SKIN ALLEY (1st) V. RARE Orig CBS N/M LP FULL LAMINATE

	£		161
	$		213

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

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

Artist or Band: SKIN ALLEY

Album Title: Skin Alley.

Producer(s): Dick Taylor.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Living in Sin; Tell Me; Mother Please Help Your Child; Marsha.

Side 2: Country Aire; All Alone; Night Time; Concerto Grosso (Take Heed); (Going down the) Highway.

Country of Manufacture/Rarity: Holland. This has always been a scarce album. UK copies are very hard to find and near impossible in anything like top conditions. The cover back here was unlaminated, white and prone to all forms of wear. It sold poorly and has long been a sort-after album and no less easier to find than other CBS rarities like Trees etc. This copy on offer is Dutch and a supreme copy it is too, it has exactly the same catalogue number as the UK pressing. In real terms, probably even rarer than the UK example and a massive bonus for cover collectors, for which this is a hugely iconic one, it’s FULLY LAMINATED. Hence barely any traces of wear and looking simply stunning (see my close ups to see the lack of wear and ultimate details). Most often seen on CBS promotional inners rather than for real, this is a top quality pressed record that offers stunning sound and is without any doubt, even superior to the UK one that is practically the same. I have seen so few of these before and none even close to these conditions. Just look at this cover, one usually seen grubby, torn and just a mess, this is fantastic and looks practically new and the laminate adds extra class to what has become one of the most wanted CBS prog albums. The labels, playing surfaces and sound all reitterate this is a rare record hardly played and it sounds amazing. I have not heard this on vinyl for ages and I remember the last UK one I was offered had a pressing issue which caused a jump. If quality is wanted without concern for nationality of the manufacture, this is a supreme Skin Alley, and I can hardly imagine any copy bettering it. This is a rare album, make no mistake.

Label/Format: CBS – this having the same number as the UK pressing (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Side one has a small finger mark, but without any doubt, there from manufacture as it’s in the printed ink of the text. e.g. it looks printed on and almost certainly came from the hand of the printer off the press. A ‘natural’ blemish that would have been there on purchase, this apart, little else to fault on two superbly fresh labels. Barely any spindle marks or handling blemishes and these being very revealing.

Cat Number: S 63847 (this being exactly the same as the UK version).

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: 117 grams.

Rarity: Quite rare, I would imagine this Dutch pressing would be even rarer still.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: S-63847-1 / S-63847-2 (scripted style)

Musicians: Thomas Crimble - Bass, vocals, keyboards, harmonica; Bob James - Saxophone, flute, guitar, vocals; Krzysztof Henryk Juszkiewicz - Organ, piano, harpsichord, melotron, vocals, trumpet; Alvin Pope - Drums, percussion.

Brief Info: Debut album from a gifted progressive band of the late 60s. Skillfully blending rock with jazzy elements this has become a highly sort-after album but seldom seen. This Dutch-pressed example even exceeds the quality of the UK pressing as the cover is fully laminated, hence the fragile black and white artwork is completely protected and has a better chance of still looking attractive – and this one will not disappoint. An somewhat obscure album, this being the rarest they made by some distance, the cover artwork has become somewhat iconic and in demand. Most seen on the CBS inners that promote their albums from this period. Low sales hardly reflect the wonderful music on this album, this is a prog-rock mini classic and was the cover a gesture to those who looked at the time but failed to buy? Their loss, this is simply superb.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a single fully laminated example. Printed and made in Holland. The UK examples had only the front laminated, hence the few that surface are usually shabby, rubbed and very grubby with considerable ringwear. This one is a class apart from that and looks really lovely.

Lamination: Front & Back: Only downgraded a little because of mild toning around the edges, covers with so much white areas rarely escape some traces of ageing and discolour, even if laminated. In terms of wear or blemishes, this has few and looks lovely. Love that cheeky policeman artwork with him rasping his tongue out to any looker of this cover. The back has excellent band drawing artwork seen here to maximum advantage. The laminate is solid, clear and shiny, just one small lift on the front bottom edge but that’s all. A small few mostly tiny hairline creases that show little and one tiny nick on the front right (entrance) edge. Made with thin card, this is quite fragile but few will match or better this one. Even under light, minimal traces of any friction rubs or dulling with any record impression faint. At last, a cover to do this rare album justice, quite frankly I could not care less where it was made. The Dutch made quality items and are in real terms even rarer than the UK ones.

Top Edge: Tiny rub mark near the centre (but look hard), that apart, no wear.

Bottom Edge: A near microscopic rub trace near the centre and even better than the top.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly very sharp with little wear and no feathering or trimming. As stated above, a tiny nick on the front and a minor burr near the top only really seen viewed end on. Given how thin and fragile this card is, this critical entrance edge has fared more than well.

Spine and Text: A very fine spine too: solid but made quite thin, straight with any compressions modestly light. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate.

Corners: All retain excellent shape with any tip rubbing tiny and faint. These are in fine overall condition.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this somewhat famous late 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. The Dutch has the guile to fully laminate this vulnerable black and white cover and it proved to be a great idea. This attractive rare example should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: A plain white unlined inner was included that was made in Western Germany. This in superb fresh and clean condition with barely any traces of wear.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-): a superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy barely played on all the evidence with any surface marks tiny, ultra faint and few – barely any being honest. Visually a super record that should please most-all collectors.

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 superb prog rarity plays up to it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. 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 registered little and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly challenging record that does have a few quiet passages. Few copies will match or outperform this early Dutch pressing 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. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, my first for simply ages. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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’.