FREE Live - RARER Orig UK Island Pink Rim 1971 EX LP

	£		47
	$		62

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 Live.

Producer(s): Free and Andy Johns.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: All Right Now; I’m a Mover; Be My Friend; Fire and Water.

Side 2: Ride on Pony; Mr Big; The Hunter; Get Where I Belong.

Label/Format: Island – Original Pink Rim format (please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Very clean, fresh and attractive with only very light, few and faint spindlemarks. A small blemish each side: a small scuff under ILPS on side one and a tiny tone spot on side two (both possibly present from new)

Cat Number: ILPS 9160.

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: 135 grams. A very good, above average weight for this year.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce as an early pressing with a fine original envelope cover and inner. Althought the record has a mild pressing mark on side two, it has NO sound and offers nigh-on pristine sound throughout. Please note, the original first issues of this album had an E.J. Day Group cover, the imprint hidden under the back flap of the envelope (seen on my picture). Also on the retaining lug that slips into the recess to close the cover, the Island address of Basing Street is seen (again, see my close-up picture). And importantly, the stamps on the front cover were stuck on like a strip of real stamps. Later pressings had a Robor cover where the stamps were printed and, more obviously, the imprint changed. Also, the Basing Street address on the lug was scratched out on the printing plate. So, beware of cover substitutions or reprintings being offered as originals. I have both versions here and I have made these comparisons directly. Lastly, the inner sleeve is different too, the original has two real external flipbacks with a wide top opening. The Robor version has a narrow opening and the flipbacks are printed on with flat surfaces. Again, beware of substitutions. Clearly, the originals, especially in fine condition are rarer.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9160 A-1U / ILPS 9160 B-1U

Stamper Codes: 2 RL / 2 RD

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘LH / STERLING’ [on both run outs]

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

Brief Artist & Album Info: No long blurbs needed for this album, put as simply as possible eight classic Free songs performed live in Sunderland and Croydon in 1971. Beautifully produced with classic performances and in very nice conditions given the 40 years of age. An early pressed copy with all the original packaging complete. Live albums rarely get much better than this.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: always a hard one find with little wrong, often very grubby and damaged. The earliest made with the real stamps on the front are a extra special and most seen are the Robor reprintings.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: the original envelope format with the pasted on stamps, top opening with flap and lug fixing. Unlaminated, matt and smooth finish. Made in England by the E. J. Day Group (credit hidden under the flap). This includes the original flipback construction inner sleeve.

Cover Front: A very impressive front and with few marks and only fine faint edge hairline creasing.A small rub on the right edge centre and an equally small mark above the word ‘Ride’ on the song title, little else and the lack of substantiall grubbiness on this prone cover is great news. Any traces are very light and faint indeed, do not underestimate just how difficult this cover is. The band picture stamps are in lovely condition, the bottom right corner has become lightly unstuck with a couple of small creases. I gently readhered this area to stop any further loosening of these real, stuck on stamps – the later ones were printed on and look less authentic on what is made to be a real envelope – it’s the details that makes the real difference. Sometimes these stuck-on stamps fall off altogether and not too unusual to see this cover missing them totally. A very fine front overall, and it’s the genuine first-made example.

Cover Back: The more delicate back is if anything, even better. So often, the retaining lug is badly creased and sometimes, even torn off. Here it’s nigh-on perfect without any creasing at all. The correct original text included too: ‘Island Records Ltd, Basing Street, London W11.’ later faded or scratch removed from the printing plate when the company moved address. The E.J. Day Group imprint is seen under the flap as it lifted to access the record. The retaining slot or recess is also untorn or split and very neat. All edges are crisp and barely a crease to be seen with minimal traces of any grubbiness or marks. Not pristine, but a very impressive back to complement the equally fine front.

Flap Underside: The underside of the flap and the exposed inner parts are very clean and neat and the internal hinge part solid with no stressing or weakening. I have never seen one so crisp and unburred, especially so on an original.

Top Edge: Delicate but in fine shape. This is the spine in effect with the text on this edge. It has the flap hinge that opens to allow the record inside and this will often split and rub, this shows no actual wear at all up to the corners that have avoided rubbing. A little natural crinkle in manufacture but the text is unworn on a very fragile, ‘working’ edge.

Bottom Edge: Barely any rubbing and retaining a fine slim boxed shape that has avoided any compression.

Left and Right Edge(s), and Type: Both sealed, both have avoided any real wear, a minor scuff trace on the left fold (but look hard).

Corners: Somewhat unusual corners on this cover: they are open ended e.g. no tips, but open, all quite intentional of course. all neat with minimal traces of rubbing on these delicate areas.

Cover Summary: A difficult cover to say the least, the pale colour never helps, with single thickness card flaps, avoiding damage and creasing is far from easy. A few minor blemishes, but little will worry even the most fussy of collectors. Recommended to most.

The Inner: MINT(-) and one of the very best I have ever seen. Very clean with barely a mark or crease to be seen, any traces of grubbiness minuscule. Only downgraded a fraction because of a tiny nick split on the right recess of the opening top edge. Both the external flipbacks on the plain side are immaculate, exactly as made with NO repairs. The same goes for the edges that remain unsplit. No creasing with a freshness of a practically new inner, this fragile unlined inner is little short of as made.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: based on this looks largely as made. Not the prettiest pressing I have ever seen with a few light pressing marks and dulling within the vinyl in manufacture. But, possibly against the odds, it plays nigh-on perfectly with practically nothing unwanted. Clean with fine shine, jet black and quite heavily pressed on thick vinyl. The blemishes seen under light – this was not a classic period for vinyl manufacture due to the impending oil crisis of the time when supplies were short. No scratches at all, a few light surface marks and odd scuff. A mild pressing mark, seen under light has NO sound at all. Visually a fine record that should please many collectors but not the connoisseurs. Fact is, I cannot change the way a record was made and later pressings may appear cleaner but if sound if paramount, this delivers.

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: What a band Free were, they must have been astonishing live. If like me, you were too young to see them yourself, this record will help compensate. This classic live album plays above its high visual grading with little 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. Those lovely trademark ‘twangy’ basslines are still very apparent on this live set and overall the production is flawless. Any surface sounds are minimal, the merest trace very briefly on ‘Be My Friend’ – this being critical, and no pops or clicks were noted and this record gave a really enjoyable account of itself. Nothing at all spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this classic rock gem. This early copy will prove difficult to find significantly better for audio quality and merits strong 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’.