THE KINKS Face to Face VERY RARE ORIG UK 1966 EXPORT STEREO PRACTICALLY MINT LP.

	£		190
	$		252

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 arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing 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 to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to 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.

Artist or Band: THE KINKS

Album Title: Face to Face.

Producer(s): Shel Talmy.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Party Line; Rosy Won’t You Please Come Home; Dandy; Too Much on My Mind; Session Man; Rainy Day in June; House in the Country.

Side 2: Holiday in Walkiki; Most Exclusive Residence for Sale; Fancy; Little Miss Queen of Darkness; You’re Lookin’ Fine; Sunny Afternoon; I’ll Remember.

Label/Format: Pye – intense dark pink-magenta and black format with a matt, smooth finish. Note on the labels, this is a rare stereo copy.

Label Conditions: Both in STUNNING condition: ultra clean, super-fresh and hugely-attractive with only one, YES ONE, very fine and faint spindle trace on each. These amazing labels look factory-fresh, using the term correctly with no exaggeration. Totally age-defying rare stereo labels on a now twice played record after many mandatory play-grade. Both labels have incredible depth of colour and barely a handling blemish to be found, both sides look exceptional and attractive with no surface chips at all, even the hole rims are practically unscathed. I hardly think a cleaner, fresher or better sounding copy of the very rare Kinks export album will be found.

Cat Number: NSPL 18149.

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: 160 grams. A typical heavyweight Pye pressing from the golden era of vinyl.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare and in such conditions including a lovely clean cover and inner, VERY rare. Hard enough to find a standard mono copy, but this stereo copy was only pressed in very small numbers for the export market. These are seldom seen or offered, and how many will ever surface in this type of age-defying condition?

Original Year of Release: 1966

Matrix Nos: NSPL 18149 A-1 *T / NSPL 18149 B-1 *T

Stamper Codes: W 2 / Z 1

Musicians: Ray Davies - guitar, vocal; David Davies - guitar, vocal; Peter Quaife - bass guitar; Michael Avory - drums.

Brief Info: As good as the early Kinks albums are, this was the first that can justifiably be regarded as a ‘classic’. Brilliant pop music and their sound had now progressed beyond pure R’n’B. All fourteen of the sublime tracks on offer were written by Ray Davies with Dave co-writing ‘Party Line’. This man, especially in the 1960s, wrote some of the most brilliant songs of this famous decade. Catchy songs with superb lyrics, but their albums did sell in the numbers they should have done. The country was transfixed with Beatles and Stones mania and bands of equal worth, like The Kinks were left behind. Their albums even grew in stature after this title but sales declined further still which was totally mystifying even though the singles still sold well. This is a very elusive record, but the stereo mix copy made for export is rare, most 1960s Kinks albums especially hard to find in top conditions. Tired, dull looking vinyl with marks and bad sound are almost the norm for today, finding such an amazing and barely played example is beyond difficult. Wel this heavyweight Pye record is practically unmarked, and I truly considered a full Mint grading, this is barely even run-in in vinyl terms – and this beautiful copy hardly needs hyping-up – my pictures should tell their own story. Just look at those labels for a 1966 record, the one faint spindle trace each side apart, they look new. This is a beauty and even the connoisseur collector should be pleased. I truly cannot imagine ever seeing this album like this again, and how many will even still exist like it? – just think, this record was issued when England won the football World Cup – yes the only clue to its incredible age is the date of issue.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a single format with front laminate that wraps around on to three large rear flipbacks. The main back panel is matt and smooth finished. This was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd and has the ‘Patents pending’ text. A mono cover that has the rare ‘STEREO NSPL’ sticker on the back as seen in close-up. There is a circular blue stamp on the back, possibly a stamp for exportation? Includes the plain white tracing paper style lined inner sleeve.

Lamination & Front: The lamination retains a fine shine, freshness and clarity and has no lifting. Any dulling seen under angled light only modestly light as well, but some fine surface marks as are visible which can hardly be a major surprise for a cover fast approaching 50. A fairly light rim impression near the bottom edge, again I remind, a 160 gram record is thick and avoid this is near impossible, it shows little anyway. Any of the few creases are mainly all edge hairline types, again, how many of these will avoid that as a bare minimum? Overall, still a very attractive colourful front that only gives the scantest of clues of it’s great age.

Cover Back: The unprotected back is in very impressive condition with minimal traces of ageing, grubbiness or wear. In fact this is exceptional. A mono cover as per all originals, but with the rare ‘STEREO NSPL’ sticker covering the NPL code, this never removed or picked at and still reasonably clean. Near this is a blue round stamp as seen in my picture. There is minimum creasing and no ring wear. All three flipbacks are superb: totally undamaged with crisp neat laminate and real ends with no grubbiness, lifts or creasing worthy of note. Adhesion is total with no end burring or repairs, simply a 48-year-old cover in lovely all-round condition.

Top Edge: Unworn and very smooth to the fingertip, also straight.

Bottom Edge: As above bar one tiny chip near the left corner.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, as sharp as when made with that more rustic and typical style manufacture trim that is impossible to ever fake. This detail on the edge is practically as made, totally unsoftened, feathered with no burring or thickening even as viewed up-close end-on. Record entered on this edge that is 100% guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: The spine is also of equal quality: Solid and quite straight with minimal compression, the manufactured tapered ends have fine definition. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and clear, unpeeled laminate – this remains very smooth for almost all it’s length, just one tiny abrasion trace being ultra critical. Also very clear and undarkened.

Corners: Any tip rubs are very small, very fine to near excellent shape retained with no dinks.

Cover Summary: A lovely cover that only gives very few and small clues to it’s great age. With many Kinks and other albums covers in this format seen tired, torn and badly aged, this beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: and I make no apology for a tiny nick split repair on one window circle that was the only ‘damage’ on this fragile, tracing paper lined white plain inner. It has some natural crinkle and justone corner crease – these often deliberate to stop the record sliding out the cover. Remarkably, both the lining and edges are all superb, being undamaged with no tears or splits. Housing a record of this weight all these years considered, this delicate inner has also survived well.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: PRACTICALLY MINT: and you really have to put a record like this into true perspective. Whether in mono or stereo, Kinks albums are simply rarely found like this. Many written-off with multiple plays, often with a worn or blunt stylus, loaned out to friends and played on goodness knows what. Well this supreme record looks to have hardly left the inner sleeve or cover. A sublime visual copy that is ultra clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. This really has to be seen for real to fully appreciate it, it truly could pass for new bar the two ultra fine spindle traces. With a high percentage of 1960s Kinks albums in such terrible conditions, with deep penetrating scratches, dulled, finger-marked playing surfaces and grubby labels, this is a record on the other side of the vinyl spectrum. Barely played or even run-in in vinyl terms, both playing surfaces are as close to unmarked you are likely ever to see – this also under bright angled light – I scrutinise all my records under a very bright desk lamp, not merely room light that will not reveal those ultra fine hairlines most will miss. This disc truly leads you directly back in time to the record shop of 1966 when first purchased. Visually an amazing record that should please ever collector need an upgrade or copy of this very rare Kinks stereo classic.

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 wonderful Kinks classic plays up to its high visual grading finding it better will prove nigh-on impossible. This is a record that can vary for pressing quality, I have heard two of these before in my 13+ years of Ebay trading, both were dismissed for crackle and surface noise – both had been played several times, but this was in a different league. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed, punchy sound. Any surface sounds were minuscule and no pops or clicks were noted and overall, this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few export stereo examples will even come close or outperform this early copy I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, now just played twice and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment, this sets the standard for Kinks and all 1960s collectors. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, one for sure that will stay in the mind for some considerable. Even offering this is proving difficult as I do not own a stereo copy. This beauty will prove near impossible to match or find better and this vinyl diamond merits my highest possible recommendation – DO NOT LOSE THIS ONE.

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’.