Interplay One - THE RAREST NICK DRAKE LP - 1st Pressing (Pristine Vinyl)

INTERPLAY ONE - 1971 - 2 LP Mono Longman (No Cat No. ISBN 0 582 241 36 7) 
CONDITION
Vinyl (audio):EX (UPDATE: With a new needle: Disc One - Side One & Two: No clicks or pop or hum - great definition, fresh sounding: Disc Two - Side One: Minimal pops, little muddy; Side Two - No clicks, pops or hum - crisp) *It's worth bearing in mind a lot of the content is compiled from other recordings, it's the nature of school resource material, so there's no knowing what the quality of source audio was. The Nick Drake contribution Full Fathoms Five is on side 3 and suffers a few pops, but is more defined than most of the content on that side. If it wasn't for this one side, I'd up the assessment to Mint (I know there's no such thing, but most of this record is as close as it gets at 30 years old.

Vinyl (visual):MINT (No spindle marks, vinyl is totally unmarked - appears never to have been played - as I say it was dusty, lightly dusty, having been stowed away in a school library since 1971, I'd recommended a pro-clean to ensure the grooves are completely clear - I assume it was kept upright, but among many, this might've pushed some fibres into the grooves - see above)
Overall:EX

Sleeve:VG (Back top seam sealed with masking tape - back bottom corner, next to fold, laminate lifting over a crease - evident ringing from its years in storage, not really that bad but worth mentioning) See. photos, closer detail on request. This copy is minus its booklet and teacher's notes (not that any mention is made of Nick Drake in these)
From my research into previous sales of Interplay One, this might be the best copy to come onto the market for a while - I've set the starting bid at £250, below the Rare Record Price Guide valuation and the price paid for a lesser copy two years ago. If you require any further information just ask. If you're bidding from outside the UK and successful, advice me of the Postal method you prefer and I'll let you know the cost before I invoice. Usually I send LPs sandwiched between corrugated card in specialty record envelopes. If you have a prefered form of packaging, let me know and, again, I'll forward the cost before I invoice. PAYPAL only (it is the simplest method, especially for overseas sales).
I can't accept returns, the vinyl is as described - postage (UK & Worldwide) should be insured and recorded delivery (please let me know if you're the successful bidder what you'd prefer). Judgements on the condition and quality of secondhand vinyl are always subjective, I always tend to underplay my own judgement - I've had no complaints from previous buyers, please check them (I'm not a dealer, I'm a collector/hoarder). Please ask and I'll do my best to answer your questions, send images etc

TRACKS
UNIT 1. Just Playing UNIT 2. Remember Grandfather UNIT 3. Spells And Charms UNIT 4. Storms UNIT 5. Cats And Dogs UNIT 6. I'll Grind His Bones UNIT 7. Only A Number To The Postman
With Nick; RECORD 1 > SIDE 2 > TRACK 3: "I Wish I Was A Single Girl Again" (2.00)

UNIT 8. Dragon Killing UNIT 9. Cutting Through The Forest UNIT 10. Full Fathom Five
With Nick; RECORD 2 > SIDE 1 > TRACK 1: "Full Fathom Five" (1.10)
UNIT 11. Kings And Queens UNIT 12. Spring UNIT 13. Victory Was Like This UNIT 14. Blackest Night UNIT 15. Horse And Rider UNIT 16. In The Garden UNIT 17. Midsummer Sun UNIT 18. Into The Unknown
With Nick; RECORD 2 > SIDE 2 > TRACK 4: "With My Swag All On My Shoulder" (2.32)

INFORMATION
Interplay One is perhaps the rarest of all Nick Drake recordings. This is due to its limited circulation as an educational kit for schools, it not being a purely pop or music album, and the fact that it was basically unknown to Nick Drake fans prior to the publication of Humphries' biography in 1997. The two songs Full Fathom Five and With My Swag all on My Shoulder are especially important additions to the relative small collection of just 31 songs Drake is known to have recorded and issued during his lifetime. Though not Nick Drake songs as such, they feature his playing and are of sufficient quality to interest his many fans.
Interplay One was an educational kit (teaching anthology) produced for use in junior secondary school. It was compiled by John Watts and included music (a double album of recorded speech, sounds and music), two booklets containing text (stories, poems, song lyrics) and teacher’s notes, along with film strips of images to accompany the music and words. The material was divided into 18 units, with each unit having a theme as expressed in its title. These units usually corresponded with the titles of the songs featured on the albums, though additional songs were also included. The 18 units were:
    Just playing     Remember grandfather     Spells and charms     Storms     Cats and dogs     I’ll grind his bones     Only a number to the postman     Dragon killing     Cutting through the forest     Full fathom five     Kings and queens     Spring     Victory was like this     Blackest night     Horse and rider     In the garden     Midsummer sun     Into the unknown
Humphries notes that Nick Drake played guitar on the following songs during the session:
    Full Fathom Five     With My Swag all on My Shoulder     I Wish I Was a Single Girl Again
Robert Kirby sang on one song – With a Swag all on My Shoulder - whilst the female singer Vivian Fowler was heard on the other two. Only Full Fathom Five is listed on the inner sleeve of the album and the lp label. There is no reference to the other two songs on the album, neither is there any listing of the various musicians involved, either on the album or within the accompanying booklet. We therefore have only the Humphries and Kirby information to assist in this area, along with Vivian Fowler's recent reminiscences, as published on this site. The three songs involving Nick Drake are described in detail below. MP3 versions of the songs are available on this site - they were taken directly from a mint version of the lp by the present writer during December 2001.
Full Fathom Five
Unit 10 - Full Fathom Five. Record 2, side 1, track 1. Length: 1 minute 10 seconds. A folk song featuring Vivian Fowler on vocals (pictured on right) and Nick Drake on guitar. The words of the song are extracted from William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, as follows:
Full fathom five thy father lies, Of his bones are coral made: Those are pearls that were his eyes. Nothing of him that doth fade, But doth suffer a sea-change Into something rich and strange. Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell, Hark! Now I hear them – Ding-dong bell.
This song, though brief, features some lovely guitar playing from Nick Drake, behind Vivian Fowler's vocal. It is a haunting sea shanty in the folk tradition. For more information, refer to Vivian Fowler's reminiscences below.
With My Swag all on My Shoulder
Unit 18 - Into the Unknown. Record 2, side 2, track 4. Length: 2 minutes 32 seconds. According to Humphries, this traditional Australian pioneer song features Robert Kirby on vocals, pretending to be a swagman, and Nick Drake on guitar. It is a beautiful song with an Irish flavour, featuring some nice picking by Nick. The song is not listed on the record label or mentioned in the accompanying booklet. It had been made popular in Britain by the Australian group The Seekers during the 1960s.
I Wish I Was a Single Girl Again
Unit 7 – Only a number to the postman. Record 1, side 2, track 3. Length: 2 minutes. This song is not listed on the lp label, but is noted in the accompanying booklet. According to Humphries, it features 'Rocking John' on banjo and Vivian Fowler on vocal. A rhythm guitar bass line is also heard in the background, mostly likely by Nick Drake. This is a song in the traditional hillbilly / American country and western format, with the vocal tending towards yodelling. It is unrecognisable as a Nick Drake track as he does not feature.

[taken from Michael Organ's article at

 Interplay One]  
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Though I attempt to be as exact as possible in my grading and description of records*, please remember such decision are purely subjective. I use the Record Collector's Grading System for all records I sell. Please, if you have any particular questions contact me before bidding. Cheers.
Record Collectors Grading System
Mint: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition.
Excellent: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening of sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and / or creasing.
Very Good: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.
Good: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration etc..
Fair: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise: it may even jump. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
Poor: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise etc.. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
Bad: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection filler.
*When grading records, I never use a + or - system - preferring to grade an Excellent record as Very Good.


 475 (GS 6.4.3 (475))