ECLECTION - SCARCE Orig UK Elektra 68 SUPERB ONE-OFF LP

	£		53
	$		70

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: ECLECTION

Album Title: Eclection.

Producer: Ossie Byrne.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: In Her Mind; Nevertheless; Violet Dew; Will Tomorrow Be the Same; Still I Can See; In the Early Days.

Side 2: Another Time Another Place; Morning of Yesterday; Betty Brown; St Georg & and Dragon (Up the Night); Confusion.

Label/Format: Elektra – Rarer 1968 pressing on the orange and black Elektra format with textured surfaces. (Please see my label scan).

Label Condition: Both clean and attractive but under light, moderate spindle marks can be seen.

Cat Number: EKS 74023.

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: 122 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite rare - a genuine ‘lost classic’ and one-off that did not sell in any great numbers.

Original Year of Release: 1968.

Matrix Nos: EKS 74023 A2 / EKS 74023 B2

Musicians: Kerrilee Male - vocals; Michael Rosen - vocals, 6-string electric and acoustic guitars, trumpet; Georg Hultgreen - vocals, 12-string electric and acoustic guitars; Trevor Lucas - bass, vocals; Gerry Conway - drums, backin vocal.

Brief Artist & Album Info: This rare, one-off, and self-titled album by Eclection was one of the finest overlooked folk-rock recordings of the 1960s, and perhaps the best relatively unknown British folk-rock LP of all time. The band had more than a great deal going for them: four strong singers, rich multi-part harmonies, very strong original material by two composers, deftly textured mixes of electric and acoustic guitars, and tasteful orchestration that gracefully enhanced the soaring bittersweet melodies and male/female vocals. They were also one of the few British acts signed to Elektra Records - another exception was the Incredible String Band of course - this label was probably the greatest American independent of the era. The fact this gem failed to sell or the band become widely known was a real shame, so full of promise on this 1968 album, they had split up by the end of 1969 never issuing another full-length record. Female lead singer, Kerrilee Male, an Australian, possessed the most wonderful vocal and that alone makes this album extra special. With a voice at times reminding me of Annie Haslam of Renaissance and even Judith Durham with a little piece of Sandy Denny too - but very much her own style that is Kerrilee Male, if you have never heard this lady sing be prepared to be thrilled. When the group disbanded, two other members, Trevor Lucas and Gerry Conway helped form the legendary, if equally short-lived Fotheringay with Sandy Denny. Every song hits the mark and any fan of the first Fairport Convention album (and others) or Fotheringay will adore this too. Lovely folk-rock with more than a hint of pop-psych, this has it all. Beautifully packaged with a superb production and material this goes beyond essential and no serious collection should ever be without it. File it under ‘Sublime’.

Cover Grade and Format: An attractive EX. A gatefuld format and laminated front and back. Clearly, this was more available in mono with the original EKL number, this one has the original huge stereo sticker on the back. Printed and made by Ernest J. Day & Co Ltd, London. this still has the original Patent Pending text.

Lamination – Front & Back: This is still very clear and shiny with fine freshness retained. Practically devoid of lifting with hardly a noteworthy blister to be seen bar one small one on the bottom front edge towards the right corner. There are a few fine edge hairline creases and some half moons near the front right edge and a few in the same area on the back. Without these, this would have been graded still higher. There is minimal traces of dulling or friction rubs but a mild rim rub on the back can be seen under angled light. The huge stereo sticker on the back has never been removed or even picked at. So not blemish-free but still a highly attractive cover that is now over 40-years-old.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Little to fault bar some light ‘set-off’ where dark rests upon white that few, if any will ever avoid.

Top Edges: Both practically unworn and straight.

Bottom Edges: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering, both untrimmed Record enters on either edge as both are open as made with no glue marks or residues on either.

Spine and Text: Hardly any wear but the laminate has peeled. Solid, straight with mimimal compression and folded square with both right edges meeting up close together and parallel. The text is perfect and unworn and although exposed, the surface has not rubbed or grubbied. Any chips are few and tiny too.

Corners: A couple of the right corners have tip rubs but barely any on the spine pair. All retain fine shape.

Cover Summary: An attractiave all round example of this rare late 60’s cover, one that will prove quite difficult to find significantly better. This colourful item should please many collectors but not the perfectionists.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX(-) with a few paper scuffs and hairlines that have little to no audio impact. A highly respectable visual copy, that is clean with fine shine, solidly pressed and intense black. An early sixties pressed example of this scarce folk-rock gem and in elusive stereo, clearly played a number of times but still with very pleasing audio quality. It will again please many collectors but again, not the perfectionists.

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 snippetts 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 lovely album plays above its visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, clean, distortion-free sound, never take this for granted on any 60s albums, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very crisp, focused sound that has fine detail. Even a solo trumpet, which is Love Forever Changes like in its beauty, plays focused with no break-up or echo distortions. Barely any unwanted sounds at all and this on a fairly delicate album with moments of quietness, it’s likely few available copies will play much better than this. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this ‘lost’ psych-folk gem. This title is never an easy one to find with very pleasing sound. One of the great survivors from this period.

End Piece: ‘Eclection’ is simply another masterwork that was fated not to sell, like other classics from bands like The Velvet Underground, Kaleidoscope (UK) - even The Doors initially, and this title is highly regarded by fans of the genre, sort-after and collectable. If premier-league female vocals are your thing, they don’t come much better than Kerrilee Male - and folk-rock with a psych edge does not get offered much better. ‘Eclection’ is an indispensable album and after hearing it you will yearn for more, but sadly like label-mates Clear Light, this was their only album which is nothing short of tragic. For those yet to discover Election, well worthy of a bid, good luck.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth 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.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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]) = £12. (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 timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.