P.P. ARNOLD Kafunta SCARCE ORIG UK 68 Immediate N/M LP

	£		91
	$		120

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering the VERY BEST Soul Classics to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down with Picture & All Shipping Rates.

Artist or Band: P. P. ARNOLD

Album Title: Kafunta

Producer(s): Andrew Loog Oldham.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Letter to Bill; God Only Knows; Eleanor Rigby; Yesterday; Angel of the Morning.

Side 2: It’ll Never Happen Again; As Tears Go By; To Love Somebody; Dreamin'; Welcome Home.

Label/Format: Immediate – original deep pink format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh, vibrant and attractive with only mainly light, few and largely spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: IMSP 017.

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: 137 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: Scarce and a much prized album amongst soul collectors. This too a superb record and the earlest pressed as confirmed by the details below.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: IMSP 017-1Y / IMSP 017-2Y

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 G / 1 G

Brief Info: I openly admit I am not a big soul fan, but for this lady, I happily make an exception. Arnold is a singer with a supreme voice, she was a former Ikette and backing singer for several famous acts and recorded and toured with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Small Faces, Nick Drake and even Oasis to name just a small few. So impressed was Mick Jagger with this lady, he persuaded Andrew Oldham to sign her to his new Immediate label. An album on Immediate was issued in 1967 but was withdrawn, now with huge value and considerable rarity. This was her only other on the same label and it now greatly sort-after too. A beautiful set it is too with several famous covers including tracks by The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys. Shame this was her only real solo output as she was heavily employed as a backing singer which in some ways robbed the world of her real talent. This album features the wonderful ‘Angel of the Morning’, a superb hit single. ‘Kafunta’ is an elusive album and I can hardly imagine fine a better example of the record. The cover is incredibly fragile made with thin card, the front being only single thickness. This has some spine fold rubbing but will prove immensely difficult to find without. With the main faces looking fantastic with little wear, this too will be hard to find better. A wonderful, almost legendary talent, this copy is the very first one I have had to offer and it’s been well worth the wait.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+, vulnerable all forms of wear, time, handling and storage has to offer. Most will be threadbare and rife with creases, rubbing and especially ringwear and spine damage.

Cover Grade and Format: Even with some mildish spine fold rubbing, I cannot grade this ultra delicate cover below Excellent, and in realistic terms it’s better still. Few are likely to better this significantly. An unlaminated gatefold format with the front being only single thickness card as is the somewhat under-strength spine. The inside right top and bottom have two external flipbacks. Printed and made in England (uncredited).

Cover Front: Beautiful artwork looking gorgeous. The only wear is rubbing on the spine fold, this mostly near the bottom with scuffing and mild softening. The pressure on such flimsy spines from heavy records was immense and simply, these spines could not support the cover and record’s weight. There is nothing else to fault being honest, the artwork being fresh, very clean and incredibly, uncreased with barely any marks at all.

Cover Back: The back even better any record rim impressions are ultra faint and few indeed with nothing I could deem as ‘ringwear’. This side shows barely any rubbing on the spine fold and there is barely any visible ink loss at all. A magnificent back that sets the standard.

Cover Inner Gatefold: This is very impressive too, as the record enters via the centrefold from the inside, this is in super condition with barely any traces of wear or damage to the ultra delicate spine area. No splits or tears, any stressing to the ends is mild and faint. Both flipbacks are immaculate and the lack of creasing or rubbing is remarkable. This cover really is undergraded as excellent.

Top Edges: Light rub traces only to the back, the thin front show only mild traces of any thickening near the centre.

Bottom Edges: Light rubbing only, more near the centre of the back, no splits or repairs. The fragile front again is very neat with just faint burr traces near the right corner.

Right Edge(s), and Type: A little mainly light rubbing to the centre of the back, again the front is very neat and sharp. This is untrimmed and has no entrance as the record is stored via the inner centre.

Spine and Text: The spine is beyond delicate, it’s pretty wide and vastly under-weight or strength. This still quite erect and uncrushed with no compression. But it can easily change unless careful. The top fold has rubbed with some fairly light ink loss e.g. white card is seen on the fold, but little encroaches further except on the bottom corner. Some scuffing on the same area near the top which has softened. Still reasonably solid, straight and square, both right edges meet up quite closely together and parallel. The most surprising and welcome news is, all text is nigh-on perfect and unworn. Mild clipping to the 017 number and that is minimal.

Corners: All corners are very respectable, little wear on the right sets which retain fine shape. Even the spine pair are neat but delicate and soft.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this very fragile late 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. With most of any wear on the spine fold, this beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors. Realistically and truthfully, I regard this as pretty exceptional given all the fact. Look at the pictures of the beauty, they do not lie.

The Inner: The plain white unlined inner is near mint reitterating just how little use the record has received. It’s almost like new, that simple.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and a superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. A played no more than once or twice, that will be more than apparent to any winning bidder, this is a gorgeous record with any surface blemishes being minuscule. Visually a super record that should please all 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 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 outstanding Immediate 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. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. The ultimate first off the pressing line, 1G/1G mother/stampers are the most prized for the connoisseur collectors. Few copies will outperform this ultimate pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. The record is exceptional and the cover, given the facts, the same.

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 QED Silver terminated cable). 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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). Add £2 per extra LP.

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (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. 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 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’.