SCOTT ENGEL – Scott Walker – EX++ 1966 UK EP

	£		38
	$		51

Hi, I am Mike, now 48 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 34 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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 reader – 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 one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok arm and Ortophon 520 Mk II cartridge. Amps: Arcam DAVE 5 x 125W Pre-Power. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

EP Title: Scott Engel.

Track Listing: Side 1: I Broke My Own Heart; What Do You Say. Side 2: Are These Really Mine; Crazy in Love With You.

Label/Format: Liberty – Please see scans.

Label Conditions: Both in simply remarkable condition: a couple of ultra faint spindle traces on side one and quite honestly, I can see none on side two. Not only is this vintage EP very rare, try finding an example with fewer plays. This not only looks great it sounds close to perfect too.

Cat Number: LEP 2261.

Mode: Mono and plays at 45rpm.

Country of Manufacture: Graet Britain.

Rarity: Rare, in this type of condition, very rare indeed. EPs often got played into submission and this dates back to the mid-60s. Few copies of this would have been sold and fewer will survive so lightly played and looking and sounding so fine.

Original Year of Release: 1966

Matrix Nos: LEP 2261 A-1 / LEP 2261 B-1

Stamper Codes: 1 P / 1 0

Brief Info: Born Noel Scott Engel on January 1944 in Hamilton, Ohio, USA, this artist is far better known as Scott Walker after his collaboration with John Maus to form the Dalton Brothers and then the Walker Brothers when drummer Gary Leeds joined to form this famous 60s trio. Success and hits came fast after they moved to England and became very popular due to Walker’s great voice and looks and superb songs. This pre-Walker EP, his only solo work under this name on a non-78 rpm record is very rare and very elusive indeed. Without doubt one of the greatest voices of his era and possibly ever. Distinct, powerful and classy, this man had it all and any fan past or present should treasure this major ‘Engel’ rarity. The cover’s front is stunning and a better portrait of the young ‘Walker’ will not be found. The record has only a few light marks but this plays practically perfect with little, if anything unwanted. This one will rarely be found in any condition, looking and sounding like this, well it could be a long, long wait for another to show up. Do not lose this very rare opportunity.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: All EP covers are highly prone to wear and damage and this is no different.

Cover Grade and Format: EX overall but the front must grade much higher at EX++ at least. It’s a single format with a laminated front. The back has flipbacks at top and bottom and a recessed shaped entrance edge on the back. This was printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day. Minimal overall wear and only mild ageing, just enough to remind any future owner just how old it is but almost in a complementary way. A splendid rarity.

Lamination & Front: Retaining a fine shine and remaining rock solid with no peeling or lifting and few overall marks. The serrated record label rim has left only a relatively mild impression that does not even show with normal viewing which is a huge bonus on these types. Creasing, another major factor, is very light too with just very mild bottom corner area creases and a few fine edge types that most all have as the very least. Clean and clear, the amazing portrait of the famous 60s icon is seen to full advantage and will be very difficult to ever find much better. Lovely rich colour is retained with minimal discolouration visible only on the right edge where the laminate ends a couple of millimetres short. Overall a beautiful attractive front and for fan, they dont get too much better than this.

Cover Back: These unprotected, predominately white sides will always show a little more wear but overall this is very modest indeed. Mildly discoloured with only light ‘grubbiness’ handling traces. A light ‘inner’ circle has formed but how many will ever avoid this? Creasing is minimal and any present, very light indeed. The laminated spine edge and flipbacks are neat with any ‘grime-line’ formation being ultra light indeed, most apparent on the right edge but even here, it’s way below ‘normal’ for a forty-year-old cover. Both flipbacks are in very fine and attractive conditions with no lifting, burring, creasing and certainly no damage. The odd small tone spot, mostly near the end ‘glue’ areas but again this is ultra mild. Overall a very neat back with only modest overall ageing in realistic terms.

Edges: All three of the sealed edges are near perfect with no splits or even rubs.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The most crucial and potentially the most vunerable edge. This has a recessed shape on the underside and has no damage or splitting. Very mild feathering only and that is being critical, all the evidence points to a record only removed a few times.

Corners: The four corners show little wear and all look quite neat and quite sharp.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this very fragile and rare mid-60’s cover, one that could prove very difficult to find much better, if indeed you can find one at all. This beautiful item should please most realistic collectors and fans.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+, A very fine visual copy that is super clean, shiny, jet black and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence confirmed by wonderful clean sound. Just a very few light surface marks/hairlines that have no sound at all. Mere superficial blemishes that are totally ignored by the modern stylus. One tiny groove spot has a couple of mild clicks only, the only small blemish on this outstanding EP. Visually a super record that should please most collectors again.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This beautiful vintage Liberty record plays up too and beyond its high visual grading with little to fault at all. Strong, totally distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Engel/Walker’s voice simply sounds in the room with you and this is a beautiful recording and production. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no major pops or clicks were noted bar a couple on side one from a tiny groove spot as stated above and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly sensitive record. Few copies will match or outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful rare EP. This copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better and I can strongly recommend it.

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 neccessarily 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’.

My Terms For Bidding

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions for payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions.

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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I buy quality single items and collections also (I am regularly told I offer the best prices – please Email me if you have items for sale).

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3 or Special Delivery (Next day, fully insured), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured & Signed For: £8.00.

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured & Signed For (where available) = £11.00. Doubles add extra £1. Reductions for multiple items for all.

Any item that sells for over £75 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £100 get the same service Overseas. This gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£30).

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage, in fact I lose money on most packets (my packing standards are very high and the package weighs a little more - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR proper stiffners for extra protection (if space allows). More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new inner, but will include the original inner if available.

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal or IMO’s from overseas bidders.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer.