MICK ABRAHAMS BAND (S/T) SCARCER ORIG UK 1971 EX++ LP.

	£		23
	$		30

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all. More details on this nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

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

Artist or Band: MICK ABRAHAMS BAND

Album Title: Mick Abrahams Band.

Producer(s): Chris Thomas.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Greyhound Bus; Awake; Winds of Change; Why Do You Do Me This Way.

Side 2: Big Queen; Not to Rearrange; Seasons.

Label/Format: Chrysalis – Original green and red format with ‘i’ (Island) logo, matt and smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only one light spindle mark on side one, and three or four on the other.

Cat Number: ILPS 9147.

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 very good, above average weight.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: first pressings of this record included a ‘mosaic’ style back cover. Later ones were standard smooth finished. This is deeply embossed so the small squares that make up the portrait picture on the back really do look like mosaic tiles. I would presume later printed examples omitted this specialised finish to save cost. It looks very effective and is seldom seen devoid of wear major wear. This first issue is considerably harder to find.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9147 A-1U / ILPS 9147 B-1U

Stamper Codes: 3 GG / 1 L

Musicians: Mick Abrahams - guitar, seven string slide guitar, mandolin, pedal steel guitar, vocals; Ritchie Dharma - drums, percussion; Bob Sargeant - organ, piano, second guitar, vocal; Walt Monaghan - bass, vocal.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Brilliant album by the former Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig guitarist, his first album under his own name. A fine collection of blues driven rock – any fan of early Jethro Tull is sure to like this one. The lengthy finale, ‘Seasons’ is simply superb with brilliant guitar-work by the man. A copy that appears hardly played and generally playing well. The odd gentle trace of surface sound here and there, but this one better than most I have heard. Chrysalis Records were usually pretty reliable for fine sound, but on occasions, some pressings do have issues. The original mosaic embossed back cover is in equally fine condition with just the odd small blemish or two, and overall, this is a very pleasing early example.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: and actually looks better. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt surfaces, the embossed ‘mosaic’ style back is described above, the rest are smooth. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group and including the original Island number and ‘i’ logo.

Cover Front: Very clean, fresh with any marks very few, fine and faint. A small red star near the top left corner, but the lack of rubbing and creasing are major positives. A very attractive front indeed.

Cover Back: A superb design and format and only on the originals before being reprinted on smooth card. This is deeply embossed that almost makes the small square tiles look real. This has a the odd small rub and minor surface mark. One tile appears to have had a small scuff which has been enhanced (not my myself), and actually only noticed this when doing my close scrutinising prior to tapping out this text. Overall still a very fine back with any of the visual blemishes showing little.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Little to fault inside, the odd trace of set-off being critical.

Top Edges: Both very straight with barely any wear at all.

Bottom Edges: Some fairly light rubbing on the back edge, the front shows hardly any, again both straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear and both guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on the back, but the front is also open which I decided to leave alone as it is so neat.

Spine and Text: Solid, quite thick and straight with minimal compression and folded square. Minimal wear or rubbing and all text unworn.

Corners: Light tip rubs only with very fine to excellent shape retained.

Cover Summary: A lovely looking cover, a little light wear and small blemish, so not for the perfectionist, but many collectors will enjoy it.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a plain solid, white unlined inner that has little wear at all. Very little creasing, clean with all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): with two very impressive clean surfaces.Shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. Visually a super record that should please 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 & Audio Grading: This hardly played record does have a little gentle surface sound here and there, but not a great deal – this too being played on very sensitive equipment. I have heard this title several times in vinyl and most seem to have a little inherent surface noise. In terms of this, this has quite possibly the least I have heard yet and most plays very clean and well. Overall, this fine record plays quite close to 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. It could likely be few copies will better significantly. So the odd gentle reminder it is a vintage vinyl record being played and not a squeaky clean digital format, but little spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful album. So like the cover, not for the absolute perfectionists, but this copy could prove difficult to find significantly better and can be recommended.

Final Summary: A major guitar talent, this man only played with Jethro Tull for just the one record, the classic debut album. But many still think that was their finest ever and his influence was a major factor to it’s greatness. He left to form the greatly underrated Blodwyn Pig, again a short lived band, this set more or less carries on the sound but has far less use of brass instruments. Seven quality songs that cannot fail to impress. The original embossed cover makes this original extra special and any minor negatives are far outweighed by the positives, a mini mosaic classic.

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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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] = £4.75

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]) = £12.50 (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]) = £16.50 (£17.50 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’.