BLODWYN PIG Ahead Rings Out RARE Island Textured Pink i

	£		25
	$		33

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options.

Artist or Band: BLODWYN PIG

Album Title: Ahead Rings Out.

Producer(s): Andy Johns.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: It’s Only Love; Dear Jill; Sing Me a Song That I Know; The Modern Alchemist.

Side 2: Up and Coming; Leave it With Me; Change Song; Ain’t Ya Coming Home.

Label/Format: Island – Full Pink format with i logo. Deeply textured finish with a ‘rustic’ look and feel. Initial pressings were briefly available on the pink ‘block’ format but these are quite rare. These labels have a lovely salmon pink hue – a real pink colour with a pastel-like finish. My scanner may not portray the colour exactly as they appear for real and this can vary immensely depending on the set-up and resolution of individual computer monitors of course.

Label Conditions: Two supreme examples that are clean, very fresh and highly attractive. Barely any spindle marks at all and these rarer textured pink labels will prove hard to find better.

Cat Number: ILPS 9101.

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. Yes true! – an extraordinary weight for this record. Discerning Island collectors will know these prized punched matrixed, textured label label pressings are elusive and of the highest quality. A label still in it’s relative infancy and their records pressed by various makers. Some were less than wonderful for clean sound, but these massively pressed examples were in a class of their own and rarely failed to hit the mark. This copy is audiophile standard and sounds absolutely stunning and plays with little unwanted.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: this has always been a somewhat difficult album to find in strong conditions. The first pink block pressings are elusive and equally so the heavy pressed textured label versions – both not available for long. Most of these are seen on the pink rim label. The cover is notoriously wear-prone and what chance does this have with a massive thick slab inside for over 40 years? With that in mind, this one has faired quite well and does still look attractive. No pressing before or after will offer better sound and more fine detail than this.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: ILPS+9001+A / ILPS+9001+B2 (large Roman block letters, deeply punched)

Brief Artist & Album Info: Formed by Mick Abrahams after departing Jethro Tull after just the one album. That early This Was Jethro Tull sound is still there and this is a brilliant debut album – and I use the word ‘brilliant’ in it’s true context. Blodwyn Pig used more brass for a richer sound than Tull ever did – it works perfectly and this album really is great. This copy is strong, a highly respectable practically EX cover - one of the real tough Island sleeves because of the solid deep colour that takes no prisoners for wear and blemishes. The record is the same with just one tiny mark emitting around half a dozen clicks, then for or five faint ticks after, mostly lost in the rich sound, but little else, it offers astonishing sound, massively dynamic and loud. Any rock-loving vinyl collector will treasure this brilliant album, high in octane and one of my favourite Island albums.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD(++). An unlaminated gatefold (shame Island did not laminate their sleeves often), with matt finish. Printed and made by Ernest J. Day & Co.

Cover Front: Massively wear-prone but the front surface retains fine good looks with it’s far ‘out-there’ pig cover. The artwork itself is practically unworn with any rubbing to the pink areas mild and very modest. Barely any creasing and still offering high freshness with no ring marks or grubbiness. A few light edge rubs but this front alone grades near excellent than very good.

Cover Back: To fine one of these devoid of heavy penetrating ringwear is an achievement initself and this has only very light and super-fine traces near the top and bottom (look hard however). A fraction more traces of rubbing than the front but even this is marginal. With a 170+ record inside these numbe of years, I am truly amazing this back has survived this fine, again there are barely any creases.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Little wear here at all, and the lack of set-off on the white right face is unusual. This centrefold is way into excellent territory.

Top Edges: Some light to moderate patchy rubbing on the back, barely any on the front.

Bottom Edges: Up to moderate rubbing on both which is again patchy. The main reason for the strictly Very Good Plus grading.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear. No noteworthy burring and any thickening modestly light with no trimming. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Again this has some patchy rubbing, mainly quite light but with some text eroded. All the band name is present, the word ‘out’ from the title is gone as are the last two digits of the catalogue number. Still solid, straight, with any compression very light. Folded square so the edges are almost parallel and meet up near flush.

Corners: All corners have rubbed: ranging from light to moderate with fine, some very fine, shape retained.

Cover Summary: A very difficult cover in highly respectable condition and with the main four faces somewhat above average, this still very pleasing to the eye. One many collectors will enjoy, but as the grading suggests, not for the highly discerning this time.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a plain white polylined inner with two immaculate circle windows. Minor ageing from glue darkening on the seams that all remain intact and barely any creasing with the lining ultra clear.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: or very close to with one tiny mark at the start of ‘Dear Jill’ that has the brief clicks mentioned above. Very clean, shiny, jet black and massively pressed. Almost a freak pressing, few records even from the 60s golden era were pressed this huge weight. Thick vinyl and deep grooves any mild surface marks are simply ignored and this offers incredible sound. Any surface marks are few and very fine indeed and without doubt, this has been very modestly played. Visually a super record that should please many collectors again.

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 super record plays above it’s fine visual grading with little to fault bar the aforementioned brief clicks on the very start track two. Strong, distortion-free sound – never take this for granted on this album with all the reed instruments that suffer more than most on vintage records, all frequencies here are sharp, focused and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very powerful sound. This brilliant recording has the characteristics of a mono record with rich powerful forward production – this is great hi-fi. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, and few copies will play much better than this. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly. Barely anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this vintage rock classic. This copy will prove quite difficult to find significantly better for brilliant sound – but if those tiny few clicks are an issue – do not bid.

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.

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.

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 stiffners 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: 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). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (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 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’.