JONI MITCHELL Clouds RARE ORIG UK 1969 1st Press+INSERT

	£		44
	$		58

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options.

Artist or Band: JONI MITCHELL

Album Title: Clouds.

Producer(s): Paul Rothchild produced ‘Tin Angel’ but no other tracks have producer credits on the cover.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Tin Angel; Chelsea Morning; I Don’t Know Where I Stand; That Song About the Midway; Roses Blue.

Side 2: The Gallery; I Think I Understand; Songs to Aging Children Come; The Fiddle and the Drum; Both Sides, Now.

Label/Format: Reprise – First press on the tri-coloured steamboat format (please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both look clean and attractive with spindle marks below moderate more only quite light on side two. Just a few marks than I normally offer but have no fears, this stunning first issue plays with stunning and ultra clean sound. I have heard few, if any better overall than this, this too a difficult acoustic and vocal album.

Cat Number: RSLP6341.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 173 grams. An astonishing weight for this record and even by Reprise standard at this time, an extraordinary weight.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce a first pressing, even harder with an attractive cover and sound little short of perfect. Lastly, this one includes the original and very rare lyric insert that is guaranteed original, I have seen this so few times.

Original Year of Release: 1969.

Matrix Nos: RSLP 6341 A-1 *T STEREO / RSLP 6341 B-1 *T STEREO

Stamper Codes: AC 1 / AH 1

Brief Info: Second album from one of the most popular and greatest female singer-songwriters of her generation. Brilliant songs and lyrics, this album has minimal backing – Clouds is predominately Joni playing acoustic guitar and singing all her own compositions – all are performed impeccably with beautiful clean and natural sound. On this first issue, the production and realism of the recording has a true in-the-room quality, the guitar has a rich twang with beautiful rich clarity and Joni could almost be there with you. All the songs are pure class and this is folk-era Joni at her very best. Always a challenging genre for vinyl with no hiding places for surface sounds and blemishes but this copy has barely any and is one of the best pressings I have yet heard. This too with clear evidence of being played a few times with a few mild surface marks on the record that are all ignored. The cover too is almost too beautiful for words, a very personal sleeve which is a portrait painted by the lady herself. Unlaminated and this case, the original textured surface original, some have a smooth finish and both are rarely found devoid of ugly ringwear or major surface rubbing. Clearly this textured original will be even more prone. The icing on the cake is the inclusion of the incredibly rare original, double-sided lyric insert sheet. I have seen this on very few occasions and rarely in better condition than this. This classic vintage Joni album will not be easy to find much better all round and most collectors will enjoy owning this one.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a single format, unlaminated with delicate textured surfaces. A gorgous colourful self-portrait, this one was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. This includes the rare lyric insert sheet.

Cover Front: One of the great covers of its era with deep rich colour and very clean, fresh and vibrant. Avoiding wear totally on such a fragile cover now over 40-years-old is a huge ask, consider too the fact this has had a record with a massive pressing weight of 173 grams inside too all this time, it has little chance. But this front has generally stood up well. A little light surface rubbing around the rim shape but barely sufficient to be classed as ringwear, if deemed so, it’s pretty light. Minimal speckle too, that for textured surfaces is equally hard to avoid. Most of any creasing near the bottom edge but even this is modestly light. Viewed critically under light, a few very light and faint surface marks and odd tiny surface chip or two, but overall, all considered, this front has faired well and still looks marvellous.

Cover Back: Even better and quite how this has survived ringwear I am not sure. A little faint and small rub traces are nigh-on impossible to avoid but this has no creasing and again looks very nice.

Top Edge: Any rubbing very light and faint.

Bottom Edge: This vulnerable resting edge has moderate rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and still sharp with minimal wear and no feathering, guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: A delicate spine that overall has also fared well. Solid, straight with minimal compression. A little rubbing mostly near the ends and a little near the centre. But importantly, the text is unaffected with practically all present and uneroded, one of the very few I have seen as such on an original textured example.

Corners: All have tip rubs, more on the bottom pair than the top. Most on the bottom right front with a small rub showing on the front surface. In context, even this is only small. Apart from this one, practically all the ink on the front and back surfaces is present, the rubbing on the actual edge itself. Fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A truly beautiful cover and very delicate of course. This early-made copy does is fine justice, not perfect, but how many ever will be? I am simply being realistic, with records this vast weight inside, these covers took a lot stress and most will show fare more wear than this. A very fine all-round example of this very colourful cover that almost has the look and feel of a canvass painting. One that will prove difficult to find much better with a first pressed record inside (and in this case, the rare lyric sheet). This will please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a plain white polylined inner in superb condition. The lining ultra clear and fresh as seen through two immaculate crisp circle windows. Any creasing or darkening modestly light and all edges solid and unsplit with no repairs. This is UK patented and khas ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text.

The Lyric Sheet: EXCELLENT(++): only downgraded from Mint(-) because of one mild corner crease, the only one present infact. This is guaranteed original, printed both sides with the song lyrics. It has the correct RSLP 6341 number and G&L imprint initials. Ultra clean, fresh with razor sharp edges. This is rare, make no mistake and seldom will it be found better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: or close to. Even with some totally superficial and non-sounding surface marks, I cannot grade lower than this. A super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and massively pressed on extremely heavy and thick vinyl. Just picking this up gives that wow-factor – no flimsy lightweight pressing gives such satisfaction – this feels like it’s pressed on marble. I know for a fact this is how the vast majority of the discerning collectors like their records. This is one of the very best playing copies of this album I have yet heard, so many of the 60s pressings were subjected to needle abuse and they fail to come up to scratch (with many deep ones seen on the majority). Clearly this copy has been played a few times and has surface marks, but when they are all avoided and offer no sound, why worry? Records were bought to be played and when so, they will acquired a few light marks at the very least. Obviously, if practically unplayed ones can be found with none, they are extra special, but even those will not better this copy for sound. So on that basis my grading stands and this magnificent super-heavyweight record should please most collectors.

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 wonderful, and very early pressed record plays even above it’s strong visual grading with practically nothing to fault. And this to on a ruthlessly revealing acoustic and vocal album played on a critically revealing Linn/Naim system. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is fantastic with a wide dynamic range and very detailed, real hi-fi sound. Beautifully produced by someone, but uncredited. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and I noted just one click on the whole album – an incredible achievement for one like this. Beautifully pressed with clear, focused sound and barely any traces of surface sound. Silence for these types and vintage is almost unrealistic but this record gives of it’s very best, the light surface marks are totally ignored. Few early copies will match or outperform this pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing whatsoever spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, still my personal favourite Joni album which I never tire of hearing again and again. No head in the clouds on this one, it will prove very difficult to find significantly better for natural clean sound and it’s strongly recommended. However, if pristine playing surfaces and totally unworn covers are mandatory, do not bid. For me sound is of paramount importance, and this record really delivers.

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.

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.

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 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 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: 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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 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 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’.