THE KINKS Arthur RARE ORIG UK 1969 STEREO - LOVELY COPY, SUPER SOUND & INSERT.

	£		288
	$		381

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, 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: THE KINKS

Album Title: Arthur (or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire)

Producer(s): Ray Davies

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Victoria; Yes Sir, No Sir; Some Mother’s Son; Drivin’; Brainwashed; Australia.

Side 2: Shangri La; Mr Churchill Says; She’s Bought a Hat Like Princess Marina; Young and Innocent Days; Nothing to Say; Arthur.

Label/Format: Pye – original UK stereo first issue with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions/Info: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only three or four spindle marks, those on side two tiny and very faint. One a little thicker on side one, but still only small. This evidence, along with two superb clean playing surface and audio quality emphasise how little this record has been played.

Cat Number: NSLP 18317

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. Another heavyweight Pye original, typical of this company in the era of quality.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity & Overview: Very scarce, getting rare. A wonderful album that sold poorly. UK copies are difficult to find, especially with a half decent cover that is flimsy and very under-strength. Made in a similar format to the previous album ‘Village Green Preservation Society’ (also on offer), this is equally as delicate and most often seen badly damaged. This one intact and very attractive, the spine edge is flat, no great surprise there, but has all its text present and perfect. The inclusion of a superb Victoria lyric insert is always great news, this often missing. Its only issue of note is the small pull tab on the crown top is missing, again, that is far from unusual. This stereo record plays superbly and is very clean indeed. Like other Kinks albums, no dedicated stereo cover was initially made, and this one retains its ‘STEREO NSPL’ sticker on the back to cover the mono prefix. Overall, this is a super copy and one to please many fans and collectors.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: NSPL 18317 A-1 *T STEREO / NSPL 18317 B-1 *T STEREO (the tiny stampers are A 1 & C 1 making it one of the earliest you will ever see)

Brief Artist & Album Info: By 1969 The Kinks had largely fallen from public grace in the UK, a bizarre fact made even more inexplicable as Ray Davies was at the height of creative brilliance. Still receiving high critical acclaim, this album, and the previous masterpiece Village Green Preservation Society (also on offer) failed to capture the imagination of record buyers. Still writing honest pop songs about everyday events no longer appealed to early Kinks fans and both albums flopped with minimal sales. Arthur is a brilliant concept album, it was up against The Who’s Tommy, but neither Davies or Townshend knew about each other’s works. The beautiful packaging did little to help sales either. Playing this album brings home that fact again of just how could this album fail to do well, every song is a classic, perfect songs performed – well – perfectly. Maybe the album should have been retitled: Arthur, the decline and fall of the one of the greatest popular bands of the 1960s [in sales terms, not quality, they were seldom much better than this]. Rarely ever has there been such an injustice of two albums failing to sell in the numbers they clearly should have done. Now some 46 years after issue, there are hardly enough vinyl copies to go round for the collectors who ignored this all those years ago and new fans wanting them too. Complete virtually intact UK examples rarely come up, especially copies in this condition. The record grades a fraction below mint minus with two beautiful playing surfaces with sound to match. The cover significantly above average and the insert lovely as seen (with just the small tab top flaw). One most collectors will cherish.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: this is so flimsy and under-strength to store a heavy record, finding any this intact is immensely hard. If anything, this is even more flimsy than ‘Village Green’, as it does not have the two inside flipbacks which help support it. A gatefold format with front and back laminate, this covers all the folded edges. No stereo covers were initially made, so a ‘STEREO NSPL’ sticker placed over the mono prefix on the back as seen in close-up. The inside is matt and smooth finished, entrance for the record again is inside the centrefold to right. Thus most are seen torn and shredded with spines in tatters. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. This includes the spectacular Queen Victoria shaped and folded lyric-graphic insert sheet. Lastly, for good measure, the original polylined inner sleeve is included.

Cover Front: The first thing I want to make clear, this cover has a flat spine – evidence suggests to me it was possibly never erect in the first place. Although there is a lower score ‘fold’, this hardly looks deep enough to make the spine stand up, it simply refuses to even try to stand upright. The point on this front face paragraph description being, the right edge is now not flush to the back. In some ways not a bad thing, as this fine edge is naturally more protected. The front itself is very impressive, single thickness and fragile, few survive major laminate issues. This has very little creasing, those present, mostly near the right corners being quite gentle and light. Severe lifting and cracking is rarely avoided, this has only a very modest and light lift near the bottom left corner, few will have less. With lovely shiny, fresh and clear laminate that has minimal traces of dulling or marks, the artwork looks terrific. No splitting of the spine fold and the edges incredibly sharp, the laminate has not cracked or peeled, finding a front on ‘Arthur’ better will prove very difficult.

Cover Back: The back overall is very similar: a little more lifting on the spine edge, but still very modest in context, and with a white background, it shows little. Again, the lifting is uncracked with minimal creasing, so still solid. As stated, the spine is flat, and just look at the text, ALL is pristine perfect with the laminate still present and no shedding of. Fine cracks near the spine ends is almost the least to be expected being realistic, most are in tatters, and that not putting too fine a point on the fact. As per the front, the laminate is fresh, clear with lovely shine and barely any dulling, even viewed under light. Just gentle hint of darkening of white (being very critical), but few clues to age really. The ‘STEREO NSPL’ sticker is impressive and little aged with no picking or removal. It has done transparent, so the NPL prefix is easily seen beneath, this is purely natural. I consider both front and back near exceptional for this cover, having seen some in pitiful states.

Cover Inside: The fantastic kangaroo graphic artwork looks superb and is very clean and fresh looking. Just to reiterate the fragility and thinness of this card, if you hold the front up to light, you can actually see the front artwork through the coloured kangeroo graphic – yes, true. Wafer thin but no tears, even to the spine ends. But there is a surface scuff to the bottom of this area and a lesser one to the top, this being the most significant issue to this sleeve, which hopefully reiterates how fine the rest is. In context, minor, and few will have a more intact and neat inside.

Top Edges: What is immediately apparent to the edges is the fact they all lie flat, that is immensely unusual on these flimsy laminated covers. Most curl and bow due to natural contraction of the laminate which simply has failed to occur on this one. Both the back folded edge and the thin front are as neat, crisp and straight as they are likely to get. Minimal thickening, no feathering or burring of note.

Bottom Edges: Largely as above above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both crisp and sharp and the front lacking that often irritating curl most get, rarely, if ever seen a flatter front than this. Due to the spine being flat, the front is dragged to the left as explained further up.

Spine and Text: This is so flat, I am convinced it was never upright from day one, the back fold is not deep enough to make it such. The good news being it has naturally preserved the spine and its laminate and text. This has barely worn at all and apart from it being flat, it is superb, and few will ever be these days.

Corners: Small tip creases apart, the corners are neat and retain very fine – some with even excellent shape. Minimal evidence of any knocks or dinks, few will better these incredibly delicate ends.

Cover Summary: With the majority of UK examples tatty, shredded, badly worn, torn or crudely repaired, often with major laminate issues and bare textless spines, this is a chance to view this cover in near exceptional condition. Few close to perfect ones will ever be seen or offered, existing ones locked away in valuable collections. This is not perfect, but it still sets a very high standard for one of the 1960s most fragile and scarce covers. Way above average, it should please many, if not most collectors, indeed even with some lightish wear, it could prove a significant upgrade for many.

The ‘Victoria’ Lyric Insert: Quite difficult grading this as it does have the small pull tab folded part missing above the crown top. Quite honestly, if you did not know it should be there, you probably would not even miss it. The tab stuck out of the centre storage area allowing it to be tucked out – thus many, if not most tore off, so hardly unusual to see it missing. More unusual is to see the glorious insert actually included at all – over time, this often goes missing. A large format, shaped lyric sheet that has one manufactured fold. This one almost as clean and fresh as when made, the colour on the graphic is simply breathtaking. Apart from the small missing piece of card and a little creasing near the crown top, there is little else to fault. Clean, fresh and hugely attractive, discounting the tab loss, I would have graded excellent(++), this has to be one of rock’s most impressive and prized insert – this Victoria looks simply stunning.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: a plain white polylined inner with two pristine window circles and the lining very fresh and clear. A little aged with some mildish discolouration and crease/crinkle. All edges intact with no repairs, this is UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and heavily pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface marks or blemishes few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. No penetrating stylus scratches and both surfaces are age and era-defying. Visually a super record that should please many, if not 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 magnificent album plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and equally detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Few copies will outperform this incredibly early 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 well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. In terms of musical quality, this is little short of the sublime classics that preceed it (two on offer). It will prove very difficult to find significantly 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 Black 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 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 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’.