FREE (2nd) RARE Orig UK 69 Textured Pink Island LP

	£		245
	$		325

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4. Europe £10. Rest of World £14. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: FREE

Album Title: Free

Producer(s): Chris Blackwell.

Track Listing:

Side 1: I’ll Be Creepin’; Songs of Yesterday; Lying in the Sunshine; Trouble on Double Time; Mouthful of Grass.

Side 2: Woman; Free Me; Broad Daylight; Mourning Sad Morning.

Label/Format: Island – Original Pink i format with rough textured finish and very deep large inner ring ridge (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both in beautiful conditions with a really deep and real pink hue to the labels. Moderate spindle marks are seen under – but have NO fears, this superb record offers supreme sound and immaculate playing surfaces. A more unusual pressing as mentioned further down and an incredibly clean pressing.

Cat Number: ILPS 9104.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 165 grams. An astonishing weight for this record and a full 30 grams heavier than the last pink label copy I offered.

Rarity: Scarce and much rarer still in this type of condition. After consulting the Yuri Grishin Island book, I can see no reference to this particular pressing which not only has an extraordinary pressing weight, it also has those deep punched and large Roman matrixes (reference further down). I personally think this is much rarer pressing that even Mr Grishin has missed – it certainly is not in first three pressings listed and photographed in his excellent book – his rough textured pressing does not have these matrixes, and the third pressing being a pink rim version. Compared to smooth label pressings I have heard that have scripted matrixes, this has supreme clean sound and much cleaner too. This unusual pink i record has those big block matrixes like the very first pink Islands of which this album missed the cut. Along with condition of both record and cover, such clean copies are rare enough in their own right and finding any copy that plays better than this will prove near impossible to find.

Original Year of Release: 1969.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9104 + A2 / ILPS + 9104 + B2. These large, punched Roman type matrixes are pronounced and sharp. No scripted matrixes on this one.

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

Brief Artist & Album Info: Free’s second album and one of their most cherished. A band in high demand and why not? Featuring their most famous line-up of Rodgers, Fraser, Kossoff and Kirke this classic British blues-rock band had a wonderful unique sound and hearing them via their original format is a real pleasure. Their albums were beautifully recorded and produced with the basslines at the front of the mix giving a solid and punchy, rhythmic sound. Free saw the band progressing with a more individual sound with powerful songs and Kossoff’s stinging guitar coming more to the forefront - Rodgers bluesy vocals are sublime. This album features a very daring cover for the time - a girl viewed from way down and the centrefold is erotically morbid – both beautiful in their own way. Both record and cover are in super conditions and for those seeking an early pink copy, well they seldom get offered a great better – heavier – or with such fantastic sound. This pressing is exceptional and unusual.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: and this being somewhat critical, this very wear-prone cover has barely little at all and looks impressive. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by E. J. Day.

Cover Front: Any marks or traces of wear minimal and faint. Under light, a little fine vertical surface creasing is must seen but barely registers with normal viewing. The odd tiny edge rub but clean with a fine degree of freshness and this somewhat daring cover front will prove hard to find a great deal better.

Cover Back: By this cover’s standards, this one is exceptional. So often seen grubby, aged and discoloured, with rubbing and ringwear common, this has minimal traces of anything. Any blemishes, tiny, few and faint and barely any noteworthy creasing or record impression. That all the more remarkable considering the sheer weight and thickness of the record that’s been inside for over 40-years. This is very impressive indeed.

Cover Inner Gatefold: One or rock’s greatest centrefolds: looking stunning with nothing to fault bar the odd tiny corner tip crease. The girl is seen blowing dust from Rodgers’ square stone amid the sparse gravestone scene. Marvellously morbid and more than a hint of eroticism, this will not be seen much better than this either.

Top Edges: Very light and faint patchy rubbing on the front.

Bottom Edges: Light patchy rubbing that registers little, especially on the white back.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The closed front edge is very clean and sharp. The back entrance edge is not quite trimmed flush in manufacture – the inside edge is very crisp and sharp again. Being more exposed, the outside edge has thickened a little with minor burr traces seen viewed end-on. All appear very neat viewed normally.

Spine and Text: Solid and thick, this predominately white spine has little wear with any rubbing registering little. Very mild central compression with all the text totally unworn. It remains quite straight and folded square with just minor overhang to the bottom right edge.

Corners: Light tip rubbing but with modest visual impact with very fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: One of the best covers ever put around a rock album and a genuine Island classic. Overall, an impressive example that does it high justice – this a cover that does not wear well and finding one so clean is never easy (to say the least). This one should please many collectors. The plain white unlined inner is included in strong excellent plus condition. Aged little with all edges unsplit and hardly any creasing.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+) to EX++: and this simply does this wonderful record scant justice. A very strong and visually pleasing copy with any surface marks few, light and mostly faint. Most of any few present fine hairlines seen under bright angled light just just a couple of side one a little more evident with NO SOUND whatsoever. Very clean, intense black and very heavily pressed and manufactured up to the highest standard. The spindle evidence on the labels under light suggests this may have been played several times, but the sound quality almost dismisses it. With such weight and thickness, these deep grooves have simply ignored any minor surface blemishes and offers purely wonderful audio quality.

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 fantastic Free album plays even above it’s 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. Some fairly quiet songs on this one, but any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or significant clicks were noted. Island pressing quality is known to be variable but this more unusual – and dare I say rarer pressing – is a real exception and finding a cleaner or better copy will prove beyond difficult. I am sure too it offers even more detail, clearly with these block pumched matrixes, this copy is ‘different’. Remember, I play-grade ALL my records put to auction on an LP12 and the equipment listed further down - ruthlessly revealing - nothing escapes. And being honest, nothing spoilt my enjoyment of this timeless classic. Throughout, the sound is fully focused and sharp with no groovewear distortions, one that has avoided harsh treatment from old record players. This was a highly pleasureable album to play-grade and it will take an exceptional copy to match, let alone better it for clean sound. Truly, I have seen near mint copies of this album that crackle constantly and often quite loudly, I reitterate this heavyweight is exceptional with rich punchy sound. Island had their records pressed by different manufacturers, and this has all the hallmarks of those very early first ‘pinks’ with the orange eyeball logo. This record merits my highest recommendation and one for collectors and fans alike.

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’.