FREE At Last - RARER 1st Press UK Island Pink Rim EX LP

	£		37
	$		49

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: FREE

Album Title: Free at Last.

Producer(s): Free.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Catch a Train; Soldier Boy; Magic Ship; Sail On; Travellin’ Man.

Side 2: Little Bit of Love; Guardian of the Universe; Child; Goodbye.

Label/Format: Island – Original pink rim format.

Label Conditions: Two very clean examples with rich colour and freshness. Made more attractive still with only very light and faint spindle marks. Another from the lovely clean collection recently purchased. (Please see label scan).

Cat Number: ILPS 9192.

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: 130 grams. A very good solid weight for a record pressed within the year of the great oil shortage.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate in theory, but any very early pressed copy with anything like a decent cover is not easily found. Here, the record has been played very little and the cover ranks as one of the very best I have seen. Please check out the fine details of the deeply pinched spine ends and immaculate text.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9192 A-1U / ILPS 9192 B-1U (deeply pronounced and large roman type, not scripted or italicised).

Stamper Codes: 1 P / 1 H (or possibly an ‘M’)

Musicians: Paul Rodgers - lead vocals, piano; Paul Kossoff - guitar; Andy Fraser - bass, piano; Simon Kirke - drums.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Sixth and penultimate album for this great British blues-rock band. Still a slightly underrated title in their great catalogue but their trademark quality rarely lets up. It includes another top 20 single in ‘Little Bit of Love’, the other songs are slightly less well known maybe to lesser Free fans. It peaked at number 9 in the UK album charts but only a lowly 69 in the US. This early-pressed early copy is in very fine condition – the cover quite exceptional – it’s one that never wears well. The record has clearly been little played and includes its original Island blue inner.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): and arguably even undergraded at that. A single unlaminated format, matt finished with smooth surfaces and the early charactistic deeply pinched spine ends (as seen in close-up). Printed and made by Tinsley Robor Group Ltd in England. LP includes the blue lined Island inner.

Cover Front: Very impressive indeed and devoid of the usual grubbiness and discolour most are seen with. A couple of small and light blemishes of any real note to what is a near perfect example. A small tip crease on the bottom left corner. Those deeply pinched ends still retain that super flatness and definition as can be seen on my pictures. Also a faint ultra faint shadow of a price sticker seen under light near the top right corner area. No residue but just the faintest of faint dark trace and a slight sheen when viewed under angled light. Any other marks or ageing are minuscule and the lack of creasing or ring marks is a huge bonus. This has always been a difficult cover to find this clean and never to be dismissed lightly when it shows as such.

Cover Back: Wow – little short of Mint being honest. Any blemish traces are simply tiny, few and mega faint. This side really does set the standard – superb.

Top Edge: Dead straight and immaculate and not even a hint of any discolouration.

Bottom Edge: As above or within a whisker.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, veryt sharp with no wear and guaranteed untrimmed – simply superb. Record entered on this right edge.

Spine and Text: Although there is a small press-crease seen on the bottom of the spine via the front, there is barely evidence seen on the actual spine. Solid, straight, very clean indeed with barely any compression. This is quite wide and boxy and has those deeply pinched ends only the very early ones had. Both retain lovely definition and remain undarkened and straight.

Corners: As stated, the only blemish to the corners is a small tip crease on the front. The other three are immaculate and all retain excellent to near mint shape.

Cover Summary: A very impressive all-round example of this highly wear prone early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find significantly better. This highly attractive item should please most-all collectors and back into the protective cover, the least this is handled the better.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: this polylined inner retains fine blue colour, many fade badly over time. Marked down a little for the usual adhesive darkening on the seams which on the left edge is near moderate, but far lighter elsewhere. Barely any creasing and all edges unsplit. This has the pink i logo and the text on both sides is ‘island records ltd basing stteet london w11’. Like the famous Spiral inners, these blue Island inners are fast becoming difficult to find in top conditions.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: this being somewhat harsh. Very clean with fine shine, intense black and very solidly pressed. Any surface marks or blemishes are few, fine and faint. There is a cutting circle mark each side in exactly the same position, both have no sound and I do not consider this a blemish. Clearly very lightly played reitterated by clean sound. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors again.

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 very early pressed example plays with very fine sound with little, if anythinig really 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. Any surface sounds are minimal, few and faint and this one gave a pleasing account of itself with no pops or significant clicks. Clearly well stored and caringly looked after, it’s quite unusual to find Free albums this lightly played. Avoiding a smoking environment being essential for clean covers, so avoiding the resulting nicotine residues on this uncompromising critical sleeve. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this Free gem. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and is highly recommended.

End Piece: A very fine collection of songs, maybe a little subdued if being critical, possibly not helped by Kossoff’s slow drive to self-destruction. Free made some of the finest blues-based rock of this period but sales were not really as high as maybe they should have been. Sure their albums show up, but most are later pressings, the really early pressings are far more elusive and often in tatty conditions when they do make an appearance. This early Island cover is a superb looker and a record that plays very well. The cover is exceptional given the facts, it’s attractiveness will be immediately apparent and the spine is gorgeous. Free your mind, and give this lovely album another listen soon.

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’.