NEIL YOUNG On The Beach SCARCE UK 1974 EX++ LP

	£		29
	$		38

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: NEIL YOUNG

Album Title: On The Beach.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Walk On; See The Sky About to Rain; Revolution Blues; For The Turnstiles; Vampire Blues.

Side 2: On The Beach; Motion Pictures; Ambulance Blues.

Label/Format: Reprise – Tan format with no Warner logos.

Label Conditions: Near mint examples with barely a hint of a spindle trace. (Please see my label scan).

Cat Number: K 54014.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 116 grams. I have yet to see a heavy pressed copy of this title and this one even a little above average.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Moderately scarce: also difficult to find in nice playing condition, often let down by noisy pressing quality. Also, I consider this copy without the inside graphic scarcer than those that have it.

Original Year of Release: 1974

Matrix Nos: 54014 A4 / 54014 B4 (These are also harder to find as more have the B5 matrix on side two).

Musicians include: Neil Young – guitar, vocal, harmonica, wurlitzer piano; Ben Keith – Steel guitar, slide guitar, vocal, hand drum, bass guitar; Billy Talbot – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal.

Brief Artist & Album Info: After the live Time Fades Away, Young undertook another controversial tour, but the album that was due to be issued Tonight’s The Night was put on hold. Instead Young issued this remarkable set, one of the greatest achievements from his highly impressive catalogue. Issued to very mixed reviews at the time On The Beach is now regarded by most Young and rock fans as a masterpiece, it was so long out of print and unavailable until quite recently. Often regarded as bleak, it does feature the word ‘Blues’ in three titles. The album took the pain and uncertainty witness on Young’s last two tours and distilled from it a work of astonishing vision. Here was Young both analysing his past like a man three times his age and offering a fresh perspective on his future. The second side of the album especially is testament to Young’s songwriting brilliance and has classic written all over it, that said there is not a bad musical moment on this record. After two gentle openers, the third song ‘Revolution Blues’ is a daring attempt at satire based on Charles Manson, it might not be the most tasteful of ideas but it works superbly. The title song and the first of the momentous second side, Young questions the nature of fame and its impact upon his mental state. A stunning slow guitar solo unfolds as he seems to resolve his state of mind. ‘Motion Pictures’ written as a tribute to his actress wife, Carrie Snodgrass, has the man sounding at his saddest, a trait always associated with Young when he sings his happiest songs. The finale, the long ‘Ambulance Blues’ is arguably the best song Young ever wrote, it’s an extraordinary examination of his career, but unlike ‘Don’t Be Denied’, this is not a straight autobiography, but a more a mental journey into his history and career, with scathing attacks on his critics and at times he almost seems to get entrapped in a web of lyrical complexity - It’s hard to tell the meaning of this song - this is a beautiful acoustic track and was the summit of his achievement as a singer songwriter to date. Finding this album is not quite as difficult as some imagine – that said this is my first for some time and they do seem to be getting ever more elusive. So many are unplayable with constant surface sound throughout and covers badly damaged and inners in a right mess. This was not a great period for some records with variable pressing quality and this album seemed to suffer badly (as did one or two others from his early 70s catalogue). I have only very rarely heard a copy that will anything like ‘perfect’. This one does play very well indeed with little unwanted – never to be taken for granted. The odd sporadic light click or crackle trace is almost impossible to avoid but this proved a delight to listen to and finding it a great deal better will not prove easy – this copy one looks hardly even played. Regarding the cover, this one has the plain inside (where the record is stored), the majority had this printed with a flower design. This has the odd lightish crease but for a change, very little wear. Also the inner sleeve is fully intact with no splits or cellotaped edges – another commonly seen trait of this part. So, a very fine example, and indeed a variant for the specialist collectors as the cover is indeed different from the norm.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: a single unlaminated format with matt surfaces and excluding the inside ‘wallpaper’ artwork. These were made in more limited numbers prior to deletion. Printed in England.

Cover Front: Fresh, clean and attractive a couple of small corner tip creases and one semi-crease near the top right area. Any others are very fine and faint as are any minor surface marks. The lack of rubbing and grubbiness are significant pluses.

Cover Back: One fairly light surface crease near the top edge but little else. Any rim impression very faint indeed and the lack of dulling or ring wear almost most welcome, but never easy to find.

Top Edge: Any rub traces tiny, few and faint, this also remains straight.

Bottom Edge: Little rubbing again, but the final half inch or so near the right corner has.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely any traces of wear. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with any compression light. A little mild rubbing on the folds that registers little. All the text is present and unworn and the spine surface is nearly the same, any rub traces tiny and light.

Corners: A little tip rubbing and a couple of tip creases. The bottom right has the ‘stepped’ finish which is correct, but does look a little ‘different’.

Cover Summary: A very fine overall example of a difficult cover with amongst the least wear I have seen. It should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a hard card inner with no lining, never great news for record surfaces. No splits, tears or repairs, this so often in shreds or reinforced with clear tape. This has rounded bottom corners and slanted edges on the top opening which is deeply recessed – these crucial and vulnerable areas all pristine. Ultra clean, fresh with no creasing and any surface trace marks light and faint as seen critically under angled light. Faint rim dulling is almost the least to be expected but few will ever be found better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and quite solidly pressed. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence with any surface traces ultra fine, few and faint as seen with close scrutiny under bright angled light. This too being stored inside the hard card inner all the time. This quite elusive copy will not prove easy to find much better than this and 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This classic album plays up to, and most-all 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, gentle and faint – the odd sporadic tick or crackle trace seems near impossible to avoid on this album. I have heard some that have been pretty bad in the past and simply will not offer them. This is one is very nice and any minor sounds are faint – so just the odd infrequent gentle reminder you are listening to a vintage vinyl record and not a squeaky clean digital format. Few copies will outperform this finer pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – the most satisfying vinyl copy I have heard for some time. So an overall very fine example, it should please many, if not most collectors and merits strong recommendation.

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’.