FAIRPORT CONVENTION Liege & Lief SUPERB ISLAND PINK RIM

	£		25
	$		34

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: FAIRPORT CONVENTION

Album Title: Liege and Lief

Producer: Joe Boyd

Cat Number: ILPS 9115.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Come All Ye; Reynardine; Matty Groves; Farewell, Farewell.

Side 2: The Deserter; Medley: The Lark in the Morning, Rakish Paddy; Foxhunter’s Jog; Toss the Feathers; Tam Lin; Crazy Man Michael.

Label/Format: Island – pink rim format with witch logo.

Label Conditions: Two very clean, fresh and attractive examples with a fantastic rich, pastel-like colour. Spindle marks are few, fine and faint, only seen under light. There is no hole rim wear at all and these early pink rims have the deepest I think I have ever seen.

Rarity: Moderately scarce: and rarely have I ever heard a cleaner or better pressed example. This very solidly pressed PORKY/PECKO, first EMI pressing offers pristine sound – and I do realise that is a bold statement for this album – often heard crackly and even with distortion. The final song on each side being very prone and vulnerable, have no fears on this one, both (and all others) play beautifully. This too with the original E.J. Day cover, in very fine condition making an even more elusive find. For those who simply want the very best audio reproduction possible, this copy delivers.

Original Year of Release: 1969. This copy from around 1971.

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: 134 grams. About average, or slightly above for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9115 A-4U & ILPS 9115 B-4U

Mothers / Stampers: 1 M / 1 H

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘PORKY’ / ‘PECKO’

Brief Info: Following the wonderful What We Did On Our Holidays and the sublime Unhalfbricking Fairport Convention issued for me one of the greatest albums ever made: forget any folk categories for this monumental album. For any listener who appreciates quality music will love this classic album. This is more folk-rock and has some of the most sublime songs and performances ever recorded. Featuring the strongest ever line-up of this legendary band: Sandy Denny, arguably the finest female vocalist the UK has ever had; Richard Thompson, certainly one of the finest guitarists and songwriters with his very distinctive style; Dave Swarbrick, violinist extraordinaire; Simon Nicol; Dave Mattacks and Ashley Hutchings – almost a supergroup. Every song on this legendary album is a classic – beautiful songs, including ‘Matty Groves’ a song of forbidden love and dreadful revenge ending in a blistering solo from Swarbrick. Also the haunting ‘Farewell, Farewell’ a song of such rare beauty it never fails to give me a lump in the throat, Sandy’s vocals are simply impeccable. This very early EMI-pressed pink rim copy plays with reference quality sound. So many examples, no matter what their label format, often fail to please with crackle and unwanted press sounds. This copy has none and offers master-tape quality for all. A record that is highly intolerant of old stylus abuse, this copy has been played, but very carefully and only lightly. Truly, I cannot imagine hearing a better sounding copy.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: High: another Island unlaminated gatefold that are always prone to all the perils of ringwear, rubbing, sticker tears and fading.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): an unlaminated gatefold format with matt surfaces. A heavy and robustly constructed cover that was printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group.

Cover Front: A cover that does not wear well, here seen with few blemishes and still very clean and attractive. Any marks are few and faint and hardly any creasing with barely any traces of grubbiness. With normal viewing, this has little to really fault and this front sets a high standard.

Cover Back: Very similar with just a very fine lightly darkened ring arc near the bottom edge and a tiny burr trace on the left edge. Considering how wear-prone this cover is, the back especially, this looks quite impressive.

Cover Gatefold Inner: A little crease on the bottom left corner, present from new I feel sure. As there is none on the same area outside, there is no way this could happen after manufacture. This apart, nothing else to fault and both sides almost remind of new.

Top Edges: Both look practically as made, solid, thick and straight.

Bottom Edges: Practically as above, any rub traces are very faint indeed.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp to very sharp with barely a trace of wear and gauranteed untrimmed. Just that aforementioned burr trace which is pretty tiny. The front edge is tucked and fully sealed, so the record enters on the back edge. This format is exactly the same as the first full pink pressing.

Spine and Text: A superb spine, almost looking new. Solid, thick and dead straight with no compression or tilt. Folded squarely so the edges are parallel. Something I consider important for the more discerning collector, as it makes the cover appear so much neater and attractive. All text is pristine perfect and totally unworn and clean (please see my close-up picture). Totally rub-free, even on the more delicate folds and no discolouration. Almost too good for words and seldom seen like this.

Corners: Any tip rubbing is tiny and faint, barely any actually. All retain excellent shape (or better).

Cover Summary: A highly impressive example of a cover often seen in apalling conditions with grubbiness and ringwear rife, this is a clean and attractive example that retains a genuine freshness – without doubt, cover protected for most of it’s existence. This should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): this has the plain white, unlined inner sleeve – the blue inners came a little later. This has little to fault other than some mild glue darkening on the seams which all remain unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface marks few, light and faint. Ultra fine and whispy hairline traces catch angled light and, of course, have no sound whatsoever. Visually a lovely record which is at least 40-years-old, but hardly shows it, it should please 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: One of the greatest albums ever to adorn the classic Island label. This evergreen classic plays even above it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. Only rarely could I ever state this for what is a challenging recording and sometimes variable pressing. This one offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. It has no pressing sounds or cutting noises, that is far from guaranteed (but IS here). Any surface sounds barely even registered, this being played on a highly revealing system. No pops or clicks were noted either. So often spoilt by considerable surface and pressing noises, or simply played to destruction on less than worthy equipment, this is an example of the other side of the spectrum. The audio quality remains very high, sharp and focused with even Swarbrick’s violin remaining crisp and precise – this critical instrument is often the first to breakup and distort if subjected to heavy wear on heavy tracking vintage equipment. Few copies will outperform this very early pink rim re-pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very modestly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing whatsoever, spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy, for pure quality, clean sound, will prove nigh-on impossible to find better and merits my highest possible recommendation. If sound is more important than label design or issue date, this more than fits the bill.

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.

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 prompt 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 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: 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 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. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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: 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’.