MIKE ABSALOM VERY RARE Orig 71 UK Vertigo Spiral N/M LP

	£		311
	$		412

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: MIKE ABSALOM

Album Title: Mike Absalom.

Producer(s): Patrick Campbell-Lyons.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Saga of John the Bog; Don’t Tell it on the Telephone; Loet Me Give You Roses, Rose; Old Woman in the moon; Saga of Ernie Plugg’s Bust.

Side 2: Saga of Suzie Grapevine and Pusher Joe; Frightened of the Dark; Gaza Striptease; It Must be Spring; Saga of Peaches Melba and the Hash Officer.

Label/Format: Vertigo - original Spiral format (Please see my label pictures).

Label Conditions: Both immaculate: ultra clean and highly attractive with only a couple of small, light and faint spindle traces and no wear around the hole area. Stunning snowy white finish to side two with barely any traces of handling. The large swirl on side one is in definitive condition as new with the spiral pattern mint from rim to hole, no chips or blemishes at all. This could be the ULTIMATE record for the serious Vertigo collector.

Cat Number: 6360 053.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: This record is not warped, but does have a very mild waver near the edges if being critical. It has NO effect on play and not even budget turntables will have any problems with this. Tracking on both sides, from start to finish is effortless.

Weight of this Record: 132 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity & Detail: Very rare: In terms of numbers sold, few Swirls sold less than this one. Reputed to have only sold around 300 units and how many will survive with a record in near mint condition? This is without doubt one of the rarest albums I have yet offered on Ebay and the record itself will prove near impossible to find better. With just one very small, fine hairline that has NO sound, this record looks almost brand new and plays with perfect sound. The cover, a massive poster type made with single thickness card never wears well, and it’s an achievement to find this at all in one piece with no cellotape or tacky repairs. This has edge and foldlines wear, but is fully intact with no splits or tears really worthy of mention. There was a very small nick split to the back top edge but I have very carefully repaired this and now it appears neat as a very small and light crease. I have photographed every one of the SIX panels individually to show exactly what each face looks like and included all the foldlines and edges so nothing is hidden or left to chance. I want to hide nothing, and my regular and new customers deserve to be shown exactly what to expect and what will arrive. This is a major rarity even by Vertigo Spiral standards, many who strive to put a full set together will be missing this one I am certain and now an elusive chance to get one the most difficult with a record that’s barely been played and near pristine. Probably pressed once, some ending up in Bargain Bins with massive reduced-price stickers applied, and some returned to be recycled. An incredibly rare piece indeed and if this is needed, do not even think about lose it. A major upgrade for some and for many Spiral Seekers, possibly their first opportunity to get Mike Absalom.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 6360053 1Y 1 420 1 1 1 / 6360053 2Y 1 420 1 1 1

Brief Info: Okay, not really ‘progressive’ but the label sure was and this will appeal to most prog collectors being on Vertigo. I have outlined the rarity of this album above and it cannot be overstated. Mike Absalom was a long-haired solidly built son of a cleryman who apparently could speak eight languages and is a well-educated man. He achieved a small cult following supporting the likes of Lindisfarne and busking in London, this was his only album on the prized Vertigo Spiral label and it rarely ever surfaces to be offered. He plays a good-time, quirky dope-enhanced folk with risque humour, this is a great fun album and it’s just a shame it did not do better for him. Special mention must be made to the cover: this has artwork by the legendary Roger Dean who later went on to design so many classic progressive album covers by the likes of Yes, Badger, Gentle Giant, Earth & Fire and many others. This being one of his earliest designs and not as typical as the later ones he is far more famed for. This album proved something of a swansong for Absalom as he pretty much disappeared from the music scene afterwards. Although his cover has worn around the edges or foldlines, it will prove immensely difficult to find one much better, in fact it will prove hard to find at all. The record itself is stunning and could be the ultimate upgrade for the connoisseur collector but most collectors will enjoy this. The original, later designed Spiral inner is also included. This has darked or toned with age, but has little real ‘wear’. Importantly, it’s original and better this than being swapped for another. Please look at my pictures again because you will not see this one too often. Most surviving copies locked away in valuable collections, the prices of this in the future are likely to Spiral out-of-control. Do not lose this one!!

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+++ (almost off the scale).

Cover Grade and Format: Not an easy one to grade definitely so I will break this down to the relevant areas. The six main faces: EX+ to EX++. The back is undamaged but toned, so EX(-). The fold are intact but rubbed with no splits so: VG. All this averaged out I would grade this incredibly fragile and wear-prone poster-style cover as EX(-), but it does look better when folded up. Single thickness card and unlaminated of course. Printed and made in England and with the boxed VO price code on the back. The artwork by the brilliant Roger Dean.

Cover Front (as when opened): All the faces look really nice, the odd light crease and a few minor marks but nothing untoward and attractiveness is still high. Mildly darkened and and some seam rubs do encroach a little on the main front and back when folded up but let’s be honest, how many will truly avoid this? I have photographed all six faces to show exactly what these look like and hopefully they do these justice.

Cover Back: The back has darked or toned with age but has little else to fault - this poster-style cover is unmounted.

The Foldlines or Seams: The have moderate wear and the spine text has largely eroded - well can this be a real surprise? All have no real split, just the odd nick to the ends that again few will ever avoid unless totally unused and kept in cottonwool for best part of 40 years. These have NO repairs or tape reinforcements, so just to find intact is a blessing and somewhat unusual.

Top Edges: Relatively neat and sharp with minimal creasing or feathering. Folded relatively straight but not in total alignment but very neat for one of these. I have seen other Vertigo poster style covers far less square than this.

Bottom Edges: These are the hinged sides hence double thickness. These are black and have light to moderate patchy rubbing, there appears to be no touch-ins or anything obvious anyway. These foldlines are unsplit and all considered, solid.

Corners: All have tip rubs ranging from light to moderate, again hardly a surprise. Most retain decent shape, the bottom ones lightly ‘frayed’.

Cover Summary: A more than highly respectable all round example of this very fragile 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. Thin, flimsy and totally uncompromising, this was not built for longevity and this has clearly been ‘used’ and handled. That said, I consider this to be a pretty attractive example. Not good enough for the ultra discerning or connoisseur but in this case, can anyone really afford to be ultra choosy? Hardly one that will be seen too often, sometimes compromises have to be made. The record inside will more than compensate for a little raggness around the edges. This still reasonably attractive item should please many collectors. As I always say on less than perfect items, any doubts … do not bid … simple.

The Inner: In terms of wear, barely any, but the white perimeters have darked. The cover itself offers little protection for the contents and time makes these ‘age’. This retains its polylining and the is secure, the window immaculate and clear. This is the later Swirl design inner - beware of substitutions for the more common earlier format. This is coded 0671 which again is important. Just one corner crease and no edge splits, without the moderate darkening, I would have easily have grade it EX++, you decide how much the toning has degraded it.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: N/M and side two little short of pristine. One small hairline surface mark on the first sone on side one has NO sound. A supreme visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. A copy played two or three times only and if a better copy survives, I sure would like to see it. Visually a super record that should please most-all collectors. The ultimate upgrade for the Vertigo connoisseur?

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 snippetts 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 elusive and genuinely rare Spiral record plays up to its 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. Barely any traces of surface sound and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing, and not being a loud ‘electric’ album, a fine pressing is essential. This more than delivers and this quirky record impressed from from the outset to end. Few copies will match let alone outperform this pressing significantly I feel sure. I cannot imagine this was pressed more than once, it was, this is the ultimate first, check out those matrixes and stampers as seen above. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, my first ever vinyl copy. This beautifully preserved record will prove near impossible to find better and can be strongly recommended. Some cover wear, yes, but the record is practically flawless. Do not lose this one.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance 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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.