SHELAGH McDONALD Stargazer V. RARE UK 71 Orig B&C EX LP

	£		73
	$		97

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: SHELAGH McDONALD

Album Title: Stargazer.

Producer(s): Sandy Robertson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Rod’s Song; Liz’s Song; Lonely King; City’s Cry; Dowie Dens of Yarrow.

Side 2: Baby Go Slow; Canadian Man; Good Times; Odyssey; Stargazer.

Label/Format: B&C (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only a couple of light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. The odd faint fingertrace on the matt surfaces if being critical.

Cat Number: CAS 1043.

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: 130 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare and elusive. This one includes an ultra B&C/Charisma ‘News Extra’ promotional sheet from her record company making this copy even extra special.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: CAS 1043 A-1U / CAS 1043 B-1U

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 M / 1 A

Musicians: Shelagh McDonald – vocals, guitar, keyboards; Harver Burns – drums; Keith Christmas – guitars; Pat Donaldson – bass; Katy and Mac Kissoon – backing vocals; Mike London – backing vocals; Dave Mattacks – drums; Dave Richard – bass; John Ryan – string bass; Danny Thompson – string bass; Richard Thompson – guitars; Ray Warleigh – saxophone; Ian Whiteman – organ.

Brief Info: Scottish folksinger Shelagh McDonald remains one of the most enigmatic artists of all-time: she made just two albums in 1970 and 1971, both on B&C Records. Both received wonderful critical reviews and briefly she was the darling of the folk-scene circuit. ‘Stargazer’ was her second and sadly final album and without any doubt one of the greatest albums within its genre ever issued. She worked with fabulous musicians including Richard Thompson (Fairport Convention), Keith Christmas (gifted songwriter guitarist), Danny Thompson (Pentangle) and Dave Mattacks (Fairport Convention) with the most stunning results. It seemed certain a huge career would follow but in 1971 she simply disappeared. A tragic loss to the music industry and her growing fan-base. Her whereabouts remained a mystery and rumours arife she was no longer even with us. But in 2005 she unexpectedly returned to tell her story; explaining she was a victim of a very bad LSD trip which affected her mind badly and her voice had been wrecked. She thought she was now better after living a quiet life out of the limelight – her voice was back and she was now interested in recording again – however it was not to be and she then disappeared again. Both her albums did not sell in great numbers and along with Nick Drake, are amongst the most sort-after within the folk genre. I simply cannot explain just how wonderful ‘Stargazer’ is: I truly regard it as a masterpiece and up there high in the all-time greats. A ‘lost’ elusive album and rarely seen or offered. Explaining a voice is not easy, but my best attempt would be to blend 70% Joni Mitchell with 20% Judy Collins and a 10% dash of Sandy Denny – and you have one of the most astonishing female vocalists ever. The material is sublime and simply exudes class – such a shame this fabulous lady could not issue more music. As much as I love the wonderful Sandy Denny, none of her solo albums approach the sheer quality of this treasure. No wonder most-all folk and music connoisseurs want this album. Even though I have had her two albums on CD for some time, this is my first ever copy on vinyl. It so rarely shows up and even though this one has some cover wear, it has to be offered. The record was initially crackly but looks hardly even played – B&C records were not always the very best pressings ever, being somewhat inconsistent sometimes. However, I suspected surface dust may had been pressed into the grooves with a dry cloth in the distant past. My suspicions were founded as after a clean on my Moth, the album simply came alive and practically all the crackle was removed. A few, mostly light, sporadic clicks remain but this is now a beautiful sounding and enjoyable record that simply left me spinning. An album musically that takes you to a different place with quite breathtaking vocals, passion and wonderful backing by some of the UK’s finest folk musicians. The B&C ‘News Extra’ insert is the icing on the cake and will prove almost impossible to find again. The final sentence on the sheet almost sends a shiver down the spine with its irony:

”The album deserves to gain her the recognition she herself deserves, and at the same time pave the path for a promising future”.

The spectre of drugs ruined this wonderful woman’s career and life and deprived the world of her immense talent. If this album does prove to be her last, and it’s more than likely, what a swansong it is. I feel sure there will be so many reading this who will still not be familiar with this album or the lady herself, but what I do guarantee is the brilliance of this piece. The cover will not be good enough for the connoisseur collector but the record may now be close. With such wonderful sound and material available, any minor sound blemishes washed over me. It really does look hardly played and has only the lighest of surface marks. The labels look superb too. Sometimes you feel there is no justice in the world, this woman should and could have been a superstar only for drugs to halt her progress in her tracks. All very sad indeed.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High.

Cover Grade and Format: VG A single unlaminated format. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group London and Bedford.

Cover Front: With so many stunning items currently on offer, it comes a little harder to offer a lesser grading cover. This is delicate and has some wear and marks, sorry there are not enough of these around to wait for another. Not one for the more discerning collector, but rare and many collectors will still cherish owning it. I would say a more ‘typical’ wear-prone cover of the era. The top right corner has a small filled sticker pull mark. Being black, this is fairly easy to help disguise, so that is no major issue as far as I am concerned. This front, the sticker mark apart, is actually more EX(-) with only modest traces of rubbing or creasing and does still look nice to the eye. The lady is seen with an eerie green face – similiar to her friend Keith Christmas on his debut album – the man appears on this album too. The main artwork looks superb as can be seen in my close-up picture. There is a mild wave that has minimal visibility but can be felt with the fingertip and a little opening edge rubbing encroaches. Maybe I have been a bit harsh on this one, this front really looks nice – after handling so many close to Mint covers this last few days, this is a little more down-to-earth.

Cover Back: The back is similar with no sticker pulls. A little more surface rubbing and the odd crease or two but no ugly damaging ringwear. Again some edge and corner rubs encroach but only reasonably mild – again not bad overall.

Top Edge: Light, patchy rubbing only.

Bottom Edge: Similar but possibly some subtle touch-ins.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Fairly sharp with a little thickening and mild burring towards the bottom. No feathering as such. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression. However there is some rubbing mainly on the back fold. Some small rubs on the main surface too, the title and Cat No text is still present and readable but the artist’s name has eroded.

Corners: Actually the corners are much neater than you may have thought. Tips rubs yes but still retaining very decent shape. Again possible touch-ins, if so, well done (and not by me).

Cover Summary: Maybe VG a little harsh?, it has wear but not excessive by any stretch of the imagination and still actually looks nice. The fact is, not all used protective covers and friction rubbing occured. Little I can do about that, but this album is sufficiently rare to be maybe overlook any visual blemishes this time. This beautiful item should please many collectors but not the perfectionists of course (if you have doubts, please do not bid).

The B&C News Letter: Another very important piece of record (and artist) history that could prove near impossible to ever find again. Guaranteed original, this is NOT a copy or facsimile. Printed on one side only and with the record company logos in green. One paragraph has been struck through, I guess the information was not correct? This is in superb EX++ condition with one central fold. Crisp edges and no tears, clean with minimal traces of marks or creasing. The irony of the final sentence hits hard when read – I have mentioned this above. The first paragraph will echo the sentiment of most of her original and new-found fans:

“The delectable Miss McDonald stands in a class of her own where the female folk scene is concerned, for she has matured into an excellent songwriter and splendid guitarist”.

Priceless for music historians and the discerning collector, this promotional letter is likely never to be offered on Ebay or anywhere again.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX with just a few whispy surface marks or hairlines. A very fine visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors. The record includes its polylined plain white inner in lovely condition.

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 snippetts 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 wonderful ‘lost’ classic plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault. As stated above, this was initially a little crackly with more surface sound than I would have liked. BUT after a clean on my professional cleaning machine, practically all the crackle disappeared leaving a very enjoyable clean sounding record. It does still have a small few sporadic mild clicks in places but few and far between. These lie I am sure within the pressing. It 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. A really superb high fidelity recording (as again mentioned in the promotional letter), that wonderful voice has an immense quality that could almost be present in the room itself. A gateway into her recording studio itself, the haunting choir, sung in Latin on the title song is sublime and sends a shiver down the spine. Any surface sounds in the form of crackle are now largely absent – the power of the Moth – it does not have to prove itself to me – it’s done it countless times before, but here it has transformed an ‘average’ sounding record into an excellent one. The difference is almost astonishing. Little now spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record for the second time. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. If a few sporadic clicks are an issue however, please do not bid.

End Piece: In an ideal world, this masterpiece should be included in every discerning music lover’s album collection. Alas, neither of her two albums (both are wonderful) sold well making them rare and elusive. The CD version is an option of course, but owning the real thing, even with a mildly worn cover and odd sound blemish, is the only way to really enjoy this album to its full potential. Obviously issued when the lady was still actively performing, but soon to disappear from the music business forever. This makes it extra special and even a little unsettling – the same feeling as the Drake albums I guess. Warts n all, this record is unmissable and is a time-piece for this wonderful lady’s talent, voice and beautiful songs – priceless in every way – a rare opportunity indeed.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets out ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is no bad thing. Also: any item with a value over £40 will have to be insured as well, but for any item that sells for over £150, I will pay the extra insurance (then the lower shipping price applies).

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course of multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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. (Only for items under £40)

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (Compulsory for items over £40).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, [£500 Maximum]) = £11.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500 Maximum) = £15.

For items that sell over £150, I will pay the insurance, so the lower shipping price will apply.

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 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. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.