ELEPHANT'S MEMORY inc JOHN LENNON RARE MINT APPLE LP

	£		207
	$		275

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: ELEPHANT’S MEMORY

Album Title: Elephant’s Memory.

Producer(s): John & Yoko Lennon.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Liberation Special; Baddest of the Mean; Cryin’ Blacksheep Blues; Chuck’n Bo.

Side 2: Gypsy Wolf; Madness; Life; Wind Ridge; Power Boogie; Local Plastic Ono Band.

Label/Format: Apple – original dark format (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both pristine Mint – a word I will rarely even contemplate using, but here these two Apple labels look brand new. Ultra clean, fresh and jaw-drop attractive. Even under a 150 watt intense light bulb (that I visually grade all my records under), I can seen not even one hint of a spindle trace. This is a 1972 record time and the original owner has overlooked and will delight even the most discerning sound enthusiastic and collector – audiophile’s please apply.

Cat Number: SAPCOR 22.

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: 138 grams. Above average weight for a time when vinyl usage was reduced in the time of the oil shortage.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Considerably harder to find than the out-of-touch price guides seem to suggest. This was no big seller and has always been quite elusive. One in this condition will prove rare and near impossible to find better and it includes the inner too that is often missing.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: SAPCOR 22 A-1U / SAPCOR 22 B-1U

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 A / 1 G one of the earliest ever made.

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘DO THE DELTA PORKY’ / ‘PECKIE - TIME’

Musicians: Stan Bronstein - sax, clarinet, vocals; Rick Frank - drums; Wayne ‘Tex’ Gabriel - guitar; Arthur Kaplan - bass; Adam Ippolito - keyboards, vocals. Guest: John Lennon - guitar, piano, backing vocal.

Brief Info: One of the less heralded Apple bands and albums, this is not seen or offered too often and is quite a hard one to even find as a UK first pressing. Most offered are US pressings which are far easier. Issued on The Beatles’ Apple label – John Lennon was a major fan and does play on this album. The band are best known for backing him in 1972, they featured on his double set ‘Some Time in New York City’. They also appeared on the ‘Midnight Cowboy’ soundtrack and briefly employed Carly Simon as vocalist in 1968. This was their only full album on Apple but did make one previous record on Buddah. I regard this as almost a ‘lost’ Apple album, it rarely gets the attention (or any attention at all) it merits. Lennon clearly endorsed them and was a big fan, he appears on this album with a few cameo roles. Not the ‘prettiest’ album covers ever, but that out of my control – the conditions however superb and the record is simply as made and sounds sublime. This is a fine set of somewhat varied material, open your ears and listen to this vastly under-appreciated US band.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): an unlaminated gatefold format with a matt smooth finish. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. This copy includes the original illustrated inner sleeve.

Cover Front: A difficult cover and not the most pleasant of graphics with the body of a decaying elephant. But it will seldom be seen in much better condition. A light rub near the top edge against the inside flipback construction with any other blemishes, marks or rub traces being ultra few, tiny and faint. Barely a crease to be seen and this retains a high degree of freshness. With such a ‘sad’ graphic, it is hard to say this front looks ‘attractive’, but in terms of lack of wear, it does.

Cover Back: The back is little short of as made and looks immaculate. The thin card inner sleeve has probably protected it from ringwear, any traces of rim impression are ultra faint indeed and it will seldom be seen better. Again no creasing and barely a hint of marks or rubbing, both outer faces are superb.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside is practically like new.

Top Edges: Any rub traces are tiny, few and faint, also very straight too. Any rubbing of any real note, confined to the very end tips.

Bottom Edges: Light patchy rubbing, more moderate near the right on the back edge. This is the only reason this cover did not get a Mint(-) grading. Being the traditional storage edges on a dark non-laminate, this will rarely escape some rubbing here.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and no feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. The front is tucked and folded, not cut in manufacture, so no white edge which makes this far neater. This edge has barely rubbed at all. So the record enters on the open back edge which has thickened little and with just the odd small burr trace.

Spine and Text: This in very fine condition. Solid, straight, uncompressed and folded square, all edges meet up closely together and parallel which always makes a difference for neatness and visual pleasure. All text is perfect and unworn. Any rubbing near the very ends and then this is only small and mild, especially for a cover like this. Even those delicate folds have avoided rubbing.

Corners: All have light rubbing but retain very fine shape, I can hardly imagine this one not having any at all. These tip rubs only really show viewed end-on and hardly at all via normal viewing of the main areas.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this elusive UK-made Apple cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This scarce item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT: total perfection as made. I have never seen one of these before and clearly it was adapted from the US version. The tell-tale sign is the small SAPCOR 22 and G&L insets under the lyrics on the back side. Clearly a paste-over on the original artwork for a new UK printing plate. This is immaculate, no wear, handling traces, edge splits (or repairs), creasing and with a deeply recesses top opening total unworn. Try finding this elusive UK version of this inner better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT: I will break my protocol and not even offer a minus on this incredible Apple record. There is no evidence whatsoever this has even been played before – that is not to say it hasn’t – I never believe any one who bought a record would not play it at least once, what I am saying, there is NO evidence of usage. A truly stunning visual copy that is as clean, shiny, intense black and fresh as when it made it into the record shop. Solidly pressed and even directly under my 150W bulb, I am struggling to find any surface traces worthy of mention. I firmly believe, no record will ever be mark-free if you scrutinise closely enough, but this is pretty close. The beautiful labels and immaculate playing surfaces suggest the most scant of usage, and this has been preserved in a condition few could ever match or find better. Visually one of the most jaw-drop immaculate Apple records I have ever seen, this will please even the connoissuer vinyl purist.

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 scarce Apple record plays to it’s visual grading with 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. Surface sounds?, well anything barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few copies will match let alone outperform this very early issue I feel certain. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record had been played no more than once – if indeed, at all. This is a class act, make no mistake, I can be as certain as I ever could be, I will never find this record, inner (or possibly cover) better. Only my second ever example of this title and I truly think it’s a scarce one. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this elusive Apple record. This record will prove nigh-on impossible to find better and merits my highest possible 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 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. 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 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: Please as 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.

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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.