THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - Loaded - VERY RARE ORIG UK 1971 ATLANTIC PLUM EX LP.

	£		151
	$		200

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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 VELVET UNDERGROUND

Album Title: Loaded

Producer(s): Geoff Haslam, Shel Kagan, The Velvet Underground.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Who Loves the Sun; Sweet Jane; Rock & Roll; Cool It Down; New Age.

Side 2: Head Held High; Lonesome Cowboy Bill; I Found a Reason; Train Round the Bend; Oh! Sweet Nuthin’.

Label/Format/Info: Atlantic – original first issue on the red and maroon (‘Plum’) format, these have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both superb: ultra clean, fresh and attractive with any of the very few spindle marks being fine, small and faint.

Cat Number: 2400111

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: 123 grams. Quite typical for this time.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Rare as a first issue. This is a very late ‘plum’ pressing with most seen on the new orange and green format. This was not a big seller anyway, and only a tiny number were pressed on this label before the change to Kinney. In fact this is one of the very last albums to be made available on ‘plum’, and to prove the point totally, this copy includes its 9/71 (September 1971) date-coded inner sleeve. But even more significant is the rare Kinney K 40113 sticker on the back that obscures the original 2400111 catalogue number (although this is still seen on the spine). So a copy right on the brink of transition and these are rarely seen or offered. A lovely as well, the record appears very modestly played and sounds terrific. The cover gently aged a little on the front with mild blemishes or wear, but this thin cover that includes the original catalogue number is as rare the ‘plum’ label record itself.

Original Year of Release: 1971 (this first issue one of the last albums made on this label)

Matrix Nos: 2400111 A // 1 1 1 3 & 2400111 B // 1 1 1 3

Musicians: Lou Reed – vocals, guitar, piano; Sterling Morrison – guitar; Doug Yule – keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, drums, backing vocals, lead vocals; Adrian Barber, Tommy Castanero, Billy Yule – drums. Mo Tucker is credited with drums on the back cover, this is considered incorrect.

Brief Info: Their final classic and almost as hard to find as a true original as their previous albums. Loaded is regarded as the ‘lost’ Verve/MGM album, they had been contracted to do one more for the label, but relations had broken down, the songs had been recorded but MGM were not ready to ‘invest’ more money into a band that were not selling enough and the two sides parted company. It took some time before Reed and Co found another label that would issue their material – Atlantic. The Velvet Underground were never ones to follow the crowd. In 1966, when catchy, lucid, three-minute pop tunes were the rule, they recorded their first album, which was dominated by dark themes and taboo songs of drug use, sex, sado masochism, feedback and femme fatales. By 1970, when they recorded this, their fourth album, the vogue was for unwieldy drug anthems. Therefore, they made Loaded, an album dominated by catchy, three-minute more commercial tunes, probably in an attempt to get more air-play and even a hit single. Their record label, expecting a wild, Warholesque romp, did not know what to make of the album, and it died a commercial death. It failed to even chart in their native US and proved a massive flop in the UK too, it’s spectacular failure means all early pressings are rare. Since then, it has gained respect from fans and critics as the source of many of Lou Reed’s best compositions, including classics such as ‘Rock and Roll’ ‘Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ and the classic - ‘Sweet Jane’ (Standing on the Corner, Suitcase in my Hand) – Reed rarely sounded better than this. By now a four piece, Cale and Nico had now gone and Mo Tucker was away having a baby (although credited on the cover). Apparently, Reed, who left the band soon after, was not happy with the production and subsequent re-mix. Quite how this wonderful melodic album, loaded with such fine songs could simply be ignored by all bar the very few is a total mystery. This was pressed in tiny number on this first Atlantic label that was due to be changed within probably days. So-much-so, this copy includes the rare Kinney sticker on back to obscure the original catalogue number – clearly this was manufactured before the change was finalised, and this cover-up cheaper than reprints for an album that was probably not anticipated for large sales. The record itself is superb and sounds the same. For fans of Reed and his final Velvet Underground album, this is record could prove very difficult to find better.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a single unlaminated format with a matt smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press and including the original 2400111 catalogue number. The back covered with the new rare Kinney sticker. The original Polydor style inner sleeve is also included.

Cover Front: A rare cover in its own right. The front has a little mild grubbiness and the odd tone spot traces here and there. A few fairly light creases including the tips. A very small pen mark near the top right corner. But still quite attractive with no wear to the graphic which remains unrubbed with excellent colour. So a front giving gentle clues to age, but with thin unprotected card, few will be substantially better a genuine original I feel sure.

Cover Back: A little corner tip creasing but little else in that respect. Any rubbing to the wear-prone largely black back is minimal and faint, the lack of penetrating ringwear is excellent news. The Kinney K 40113 (the new number pending as the time of this copy’s manufacture) sticker is impressive, and clearly this has never been removed or picked at. The original number can be seen through it.

Top Edge: A plain white edge that is thin and straight, mildly darkened with any rubbing registering little.

Bottom Edge: Similar with slightly more traces of friction wear, being the storage edge, that is rarely avoided at best.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and sharp with minimal traces of wear. Even viewed end-on, barely even a hint of thickening or burring. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Solid, generally with some patchy compression, the ends pinched in manufacture. A little rubbing near the ends and a tiny stain mark. But the text is practically all present with any rubbing tiny, also being quite well centred on a narrow depth.

Corners: Light to moderate tip rubs with some tip creasing as well, this light to moderate with one or two lightish dinks.

Cover Summary: Always a difficult cover and finding a genuine 2400111 original a great deal better could prove difficult. With most of any wear light, this is still a very fine example that only gives quite mild hints of its 45 years of age – this totally indisputable of course as the ‘plum’ label by this time all but finished. It should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): a Polydor-style inner sleeve which importantly verifies how late this ‘plum’ original album is, as it has the 9/71 date-code. This translates to September 1971, right on the fringe of the ‘plum’ label’s end. Clean with just a crease on the back, two superb neat window circles and clear lining. All edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: a very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed. A copy with very modest plays on all the evidence with any surface marks light, fine and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. Visually a lovely rare 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 impressive first pressed record on the elusive first label format plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little, if indeed anything of note to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a full dynamic range and detailed sound. Any surface sounds registered little and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no pressing issues*. Few available originals will better this significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played little and generally with care. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this somewhat ‘lost’ classic – so very typical of all Velvet Underground records as genuine UK originals. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and merits strong recommendation.

* 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’.