TRAFFIC - Last Exit - RARE ORIG UK FIRST-PRESS 1969 +A/+B PINK ISLAND EX+ LP

	£		40
	$		53

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 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 will now be blocked 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: TRAFFIC

Album Title: Last Exit.

Producer(s): Jimmy Miller.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Just For You; Shanghai Noodle Factory; Something’s Got a Hole of My Toe; Withering Tree; Medicated Goo.

Side 2: Feelin’ Good; Blind Man.

Label/Format: Island – Original pink format with the orange eyeball logo. These are deeply textured with the deep ring ridge.

Label Conditions: Both look superb: as can be seen on my pictures. These first press labels look fantastic with the most beautiful shade of deep pastel-pink. Any spindle marks are few, fine and faint, all evidence suggests this elusive Island record has been played little. The cover itself may have some wear, but the record more than compensates.

Cat Number: ILPS 9097.

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: 145 grams. An impressive weight for this Island first issue.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare: a poor selling album and first pressings are elusive and seldom seen, especially with a record this clean. The Island label in 1969 was available in three distinct formats and even variants on them too. This was one of the last albums issued on the orange eyeball label. Some new albums and repressings were pressed on the pink block label and then along came with more familiar pink i format (textured and smooth). This first issue would have had a fairly limited run and remains one of the more elusive albums within the Island catalogue.

Original Year of Release: 1969.

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9097 + A / ILPS + 9097 + B [these are deep punched, large and pronounced]

Brief Info: This third Traffic album was somewhat hasily put together as to mark the end of their Island contract – ironically, this failed happen and the band went on to make several more great albums on the same label. The first side is studio material and includes two classic singles and a B-side. Side two was recorded live at The Fillmore West which includes two lengthy tracks. This was a commercial non-starter and no early copy is easy to find. A title I have seldom seen on vinyl and to find such a lovely first pressing came as a real surprise. Yes the record itself is really lovely and plays accordingly with hardly anything of note to fault. However the cover – which is hugely prone to wear – is down mainly due to spine and edge rubbing. There are no sticker tears and ringwear is unusually light, so inside it’s protective outer cover which I always provide, this is still reasonably fine. But the star is the record, sound and music itself, and indeed the disc could prove a substantial upgrade in its own right. Of course, I prefer not offering lower grading covers, but such is the scarceness of a genuine first pressing, I not qualms in doing so.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR VERY GOOD: with most wear on the closed edges. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day. Includes the heavy-duty polylined inner sleeve.

Cover Front: This is a very fine front and lacking the usual rubbing, creasing and damages more often seen. Virtually all wear is seen on the actual edges themselves with the main graphic still looking impressive with hardly any creasing and no ringwear.

Cover Back: The back is similar with just a trace of the almost mandatory ringwear, here just a sliver near the top. The edges again show rubbing.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Barely any real wear at all with even the edges showing little.

Top Edges: Quite heavy rubbing, a central back edge split was repaired as neatly as possible by myself to stop the risk of it widening in the future.

Bottom Edges: Moderate to moderate(+) rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: These two edges are still quite sharp and neat with minimal traces of any wear. Minimal thickening or burring and no trimming or enhancements. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Fairly solid and straight with minimal compression and folded squarely, so the edges are virtually parallel and meet up quite closely together. Moderate patchy rubbing to the surface and folds. Predictably, there is some text erosion, but the actual album title is largely intact.

Corners: Quite heavy corner rubbing and spine rounding. Fair to near fine shape on the right ones.

Cover Summary: This is always a very difficult cover and seldom seen with little wear. Minus the edge rubbing and wear, this would be quite a nice example with the main faces still being attractive with little. But edge rubbing is quite heavy so this will not be a cover for the more discerning. But as stated, the record more than compensates.

The Inner Sleeve: VERY GOOD(+): a plain white polylined inner with ‘British & Other Patents Pending’ text. A heavy-duty flipbacked inner with two crisp window circles and clear lining. Some corner creasing and the usual seam discolouration. All edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is clean with fine shine, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with very modest plays on all the evidence and still visually impressive. Also two lovely looking first Island labels. Any surface blemishes only seen under bright angled light, there are no penetrating scratches, all evidence suggest this one has been played very little. The actual rims are very sharp indeed, hardly any wonder the cover edges are worn with just the one split mentioned further up. An impressive rare Pye pressed original that will please many 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 elusive and quite rare first issue Island record plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound on side one. Side two is live and, although still sounding fine, lacks the studio fidelity of side one which is excellent. Minimal surface sounds and overall an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album, and Island records often vary in pressing quality. Few genuine originals will outperform this one significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played sparingly and offers very enjoyable sound, that from a record this age is always a challenge. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this scarce Traffic album, for me, their rarest ever record on vinyl – and by a distance. I have seen far more mono originals of the debut album than I have this. A fairly respectable cover, with the actual record that will prove challenging to find significantly better and is and that can be highly recommended.

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 Blue 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’.