely any compression and folded square. All text present and unworn but some light fading to the bottom half appears likely. Some inks and colours and more susceptible to this, the dark top half seems totally unaffected.

Corners: Light tip rubbing and the spine top has a light dink and likely small tip-in (NOT by me hasten to add quickly). Similar on the back bottom left. Overall, very fine to excellent shape is retained.

Cover Summary: Not pristine, but showing far less wear than some of these I have seen. In fact, this is the first copy of this album I have actually offered for three years, which I consider too long. I absolutely love this album – the opening Dylan song is simply sublime. Small blemishes, so not for the more discerning, but many collectors will enjoy it.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(-): The full Bronze copies included this lyric and illustrated inner sleeve, this I believe the first I have seen or had to not have split edges. This one is is little short of as made and is unlikely to be found better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): very clean, shiny and very solidly pressed. I normally state intense black, and this one mostly is, but slight light dull areas are seen (critically) within the pressing. Any surface marks ultra fine, few and faint and without any doubt a copy barely even played. Visually a fine record that should please many 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This prog classic plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong sound, free of distortion and all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very rich and detailed sound. Any surface sounds hardly even registered and no pops and just a couple light clicks were noted from a pin-prick size (stubborn) speck on the vinyl. The very opening to side one is ultra delicate and quiet with just a fragile choral opening and this plays very well indeed and quiet before the band kicks in. I have in the past seen this delicate intro with scratches from careless stylus placement which would ruin this ethereal opening. Both channels are clean and sharp, I know this record has hardly even been played and is barely even ‘run-in’ in vinyl terms and stored within in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this prog-rock classic. Titles do not to be ultra rare or worth a fortune to be good – on the contrary – the better albums sold more and this one justifiably did well. This copy could prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. The few minor cover blemishes are outweighed by a superb clean record and the near pristine inner sleeve.

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. 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 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: 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.

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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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]) = £14. Add £4 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’.