QUATERMASS RARE Orig UK 1970 Harvest EX+ LP/EX++ Cover.

	£		351
	$		465

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World – also see my SONOFONEADAYRECORD ‘Buy-it-Nows’.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: QUATERMASS

Album Title: Quatermass.

Producer(s): Anders E. Henriksson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Entropy; Black Sheep of the Family; Post War, Saturday Echo; Good Lord Knows; Up on the Ground.

Side 2: Gemini; Make Up Your Mind; Laughin’ Tackle; Entropy.

Label/Format: Harvest – Original yellow and green format with no EMI box logo and with ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ text on the label rims and seldom seen A.I.R. text at the 9 o’clock position – confirming this is a very first issue and one of the earliest pressing ever. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both look very attractive and any of the very few spindle marks are mostly tiny and very faint. More under light, some small yellow spots can be seen, this I am sure is a manufacture issue, they hardly even notice really.

Cat Number: SHVL 775.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 141 grams. Above average for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare: and a fantastic copy of this prized Harvest album. One of the most sort-after albums in the early Harvest catalogue. Hardly a big seller and not available too long in it’s original cover format – this was totally revamped in 1975 when reissued as a budget version on Harvest Heritage. Like Bakerloo, this one-off album is very rarely seen and seldom in anything like fine conditions. This clearly very lightly played example offers superb sound and an near immaculate cover. A real diamond for prog and Harvest collectors.

Original Year of Release: May 1970

Matrix Nos: SHVL 775 A-1 / SHVL 775 B-2

Stamper Codes: 1 R / 1 R [one of the earliest ever made, within the first 600]

Musicians: John Gustafson - vocals, bass guitar; Pete Robinson - keyboards; Mick Underwood - drums. The song ‘Laughin’ Tackle’ includes a massed string section.

Brief Info: One of the classic keyboard-driven progressive albums to adorn this famous label and always high on ‘wants-lists’ from Harvest and prog-rock collectors. More popular in Germany and Italy than in the UK, this album failed to sell at all well, hence the rarity of the original copies. Robinson’s keyboards are dominant and Quatermass have a similar sound to early Deep Purple and even The Nice. The band even tried a low cost tour of the United States to help promote this album but it failed as finances ran out – the band split and left the world this solitary album, now one of the most elusive on this famous progressive label. As stated, this copy has hardly been played and another from the one-owner-from new collection recently purchased. A couple of mild surface marks on side one that have NO sound but little else and the cover is in near supreme condition. The complex information not spoiled by surface noise and a high quality pressing never subjected to unworthy equipment, even from the early days. A quality example with scant clues of it’s 41-year-old vintage, and no doubts to how early this one was pressed including the second letter ‘R’ stampers.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a gatefold format with front and back lamination. It was designed and photographed by Hipgnosis and was printed and made in England by Garrod and Lofthouse. The imprint includes the original ‘Patent Pending’ text.

Lamination – Front & Back: Both sides look fantastic with laminate as clear, fresh and shiny as it almost can get. The only trace of any dulling is on the back, very faintly around the rim shape and only seen under light. This only in part and incredibly light too. The surface shine is glass-like with the smoothness of ice. The lack of creasing is great news, any of the tiny few present are small and faint and not one at all is away from the edges and barely even show. Even better news is the total adhesion on the card, this has no lifting of blisters at all. Even under light, hardly any surface marks, even super-fine hairlines, this rare cover is amazing and visually it will take something near miraculous to better it.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The only reason why this has not been graded Mint(-) is because of a pressure rub on the centre of the bottom back edge, this shows a little on the inside. That apart, it’s practically like new and looks as lovely as the outside faces.

Top Edges: Barely any traces of wear and pretty straight too.

Bottom Edges: A light pressure rub on the back centre area as stated above, it shows little and both edges are neat and straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with little wear and no feathering and both guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Another in similar style to the standard ‘Sgt Pepper’, not that thick and it forms a central crease over time when opened. Hence the laminate tightens, cracks, and then usually peels. This one is in fantastic condition and (very unusually) retains FULL laminate coverage with no peeling and any cracking traces minuscule. Solid, straight with barely any hint of compression and folded square, the edges are parallel and align well. Any central crease line is very mild indeed, hence the ‘Quatermass’ text is not sunken and is totally unworn.

Corners: All corners are incredibly neat and crisp with any tip rubs tiny or none. No dinks and retaining superb, near mint shape.

Cover Summary: A hugely attractive example of this famous, but rare early 70’s Harvest cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. The outside faces with that incredibly shine and clarity simply exudes class. The small pressure rub on the bottom back edge is the only blemish of any real note on the entire piece. Seldomly are these vintage prog covers seen quite this attractive and it should please most collectors. If the fine edge rub is an issue… .

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): this came to me inside a plain lined inner that is British patented. I cannot be entirely certain if this one is original. For the most part, the owner kept all his original inner sleeves but he was highly particular on putting his new records inside polylined replacements regardless. Anyway, this inner has only slightly aged with a little mild discolouration around the edges. The lining is solid and clear and both window circles are pristine. Barely a crease to be seen and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+) / EXCELLENT(++): a super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. Wirthout doubt, played little on all the evidence with any surface marks few, light and faint. A couple of very small, totally superficial and non-sounding marks on side one but little else. Visually a super record that should please most collectors again.

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 early Harvest album plays even above it’s splendid visual grading with practically nothing to fault. This has a very delicate and quiet intro that rarely will ever play ‘silent’, here very little is heard even with highly revealing equipment. The odd sporadic light tick or crackle trace is nigh-on unavoidable. The real business get going with the awesome ‘Black Sheep of the Family’ that fades in after this intro, and this plays superbly as does the rest of the record. This track is arguably the highlight on this album, it was later covered by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and features on the double Harvest sampler ‘Picnic’. Very well recorded and produced, this album has 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, overall, this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly demanding album. Few original copies will match or outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and overall, has been very well preserved for it’s considerable number of years. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and the cover is gorgeous. It will again please most-all 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 QED Silver 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 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 3 or 4 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). 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: Please as 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.

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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.