RARE BIRD - RARE BIRD - UK 1st PRESS - CHARISMA CAS 1005

	£		54
	$		72

ym40 Store

RARE BIRD

WELCOME TO MY AUCTION FOR A UK 1st PRESS RARE BIRD THEIR DEBUT ALBUM RELEASED ON THE CHARISMA LABEL IN 1969. WITH SUPERB AUDIO QUALITY THROUGHOUT.

The history of Rare Bird began when Graham Field placed an advertisement for a pianist in a musical periodical. He got thirty replies and formed a group called 'Lunch'. He met Dave Kaffinetti in November 1968, and together they formulated the basic ideas for Rare Bird. In August 1969, they finally found the ideal rhythm section in Steve Gould, Chris Randall and Mark Ashton. Field and Kaffinetti had originally envisaged that the band would be a four piece and were looking for a singer/bass player. Steve and Chris, who had both previously been members of the Pop-Psych band "Fruit Machine", applied to the advert as vocals/guitar and bass respectively and were taken on. Lunch played a few gigs, one notable one was at the Tilbury Working Men's Club, located in Essex UK for the princely sum of five pounds. The band had no van and they managed to get amps, drums, guitars and Hammond organ into their cars. The gig was marred by Chris receiving a bad electric shock whilst on stage. It later turned out that the founders of the band were more interested in Steve and convinced him to play bass. Chris was now high and dry and was kicked out of the band. Two weeks later, they had signed management and agency contracts, and three weeks later, were in the studio recording their debut album. Before joining Lunch, Randall and Gould had previously written a song called "To the Memory of Two Brave Dogs". Rare Bird included this song in their debut album renaming it "Iceberg" but Randall received no credit on the L.P. Along with Van der Graaf Generator and The Nice, they were one of the very first bands that signed to Charisma Records, the record label that Tony Stratton Smith had founded.

CAT NO:.. CAS 1005

LABEL:.. CHARISMA

RELEASED:.. NOVEMBER 1969

The band's initial line-up was Steve Gould (lead vocals & bass, rhythm guitar), Dave Kaffinetti (Pianos & keyboards), Graham Field (Organ & Keyboards) and Mark Ashton (Drums & backing vocals). Although there would be changes by the time they came to work on their third album. The first two members listed were a constant throughout the lifetime of the band. Rare Bird had more success in other European countries than they did at home. They are mostly remembered for the haunting, Organ based track 'Sympathy which sold one million copies globally.

1969 'Rare Bird' was released in the UK on the Pink Charisma label, in the US on Command/Probe. 1970 'As Your Mind Flies By' released again in the UK on Charisma, but in the US on ABC label. 1972 'Epic Forest', 1973 'Somebody's Watching', along with the 1974 album 'Born Again' were all released on the Polydor label.

MATRIX:..

SIDE ONE: CAS+1005+A

SIDE TWO: CAS+1005+B2

THE VINYL:.. The Pink Scroll labels are free of writing and both clean, a few faint spindle marks indicate the record has been played a few times, but condition of the vinyl generally both side shows it has been cared for. One short surface hairline is on side two, not deep and not expected to have any affect on the audio. Grades EX

AUDIO TEST:.. Clarity is exceptional, and only intro static is present. All tracks play with the same quality throughout and it's hard to find fault with the audio quality. The short hairline as expected has not impacted on the audio at all. Grades EX+     

THE SLEEVE:.. 

The front laminated sleeve matt printed card back. B&C Records Ltd 37 Soho Square London were the distributor for this Rare Bird album. The back has slight ring wear and the front a few creases, but still a nice cover free of writing and seam splits. Grades VG++

AUDIO QUALITY

The Audio quality has been play graded using my Pro-Ject Xtension 10 turntable with Ortofon 2M Black cartridge and diamond Stylus.

I would like to stress that this record for sale is from my personal collection and I have graded it conscientiously using The Record Collectors Grading System for its overall condition. however if you feel the grading is not correct then I will be happy to refund your money in full on the return of the same to me promptly, I you have any questions regarding this or any other listing I have from my collection of vinyl then please message me through ebay, Thank You for looking and happy bidding, ym40

POSTAGE AND PACKING

Postage within the UK for this record is £3.65 for recorded delivery. My record mailing boxes or mailers and any packaging used is not charged for. Your record will be only packed to a very high a standard. I only use brand new high quality packaging. All records are removed from Cover sleeve before packing. The record and its sleeve are sealed in a plastic outer to prevent any possible moisture touching this record during its postage. I use stiffeners to protect the record as well as other protective measures to ensure your record reaches you the way you expected. I can combine postage for more than one record, costs are varied for weight of package, so please message me. Costly records can be and generally will be insured for postage. All records sent Overseas will be packed as above, however mailing boxes are better for long-haul shipments. I will use Royal Mail, either Airmail or Airsure, however I can use a preferred courier service please

Message me for postage costs for shipping overseas.

RECORD COLLECTORS GRADING SYSTEM

MINT The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and extra items are in perfect condition. Records advertised sealed or un-played should be mint.

EXCELLENT The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.

VERY GOOD The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD the record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover suffers from folding scuffing