SPOOKY TOOTH It's All About - RARER GENUINE 1st Press UK 1968 EX LP & COVER.

	£		116
	$		153

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

Artist or Band: SPOOKY TOOTH

Album Title: It’s All About.

Producer(s): Jimmy Miller.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Society’s Child; Love Really Changed Me; Here I Lived So Well; Too Much of Nothing; Sunshine Help Me.

Side 2: It’s All About Roundabout; Tobacco Road; It Hurts You So; Forget It, I’ve Got It; Bubbles.

Label/Format: Island – original pink labels with orange eyeball logo, and importantly for the ultimate first press specialist, with the ‘STEREO COMPATIBLE’ text near the 6 o’clock position. Clearly this was a first printing label ‘error’ as this record is stereo with no mono copies issued. So this text is irrelevant and quickly removed for the next batch. The labels are deeply textured with a really rough and rustic finish and include the deep inner ridge. These surfaces are matt finished. (Please see my label pictures).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with any of the tiny few spindle marks very light, fine and faint and no wear around the hole area. Beautiful and age-defying ultimate first-issue labels that will seldom be found better.

Cat Number: ILPS 9080.

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: 157 grams. A typical heavyweight pressing on this label format.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare as an original: and by ‘original’, I mean with the ‘STEREO COMPATIBLE’ text on the labels. As mentioned further up, this text was unnecessary as this album was not issued in mono. Hence it was quickly changed and removed on this first issue label, this record is by far the rarest in their standard UK catalogue.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: ILP-ST-SX-A / ILP-ST-B (these are scripted, not punched, as is totally correct for this first issue)

Mother & Stamper Codes: LL-OCT-1 / LL-OCT-1 (these are tiny details with a magnifier needed, but present nonetheless)

Musicians: Gary Wright - vocals, organ, keyboards; Luther Grosvenor - guitar; Mike Harrison - vocals, keyboards, harpsichord; Mike Kellie - drums and percussion; Greg Ridley - bass guitar.

Brief Info: Classic debut from this band that were formely known as Art who made just one album on Island. Now Spooky Tooth they made several album for Island Records, this being the rarest by some distance. One most collectors want and is regarded as a mini-classic blending psychedelia with progressive rock. This heavy pressing on the original format labels is the earliest ever made and it plays beautifully. Any minor surface blemishes non-sounding, this offers fantastic, practically reference sound quality and appears only lightly played. Also on a quality record player, no damaging mono stylus have been inflicted on this wonderful piece. The very flimsy lightweight cover has also survived the years well with no damage and any ageing very light. A much better genuine first issue will be very difficult to find. This is one of the lesser lauded early Island classics that even non-fans of the band want.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and for a such a flimsy original cover, this arguably looks even better. A single fully laminated format made with very thin card, this bends easily and care is required when holding to avoid damage. Printed and made in England.

Lamination – Front & Back: The laminate retains a fine shine and clarity with fine freshness and has minimal creasing which is almost remarkable for a vintage cover like this. Any present are fine and faint edge types that show little. Just one small and fine spine edge lift on the front that barely registers when viewed full-on. This again very unusual, this small area has not even cracked and remains very solid. With such a thick heavy record inside for best part of 46 years, some dulling around the rim shape is near impossible to avoid (unless the record was stored outside), and being honest, how many would ever had done so? So in context, any dulling on this cover is very light indeed, and again, only seen when the cover is angle-viewed towards light. There are four exposed fine strips on the edges where the laminate ends naturally short – three on the back, one on the front – there is a some darkening or mild chips or rubs here and there with small corner tip rubs also, again immensely difficult to avoid. The artwork graphics look superb with deep, intense colour and little detracts from what is still a gorgeous cover. Personally I have no qualms with covers that do politely remind of their age, if as new is mandatory, well many classics are available repressed, but lack the soul of the genuine article. This cover will not prove easy to find better with a genuine first issue record inside.

Top Edge: Minimal traces of wear and still very smooth to the touch, the very back end panel a little darkened with gentle hints of thickening being very critical. This edge made thinly so in context, this is also pretty straight.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with any thickening or burring very light and gentle, especially given the age and thinness of the card. The record enters on the vulnerable edge and is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: A super spine, made thin so this make it even more remarkable. Very solid and straight with all text is perfect and unworn under the solid and still very smooth, clear laminate. This also superbly centred on a very narrow depth, few of these will appear better. No peeling and any scuff traces or creases tiny and hardly any at all. Just the very bottom corner has darkened a little. A fragile thin spine in very impressive condition as I hope my picture show.

Corners: A small rub on the bottom right, any others tiny and minor. The odd tiny tip crease but these retain very fine shape, given the fragility of this cover, these are again impressively neat.

Cover Summary: A very fine all-round example of this very fragile fairly late 1960’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. With only gentle hints of age, this beautiful psych-tinged cover is still gorgeous to hold and view. Do not underestimate just how delicate, light and flimsy this highly damage-prone cover is, made even more so with a very heavy record inside. Also one of the rare early fully laminated covers from Island. This should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a plain white unlined basic inner with two pristine window circles and no edge splits or repairs. A little creasing and minimal ageing.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: and this being somewhat critical on a record this great age. Very tempted to add the (+) as any of the few surface marks are fine and faint as seen under bright angled light. There are no penetrating scratches on this record that appears to have been only modestly played, and for sure, on a worthy stereo record player. A super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed on the thick heavyweight vinyl more typical from Island in these early ‘rock’ years. Visually a super record that should please many, if not 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This wonderful record plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically 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 barely even registered and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few of the genuine first issue pressings will match, let alone outperform this impressive copy I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally carefully handled and stored. These vintage albums rarely escape a few faint surface blemishes or hairlines and this example sets the bar high. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, my first example for some considerable time. 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 Terrarium Black 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. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

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 stiffeners 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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 2 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). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: 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’.