AL STEWART Bedsitter Images V. RARE Orig UK 67 MONO LP

	£		123
	$		163

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: AL STEWART

Album Title: Bedsitter Images.

Producer(s): Roy Guest.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Bed-Sitter Images; Swiss Cottage Manoeuvres; The Carmichaels; Scandinavian Girl; Pretty Golden Hair; Denise at 16.

Side 2: Samuel, Oh How You’ve Changed; Cleave to Me; A Long Way Down From Stephanie; Ivich; Beleeka Doodle Day.

Label/Format: CBS - original intense orange with rough textured surfaces on side one, more smooth on side two and a different style too. Proving beyond doubt how label design and formats could change even within the issue of a single album (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both look very clean, fresh and attractive. Spindle marks are light (side one) and on the lighter side of moderate on side two. These spread more on side two and a clear case of hole to spindle searching. All are very fine and light and only really show under angled light.

Cat Number: 63087.

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 this Record: 130 grams. A good solid weight for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare: especially in mono that the ‘RC’ price guide does not even list. Only available for a relatively short time before being repressed with a new track listing. ‘Scandinavian Girl’, ‘Pretty Golden Hair’ and ‘Cleave to Me’ were dropped and replaced by ‘Lover Man’ and ‘Clifton in the Rain’. This did not sell well anyway and is rarely seen or offered, this being the only mono example I have ever had. This is the rarest UK-issued Al Stewart album and is highly sort-after by collectors.

Original Year of Release: 1967. Reissued with different packaging and track selection in 1970 and then known as ‘The First Album (Bedsitter Images)’.

Matrix Nos: 63087 A1 / 63087 B1

Brief Info: Superb debut album from this popular Scotsman, who was born Ian Stewart – but at the time of this issue, almost unknown. Wonderfully recorded with lovely acoustic songs and of course his very distinctive voice the special feature. This has always been a rare and elusive album and finding fine copies is incredibly difficult – the mono cut is very elusive indeed and almost certainly, few were ever cut. For the few who did purchase this initially – often females who warmed to his soft voice more readily – most played it into the ground and when a copy does surface it’s invariably in less than wonderful condition. Born in 1945, Stewart started his musical career backing Tony Blackburn at The Pavilion in Bournemouth. He eventually moved to London after being with the band for around two years. Appearing on shows with The Rolling Stones and The Bachelors and others, his first radio broadcast was made in 1965. He failed to get work as a solo artist and moved briefly to France in a bedsit. Moving back to London and second radio spot, he slowly gained some recognition around the folk circuit and met Simon & Garfunkel and moved into a flat where they were also staying. In 1966 his first record and TV appearance came but success took time and this folk debut, as an original, remains almost lost within the mists of time.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: this being very conservative. A single format with the front laminated. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day and including the ‘Patents Pending’ text.

Lamination & Front: This artwork only available on the original version of this album before being changed to sometime totally different. The laminate retains a very fine shine, freshness and clarity with only a few half moon type creases – six or seven – these mostly present near the right edge. Any others are edge types being fine and faint. All is fully adhered with no lifts, blisters or peeling and even under light, there are only minimal traces of friction rubs or dulling, and even surface marks. All is attractive to the eye with any blemishes registering little for what is a very revealing dark cover – not one you will see often as a mono original.

Cover Back: The back has minimal traces of ageing or wear and remains generally clean and attractive with any marks, darkening or toning very small and light. Very faint scuff traces and the odd tiny mark or two when viewed right up close, but nigh-on crease free with no ring marks and for a cover now 44-years-old, this back is quite impressive.

Top Edge: Practically unworn, laminated and straight.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no minimal trace of wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: This spine was never laminate protected, hence it will seldom avoid rubbing, grubbiness and text erosion This has little of that, still very solid, straight with minimal compression and ALL text present and unworn. Any ageing or discolour mild and faint.

Corners: Any tip chips or rubs are tiny and faint and very fine to excellent shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this unique and rare original 60’s mono over – the stereo version has a dedicated stereo cover – this will prove very difficult to find much better. A lovely cover, seldom seen, it should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: the original CBS promotional inner is still very attractive and only marked down a little for neat edge splits from the quite heavy record. This is unlined and promotes the records of the day including Dylan’s ‘Blonde on Blonde’, The Byrds’ ‘Fifth Dimension’ and Simon and Garfunkel’s ‘Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme’ (amongst others). Two immaculate undamaged window circles and barely any creasing at all. Some darkening seen on the white back to remind of it’s considerable age, but this for me is simply perfect and gives that real feeling of authenticity to a 44-year-old piece.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: a very fine visual copy that is clean with fine shine, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with fairly modest plays I feel sure, there are some mainly light surface marks that few records of this type will avoid totally. So not prisitine visually but still impressive given the age and mode. We all know what so many of these vintage monos look and sound like these days. An acoustic album that is delicate with no loud passages to mask unwanted sounds – but glad to state, not many here anyway. Visually a super record that should please many collectors but not the perfectionists. How many mono originals will truly even exist in a true near mint condition anyway?

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 fantastic mono original first-pressed record plays even above it’s solid visual grading with little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound (that for me, being the crucial factor), all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are light and gentle and infrequent. No pops were heard and any clicks very few and gentle. Albums of this delicate nature will rarely, if ever (being realistic) avoid the odd light reminder of what they actually are – a fragile 44-year-old mono record that has been enjoyed a modest few times. Few original examples – especially in the more perilous mono mode – will outperform this earliest pressing significantly I feel sure. This record has suffered NO arm drops or jolts and tracking was easy and effortless. A record not really made to be played on very revealing stereo equipment, but this still sounds marvellous - any audio blemishes are very light and infrequent indeed and most fans will enjoy this. Most-all of the visible marks are ignored and sound quality is impressive, but total silence is a near impossible ask. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played relative light and has been clearly well stored and reasonably carefully handled. Little, if anything really spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, only the second example I have ever had – the other being a stereo. The presentation of the music is different and many prefer the mono mix which was still the mode of choice of the day. This record will prove difficult to find better and can be highly recommended unless perfection is mandatory. The Young Al Stewart rarely sounded better than this – Bedsitter Bliss.

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 QED Silver 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as 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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.