THE KINKS – SCARCE ORIG UK 1968 MONO 2 EX+ LPs - ALL THE PYE CLASSICS to 1968.

	£		64
	$		85

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: The Kinks.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: You Really Got Me; Long Tall Shorty; All Day and All of the Night; Beautiful Delilah; Tired of Waiting for You; Lover Not a Fighter.

Side 2: A Well Respected Man; Till the End of the Day; See My Friends; Don’t You Fret; Dedicated Follower of Fashion; Sunny Afternoon.

Side 3: Dead End Street; Death of a Clown; Two Sisters; Big Black Smoke; Susannah’s Still Alive; Autumn Almanac.

Side 4: Waterloo Sunset; The Last of the Steam Powered Trains; Wonderboy; Do You Remember Walter?; Dandy; Animal Farm; Days.

Label/Format: Pye – original matt blue and black format with smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Four very clean, fresh and attractive examples that show only very light and equally few spindle marks and no wear whatsoever around the hole areas. All great news for this more elusive mono version of this classic Kinks compilation.

Cat Number: NPL 18326.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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 these Records: Both very impressive at 136 / 140 grams. Very good solid weights.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: and mono versions with no cover sticker are harder to find.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: NPL 18326 A1 - H; NPL 18326 B1 - H; NPL 18326 C1 - H; NPL 18326 D2 - H

Stamper Codes: F 1 / R 1 / W 1 / Q 1

Brief Artist & Album Info: Put as simply as possible, four sides of classic Kinks singles and a few album tracks (some from Village Green Preservation Society). This is a stunning collection and must never be treated as ‘just another Kinks compilation, this issue is essential, all songs in mono with no enhancements to stereo. The era covered is 1964 to 1968, hence on ‘Lola’, but there is not a second wasted on any side with all songs superb and most will be more than familiar. Over the years, The Kinks albums had some very nice cover designs, well being honest, this was really one of them. A fairly drab deep brown cover with just a gold decorative design at the top with a similar tracking listing inside. Many of these had correction stickers inside, this one does not have it. Not a cover to really grab any attention and also intensely prone to all forms of wear – this has the usual edge rubbing and a couple of small surface pulls. Both records however are very clean and far less easy to find in mono, both appear little played and sound quality for most all is near top drawer with little unwanted. With such marvellous music enclosed, a more eye-friendly cover would have far better marketing sense, but nothing I can do about that of course. Simply enjoy the wonderful songs inside, if only one Kinks album is wanted for any collection, this has to be it.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD: (and given its ruthless and totally uncompromising colour and design, a very fine Very Good). An unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. The inside has two huge external flipbacks at long the top edges, the inside has NO correction sticker. Also this the correct dedicated NPL mono version to match the records inside. A cover almost guaranteed to wear badly and rarely seen even excellent.

Cover Front: A cover I have seen several times, but never one in really top conditions as I doubt if many still exist being honest. This one really is a collector’s nightmare: rarely seen a great deal better than this being honest. Dark ink gatefolds with thicker than average records inside for around 45 years, well that should speak for itself. My honest opinion of this – such wonderful music and one of the very best compilation albums of the entire 1960s deserved better packaging and promotion. As unexciting as covers really get, but there-you-go. This front in terms of this cover has faired generally well. There is rubbing to the edges and a few light marks and a crease/scuff to the bottom right area. But the lack of ring wear is a major positive and the gold graphics are all unworn.

Cover Back: Fairly similar with more moderate rubbing on the bottom edge and very small surface tear near the top right corner. Only very mild ring wear near the top and far less than most seen.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Another very small pull mark on the top right flipback, that apart both flipbacks are superb. Again a little bottom edge rubbing. This printing includes the song ‘Dandy’ on side four and there is no correction sticker of course. This inner gatefold is actually very nice.

Top Edges: The front has two areas of near moderate rubbing, around 50% has none. The back has very little up to the right corner.

Bottom Edges: Moderate or above less patchy rubbing, most has it.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both neat and mostly sharp with just thickening hear the bottom of the front.

Spine and Text: A very fragile spine too which is very wide but not made with very thick card, hence these will rarely remaind upright. This one has minimal compression or crushing, but has at least a 50% tilt to right. The fold have light+ to moderate rubbing, but the main surface of the brown spine has little. The major positive is ALL text is fully present and unworn, that some achievement in itself.

Corners: All the corners have rubbed but that’s hardly any great surprise, this ranges from fairly light to moderate+ and anything inbetween. Decent to fine shape shape retained, this varies on each corner.

Cover Summary: Such covers lack longevity and good looks, fact. Only with the utmost care and dedication over all its existence can give this one any hope of looking good and in real terms, this is a very respectable example with most wear on the corners and the top/bottom edges. The lack is excessive wear or major damage to the main areas is a bonus. I have seen some truly horrendous examples of this cover. One many collectors will be happy with, but certainly not for the more discerning. However, the records inside are a different matter – both are really impressive.

The Inner Sleeves: EXCELLENT(–): two heavy-duty polylined plain inners only really marked down for age darkening. Four crisp and undamaged window circles and clear linings. Minor creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs. They simply look aged and at around 45-years-old, they probably have the right to be. These are UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+)/(++): a superb visual mono pair and collectors will know (I have mentioned so many times before) what the majority of mono records will look and sound like these days. Kinks titles seem to be amongst the most played and trashed bands from the 1960s, for those who bought their long players, most played them heavily and so many are seen badly scratched with worn out grooves. Although the cover has wear, the records have clearly not been played many times and both look (and sound) great. Very clean, shiny and very solidly pressed, any surface traces tiny, very few and faint, even viewed more critically under bright angled light. Visually super vintage Pye records that 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This quality pair play up to their high visual grading with very little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very powerful sound and what a delight to hear these gems sounding this clean and fresh with no sound tampering. Most of these vintage Kinks classics do sound better mono, certainly up to 1967. Minimal surface sounds and hardly a click noted over the entire four sides, how many available ones will better them? Both channels are clean and sharp and the classic mono mix is little short of breathtaking, all the detail and focus is as made and for certain this set has avoided damaging heavy decks from this period. Any hint of any sound degrading or issues minimal and mostly none at all. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading these two Pye gems and both will prove very difficult indeed to find better.

Final Summary: In my opinion, one the best 1960’s compilations of them all, yes The Kinks were really that good, the Pye era material was sublime and for me never dates. Check out once more that track listing and ask yourself, why were this band not even more popular than they were. Beautifully crafted and catchy pop songs with real meaningful lyrics about everyday people and life, this is wonderful nostalgia, The Kinks did not do sugary love songs. Davies sang about real issues, mostly about British culture, lifestyles, environment, personalities and fashion and over the years, these simply sound better and better and better. The mono mix on these gems too is highly noteworthy, although not really made for high-end stereo turntables, you will be astonished just how rich and dynamic they sound and this is the format of choice for the 1960s connoisseur. As I have said, I think the packaging should have been more informative and better, but the material enclosed is simply sublime, strong recommendation for the records is mandatory.

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’.