SYNANTHESIA – RARE ORIG UK 1969 RCA Nr EX LP. SELDOM-SEEN ACID FOLK ONE-OFF LP.

	£		216
	$		286

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, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible.

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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: SYNANTHESIA

Artist or Band: Synanthesia

Producer(s): Sandy Roberton

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Minerva; Peek Stangely and Worried Evening; Morpheus; Trafalgar Square; Fates; The Tale of the Spider and the Fly.

Side 2: Vesta; Rolling and Tumbling; Mnemoysne; Aurora; Just as the Curtain Finally Falls.

Label/Format: RCA Victor with matt gently textured surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both generally clean, still quite fresh and attractive with only light faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Catalogue Number: SF 8058

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: 141 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Quite rare and not seen often.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: XGBS 0243-1 / XGBS 0244-1

Musicians: Jimmy Fraser – alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, oboe, nose flute, concert flute, alto flute; Leslie Cook – guitar, bongos, violin, mandolin; Dennis Homes – vibraphone, guitar.

Musicians:Synanthesia were an acid-folk trio that have a jazz influence, this being a one-off album that largely disappeared with minimal sales or attention. Quite a unique sound with a more unusual array of instruments used, so it does remind of the Incredible String Band and Donovan. Now highly sort-after by folk collectors. It’s rarity reflects it has been unofficially repressed several times. This a genuine 1969 first issue and the first one I have had to offer. Although this appears little used, pressing quality was somewhat variable and it is known to be a difficult one to find that will play anything like ‘perfect’. When Decca stopped manufacturing records for RCA, the pressing standards became less assured. Under light, impurity is seen within the record showing as patchy dulling, but somewhat surprisingly, the record does play very well for most. The music is quite delicate and does have some sporadic light clicks here-and-there, but the majority plays fine and overall, it remained a pleasing play-grade. The cover a little aged but the record I feel sure has been played little. With quite meagre sales, this album would have been deleted quickly and only officially saw a reissue in 2006 after being out-of-print for decades. Not a copy for perfectionists, but with something of a reputation for being difficult to find and especially without pressing issues, this should please many seeking a highly respectable overall copy.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD: a single format with laminated front, this covers the folds and ends on the back via the spine. The main back is matt and smooth. Printed and made in England, includes the plain white inner sleeve.

Lamination & Front: The main issue, as so often on these thin card, quite flimsy covers is laminate lifting on the spine edge. Here moderate towards the top and only very fine further down. There are some fine edge creases/cracks also on the spine edge. The laminate is still fully intact and present and retains fine shine with very little creasing away from the sides. Dulling is seen around the rim area from the thick record inside, this visible more under light. The band graphic still looks very impressive as-seen, and overall this front gives only polite reminders of age.

Cover Back: The top edge area has toned and a little grubby with light traces of rubbing, below has little to fault. The laminate end has contracted over time to leave a pale line, but the main graphic overall is still impressive as-seen. A couple of moderate, but fine spine edge creases but few others at all, the lack of ugly ring wear always a plus on these thin card covers.

Top Edge: Very thin, but reasonably straight with no wear.

Bottom Edge: The storage edge has moderate rubbing in the middle area, left and right is still laminated and avoided wear.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Quite lightly thickened seen viewed end-on, but still generally neat. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Some light cracking, but still straight with patchy compression, the end are pinched in manufacture. The compression mostly near the central area. All text is unworn under the still complete laminate that has avoided peeling.

Corners: Quite light to moderate tip rubs with fine shape retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: A very respectable quite fragile thin cover now fast approaching 50 years of age. Not for purists, but given its rarity, this should interest and please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): the plain white unlined inner has aged little with minimal discolouration, two pristine window circles and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: arguably better, evidenct suggests this has received few plays. As stated further up, this has visible impurity within the vinyl itself – purely natural as-made and nothing to do with wear or usage. This mostly seen on side two song one, thereafter patchy spotting. This is largely superficial and non-sounding, that said, this does have some sporadic light clicks here-and-there, mostly towards the end of the final song. Post 1968, RCA records were no longer pressed by Decca and quality subsequently prove variable, and this album is known to be a difficult one to ever find anything like ‘perfect’. Still an attractive record with fine shine and minimal evidence of any stylus marks and certainly no ugly scratches. It is heavily pressed which does match a Decca weight, again more into the early 1970s many RCA records were made very thin and even on the dreaded Dynaflex vinyl substitute. Although I have never had a copy of this to offer before, I would be quite confident most lightly played copies will be similar to this. So I consider this to be a very fine copy and it visually should please many collectors accordingly.

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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: The majority of this acid-folk rarity album plays above it’s visual grading with not a great deal to fault. But as mentioned already, it does have a few sporadic clicks here-and-there with any actual contact sound light. The purity of the vinyl visually is questionable, but the natural dulling seen under light is largely ignored, but not absolutely entirely. The music is quite quiet and any copy of this album on vinyl will always prove a challenge. Overall, it offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is high with a wide dynamic range and detailed sound. Any surface sounds are generally infrequent and light with no tracking issues*. It is highly likely few available copies will outperform this genuine original 1969 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. Little overall spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this impressive one-off rarity. It could prove difficult to find significantly better and can be highly recommended – but is not for visual or sound purists. That said, will any copy surface that will be truly ‘perfect’, somehow, I doubt it.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 17­ 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. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.