PETER BANKS Scarce UK 1973 Sovereign EX++ LP. PROG GEM

	£		27
	$		36

Hi, I am Mike, now 49 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 34 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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 reader – 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 one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. 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 or sticks 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 Ortophon 520 Mk II cartridge (tracks at 1.75 grams). Amps: Arcam 2 x 125W Pre-Power. 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.

Please read all my extensive details on Posting & Packing Prices and Methods at the end of this description, including discounts and offers.

For security reasons for my customers and myself, I keep my bidder’s and bidding history private to stop fake emails being sent to runners-up offering bogus items after the auctions end – it can and does happen.

Album Title: Peter Banks.

Producer(s): Peter Banks.

Track Listing: Side 1: Vision of the King; The White Horse Vale (a) One the Hill (b) Lord of the Dragon; Knights (a) The Falcon (b) The Bear; Battles; Knights – reprise; Last Eclipse. Side 2: Beyond the Loneliest Sea; Stop That!; Get Out of My Fridge.

Label/Format: Sovereign – with ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ text. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and highly attractive with only very light, very few and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: SVNA 7256.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 139 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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce+.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: SVNA 7256 A-2U / SVNA 7256 B-1

Stamper Codes: 1 R / 1 GG

Musicians: Peter Banks – Electric and acoustic guitars, ARP, Mini-Moog, Fender piano; Jan Akkerman - Electric guitar (left-hand channel), acoustic guitar; Ray Bennett - bass guitar; Phil Collins - drums; Steve Hackett - Electric guitar; Mike Hough - drums; John Wetton - bass guitar.

Brief Info: Not to be confused with Tony Banks of Genesis, Peter Banks was the original guitarist with Yes and later formed Flash after a brief spell with Blodwyn Pig. This is a very fine, and almost ‘lost’ prog album with a whole host of star guest musicians (see above) including two from Genesis, one from Focus and John Wetton from King Crimson. A superbly produced, predominately instrumental set, this was the second collaboration project Banks made on Sovereign Records and is the more elusive of the two. Indeed the first time I have seen or heard this one. Sovereign was not a major label and most titles on it are scarce. For fans of guitar-prog, and the aforementioned bands, this is essential.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: [Unlaminated covers are always the most vulnerable for rubbing, fading, sticker tears and ringwear, gatefolds are more prone still and the darker they are, the more this type of wear occurs and shows. Some sleeves have a textured finish or die-cut shaped edges or ‘windows’. These are even more delicate and the hardest to find in top condition. Fully laminated covers are more resistent to wear but often the laminate ages with dulling, creases and blistering. Many 60s covers have outer flipback construction, these are very vulnerable to damage]. (US covers are the most fragile of all, very rarely laminated and made with thick brittle card that rubs and ringwears badly. Seams and edges split easily). Please see format below to access this cover’s potential for wear and damage.

Cover Grade and Format: EX(–) Loathe to downgrade this cover too much because it’s a real tough one to find even this nice. With deep brown ink, no laminate and a textured gatefold format, all the recipe for heavy rubbing and ringwear. Few of this type escape and this has some rubbing and mildish ringmarks on the back. This was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Cover Front: Come modest rubbing around the edges and a small graze blemish and chip on the bare chest area that has very modest visibility. That apart, little else to fault. The texturing is very pronounced and other marks or blemishes are few. Clean and still quite attractive and practically avoiding creasing altogether. A difficult front that has survived pretty well overall.

Cover Back: Similar to the front with the almost mandatory ringmarks at top and bottom. As far as they go, I consider these pretty mild on such an unforgiving and uncompromising cover. Clean but modest other rubbing and again no noteworthy creasing. Realistic collectors will know a cover this age and type are seldom seen much better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Really strong and attractive with barely any traces of wear at all.

Top Edges: Ultra faint surface rub traces only.

Bottom Edges: Light and very modest rubbing again.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with minimal wear and no feathering. Record entered on this right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight but neatly compressed. Still folded square with the right edges meeting up very closely together and parallel. Mild rub traces again and practically all the vulnerable text has survived fully intact, bold and strong.

Corners: Far less then you may probably expect on a cover like this. Tip rubs, slightly more on bottom right but overall wear is minimal and these still look quite attractive overall.

Cover Summary: A highly vulnerable cover, dark with texturing and with ink loss this low, I consider it way above average. I can imagine many of these will be a real mess with heavy ringwear, scuffed, flecked surfaces and even wooliness. All this has largely been avoided and the back ring marks are modest in context. Overall, a fine example of this very fragile 70’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find much better. This fine item should please many collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++ to Mint(-), A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. Nothing more than the odd faint hairline surface blemish with no sound of course. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please most collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This superb, clean record plays up to its 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 and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album – yes it has some very quiet passages too. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly carefully handled. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this scarce prog record. This copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better and again can be strongly recommended.

For more information about oneadayrecords and special offers simply email me. WANTS LISTS WELCOME.

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS:

1 LP (First Class Standard with included £32 Maximum Insurance) = £3.

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with included £30 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

NOTE:

Any UK item that sells for over £75 up to £150 gets sent Special Delivery as ‘Standard’ for £3.

Any UK item that sells for over £150 gets sent Special Delivery for FREE!

Add Extra £1 per Extra LP – Maximum 5 per Packet. Double LPs Count as 2. [I NEVER Use Second Class Post].

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with included £32 Maximum Insurance) = £4.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £8 (OPTIONAL).

NOTE:

Any European item that sells for over £85 up to £150 gets sent Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value = £6. (The reduced rate for this service is peace of mind for both parties).

Any European item that sells for over £150 gets sent Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value = £4.

Add Extra £2 per Extra LP – Maximum 5 per Packet. Double LPs Count as 2.

Posting & Packing: OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. US; Australia; Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with included £32 Maximum Insurance) = £7.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £11 (OPTIONAL).

NOTE:

Any Overseas item that sells for over £85 up to £150 gets sent Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value = £9. (The reduced rate for this service is again peace of mind for both parties).

Any Overseas item that sells for over £150 gets sent Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value = £7.

Add Extra £3 per Extra LP – Maximum 5 per Packet. Double LPs Count as 2.

* If Rules allow for that country.

Payment and P&P Details & Methods:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account. I will NOT under any circumstances accept Western Union payment.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£32). My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 1 per 1,000 over the my selling time on Ebay and I consider that pretty exceptional.

All records are posted in professional mailers or boxes as deemed appropriate for the individual item with the record 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. Records are posted with a mimimum of FOUR stiffners for protection and also heavier protection if deemed necessary depending on the content. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if possible. I never make profit on posting, in fact I actually lose money but I consider it a small loss against the safe arrival of all my items. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional’ P&P.

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.

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions for payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions.

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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I buy quality single items and collections also (I am regularly told I offer the best prices – please Email me if you have items for sale).

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.

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’.