THE FOOL - RARE ORIG UK 1969 MERCURY ACID-FOLK EX+ LP. SELDOM SEEN, BEATLES LINK

	£		40
	$		53

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 arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for 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.

FINALLY: Late payers will now be blocked 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: THE FOOL

Album Title: The Fool.

Producer(s): Graham Nash.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Fly; Voice on the Wing; Rainbow Man; Cry for Me; No One Will Never Know.

Side 2: Reincarnation; Hello Little Sister; Keep on Pushin’; Inside Your Mind; Lay it Down.

Label/Format: Mercury - original intense black matt with smooth finish.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only light to less than moderate spindle marks. These mainly fine and faint and only really seen with close angled viewing. This is a lovely record that plays superbly throughout.

Cat Number: 20138 SMCL.

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: 150 grams. Heavy, a record made in an era of quality.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite rare as a UK pressing. A somewhat ‘lost’ obscurity that was produced in tiny numbers and sold in minuscule numbers here. It did fare a little better in the United States.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: 134095 1//Y 2 420 1 1 1 / 134095 2//Y 2 420 1 1 4 [the final digit unclear]

Brief Info: The Fool were a Dutch band who made just this one album that was produced by Graham Nash. Better known as fashion and psychedelic graphic designers, they did work famously for Cream album covers and others. The members were Simon Kooer, Marijke Kooer, Josje Leeger and Barry Finch. This is a lovely psych/acid-folk album which is certainly unusual and different, even featuring bagpipes used in a semi-progressive fashion. Slightly mystical, the band apparently took their name from the Tarot card ‘The Fool’. It sold little in the UK and went largely unnoticed, it remains an elusive and very interesting obscurity. It sold slightly better in the US where they toured in 1969. The lack of UK attention could not be blamed on the cover which is gorgeous, the front and centrefold is spectacular with quite stunning artwork, as you probably expect from these members who specialised in the art. I hope my close-up pictures show more of the details. Other psychedelic record covers included The Incredible String Band’s ‘5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion’, The Move’s debut album and the Hollies’ ‘Evolution’. They are arguably most remembered with The Beatles, for decorating the Apple boutique in London as well as painting a psychedelic Rolls-Royce and grand piano for John Lennon. But in 1969, the group turned to music and used the skills of Graham Nash as producer for this, their one and only record. Like so many folkesque gems of this time, it went unnoticed and they faded away into musical history. Regarding this copy: the record is superb and plays nigh-on perfectly throughout, no mean feat for a record over 45-years-old. The cover is incredibly fragile and flimsy, in many respects similar to The Kinks ‘Village Green’ and ‘Arthur’, the card being more like a thick paper and beyond delicate. In terms of wear, the only real issue of real note is the spine top corner which has a small split and crumple. Still a gorgeous piece of art, with such strong links to major acts of the time, this rare obscurity could be of interest to specialist collectors as well as folk fans. This only my second ever copy and first seen since 2010.

Cover Grade and Format: Quite hard to grade this one: I would say EXCELLENT, but with small damage to the top left corner tip. But this actually looks better in real terms with the main areas looking fantastic. A laminated gatefold format, the inside not laminated. This is made from very thin card making it very flimsy, bendy and fragile. Printed and made in England. Includes a Polydor style polylined inner sleeve.

Lamination – Front & Back: A slight shame this cover was not made more robust, because this will prove immensely difficult to find without some issues, the ‘card’ really is incredibly thin and understrength. Both front and back have little to fault apart from a little visible wear to aforementioned spine top corner tip. The damage to this is seen more viewing spine edge on, but is only quite small. Beautiful vibrant artwork on the front which gives this hippy acid-folk cover its real charm and eye-catching appeal. Both front and back, the laminate retains lovely shine, freshness and clarity. Very much against the odds, this has not lifted with almost all unpeeled and strong – a small laminate chip on the back bottom right corner only. Also hardly any creasing, but being so thin, a little curl will prove immensely hard to avoid. Just a faint rim impression/dull trace on the back seen under light, hardly any surprise with a 150 gram record inside all these years on ultra thin card. Overall, little detracts from this splendidly vibrant and lovely looking cover. Hard enough even to find, let along a great deal better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: More superb artwork and in lovely condition, the detail and complexity has to be seen for real to be fully appreciated. A couple of issues: the original owner put one of those gun-tape plastic labels near the top right, I have been told these can be removed, but I am not prepared to risk it. This is only quite small anyway and very neat. Also the spine top damage can be seen from the inside, it is only very small.

Top Edges: Both small and unworn, some curl to this card is nigh-on impossible avoid, any here is only quite mild and of no issue when stored inside a protective cover (always supplied here as standard).

Bottom Edges: These are not protected, hence vulnerable, so some rubbing again is difficult to avoid over such a long period. Still quite solid and neat with any wear hardly encroaching on to the main surfaces.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front has a real folded edge with little wear. The back entrance edges are both very neat and crisp. The front has tilted over them which has added to their protection, so there is barely any thickening or burring. These are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Apart from the very top end which has a small split and knock, this spine is very impressive. Thick, but not strong in manufacture, this will always tilt over time which this has, but has NOT been crushed. So it retains very fine shape and has little other wear other than the very end damage – just one other very small chip. Still as solid as can really be expected, also straight with hardly any real compression as such. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and still solid laminate. The very end is a untidy, but given all the facts on this cover, this is only small damage to a ruthlessly delicate sleeve.

Corners: All the fragile corners – bar the top right, as explained already – have worn quite well for a cover that has little chance (being honest). Any tip rubbing rubbing or wear is only very light and these retain very fine shape. Again, the spine top has a small split and a knock which is a little untidy, but only really shows when the spine is viewed end-on.

Cover Summary: This may have the odd, relatively small issue or two, but is still a very attractive cover. I consider this piece of late 1960s art important. The studio and artists with that powerful link to The Beatles is not to be dismissed lightly and is as important (for me anyway) as the really enjoyable music of the record. A UK Mercury original of this one is rare, make no mistake. And with such a delicate thin paper disposition, this overall has survived the years well. Not for the perfectionists of course, but many will be more than happy to own this lovely piece.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: or very close to. The Polydor-style lined inner has one crease and some natural crinkle, also mild seam adhesive darkening, as per most. So gently aged but with two crisp undamaged window circles, very clear lining and no edge splits or repairs. Date-coded 0470 (April 1970), this is very early indeed. And I would be sure this record was not in circulation long before being deleted.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): and arguably worthy of the extra (+) as well. It has a rim dull on side one, but good news – this barely encroaches into the music area, and also has NO sound there either. This a mnor manufacture flaw, and not that unusual, but more unusually, this is superficial and minor. This is purely natural, so my grading ignores it. This is a superb visual copy that is very clean with excellent shine and heavily pressed (making this even less cover-friendly). Any surface blemishes are ultra fine and faint as seen with scrutiny under bright angled light, NO penetrating stylus marks at all. I am sure this has received only a few careful plays, thus sound quality is superb throughout.This Mercury rarity should please most 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 somewhat ‘lost’ acid-folk/psych album plays even above its 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 registering and this is an exceptional clean pressing that will prove very difficult to find better. Few copies will match or outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp with no tracking issues*, I am certain this record has been played gently on a worthy system. Even though the spine top of the cover has a knock – these things happen over 45 years or so – but generally, this appears well stored and the disc carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, this my first example since 2010. I rate this one very highly, and fans of the obscure and different are sure to appreciate this one. This record will prove very difficult to find better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Blue moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 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. 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 - 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 Quintet Blue moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, 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 14 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 – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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’.