SPOOKY TOOTH - Spooky Two RARE ORIG UK Island Pink LP

	£		103
	$		136

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe (including Russia) £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases and will never compromise on solid, safe packing.

Artist or Band: SPOOKY TOOTH

Album Title: Spooky Two.

Producer(s): Jimmy Miller.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Waitin’ for the Wind; Feelin’ Bad; I’ve Got Enough Heartaches; Evil Woman.

Side 2: Lost in My Dream; That Was Only Yesterday; Better By You, Better Than Me; Hangman Hang My Shell on a Tree.

Label/Format: Island – original orange eyeball format with deep inner ridge and heavily textured surfaces. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions & Overview: Both in fantastic conditions: ultra clean, fresh and highly attractive with spindle marks less than moderate and showing little on these hard rough surfaces, there is no wear around the hole area. This has that small ‘block’ reinforcing square around the rim. Gorgeous real pastel pink colour with no grubbiness or handling marks, the gentle spindle marks the only visible hint of usage, this more under light. Have no fears on sound quality – it is superb and plays nigh-on perfectly with all the fidelity and detail you would expect and desire from a first issue. Both playing surfaces clean with any minor surface marks few, fine and light – there are NO penetrating scratches and sound quality is very impressive for all. Along with a hardly worn cover – that equally hard to find – this brilliant set will prove hard to find a great deal better.

Cat Number: ILPS 9098.

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: 147 grams. A typical very solidly pressed original.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The genuine first pressings with the original ‘black’ cover are quite rare, especially so in very fine condition with top quality sound. Available only briefly on this format before being repressed through the constant Island label changes between 1969 and 1970, equally so with a very nice, little-worn cover. This example has the grey-hued cover, these were also seen with a purple and green shade as well.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9098 + A / ILPS + 9098 + B (deeply punched roman lettering).

Musicians: Luther Grosvenor - Guitar; Mike Harrison - Keyboards, Vocals; Mike Kellie - Drums; Greg Ridley - Bass, Guitar; Gary Wright - Keyboards, Vocals.

Brief Info: With a clue in the title, this was Spooky Tooth’s second album. Regarded by many as their best ever including myself, ‘Two’ is a heavy blues-rock album with elements of prog. A band that changed their line-up frequently, this early incarnation was also regarded as their finest. First-pressed copies of this one are hard to find, and this actual record is a beauty. Very solidly pressed with gorgeous labels, clean playing surfaces and sound. The cover is exceptional as well and lacking the usual wear, grubbiness, ring wear and creasing most seem to acquire over the years. This will take some beating for looks and sound and it one of the lesser-lauded Island early classics.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): an unlaminated gatefold format with the more grey looking artwork on the front and back. Matt and smooth finished, printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day.

Cover Front: The best example I have seen for many years – this does not tolerate bad storage or stickers, sometimes seen with disfiguring tears and ring wear. This front is superb with barely anything to fault being clean, fresh, unrubbed or creased. Any marks or handling traces minuscule, trying finding a better one.

Cover Back: Superb: barely a blemish to be seen and the lack of ring wear and rubbing is seldom seen on these vintage Island covers. I am truly struggling to find a crease on front or back, any marks are tiny and faint, one tiny surface chip only, but look hard.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The lack of ageing to this quite white centrefold is unusual, but most welcome, this again looks very impressive. A hint of a small adhesive smear near the bottom left corner is clearly a minor manufacture blemish that shows little. Like the front and back, rarely seen better and even the central fold hinge is immaculate.

Top Edges: Both incredibly look little short of as made. Straight, clean and barely rubbed at all – the super-fine detail of the fold-around artwork still fully intact.

Bottom Edges: A little very gentle and light surface rub traces on the back, again both very straight and these traditional storage edges are very impressive again.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front has a real edge which is folded and tucked, this is straight and with minimal traces of any wear. The open back entrance edge is clean, sharp with little wear with minimal traces of any thickening or burring, this is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Immaculate: again practically as made. Ultra solid, straight, uncompressed and folded square, so the edges meet up flush and parallel. Both folds retain FULL ink cover with no rubbing or chips and the spine surface is pristine, totally clean, fresh and unrubbed. You will never find this better.

Corners: Any tip rubs are tiny and faint with excellent to near mint shape retained. This vintage Island cover with a spine so crisp and intact gives it a rare class seldom seen these days.

Cover Summary: A real looker, and given how wear-prone this is, truly exceptional. It will please many, if not most collectors – this could prove be a very significant upgrade for many.

The Inner Sleeve: This came to me with a plain white polylined inner with an Essex college stamp. Ultra clear lining as seen through two crisp undamaged window circles. Minimal discolouration and all edges unsplit with no repairs, hardly any creasing either, any toning of the edge adhesive areas light and mild.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: or close to. A very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed in the typical early Island style. A copy with modest plays on all the evidence and few blemishes on what are clean playing surfaces. A few mostly very fine and light surface marks seen under angled light that few 43-year-year will realistically avoid. There are NO penetrating scratches on this very tough disc that offers superb sound. Collectors will know the state many of these early albums are seen in, often played on less than wonderful early record players that left marks and inflicted terrible damage to the grooves. This has clearly avoided such mistreatment and abuse and plays impressively and clean. Visually a lovely record that should please many 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 and much rarer first pressed record plays even above it’s strong 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 are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Not all early Island albums were top pressings and could often prove variable, but this one failed to disappoint and was an immensely enjoyable listen. Few copies will outperform this earliest pressing significantly 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. The music and vocals are all precise and focused with no inherent crackle or pressing sounds and nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. Both cover and disc will prove difficult to find significantly better as a very first issue and can be strongly recommended. I enjoyed this immensely.

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 8,000+ items sold in over 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 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] = £4.25

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 (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 (£17 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’.