TITUS GROAN - VERY RARE Orig UK 1970 Orange Dawn N/M LP

	£		261
	$		346

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: TITUS GROAN

Album Title: Titus Groan.

Producer(s): Barry Murray.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: It Wasn’t for You; Hall of Bright Carvings: i. Theme ii. In the Dusty High-Vaulted Hall; iii. The Burning; iv. Theme.

Side 2: I Can’t Change; It’s All Up With Us; Fuschia.

Label/Format: Dawn - orange label original (Please see my label picture).

Label Conditions: Both in supreme conditions: ultra clean and highly attractive with only a tiny few light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. This from the collection of once or twice played records and another stunning rare piece in sublime visual and playing conditions.

Cat Number: DNLS 3012.

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: A 151 gram heavyweight. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare and in big demand from progressive collectors. An elusive and brilliant album that sold very poorly hence difficult to find. This is an amazing copy too: the cover is massively prone to wear but this one has little and looks unusually attractive. The record is reference standard with unmarked playing surfaces and massively pressed. Sound quality is pristine with audiophile quality sound. I honestly think a better copy of this record will be nigh-on impossible to ever find.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: DMLS 3012 A-3 *T / DMLS 3012 B-3 *T

Mother & Stamper Codes: C 1 / C 1

Musicians: Stuart Cowell - guitars, organ, piano; Tony Priestland - saxophones, flute, oboe; John Lee - bass; Jim Toomey - drums, percussion.

Brief Info: A brilliant one-off prog classic and in big demand by fans. The long songs are fronted by reedsman Tony Priestland and the music is well-structured throughout. Being on a highly collectable label, this did not sell well and is highly challenging to find in top conditions. Although (as per usual) the sleeve has a little edge rubbing, the record can be justifiably graded close to full Mint and plays the same. The ultimate upgrade copy or the holy grail example for the connoisseur collector. This record is unbeatable.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High++.

Cover Grade and Format: EX and given just how difficult and uncompromising this one is, it could be argued better still. An unlaminated gatefold format. Printed and made in England.

Cover Front: Even with a few very light surface friction rubs, this is by far the best example of this cover front I have yet seen. Not seen too many hasten to add but usually this is very shabby and well-worn rife with major rubbing and ring marks. This has barely any ink removal at all and no sticker damages or creasing. Generally clean and fresh looking too, this front sets a high standard.

Cover Back: Again a few surface marks or mild friction abrasions, they show little, barely a crease to be seen - a huge bonus. A mild ring arc trace near the top, which is more like a pressmark from the massive record inside. A light ringwear arc near the bottom edge, almost the least possible with a 150gram LP inside best part of 40 years. Both the outer faces will prove very difficult to find better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Both faces in superb condition with barely anything to fault as I hope my individual pictures will show.

Top Edges: Light patchy rubbing.

Bottom Edges: Very light rubbing on the back edge, more moderate towards the right corner, the front edge has little at all.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, fairly sharp with little wear, no feathering but a little thickened near the top, visible with end-on viewing. Record enters on this back edge.

Spine and Text: The spine has survived in great condition and almost unscathed. Solid and quite thick, straight, minimal compression and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn which can never be taken for granted on these dark unprotected gatefold covers.

Corners: Light to moderate tip rubs on all - I can hardly imagine any will exist with none. Fine shape however, is retained by most.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this highly intolerant early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. These very dark sleeves take no prisoners in showing all forms of wear and with very heavy records inside for many years, the problems are exacerbated still further. This attractive item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner: The original heavyweight polylined plain white inner is included in EX condition. Slightly darkened with age with few creases, all edges unsplit and the polylining and window very secure and neat.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and tempted to grade full Mint. Now played two or three times after my play-grade, Mint(-) will be my highest grading. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed on high quality thick vinyl. Both playing surfaces are immculate and there is not a noteworthy mark or blemish to be seen. Visually a super record that should please all collectors – even the most discerning audiophile purists and progressive connoisseurs.

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 snippetts 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 beautiful record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a full dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly challenging album. With plenty of reeds on offer, fully focused, precise and sharp sound is mandatory and this provides it from start to finish. Few copies will even match, let alone outperform this early pressing I feel certain. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful and rare record. This record will prove near impossible to find better and is unreservedly recommended. 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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance 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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.