QUINTESSENCE - RARE Orig UK 1970 Island Pink i EX++ LP

	£		80
	$		106

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options.

Artist or Band: QUINTESSENCE

Album Title: Quintessence.

Producer(s): John Barham.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Jesus, Buddha, Moses, Gauranga; Sea of Immortality; High on Mt. Kailash; Burning Bush; Shiva’s Chant.

Side 2: Prisms; Twilight Zones; Maha Mantra; Only Love; St Pancras; Infinitum.

Label/Format: Island – original pink i with heavily textured surfaces and deep ridge (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Side one is absolutely stunning and looks practically mint as made, just one faint spindle mark. Side two has some light age toning spots, seen more under light, they distract little from another lovely real pastel-pink label that has just the odd ultra faint, tiny spindle trace.

Cat Number: ILPS 9128.

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: 155 grams. A real heavyweight first pressing, way above the average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite rare: not one of Island’s bigger known acts and still hugely underrated and valued in my opinion. First pressings on the extra-heavy and textured pink i labels are seldom seen and often include damage to that stunning cover when they do surface.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9128 + A2 / ILPS + 9128 + B [these deeply punched Roman style]

Musicians: Raja Ram - flute; Jake Milton - drums; Maha Dev - rhythm guitar; Shiva Shankar Jones - vocals; Allan Mostert - lead guitar; Shambhu Baba - bass guitar.

Brief Info: One of the earliest true ‘progressive’ acts signed to Island records, they blended rock and jazz elements with a heavy Eastern influence. With a strong interest in Indian music, Quintessence were one of the most spiritual progressive acts of their era. Superb guitar improvisations with flute and vocals, this band’s music is simply superb and still probably not receiving the attention and credit it deserves. This second album includes one of the most beautiful within the Island catalogue. Fully laminated with stunning artwork with twin opening front flaps to reveal the magnificent inside graphic. Often seen damaged but this one is simply jaw-drop stunning. The record itself looks hardly played and sound quality is high, a little gentle crackle was noted towards the end of side one, but I have always found this a very difficult album to find that plays anything like perfectly. With very complex vocals parts and intense sounds including flute – always a testing instrument – this is one of Island’s most challenging albums and pressing quality plays it’s part too. Most seen are on the pink rim pressing and all versions can prove variable. Overall, a fantastic copy and most fans of progressive music and the earliest Island pressings should enjoy this one.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: those flaps are often seen very creased and dinked (or worse). They catch freely on other albums in storage or even on protective sleeves.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a fully laminated double opening fronted cover. Printed and made in England by the E.J. Day Group.

Lamination & Front: Unusually fresh and fine looking with very little to fault at all. The laminate is very fresh, clear and shiny with hardly any creases, friction rubs or dulling. Any surface marks few and faint also and even the laminate ends on the ‘doors’ are practically devoid of chipping with no burring, if darkened as most are. The lack of creasing makes this extra special as so few seem to avoid them.

Cover Back: The intense orange back is equally fine with just a mild record impression/light dull from the thick record rim near the top edge. With laminate fully adhered, shiny and clear with minimal traces of any dulling, this back is very impressive. Again, any creasing or marks are tiny, few and faint and few will better these two wear-prone outer faces.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Wow!! – open the two front doors to reveal a stunning near Mint graphic. Both folds incredibly retain full laminate with NO cracking or peeling whatsoever. Just a couple of mild edge creases and nothing else to fault. The laminate gleams with freshness with brilliant clarity and shine so the gorgeous artwork can be enjoyed to the absolute maximum. Simply stunning.

Top Edges: Both practically as made.

Bottom Edges: And again. More than noteworthy is the fact the two doors lie very flush and nigh-on flat to the inside cover and folded very square for a perfectly parallel gap between the two edges of the flaps. It’s these small details that make the difference between the mediocre and the exceptional, I have seen some of these that have been folded off-square which spoils the appearance and effect of this beautiful cover design.

The Door Edges: The edge of the left door is close and fully sealed. The right door edge is open for the record to be stored inside. Great care is needed to open the door to full extent to do this, or damage can and will occur. This has been avoided all these years, and deserves to be kept the same. Both edge ends are neat with minimal thickening and remain sharp.

Edges – Left & Right: Both act as spine edges as both are similar and the same text is included on both. The right one is practically as made with full laminate cover and perfect text. Solid and very straight with no compression. The left is the same but the laminate has peeled, so neatly with no surface wear, it hardly even notices, all text present and unworn again.

Corners: All crisp and neat with any tip rubbing small and light, all retain excellent or even better shape. The lack of dinking and creasing to all, yes, including the flap door corners is a considerable and unusual bonus.

Cover Summary: A superb example of this wonderful Island cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. Beautiful, but somewhat damage-prone, this has avoided any and this stunning example should please most-all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a plain white unlined inner with just the odd faint crease or tiny mark. Very faint traces of toning more seen on the inside. All edges unsplit and overall, a well preserved over 40-year-old inner.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a superb visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. A first-pressed example with minimal plays on all the evidence, any surface marks or blemishes, tiny, few and faint seen under light. 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This beautiful rough textured label first issued record plays mostly up to it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Sound quality is high with a full dynamic range and detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no significant pops or clicks were noted. As mentioned further up, some light and gentle crackle was noted towards the end of side one but compared to most copies of this one I have heard in the past, this is a cleaner pressing. The two Island pink Quintessence albums are both very difficult and complex recordings and are prone to surface noise, most will have some and few less than this overall. A record that seems intolerant of over-playing or heavy needle abuse from which this one certainly has not been inflicted. Few copies will outperform this generally clean pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled. The slight label toning may indicate a coldish room at some time in it’s distant past, but little more than that. Very little, indeed if anything really spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. If a little mild surface sound cannot be tolerated from a difficult this great age, simply do not bid, but I strongly suggest, it will take something quite extraordinary to better this one significantly.

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.

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.

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 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 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: 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); 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 [£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 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’.