THE CLASH - London Calling - Scarce Orig UK 1979 EX LPs

	£		44
	$		58

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Artist or Band: THE CLASH

Album Title: London Calling.

Producer(s): Guy Stevens & Mick Jones.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: London Calling; Brand New Cadillac; Jimmy Jazz; Hateful; Rudie Can't Fail.

Side 2: Spanish Bombs; The Right Profile; Lost in the Supermarket; Clampdown; The Guns of Brixton.

Side 3: Wrong ‘Em Boyo; Death or Glory; Koka Kola; The Card Cheat.

Side 4: Lover’s Rock; Four Horsemen; I’m Not Down; Revolution Rock; Train in Vain.

Label/Format: CBS (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: All four clean and attractive with only mainly light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: CBS Clash 3.

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 these Records: 106 / 107 grams. Slightly below average even for this era where few records were heavily pressed.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate.

Original Year of Release: 1979

Matrix Nos: CL-1-2-A1 [CBS-S-CLASH-3A] / CL-1-2-B1 [CBS-S-CLASH-3B] / CL-3-4-A2 [CBS-S-CLASH 3-C-2] / CL-3-4-B3 [CBS-S-CLASH-D3]

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘TRACK 5 IS TRAIN IN VAIN’ [on side four]. This referring to a song omitted from the record label.

Musicians: Joe Strummer – lead vocals and backing vocals, rhythm guitar, piano; Mick Jones – lead guitar, piano, harmonica, lead vocals and backing vocals; Paul Simonon – bass guitar, occasional lead and backing vocals; Topper Headon – drums, percussion.

Brief Info: This was the band’s third album and is hailed even to this day as a classic. It always features highly in all-time greats lists and remains a highly popular record. The more abrasive punk sound had now dimished and this highly versatile double set features elements of ska, pop, soul, jazz, rockabilly and reggae. The latter style was expanded still further on the expansive triple set that followed called ‘Sandinista!’ London Calling’ deals with more adult themes such as unemployment, racial conflict, drug use, and the responsibilities of adulthood and received almost universal acclaim, it sold well on both sides of the Atlantic. This is a very fine copy, the first I have managed to secure for a long time. It looks nice and plays superbly, just a trace of crackle near the beginning of side three, this being brief and gentle. Overall a clean pressing and little played, including both inserts and a little-worn cover, never easy.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High.

Cover Grade and Format: Near Excellent, a single unlaminated matt finished format. Printed and made in England by Shorewood. Includes both lyric inserts.

Cover Front: Quite unusual for double sets to be stored inside a basic single cover, but this was the format chosen for this one. The front artwork is clearly inspired by the debut album of Elvis Presley, the pink and green lettering style is nigh-on identical along with the black and white picture. This does not wear well, two records pushing against the card means ringwear and rubbing is seldom avoided. This has a mild ring arc near the top edge but any rubbing is very mild indeed. A fairly light trace of price sticker residue is seen just to the left of the guitar but no pulling or tears – it shows little. Marks are few and faint and same for any creasing where there is little at all. A more than respectable front for this somewhat unforgiving front.

Cover Back: The back has fairly mild traces of grubbiness and a light ring mark mostly near the left edge. Again little creasing and all considered, this is again a very respectable back.

Top Edge: Very little wear, any present, light and faint.

Bottom Edge: A little light, patchy rubbing and odd mild card end burr.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Quite sharp with little wear and no feathering. Slightly thickened in places with minor burr traces. Records entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with little compression with all text near perfect and unworn.

Corners: A little tip rubbing with fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: A fine and attractive all-round example of this wear-prone late 70’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find much better. This getting more elusive item should please many collectors, but not the perfectionists.

The Inner Sleeves: Both the plain white, unlined inners are included in EX++ condition. Both clean and unsplit which is a minor miracle as they are so thin. Barely any creasing either.

The Lyric Inserts: Both Mint(-) and little short of as made.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Both records are Excellent, any fine and faint surface marks are mostly hairlines that catch angled light. These have no sound. Not a classic era for supreme vinyl, most were pressed thinnly but this in no way impairs the sound which remains very high for most all. A very fine visual pair that are very clean, shiny, intense black and fairly solidly pressed. A pair with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually clean records 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: Both records play above their high visual grading with very little 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, but a little crackle was noted briefly on the first song on side three, no pops or clicks were noted and overall, this is a very clean pressing for a fairly challenging album. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading these excellent records. This set will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be highly 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 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners 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 FOUR 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); 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 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. 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 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’.