ANDY ROBERTS Home Grown RARE ORIG UK 1970 RCA 1st Press & Mix EX LP. SELDOM SEEN

	£		87
	$		115

ONEADAYRECORDS – Serving-up a Christmas Feast of Entertainment.

I would like to wish all my customers, regulars and newcomers, a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Over the Christmas Holiday Period, I will be offering some really lovely pieces for your purusal and future enjoyment, so please keep watching.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World £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. More details on this 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.

Artist or Band: ANDY ROBERTS

Album Title: Home Grown.

Producer(s): Sandy Roberton and Andy Roberts.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Home Grown; Just For The Record; Applecross; The Praties Are Dug; John The Revelator; Autunmn to May; Moths and Lizards in Detroit.

Side 2: Creepy John; Jello; Gig Song; Queen of the Moonlight World; Where the Soul of Man Never Dies; The One-Armed Boatman and the Giant Squid; Boris at the Organ.

Label/Format: RCA Victor – orange format with matt, smooth surfaces (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both clean, fresh and attractive with any spindle marks or blemishes few, light and faint. Faint dulling seen with scrutiny under light, possibly and quite likely adhesive smear in manufacture. I am being very critical here and really hardly worthy of menion.

Cat Number: SF 8066.

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: 150 grams. A heavyweight RCA record on the then quite new orange format. Prior to 1969, RCA labels were black and pressed by Decca, these had weights like this almost as normal. But records from 1970 onwards tended to be substantially thinner.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce as a first UK pressing. Initially released in 1970 on this orange RCA label, but quickly deleted and then repressed in 1971 with a new cover and track listing on B&C Records. Five of the original songs were removed and one new one added. This sold poorly as a first issue and initial ones included a lyric insert sheet which is even rarer than the album itself. By far the toughest challenge on the original is finding one that is well-pressed – more on that further down.

Original Year of Release: First issued: 1970 (as per this RCA one on offer with 14 tracks, laminated original dog laminated cover and with lyric insert).

Reissued: In 1971 on B&C Records with 10 tracks (5 removed from this original, with 1 new song added).

Matrix Nos: XGBS 0313 1 / XGBS 0314 1

Mothers / Stampers: A 4 / A 1

Musicians: Vocals, Guitar, Percussion, Flute, Violin – Andy Roberts; Bass Guitar – Dave Richards, Mike Evans; Steel Guitar – Gordon Huntley; Vocals, Drums, Percussion – Roger Powell; Vocals, Piano, Mellotron, Electric Piano, Organ – Ian Whiteman; Backing Vocals – Kathy Kissoon, Mac Kissoon, Mike London.

Brief Info: This was Andy Roberts’s debut album and a somewhat overlooked folk-rock gem. Quickly deleted by RCA and then repressed on B&C, albeit in a totally different cover, track selection and even sound mix. Possibly not a household name for many music fans as a solo artist, he was formerly a member of the Liverpool Scene before joining Plainsong and then Grimms. Inbetween time, this and two other ‘solo’ albums were made. He appeared with several other artists as a session musician, including guitar-work on Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’, later he went into film and television music. ‘Home Grown’ is a highly regarded album and sort-after by folk-rock collectors, especially so as it includes three members of Mighty Baby. A first edition is somewhat special being available for such a limited time, and the repressing is just so different, it can hardly be compared as the same album, although the original title remained. This copy also includes an original lyric insert sheet, which is rarer than the record itself.

A SPECIAL NOTE: In nearly 13 years of selling vinyl on Ebay, I have had three copies of this record on RCA. All have been somewhat indifferent pressings, and my opinion on early RCA recordings post-Decca (1969 through to early 1970s) is not great. Just looking at the record under bright angled light, impurities within the vinyl can be seen as dulled patchy areas. Whereas Decca – for me, the greatest record manufacturer in the UK bar none – used top quality, almost certainly virgin vinyl, and the black label RCA records were invariably superb. From around 1969 this changed and the vinyl quality (on some albums at least), dropped. The RCA album ‘Fresh Maggots’ is a well-known pressing disaster with most copies looking like Braile with raised dimples covering the playing surfaces. Quite how that even made it to the shops I do not know. Well this record does NOT have that problem, but finding a copy of ‘Home Grown’ as an RCA original that is clean pressed could prove near impossible (in my experience anyway). Most are noisy with surface noise and crackle due to the less than pure vinyl it appears to be pressed on. As stated, the impurities can be clearly seen on this record and my expectations on play-grade were not high. Somewhat to my surprise, this one is the best I have heard so far, but still not perfect. A little surface noise was heard here and there, but nothing remotely heavy at all. And a high percentage of this copy plays noise-free (or as close as they will ever get). One small mark has only faint and minor sound, that a blemish and not a pressing issue. So at last, a copy that can be enjoyed (unless clinical silence is non-negotiable), and truly, I do not think a ‘silent’ copy will even exist on vinyl, let’s face it, not many were even pressed. The cover is attractive with gentle wear issues only, and the insert included, also with small issues, both are described fully further down. So a very nice rarer original, NOT perfect by any means, but it could prove very difficult to find much better for looks or sound. But NOT for the highly discerning who only want perfection – should a copy of this even exist as such?

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a single format with front laminate. Clearly, this has the first issue ‘dog’ cover, reprinting graphics were totally different. The laminate covers the closed folds and ends on the back via the spine. The main back panel is matt and unprotected with a smooth finish. Printed and made in England by Robert Stace and includes the rare double-sided lyric insert sheet.

Lamination & Front: This is quite a rare cover, make no mistake. Few were printed or issued and then totally changed for the B&C reissue. This is printed on thin quite flimsy card and is prone to all forms of wear. The laminate retains a fine shine and freshness with minimal traces of dulling, so clarity remains excellent. No lifting of any note with just a few creases, most near the bottom right corner. Viewed full-on, these show little anyway. The top left edge has pressed a little, this shows but is only very small. A lovely graphic that retains excellent colour, this totally unique to this version.

Cover Back: The dark graphic back is prone to all forms of wear but has largely escaped anything major. There is a thumb-crease on the left edge and a tiny scuff trace on the bottom edge centre. Any rubbing light with gentle traces around the rim shape on the left, few will ever escape this for sure, the lack of overall creasing or heavy ring wear are considerable pluses. Minor chipping to the laminate end on the spine. Overall, both front and back remain attractive with far less wear or issues than could have been likely.

Top Edge: Little wear with just minor thickening traces to the end back panel towards the left, this being quite critical too.

Bottom Edge: Small chips to the ends, little else to fault.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear, any thickening or burring very mild as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Fairly solid, straight with some compression, so now quite thin. Four pinched creases near the top and a couple of tiny chips which shows viewed side-on. All text is perfect and unworn under the unpeeled laminate. So a couple of small untidy areas, but intact and unsplit.

Corners: Light to near moderate corner rubs with a couple of tip creases. Fine to very fine shape largely retained.

Cover Summary: A fine example of an elusive cover with most of any issues small and quite light. Overall, far more positives than negatives, but not for the cover perfectionist. With few of these around, sometimes a compromise has to be made or none would ever be offered at all. Still an attractive cover that should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: VERY GOOD(++): a plain white open unlined inner that included the ‘PATENTS APPLIED FOR’ text. Also when Decca stopped pressing RCA records, the polylined inners disappeared as well. So this is as basic as they get. A little aged with a couple of label circle splits I have repaired as neatly as I could and one corner crease. Any discolouration fairly mild and light and all seam edges unsplit with no repairs needed here.

The Lyric Insert Sheet: NEAR EXCELLENT: this guaranteed original, and it is rare. I cannot say for certain all originals had them, but likely did. But this album, when it does surface, often has it missing, maybe the few who bought it used it as a wall poster and disgarded it later? – who knows? The main issue with this one is creasing: it has a central fold, again whether it was like this when insert in manufacture, I do not know, but more unlikely I suspect. Also a crease on the top left corner and bottom right, one ‘V’ type one on the top of the centre – all mainly light. As can be seen, this was printed on both sides – one white, with song lyrics, the other very dark with credits and a picture of Roberts. The paper is quite thin, hence delicate, a couple of very small edge nicks I carefully repaired, mainly to stop the risk of them increasing in size in the future. Overall, a very fine and very rare insert sheet, the reasonably light and mainly fine creasing apart, this has little else to fault with modest handling traces and the white side very clean and unaged.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: arguably better. This is one of the most difficult albums I have had to grade, I have logically based my assessment on what I think this would have looked like from new. Meaning the obvious impurities within the vinyl pressing were there from day one in manufacture, so any degrading for this is not really correct because it has nothing to do with usage or mistreament. The only mark of any note for audio affect is a fairly small scuff on the penultimate song that omits a brief few very faint ticks. Any other ‘usage’ marks are very, to ultra fine and faint ones seen with scrutiny under angled light – mostly whispy with just the odd hairline or so that affect nothing. The main visual blemishes again, are totally within the pressing itself, but to my amazement, this copy does play well with any surface sound very light indeed and also – surprisingly – very infrequent. In fact most of this copy plays with little unwanted at all – that compared to others I have heard. Fellow-dealer friends who own this album, tell the me same story, bad pressing quality, noisy and some very much so. So visually, decent and sound quality, surprisingly pleasing. Like the cover, not for the perfectionists, again, for those who want this scarce folk-rock gem, compromise will have to be made, it should please many collectors 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This fine record plays mostly up to it’s high visual grading and some of the songs play near to the highest level with 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 detailed sound. A little surface sound here and there, but again, I suggest this betters all others I have heard, and I am sure this one will never prove easy to find much better. The smallish mark on the penultimate song has a few faint ticks (already mentioned I know). Clearly, it seems a lottery what this album will play like, there may be better out there, but for sure, there will be a lot, LOT worse. I consider this a highly respectable all-round example, a complete one too, that never easy. Very little spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this quality, but scarce debut album. This copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better and, even with smallish issues, 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 - 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’.