BYRDS Sweetheart of the Rodeo RARER Orig UK 68 MONO LP

	£		87
	$		115

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe (including Russia) £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases and will never compromise on solid, safe packing.

Artist or Band: THE BYRDS

Album Title: Sweetheart of the Rodeo.

Producer(s): Gary Usher.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: You Ain’t Going Nowhere; I Am a Pilgrim; The Christian Life; You Don’t Miss Your Water; You’re Still on My Mind; Pretty Boy Floyd.

Side 2: Hickory Wind; One Hundred Years From Now; Blue Canadian Rockies; Life in Prison; Nothing Was Delivered.

Label/Format: CBS - matt and smooth finish (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only light and light+, mostly fine and faint spindle marks as seen more under angled light and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: 63353.

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: 155 grams. Another real heavyweight and somewhat above average.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rarer in mono and a lovely clean unspoilt copy too.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: 63353 A1 / 63353 B2

Musicians: Roger McGuinn - acoustic guitar, banjo, vocals; Chris Hillman - electric bass, mandolin, acoustic guitar, vocals; Gram Parsons - acoustic guitar, piano, organ, vocals; Kevin Kelley - drums. Guest Musicians: Lloyd Green, JayDee Maness - pedal steel guitar, Clarence White - electric guitar, John Hartford - banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar, Roy Husky - double bass, Earl P. Ball, Barry Goldberg - piano.

Brief Info: Is this the greatest country-rock album ever made?, well for me nothing compares to this tremendous late 60s album that featured Gram Parsons - his massive influence on this famous Byrds incursion into full country rock is beyond any doubt, although this wonderful US band’s songs often contained elements of country music. The decision to make a full album of country music was always going to be controversial but the whole set works beautifully and remained pretty much a one-off album from their classic catalogue. Sadly not a commercial success, it even failed to chart in the UK so you can imagine how scarce early UK copies of this will be - the mono versions will be even scarcer and ones in strong, lightly played condition will be pretty rare now. A beautifully packaged album with superb cover artwork this record is truly essential - this not only sounds wonderful it looks terrific too and will please many fans of the legendary US band.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: a single format with front laminate. This wraps around the top and bottom edges but not the spine, hence exposed, thin and vulnerable. And this one has rubbed as is often the case. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day and includes the ‘Patent Pending’ text and original orange CBS promotional inner sleeve.

Lamination & Front: A lovely graphic and a deceptively difficult cover, often with laminate issues. This has little and this is a very attractive front with fresh, clear and shiny surface with no lifting and any dulling around the rim very mild and faint as seen critically under light. Both left and right have thin strips of non-protection, hence prone to wear around these area. The right side is superb, the left has a few very small surface chips. A few light, mostly small surface creases, all bar a couple on the edges as fine hairline types with little visibility. The graphic is very black and superbly attractive, overall, this front will not prove easy to find much better.

Cover Back: The matt and unprotected back has little real wear at all, but does have a little gentle toning spots towards the left on the white part. But the lack of creasing, rubbing and ringwear is a major plus and any mild discolour is only a polite hint of it’s considerable age.

Top Edge: Dead straight and unworn.

Bottom Edge: As above up to the right corner tip.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp and crisp with barely any wear, any thickening or burring minuscule and faint. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, reasonably straight with minimal compression. But this has no laminate protection and is quite fine, so it has rubbed. The CBS and 63353 text is pretty much present and intact, but the band and title in the central area is largely eroded and gone. This being the main area of wear for the more discerning collector. However with the front and back being almost exceptional, hopefully this more than compensates.

Corners: Any tip rubbing is very small and light and they retain very fine to excellent shape.

Cover Summary: A lovely cover with just the surface rubbing to the spine. So not for the highly discerning in that respect but many collectors will enjoy it.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: and only marked down a little for a single crease on the back and lesser-so on the front. An unlined open CBS promotional inner with two crisp undamaged window circles and all edges unsplit with no repairs – this has aged little being clean and fresh – and guaranteed original.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with only modest plays on all the evidence with any surface marks few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. There are NO penetrating scratches on two impressive playing surfaces which is always worthy of special note on mono records and visually a super disc that should please many, if not most 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 classic and more elusive mono record plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing 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. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. The songs play quiet with clear, focused and crisp sound and immediately evident to me this has not been exposed to any worn or chipped mono stylus from the distant past – this the crucial factor for vintage monos especially if they are to be played on a modern, highly revealing stereo system. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played only lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly 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 8,000+ items sold in over 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 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] = £4.25

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 (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 (£17 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’.