ATOMIC ROOSTER (1st) RARER ORIG UK 1970 B&C 1st-Press 'Flute' Mix EX++ LP.

	£		100
	$		133

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 arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to 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.

Artist or Band: ATOMIC ROOSTER

Album Title: Atomic Rooster.

Producer(s): Tony Colton & Atomic Rooster.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Friday the 13th; And So to Bed; Broken Wings; Before Tomorrow.

Side 2: Banstead; S.L.Y.; Winter; Decline & Fall.

Label/Format: B&C – with matt surfaces. Both sides are heavily textured and have the deep inner ring ridge. This the very first pressing with the original ‘flute’ mix.

Label Conditions: Both in near supreme condition and little short of reference standard. Very clean, fresh and attractive with only two or three very light, fine and faint spindle marks, even lesser so on side two. I have rarely seen more striking and more beautiful original B&C labels.

Cat Number: CAS 1010.

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: 175 grams. A staggering weight for any record, anything over 160 grams I consider a heavyweight, but few standard records went over 170 grams. A monster slab of vintage vinyl, and one that appears hardly even played.

Country of Manufacture and Note: England. This a UK first issue that was shipped overseas to Canada, but survived the journey there and back with little wear. The only issue, as is so often the case, a sticker pull on the rooster’s right wingtip, the original owner has enhanced this area a little and is not that obvious, but this being a smallish flaw but little else. As seen on my pictures, the front cover has an ‘OPUS ’69 Import Rarities’ sticker on the front. The inner sleeve has an ‘Ear Wax Records’ stamp on the correct thick polylined inner sleeve. It has an Ontario Street, St Catharines, Ont. address. So an important part of this record’s history, and the irony, even after thousands of miles of travel, this cover is still one of the best I have seen for this album. One that just seems to attract damage, rubbing, splits, sticker pulls and creasing. Well this has little to fault bar the aforementioned sticker mark and cosmetic improve on the wingtip. The Opus 69 sticker hides absolutely NOTHING, and is 100 per cent genuine. It is fairly transparent, so the graphic underneath can be seen and NO issues whatsoever. Clearly there from day one when exported, and never picked at or tampered with. It has only gently darkened a fraction around the edges with age. Not a cover for the perfectionist with the sticker pull issue, but this will still take come beating overall and remains highly attractive.

Rarity: Very scarce: probably the most elusive within their catalogue to find decent B&C copies are harder still. The first issues had a very different mix to subsequent isssues. Originals known as the ‘flute’ mix and then ‘guitar’ mix for the repressing. Second issues added guitar to some songs to give a fuller sound. But many fans prefer the original and far rarer first recording only available for a relatively short time. To be clear: this copy is the very first, rare ‘flute’ mix. Also this is never easy to find quietly pressed, these early textured B&C label albums are known to have issues and rarely escape with none. This copy has a little, very gentle surface sound on the odd quiet passage (‘Winter’ on side two is a very quiet song), but quite possibly the least heard thus far and barely anything spoilt my enjoyment of this elusive prog-rock classic. Being honest, if silence is mandatory, the only likely to experience it is via a digital format, in my 13+ years dealing on Ebay, I have never heard a ‘silent’ copy of this record as a first issue.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: CAS + 1010 + A2 / CAS + 1010 + B2 [both deeply punched and large]

Musicians: Vincent Crane – Hammond organ, piano, backing vocals; Carl Palmer – drums, percussion; Nick Graham – bass guitar, vocals, flute. NOTE: John Du Cann did not play on the first mix pressing, he added guitar parts to the second issue that followed later.

Brief Info: Debut album and an important part in the development of British progressive rock. This album features Vincent Crane formerly of the Crazy of World of Arthur Brown who was to become the stalwart member of this band. Also present was Carl Palmer who quickly left to help form Emerson, Lake and Palmer, his percussion work on this album is magnificent throughout. Heavy keyboard driven progressive rock, this debut was seldom bettered by them and is essential for all prog fans. I reitterate again, this is the original mix version WITHOUT the added guitar parts that came a little later. It is a much-prized album within the genre and does sound quite different to the later version. This a superheavyweight weight record, initially exported to Canada, now back here again, it appears hardly even played and probably offering the best sound you will get from this record that is well-known to be an indifferent pressing. The cover has the sticker mark and enhancement by the original owner, but still looks superb and one the cleaner, fresher examples I have seen. Yes, it has a flaw, but all other aspects of this fragile cover are better than usually seen.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: BUT with a vertical sticker surface pull that has been quite well enhanced by the original owner (NOT myself). I have not included that in my grading as any opinion is subjective and somewhat meaningless from person-to-person. A single unlaminated cover with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group, this has an import sticker on the front which is clearly seen on my picture. An import factor to determine a first issue cover is seen inside the storage area. Originals have rounded internal flipback ends instead of square-cut (as seen in my picture close-up).

Cover Front: I have largely described this above, but again, it has a vertical surface sticker pull that has been enhanced to blend in the wingtip of the rooster. So it has far less visual impact, but clearly a flaw, so not for the highly discerning cover person. But that said, this is still a lovely looking front and one of the very cleanest I have ever seen. The Opus 69 import company sticker with deep purple text is superb and hides nothing, clearly placed early via export to Canada. The lack of ringwear, creasing and grubbiness are major plus-points, and bar the aforementioned pull, this front could have been considered exceptional. Sticker marks and tears happen, a pure fact-of-life in the world of record covers.

Cover Back: I can state with absolute confidence, this back IS exceptional, I have seen one that even came close. Barely any wear or issues at all. Notoriously prone to ringwear and rubbing, this has barely anything. A couple of tiny tip creases but clean, fresh and very attractive indeed.

Top Edge: Thin, but very straight with hardly any traces of wear.

Bottom Edge: Slightly less straight near the ends with a little patchy surface rubbing that is rarely avoided on the storage edge.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely any wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with any compression light mostly near the centre. Only a little patchy rubbing with most of the green colour intact as is most of the text. The ‘CA’ of the catalogue number has eroded with pretty much all else present and easy to read.

Corners: Any rubbing on white area corners shows little and all retain very fine to excellent shape.

Cover Summary: A fine excellent example of a difficult cover but (again) with the sticker mark on the front. Still one of the best I have seen for many years, this a cover rarely seen this clean. NOTE: this one has no ‘extra’ guitar credits on the back which of course is correct for a first issue cover. This includes a specialist heavy-duty plain white inner with the ‘Ear Wax Records’ of Ontario shop stamp. This a German-made inner that was probably a replacement used by the shop for more careful storage of the record. The plain white traditional B&C unlined inner is also included in excellent condition with no edge splits and minimal creasing or ageing.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a very impressive visual copy that is very clean with fine shine and massively pressed on very thick vinyl. Even by these early B&C pressing standards, this is a real heavyweight that will take belt-driven turntables a little longer to get up to speed. This has all the hallmarks of those very early pink Island records with the same style deeply-textured labels. With scrutiny under light, any surface traces are tiny, few and very faint and without doubt, this prog classic has hardly been played. Few will be found much better and most collectors will enjoy the quality of it’s appearance – both the collectable B&C labels are exceptional as well.

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 rare original mix original record plays mostly very well indeed but does have light traces of surface sound in places – so not for the absolute perfectionist – that said, it will prove beyond difficult to find much better or lesser played. Nothing loud at all but only lightly evident on the odd quite passage – notably the song ‘Winter’ on side two is very quiet indeed. Early B&C pressings are known not to always be the very best pressed or quiet – ‘variable’ is the word – but this overall plays very well indeed and has NO distortions or pressing rasps. All the music and vocals crisp and focused. I remind I play on very sensitive equipment too as listed further down. It offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed and powerful sound. Clearly the band wanted a fuller, richer sound on subsequent pressings, so they remixed the album with extra guitar parts by future member John Du Cann. But many fans prefer the original sound known as the ‘flute’ mix that was only available for a relatively brief time before being changed. Being honest, both versions are essential for prog and Atomic Rooster fans as they do sound quite different. No pops or noteworthy clicks were heard and any minor surface sound is simply within the pressing, and most all will be the same (and usually with more than here). It is highly probabale few copies will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure and this is a copy I still enjoyed immensely. A little gentle ‘contact’ sound worries me little, it is almost part of the experience, if silence is demanded, well the digital formats offer it, but nothing beats the warmth and genuine realism of the first issue analogue sound. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful debut album, probably still their most elusive album. It will prove difficult to find significantly better and unless total silence is mandatory, it merits strong recommendation.

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’.