PUBLIC IMAGE LTD (PIL) Metal Box RARE ORIG UK 1979 COMPLETE c/w NME Lyric Advert

	£		112
	$		148

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: PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED (PIL)

Album Title: Metal Box

Producer: PIL

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Albatross.

Side 2: Memories; Swanlake.

Side 3: Poptones; Careering.

Side 4: No Birds; Graveyard.

Side 5: The Suit; Bad Baby.

Side 6: Socialist; Chant; Radio 4.

Label/Format: Virgin custom PIL format with mat, gently textured surfaces.

Label Conditions: All six are very clean, fresh and attractive with any spindle traces very few, fine and faint. This legendary set appears hardly played and sounds fantastic throughout.

Catalogue Number: Metal 1 (the original sticker seen on the back of the base of the tin

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 45 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 Records: 109 / 100 / 113 grams. Quite light, but pressed to the highest standards on very pure vinyl.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity & Details: Initially issued in limited numbers in the metal tin as a triple set. When these quickly sold out, the album was repressed as a standard double album playing at 33.3 rpm and retitled ‘Second Edition’. The repressing lacks the dynamics and range of the original which has much wider grooves, detail plays at 45 rpm. Finding the metal tin in anything like original condition is immensely difficult as it simply darkens, tarnishes and can even badly rust. In all honesty, it’s a pressed steel and its surface longevity was always going to age unless kept in cotton wool for its entirety. The outer surfaces of this one have aged as seen, but the records are simply superb and play the same throughout. The set is totally complete with all four of the round dividers, the song list/credit sheet. The original owner also kept an important advertisement from December 1979 from the ‘NME’ weekly music paper which shows the song lyrics. That will be a rare piece that really adds history to this legendary issue. Complete examples of this album are fast becoming scarce, and although the outer tin has aged, it’s still in very fine condition. The condition of all pieces is described in detail further down.

Original Year of Release: 1979. Reissued as a standard double set in 1980 with the new title ‘Second Edition’.

Matrix Nos: METAL-1-A-2; METAL 1 B-1; METAL-1-C-2; METAL 1-D-1; METAL 1-E-1; METAL 1-F-2

Brief Artist & Album Info: After the demise of the Sex Pistols, John (Rotton) Lydon formed PIL which more alternative rock than punk. PIL, a five piece band who were: Lydon; Keith Levene; Jah Wobble; Jeannette Lee and Dave Crowe. This was their second album and what a brilliant set it is. Original versions were pressed as three 12 inch 45 rpm records and was presented in a real steel tin can, similar to an the old cine film storage box. Apart from the playing speed of the records, the biggest difference lays in the actual sound quality. Having the tracks spaced out over more sides and playing faster, the six sides have huge groove width which always means much wider dynamic range, volume and detail. And little could be further from the truth than on this set, because the sounds embedded in these grooves are truly awesome in the true sense of the word. The grooves are very wide with jagged patterns, this is almost a trackability test and some less-able decks could possibly fail. Jah Wobble plays bass with stunning dynamics and depth. Forget artificial bass creating machines and electronic percussion – this is real drum n bass and its subsonic, this actually hit the lowest depths. The resonance and power even today is very impressive and it will sort out the average from the real hi-fi systems. Musically at times, this borders on the avant garde and has indie dub rhythms that are captivating, and of course Lydon sings, and he rarely sounded better. It has clear influence from the early Krautrock bands of the early 1970s – Can and Faust spring to mind – and that should be recommendation enough. As stated this came out on the standard LP format as well but lacks the ultimate depth of bass and overall sound quality that only the broad-width 45 rpm grooves can offer. This set is getting increasingly difficult to find, especially with all three discs in such superb condition. This tin can has aged with some tarnishing on its outer surfaces and the insert sheet has tone spotting. All else impressive, with the inclusion of an original NME advert for the album including its lyrics a massive bonus.

Metal ‘Box’ Condition: A subjective EXCELLENT(–) grading I think is fair. As stated, some tarnishing on the upper and lower outside areas and more generally on the rim areas. Two smallish pieces of clear tape was put on this to be sure the lid was kept in place for years, that has simply dried out and fell off, leaving a more shiny area were it once was (two marks on the lid top and the same on the outer bottom ‘tray’. The rubbed or ageing is patchy and a fair degree of the silver finish is still apparent especially on the central embossed name area of the lid. The lid fits beautifully, and not all do, this is totally devoid of dents or bashes. Due to the lack of light, handling and air exposure, the inside of both lid and tray are superb with any traces of tarnish or dulling minimal and very small. These inside areas really do remind what this metal can originally looked like when new – which is really nice being honest. Beware of enhanced examples, I have heard stories of some being resprayed to make them appear as new. This one may be aged, but for sure its the real deal and totally natural. The underside of the tray retains the original METAL 1 catalogue number sticker as-seen. So fair to say, the outer areas have aged, but I have seen far, far worse than this, but aged it has with moderate, patchy surface degrading (as most do). The inside impressive and aged little at all.

Dividers, Insert & NME page: The four dividers are neat and still clean with no tears, crinkles, creasing or toning. These I would grade near mint. The insert is printed one side only in red, it has moderate patchy tone spots, so again it has aged but hardly creased and no tears. All these insert pieces are guaranteed original. A real bonus inside this copy was the December 1979 ‘New Musical Express’ full page advertisement for the album. This done simply by including all the song lyrics which makes for an indispensible extra for the album that few will ever see or include these days. Clearly not an official part of the set, but as there are no lyrics included with the album, this is simply too good to miss. The page has been folded to fit inside, but fully intact with no tearing. The running headline is dated 1st December 1979 – the album itself was released a mere week earlier.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): arguably better. A superb visual trio that are very clean with equally fine shine and quite solidly pressed on quality pure vinyl. A set appearing hardly even played on all the evidence with any surface traces ultra light and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, barely anything even registers. Visually a super set that 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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This brilliant original album plays even above it’s high visual grading with barely anything to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is immense with a super-wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Deep powerful throbbing bass lines dominate the sound, the songs are hardly commercial and I can imagine many who bought this were unsure about the content. Any surface sounds barely even registered and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Few available copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain all records have been played very lightly and has been carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this brilliantly inspired PIL album that after nearly 40 years, refuses to age – it still sounds as fresh and exciting as when issued back in 1979. The records especially will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. Put in context also, the metal ‘box’ is still in fine condition as well.

* 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’.