THE KINKS Arthur RARE ORIG US 1969 N/M LP, PLAYED ONCE with INSERT.

	£		183
	$		242

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World £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. More details on this 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

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: Reprise – first American issue with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both immaculate: ultra clean, fresh and attractive with no spindle marks. This record was still shrinkwrapped, which in some ways, I relunctantly removed to view the superb inner gatefold. I still have the shrinkwrap and will include it. This record has now been played once, by myself to test the pressing quality which is fantastic.

Cat Number: RS 6366.

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: 125 grams. A very good solid weight for any record.

Country of Manufacture: US

Rarity & Overview: Rare: a wonderful album that sold poorly. UK copies are immensely hard to find, especially with a half decent cover that is flimsy and under-strenth. Most are seen literally falling apart, tatty and torn. So when a superb, almost as new US record comes along, I have no qualms in offering it. These are probably just as rare as the UK ones and are seldom seen outside the US. Reluctantly, I removed the shrinkwrap to view the inside cover, it would have been impossible no doing so, and this deserves to be seen. It includes the ‘Victoria’ shaped insert lyric sheet that even includes the fragile pull-tab at the top – most of these are missing or torn. The American version has the same superb artwork, and (rarely) had a more robust cover than the UK version. So major positives are to be had from this imported version that sounds fantastic.

Original Year of Release: 1969.

Matrix Nos: 30953 RS 6366 A -1A / 30954 RS - 6366 B 1L

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 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 quantaties they clearly should have done. Now some 44 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. So when such incredibly clean, barely played original American copies come along, they are not to be dismissed lightly. This has the SAME track listing, SAME cover artwork and the SAME ‘Victoria’ lyric insert. It also includes the early Reprise inner sleeve ‘Reprise Records * Makers of Fine Music’ inner sleeve. With UK copies in this type of condition commanding, and fetching massive prices, this is not just a compromise, it could be just the copy many vinyl collectors would want.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): with just one small issue, that being a small dink on the lower spine fold on the back – it has little to fault bar that and was still shrinkwrapped on arrival to me, this has been removed but retained and will be included. This a solid and thick unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. The inside has the paste-on style panels as per most US album covers of the era and all the artwork is the same as the UK original. Printed and made in the US. Includes the rare original ‘Queen Victoria’ lyric insert and vintage Reprise graphic inner sleeve.

Cover Front: The odd tiny corner tip rub or crease apart, this looks practically as made. Clean, fresh and attractive. Until today, these surfaces had not been exposed due to the shrinkwrap fully covering these outer surfaces.

Cover Back: The knock has made a small but significant shallow hole on the spine fold towards the top. Minus this, I would have graded the cover Mint(–). But the lack of saw-cuts, drill holes or corner cuts are a bonus for imported covers, most have them. The odd tiny corner tip semi-crease apart, and aforementioned spine fold knock, this back is practically as made.

Cover Inside: The fantastic kangaroo graphic artwork looks as made, the spine knock has NOT penetrated to the centre and any evidence of being there is tiny and very faint.

Top Edges: Both pristine with no splits and still ultra sharp as made .

Bottom Edges: All very similar to above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both crisp and sharp, the odd light rub trace on the inside, but little else. Both guaranteed unenhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid, thick and straight with just the knock evident with back viewing. The actual surface is again practically as made with all text pristine. Still quite erect with only gentle tilt to right, but not crushed. Folded square so the edges are parallel, the top and bottom are very flush with only a small overhang on the top on the right, due to the gentle tilt.

Corners: Any corner rubbing or creasing are small and light, Very fine to excellent (or better) shape is retained.

Cover Summary: With the majority of UK examples tatty, worn, torn or repaired, often with major laminate and spine issues, this is a chance to view this cover in near superb condition. The only issue is the small lower fold spine knock. Most seen will have ring wear, major rubbing and seam splits, imports with the usual cuts and drill holes which this has avoided. This is rare as a US first issue, make no mistake and with the shrinkwrap only removed today (19th January 2014), it will still prove very difficult to find better..

The ‘Victoria’ Lyric Insert: MINT(–): this is a beauty and would have been graded full Mint, bar a crease on the pull tab which remains full intact and very solid. A large format, shaped lyric sheet that has one manufactured fold. This classic insert often missing altogether and rarely seen with the small Pull tab intact. Just above the crown has a moderate crease, but untorn with NO repairs. Still very clean, fresh and crisp, one side has the lyrics, the other the wonderful Queen Victoria graphic. This is quite possibly the best one of these I have ever seen and one of the very few with that small tab detail fully intact – very rare as such to say the least.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: an unlined graphic inner with the brass band artwork. The other side promotes bands that record on Reprise US, many of which did not in the UK. A few small surface marks or blemishes, probably caused by adhesive smears in manufacture. But overall, clean, fresh and devoid of creasing or edge splits (with no repairs).

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-): with any surface traces minuscule. That seldom-seen on US imports that tend to mark more easily. Very clean and retaining an impressive shine with an intense black finish and solidly pressed on the more elusive original tan and orange Reprise label. Played once and sounding superb, this rare album will seldom be found better.

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: This rare Kinks album plays up to, and even above it’s superb 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. Barely any surface sounds, no pops or clicks and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album. Few copies will match or outperform this magnificent, once-played copy. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this almost ‘lost’ Kinks classic. If you simply want to enjoy the fantastic music as cleanly as possible without concerns of where it was pressed, this mighty fine US copy will take some beating. An equivalent UK first issue WILL command a huge price and will sound just the same (if found in this barely played condition). So you pays your money, you takes your choice – as we say in the UK. My highest recommendation (the very small cover flaw apart), is mandatory – this is Ray Davies and The Kinks at their very best.

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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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] = £4.75

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]) = £12.50 (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]) = £16.50 (£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’.