MICK ABRAHAMS BAND - At Last - SCARCE ORIG UK 1972 EX LP

	£		49
	$		65

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World and Wishing All Customers – Old and New – A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR.

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

NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases and will never compromise on solid, safe packing.

Artist or Band: MICK ABRAHAMS BAND

Album Title: At Last.

Producer(s): Chris Thomas.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: When I Get Back; Absent Friends; Time Now To Decide; Whole Wide World.

Side 2: Up And Down (Part 1); Up And Down (Part 2); Maybe Because; The Good Old Days; You’ll Never Get It From Me.

Label/Format: Chrysalis – original format with the Island ‘i’ distribution credit on the rims (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both in superb condition: very clean, fresh and attractive with only one or two light, fine and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: CHR 1005.

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: 132 grams. About average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce, hardly a major seller and not seen too often.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: CHR 1005 A-1U / CHR 1005 B-1U

Mothers / Stampers: 1 M / 1 G

Musicians: Mick Abrahams - guitar, pedal steel, seven string slide, vocals; Bob Sargeant - keyboards, mandolin, guitar, vocals; Ritchie Dharma -drums, percussion,vibes; Walt Monoghan - bass.

Brief Info: The second Abrahams Band album after he left Blodwyn Pig – he had previously been with Jethro Tull on their classic ‘This Was’ debut set. More strong jazz tinged blues-rock songs this man excelled in. Not an album seen too often and this is a very early original. One of rocks few round covers and ultimately fragile. This is one of the very few I have seen still intact. That said, the ultra delicate hinge parts are a little rubbed and weakened a bit, but have NO repairs or tape. So utmost care is needed to keep this complex and multi-opening cover infact in the future. A very fine and unusual sleeve that is fairly similar to The Small Faces ‘Ogdens’ with the hinge parts just the same. The record is superb and appears little played with great sound and very little unwanted. If early Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig appeal, I am sure this lesser-known album will too.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(–): only really marked down for the fragile hinges that have rubbed. An unlaminated multi-opening round matt cover with smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by Tinsley Robor.

Cover Front: Albums in round covers are far from common which always make them interesting. When they open with four narrow hinges, they are very delicate indeed as most will realise who own The Small Faces ‘Ogden’s’ original. This front has little to fault bar a gentle crease on the round central part near the second quadrant. Also some light and small rubbing at the 3 and 6 o’clock positions where the hinges lie for the side opening flaps. Any thickening or burring to the main circle rim is few and light and any other creases are very few and faint indeed. It is possible the artwork may have faded a little – that only a guess by comparing to the back which is brighter and more vivid – but I considered it worthy of mention.

Cover Back: The back is lovely and in most-all respects similar to the front. One very small split (approx 1 cm) near the right hinge.

Cover Inner Gatefold: First, I emphasise again how delicate and fragile these hinges are. There is some wear and rubbing on them, but they ARE all intact with NO repairs. The left one is particularly weakened (viewing from the front) and real care is needed when handling to keep it on one piece. The others are a little more solid, but hardly robust. Being honest, just finding this cover actually naturally intact is some achievement, I would be very confident many are either repaired or in pieces these days. Anyway, the inside has little to really fault with just the same crease on the left flap circle area as per the front. Minor edge rub traces with the little hint of burring and thickening with again, few will ever avoid.

The Circle Rims Some rubbing to the ‘flat’ hinges. Most of the rounded rims parts are crisp with just a little thickening or burring in places.

The Actual Hinges: TOP: the most solid of all with little to fault. RIGHT: Fairly solid with care needed. BOTTOM: Quite solid overall with an inside small rim rub. LEFT: The weakest of all but intact, so great care needed by any potential winning bidder.

Cover Summary: A great design and more than very respectable example. Unless kept in cottom wool and not used, this WILL weaken. So more than happy to offer one that IS intact with no repairs. An elusive cover in any condition, this should please many (careful) collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: This came to me inside a transparent soft round inner that has little creasing and little else.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: a very fine 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 trace marks few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. Visually a super 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 quality EMI-pressed record plays even above it’s high visual grading with 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 – a milli-second single rev pressing sound just heard, but little else and no pops or clicks were noted and this is a very clean pressing overall. Few copies will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure. 1 G mother and stamper on side one, these are the ultimate first and most sort after. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, this my very first offered in 11+ years on Ebay. This example will not prove easy 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’.