THE KINKS (1st album) RARE ORIGINAL UK 1964 MONO LP

	£		23
	$		30

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: THE KINKS

Album Title: The Kinks.

Producer(s): Shel Talmy.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Beautiful Delilah; So Mystifying; Just Can’t Go to Sleep; Long Tall Shorty; I Took My Baby Home; I’m a Lover Not a Fighter; You Really Got Me.

Side 2: Cadillac; Bald Headed Woman; Revenge; Too Much Monkey Business; I’ve Been Driving on Bald Mountain; Stop Your Sobbing; Got Love if You Want It.

Label/Format: Pye – Orig deep magenta mono format with ‘recording first published 1964’ text (please see scans).

Label Conditions: Both clean with a fine degree of freshness and still attractive with no writing or gouging. This record has been played a number of times: side two has above moderate spindle marks but only relatively light on side one. A small chip near the hole rim on side two can be seen on my scan.

Cat Number: NPL 18096.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Country of Manufacture: England

Weight of this Record: 172 grams. A real vintage Pye super-heavyweight, considerably heavier than the 60s average. This weight and thickness and groove depth has played a pivitol role in the longevity of this record as explained below.

Rarity & Info: Scarce: and rare in very clean and little played condition. Kinks records, like Beatles, Stones and other popular ‘Beat’ records from this period, always seem to always be the most played, worn and trashed – maybe these even more than most. This vintage debut from 1964, has some marks, not too many in terms of a record that has been clearly played a number of times. One on the first track looked potentially serious, fairly large and it can be felt – BUT, to some amazement, it is practically ignored with barely even a tick heard at all. In fact, this record offers fantastic sound throughout with barely anything unwanted at all. This too, on one of the world’s most revealing turntables – the Linn LP12 – for which this type of mono record was not really designed. I do not offered significantly marked records lightly; but this is a rare album with a catalogue price valuation to emphasise the fact, so I have no qualms in offering this highly enjoyable copy. The cover had a tear, but I restored this (hopefully with a certain degree of skill) and apart from some creasing and natural darkening of the back, it is still quite nice looking. The labels are clean and, although there are marks, the playing surfaces of the disc retain shine. These vintage super-heavyweight Pye discs are tough. If any modern or thinner record had a scratch like this has on the first song, it would be a potential right-off. The thickness and groove depth means this significant mark is ignored by my very fine-tipped Ortofon stylus which even surprised me. So virtually every visual blemish on these playing surfaces are superficial and the really important factor is the lack of groovewear and distortion. This surpassed by expectations by a mile and would wager many copies of this that grade two rungs of the ladder (or more) would not play as well. The sound is terrific and has little to fault at all with effortless tracking and hardly any surface noise with the music clean, focused and importantly, enjoyable. If this record had failed to please me, I would not offer it – that simple. So neither cover or record are for the visual purist, but if you want this vintage mono album in your collection that offers very impressive sound at the right price, this could be just the one for you. A difficult record to find that plays this clean anyway and this one still delivers.

Original Year of Release: 1964

Matrix Nos: NN 1096-A1T / NN 1096-B1T (The ‘1’ on both sides is error-corrected from ‘2’).

Musicians: Ray Davies – vocals, guitar; Dave Davies – vocals, guitar; Peter Quaife – bass; Mick Avory – Drums.

Brief Artist & Album Info: The first Kinks album and one that included seven Davies credited or part-credited songs, a fairly unusual event for many of the early RnB bands finding their way, but such was the talent of these men, it can be no real surprise. Most vinyl collectors and 60s pop music fans will know all about this legendary band and albums and will no doubt know just how hard they are to find in fine playing conditions. Given it’s vintage, mode and style – apart from the mark on the first track – this has modest few others, and those present are nothing like as obvious as that. As stated above, this is a real scratch and I was more than surprised it failed to sound. This record plays at least two grades above it’s visual and most all with nothing to fault. So if sound is more important than looks – and it does still look pretty good – this is a very respectable copy that offers enjoyable and clean sound.

Cover Grade and Format: GOOD(++): I rarely offer covers with repaired splits and more general wear, but this is still a very decent sleeve – and the record’s sound quality is always my number one priority. A single format, laminated on the front, this wraps around the closed edges and ends on three large rear external flipbacks. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse and includes the ‘Patents pending’ text. Also included is an original blue Pye promotional inner, this in fantastic condition.

Cover Front & Lamination: Overall, a very respectable with laminate retains very fine shine and calrity and even freshness with any dulling modest as seen under angled light. The main area of concern is the bottom right corner area that had two splits – not that large, one actually fairly small. I decided to repair this, firstly to strengthen the front and stop further damage and also to improve it’s cosmetic appearance – and I feel I have succeeded on all accounts. There is still moderate creasing here and care is needed if the record is to be stored inside, but I have seen considerably worse (still with high asking prices). Other creases are few and light, a little chipping and mark here and there. The main graphic looks very nice and maybe my grading is harsh, but I consider more than fair.

Cover Back: The back is intact with no real damage to the flipbacks, but they do have some creasing. The unprotected main back panel is darkened and with moderate grubbiness and some creasing to the bottom left corner area (as per the front). Overall, what many may expect from a cover now fast approaching 50.

Top Edge: Hardly any wear at all and still straight with nigh-on full laminate retention.

Bottom Edge: A little patchy rubbing and chipping, mostly near the repaired right corner area. Overall, solid and very respectable with some creasing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: This has thickened and softened a little with usage, one tear at the bottom I have repaired as best I could.

Spine and Text: Little to fault on the spine bar compression. Solid and quite straight with all text perfect and unworn under solid and unpeeled laminate (please see my close-up picture of this detail).

Corners: Moderate tip rubbing and some gentle rounding.

Cover Summary: Clearly not one for the more discerning, but as stated above, I have seen far worse than this. Often shredded and literally falling apart, very poor and shabby. This in context is still quite nice. The back is aged, yes, and most will be. The front repairs are quite neat and now look more like creases on the bottom right area. Overall still very decent cover and arguably better than my modest grading may suggest. A nice item for the right collector, only bid if you are sure.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a tracing paper lined promotional Pye inner. Almost as fresh and clean as when made all those years ago. A little creasing on one corner but all edges intact and still a very attractive inner.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: VERY GOOD(-) / VERY GOOD: a typically massive, thick and heavy pressed Pye record with deep and wide grooves. There are visible marks and the one especially on the first track does look worrying. But fear not, this scratch has barely any, if indeed any sound at all. Any quality fine-tipped modern stylus simply goes beyond it and it failed to register on my very revealing LP12 and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge. The surfaces retain fine shine and deep black finish. Without doubt, this record has been played a number of times and correctly graded as such. But the sound quality is considerably high than the visual which is still very respectable for a record like this. So as stated already, if sound is more important than pristine playing surfaces, this copy delivers and will please many 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 vintage Kinks record plays some distance above it’s more average visual grading with very little to fault. Strong (and importantly) distortion-free sound – this exceeded my expectations to a fair degree and I have no qualms in offering this record at all. The last one of these I offered looked much better but did not play quite as cleanly as this one. The delicate information in these deep mono grooves remains fully intact and unstripped by any worn out needle from the distant past. Remember I play-graded this on one of the world’s most clinical turntables, this mono record was never designed to be played on a deck like this but this record still sounds fantastic! Never take this for granted on any mono record let alone one this age, the frequencies are sharp and focused on pretty much all of this record. Always easy to state any record plays ‘perfectly’ on budget systems or even old mono record players that just scratch the surface for detail and clarity. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very punchy sound. Any unwanted sounds are minimal indeed with no pops or significant clicks noted. It is almost bizarre how a super-faint hairline mark on a thin pressed more modern record will click, and then on a old record with a deeper feelable scratch it fails to register. These old Pye records are very hardy, they were well pressed and in this case, massively heavy and thick. The grooves deep, thus withstanding trauma more likely than most. With it’s powerful loud mix any tiny blemishes would be lost anyway but this copy needs few hiding places. The scratch on the first song almost entirely ignored which even surprised me. Both channels are clean and sharp with no single channel mono noise or crackle. The lack of distortion or groove-wear is always worthy of extra mention on such records. A high percentage of record players of the 60s, whether mono or stereo, used sapphire tipped pickups, these wore very quickly and chipped easily (fifty plays only were recommended before changing – and few bothered). Few would have changed or checked them regularly enough to avoid the potential groove damage many of these records suffered. Many only changed their ‘needles’ when the actual sound quality dropped sufficiently to become apparent and by then, it was too late – damage done. The delicate groove walls irrepairably damaged resulting in clipping, noise and worst of all, distortion to the sound – all common traits of the records of this era – mono copies usually suffered most. I state again, this record is marked, but most-all are overlooked and nothing of any note spoilt my listening experience playing this. Effortless tracking with no skips or sticks – those I will not offer lightly, the sounds embedded in these near wear-free grooves will thrill the vast majority of vinyl lovers – but NOT the visual perfectionist. This copy for sound alone, will prove difficult to find significantly better and on that basis alone, deserves high recommendation. I keep my starting price very low to let any potential collector decide it’s worth which I think more than fair.

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’.