FAIRPORT CONVENTION Unhalfbricking 68 ISLAND 1st PRESS.

	£		190
	$		252

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down with Picture & All Shipping Rates.

Artist or Band: FAIRPORT CONVENTION

Album Title: Unhalfbricking

Producer(s): Joe Boyd, Simon & Fairport.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Genesis Hall; Si tu Dois Partir; Autopsy; A Sailor’s Life.

Side 2: Cajun Woman; Who Knows Where The Times Goes?; Percy’s Song; Million Dollar Bash.

Label/Format: Island - Original pink ‘block’ format.

Label Conditions: Both look absolutely stunning, ultra clean and fresh and clearly little handled. Spindle marks are light and relatively few and show little. No wear around the hole at all and this remains a very snug, bordering on tight fit on my Linn spindle. All evidence suggests very few plays reitterated by immaculate sound throughout.

Cat Number: ILPS 9102.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 140 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: Rare as a genuine first pressing and they do not get any earlier than this. Those lovely price guides again have this album all wrong and this must rank as one of their most glaring errors. This album was not issued on the orange eyeball format label as is listed – this pink block label, only available for a very brief few months is the ultimate first pressing, soon replaced by the more familiar pink i format. Fans of the classic period early Fairports would have had to be quite off their blocks to get a copy of this on this label and the ‘block’ format remains the rarest of the three main Island styles. Finding these in excellent condition is hard enough, finding one better is immensely challenging and a 1969 pressing that plays to perfection is nigh-on impossible these days. Well this one does, and this too play-graded on a Linn-Naim system that is critically revealing. What an absolute pleasure this was and this came from the same collection as the recent wide spine first press Beatles ‘Pepper’ I recently sold on Ebay. Again an Island treasure of the highest quality, this ticks most of the boxes and for the very best, most detailed sound possible from this album, it should please most collectors – yes even the most critical audiophiles can consider this one.

Original Year of Release: 1969.

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9102 A // 1 1 1 [and] ILPS 9102 B // 1 1 1 1 (an ultimate first pressing).

Brief Artist & Album Info: The second of three masterpieces that featured Fairport Convention with the wonderful, and sadly missed Sandy Denny. The line-up in full here were: Sandy Denny, Ashley Hutchings; Martin Lamble, Simon Nicol and Richard Thompson - virtually a folk supergroup. Unhalfbricking, a strange title was actually thought of by Sandy during a word game in the group van while travelling, her parents are the couple on the front cover. This a genuine folk-rock classic, the quality of the songs is astonishing from the very beginning, ‘Genesis Hall’, a catchy short song with a lovely haunting quality, then ‘Si su dois partir’, a surprise hit single which features Dave Swarbrick on fiddle, he actually features on half the album and his influence is highly important for this album’s quality and sound. Two more Fairport legendary titles are also included: the traditional ‘A Sailor’s Life’ which is embolded as one of the greatest folk-rock songs of all time, beautiful vocals by Sandy complemented perfectly with Thompson’s distinctive guitar and then ending with a blistering fiddle frenzy by Swarbrick, and of course Sandy’s tour de force the majestic ‘Who Knows Where the Time Goes’, not just a classic within this genre, but for me, one of the greatest songs ever written - once heard, never forgotten. This wonderful song, like the lady herself is written in folk history as one of the true greats. Also featured are three Bob Dylan songs, lesser known gems, and again are beautifully interpreted. This record is a thing of sheer beauty, the details encaptured into these totally unworn and little-used grooves take you directly into the recording studio itself. No digital enhancements or remastering necessary, this is the real thing with the sound Boyd and the band wanted, it will rarely be heard cleaner or better than this. Nothing on earth beats a first pressed copy of this or any record, it’s no wonder the more discerning collectors insist them if at all possible. The playing surfaces look fantastic, just a couple of very fine surface marks on side one that have NO sound whatsoever, side two has nothing of note and no damaging early heavyweight stylus have damaged this beauty. The rarity of a first block pressing is well documented, and I state again, no orange eyeball pink Island exist. This record and cover (also very difficult) will prove immensely difficult to hear and see better.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+. Few escape ringwear, often heavy, sticker tears, fading and significant rubbing. The early examples with heavier records inside all these years make this delicate cover wear even worse.

Cover Grade and Format: This is a really tough cover to find even a fine EX. This is a very clean and neat example and happy to grade as EX+ given the fact this delicate cover is so often seen in very poor conditions. It’s a single unlaminated format and was printed and made in England by Ernest J Day & Co Ltd. This one has a ‘Harlequin Records’ sticker on the back (bottom left corner area). These were very often seen on records of this era, the shop applied them for promotional purposes (of course), but once applied, they are nigh-on impossible to remove. Attempting to do so will 99 times out of 100 remove the cover’s surface as well, they stuck like glue and were designed not to be taken off by the manufacturer of the tape. Clearly part of the cover’s history and many overseas collectors (I am told) actually like them. Anyway, this one has been left untampered with with no damages to the cover in any attempts to remove it – thank goodness.

Cover Front: A lovely simplistic front that has great charm and finding a much better example will not prove be easy. Incredibly damage and wear-prone often by price sticker removal, but this has no evidence of one ever been applied. The only couple of small blemishes are a tiny corner rub (bottom right) and a small, fairly faint stain trace near the top left corner. But the major plusses outweigh any minor negatives. The lack of ringwear, creasing, pull marks, fading and genuine freshness makes this front exceptional and it will prove very difficult to find better (especially with an ultimate first-pressed record inside).

Cover Back: It’s been some considerable time since I saw this delicate back looking this nice. This is still very dark with minimal traces of any real wear. Any faint rubbing near the bottom edge, but look hard. The lack of ringwear and creasing is signicant and that ‘Harlequin’ sticker is as neat as they ever get and helps period-date this cover still further. One fine surface mark pretty much only shows under angled light and the lack of fingermarks on the dark matt surface is also noteworthy. These early Ernest J. Day covers were made with thin card and few avoid serious damage or wear Overall, I consider both sides of this one to be pretty exceptional and rate highly for good looks. The bar is already set high.

Top Edge: Virtually unworn.

Bottom Edge: A little light patchy rubbing on this thin ‘resting’ edge.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with practically no wear and no feathering, guaranteed untrimmed, the back panel slightly shorter than the front in manufacture. Record entered on right outside edge.

Spine and Text: At last one that has a nice spine with fewer traces of wear. Solid, straight with possible mild compression, this maybe how it was made as this was not a thick cover. On so many, the text is eroded away to nothing but here, all is present with barely any traces of wear at all. I truly consider this a real bonus and many dealers who know this cover well will check out this detail before anything else. Any clipping to any letters is tiny.

Corners: The top pair have largely escaped any rubbing and retain superb shape, largely the same for the spine bottom with just a tiny tip rub. On the white surface, it’s of little visual significance. The bottom right front has a corner tip rub only.

Cover Summary: A very nice and highly attractive all round excellent+ example of this famous cover, one that will prove very difficult to find significantly better. This strong item should please many, if not most collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX(++) and very arguably better, side two more Mint(-). This probably does not do this beautiful old record full justice, this gorgeous original will take some beating. Those rare pink block labels give immediate visual impact and rarely will they be seen fresher or better looking. The playing surfaces are ultra clean, shiny, intense black and pressed on heavy, thick vinyl, few will look better than this. A truly fabulous record that has clearly been played little reitterated by very clean and practically noise-free sound. As stated above, just two very fine surface marks, more blemishes than anything, these have NO sound whatsoever and no vintage equipment has caused havoc to these fragile grooves. A visual gem and a diamond any Fairports or folk collection.

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: It is always with great anticipation I play any early Fairports album and for sure this did not disappoint. An album I truly adore – all Fairport albums up to 1970 are truly essential and this title is simply magnificent. A record that plays up too and even beyond its high visual grading, this is a splendid copy and does this classic album full justice. The earliest pink pressing will never be bettered for sound, this is one of the five-star finds on what is my favourite record label. Finding one so lightly played and well stored and looked after is always a massive bonus. This plays beautifully with barely any traces of surface sounds and is devoid of pops and clicks. A lovely pressing with no distortion or sound degrading at all - this could easily last another forty+ years plus if played on a quality modern deck with light pickup. Sandy’s vocals are crystal clear, detailed and have an in the room quality. Thompson’s guitar chords are defined and sharp, even Swarbrick’s fiddle, always one of the most vulnerable to damage on vintage vinyl, is precise, sharp and distortion free. This without any doubt has never been subjected to piledriver vintage needles and has had just the one owner from new – many titles from the collection indeed purchased within the first day or two of issue. A treat is in store for the winning bidder, cherish this wonderful recording practically at its best and ignore those ‘expert guides’ that incorrectly state this is a second pressing. For goodness sake, will this blunder ever be put right?

End Piece: ‘Classic’ and ‘Essential’ are two words often overused (often by myself when I get carried away with a real personal favourite), but I make no apology for using them for this album. The thing that amazes, is the next album, Leige and Leif was arguably even better. The standards set by the early Fairport albums was such that they probably will never will be equalled within this field - Thompson and Denny were like peaches and cream - they complemented each other perfectly. Only the brilliant acoustic jazz tinged folk of Pentangle and the more folk-rock sounds of The Trees, early Steeleye Span and The Spriguns get even close to this for me. This actual record on offer is a beauty and looks sumptuous with those stunning block labels put the icing on what is already a rich cake of delights. The sounds embedded in these vintage grooves are testament to the greatness of this early band. Listening to this classic album via vinyl source rarely fails to move. I hope the winning bidder enjoys this beautiful record as much as I did and my highest recommendation possible is mandatory – do not lose this one.

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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 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. 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners 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 FOUR 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 [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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. Add £3 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 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. 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 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’.