PRETTY THINGS The Pretty Things RARE ORIG UK 1965 MONO Nr EX LP, SUPERB SOUND.

	£		75
	$		99

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received if possible.

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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: THE PRETTY THINGS

Album Title: The Pretty Things

Producer(s): Bobby Graham

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Road Runner; Judgement Day; Big City; Unknown Blues; Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut.

Side 2: Honey, I Need; Oh, Baby Doll; She’s Fine, She’s Mine; Don’t Lie to Me; The Moon is Rising; Pretty Thing.

Label/Format: Fontana – original format with matt and rough textured surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and very attractive with relatively light spindle marks. The record has a couple of stylus marks that were ignored by my Sondek and stereo cartridge and plays beautifully throughout.

Cat Number: TL 5239

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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: 148 grams. A heavy pressing from the era of quality.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Very scarce, and in overall lovely condition, it was a genuine pleasure to play-grade this elusive mid-1960s RnB classic.

Original Year of Release: 1965

Matrix Nos: 687341 1L//1 420 1 1 1 2 & 687341 2L//1 420 1 1 C 1 1

Musicians: Phil May – vocals, harmonica; Brian Pendleton – guitar; John Stax – bass; Dick Taylor – guitar; Viv Prince – drums.

Brief Info: The first Pretty Things album and in commercial terms, their most successful. It was their only album to chart until 1970 when ‘Parachute’ scraped into the top 50 in the UK. Featuring a number of RnB covers with a couple of their own songs, this is classic-era British beat, and heard here with superb full-on mono sound from this impressive vintage record. As stated it has a couple of stylus marks, but they were ignored by my very fine tipped stylus, the sound for all ultra sharp and clear with hardly any contact sound noted. For good measure, the cover is also lovely, the front superb, the back only gently aged. And at 53-years-of-age, I think it’s earned the right. No one seem often, and when they do surface, they are invariably in very poor conditions, this has survived the years and mono era relatively unscathed, especially for superb audio quality.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: the front nearer Excellent(+). A single format with front laminate. This covers all the folds and ends under the paste-on style matt, smooth back. Printed and made in England, uncredited. Includes the December 1965 date-coded polylined inner sleeve that includes ‘Patents Pending’ text.

Lamination & Front: The front has aged little and looks highly impressive. These vintage Fontana covers rarely wear well, but this is nice. The laminate retains excellent, really impressive shine, freshness and clarity with minimal hint of any dulling or lifting. Creasing also little with a little near the right side, purely to the laminate surface, not the actual card which is thicker than many of this era. The band graphic is magnificent and very dark indeed as seen in close-up. It will take a near remarkable front to better this one.

Cover Back: This one has the Paste-on panel construction and has aged a little with mild discolouration, mainly (as usual) near the edges. Gentle tone spotting here-and-there, but hardly creased with no rubbing or black ink loss or erosion. So the back does politely remind of age, whereas the front gives scant clue.

Top Edge: Fully laminated with no wear, quite straight with the merest hint of bowing only.

Bottom Edge: Near perfect, straight and smooth.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and still sharp with very little wear at all. Any thickening minimal and light as seen viewed end-on, as stated, made with thicker card than most from this era. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Again impressive, solid, straight with any compression light. A spine with a more ‘rounded’ shape in manufacture, so the text appearing slightly low of centre. But all letters are fully present and perfect under the solid, smooth and unpeeled laminate.

Corners: Any tip rubs are very small and light, excellent or better shape retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: A very strong example of this vintage mid-1960’s cover, one that could prove very difficult to find much better. The back gently aged, the front is very impressive, it should please many, or even possibly most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: VERY GOOD(+): a white polylined inner, quite darkened with age with a little corner creasing. Two pristine window circles and all edges unsplit with no repairs, the lining very neat and still quite clear. This includes ‘British & Other Patents Pending’ text and is date-coded 125 (December 1965).

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(–) / EXCELLENT: with, as stated already, a couple of stylus marks on side one that on my turntable, do nothing*. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and heavily pressed. A copy with modest usage on all the evidence with any other surface marks light and faint as seen critically under bright light. A very difficult album and type to find totally unscathed, not just because of the age, era and mode, these classic early RnB albums were amongst the heaviest played types made. So often party-pieces and subjected to heavy abuse by often blunted or chipped mono stylus with totally destroyed the sound. Most that surface now are trashed and rendered almost unlistenable or even playable. This copy, in near total opposite retains lovely shine and plays superbly. Visually a super record, but not pristine, that should please many 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 and Audio Grading: This mid-1960s beat classic plays even above it’s high visual grading with hardly anything to fault*. Offering 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 hardly registered and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. I must make this clear: the song ‘13 Chester Street’ has several sounds that may trick listeners into thinking they are pressing noises. But this is NOT the case, the sounds are perfectly correct and normal. I even checked on several websites and listened to this track online, and hey presto, exactly the same sounds were heard in exactly the same places. This is now my second every copy, the first plays exactly the same. In fact this brilliant record played very impressively, the groove following marks were ignored by my turntable, a Linn LP12 Sondek. A very revealing stereo system (as listed in detailed further down) for which it was never really designed to be played on, but this gave a great listen and experience. Few available copies will play much better I feel sure. I am certain this record has been played modestly (certainly for its type) and has been generally well stored. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this elusive, vintage record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 17­ 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. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.