MIKE OLDFIELD Tubular Bells RARER Orig UK 73 Virgin LP.

	£		139
	$		184

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: MIKE OLDFIELD

Album Title: Tubular Bells.

Producer(s): Tom Newman, Simon Heyworth, Mike Oldfield.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Tubular Bells part 1.

Side 2: Tubular Bells part 2.

Label/Format: Virgin – original black and white twin virgins format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only light to light+, fine and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. Unless viewed closely, these hardly even show.

Cat Number: V2001.

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: 120 grams. About average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The album itself is not hard to find, it sold in substantial numbers. But first pressings with the black and white format labels that initially included a fully laminated cover, are far less easy to find than subsequent versions. Most seen have matt covers with the coloured twins labels that replaced the somewhat bland (but rarer) monotone originals. I was very much there at the time of the initial runs of this legendary album: I made a special trip to Colchester to buy a copy and was told, ‘sorry sold out’, awaiting more stock’. Being a relatively little-known act at this time, the first pressing was probably under-subscribed and it had to be repressed.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: V 2001 A-2U / V 2001 B-2U

Mothers / Stampers: 1 T / GT

Musicians: Mike Oldfield - Acoustic guitar, bass guitar, electric guitar, Farfisa, Hammond organ; Lowrey organs; flageolet, fuzz guitars, glockenspiel, ‘honky tonk’ piano; mandolin, piano, percussion, Spanish guitar, motor drive amplifier organ chord, timpani, vocals and tubular bells; Steve Broughton – percussion; Lindsay L. Cooper - string basses, oboe; Mundy Ellis - vocals; Jon Field - flutes; Sally Oldfield - vocals; Vivian Stanshall - Master of Ceremonies; Nasal Choir; Manor Choir [Simon Heyworth, Tom Newman, Mike Oldfield].

Info and the Experience: Given his chance by entrepreneur Richard Branson after this famous work was rejected by more established labels, this stunning piece of music took the then little known name of Mike Oldfield into many homes of the UK during the 1970s and beyond. Formely and briefly a member of Soft Machine and a session musician, this was his first major ‘solo’ work, but had made one acid-folk album with his sister Sally under the band name The Sallyangie. Clearly Branson had taken a gamble on this piece of work and it paid very rich dividends. It was given the prized V2001 (first) catalogue number on the new label that went on to sign many varied and some unusual acts. It stayed in the UK album charts for over five years and was one of the albums that introduced music fans of the ‘baby-boom’ generation to real high fidelity sound. It’s superb level of production is still used even today as a reference to demonstrate quality hi-fi equipment. As the cover boldly states ‘this stereo record cannot be played on old tin boxes no matter what they are fitted with. If you are in possession of such equipment please hand it into the nearest police station’. I for one, entirely agreed – and so began my path up the hi-fi ladder. Now fast approaching 40, this record still sounds marvellous and that haunting piano introduction still sends a shiver down my spine bringing back memories of watching the classic horror movie ‘The Exorcist’ when first issued – I was only just 16 – but allowed in. After watching, I wish I hadn’t been. Using this gentle, but captivating music for that film was little short of inspired and it worked perfectly and of course boosted sales still further. Equally inspired was using the very British-style voice of the the former Bonzo Dog Man, Vivian Stanshall, who introduces all the new instruments as they merge into the piece at the climax of side one. Oldfield a multi-instrumentalist of exceptional skill had created a mini-masterpiece and an established long-term career, he had little real need to look back, but sometimes did. The ‘Tubular Bells’ product was followed up several times, remixed, remastered and even orchestrated – but nothing, for this listener anyway – beats the experience of the very first issued record when found in worthy condition. It even recently made an appearance on a British postage stamp celebrating ‘Classic Album Covers’. Get this one on to the system it deserves and be transported into the The Manor itself, where it was recorded in the autumn of 1972 into spring.

Only the most looked-after and unworn copies of this record will ever do! Many of these were heavily played on the equipment Oldfield suggested they should never be seen or heard on, thus the hugely intricate grooves and sound are rendered unlistenable today. The experience of the music building up with more varied instruments is as fascinating as it is entertaining. Trying to keep up with all the pieces and hearing all the lovely details never fails to please. The climax when those large tubular bells are hammer-struck at the end of the first side is stunning. The realism of those clangs when played at volume is simply jaw-dropping and makes owning a quality turntable all the more justified. I have heard all too often, on well-used copies, this clarity and ‘ring’ shattered by groovewear where the focus and sharpness is broken, even shattered by echo. It simply hurts the ears and senses when this happens. I have also found repressings not to be as good either, often noisy probably due to mass-production. So for me to offer this original album – and only originals will ever really do it for me – it has to plays to nigh-on perfection – and this one truly does. My LP12 takes no prisoners, if there is crackle, distortion, groovewear or defects, this deck will reveal it and so will my mega critical tweeters. All the stunning original mastertape sound is fully intact, quiet and present on this masterwork of production. Some could argue it’s dated, well that’s a matter of opinion, I have always loved this piece of work and side two, the side few even mention is equally enthralling. Of course Oldfield will always be remembered for this one album alone, but went to make many others of equal merit. But for the courage of Branson to give it chance, the world may have never enjoyed the classic of Tubular Bells. This example does it full justice – enjoy.

Cover Grade and Format: MINT(-): a single fully laminated format. Later ones were matt finished (I guess to save cost and speed up production). Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group.

Lamination – Front & Back: Both sides look very impressive with shiny, clear and fresh laminate. That famous front cover will seldom be seen better. All fully adhered with no lifting or blisters and even under light, barely a trace of any dulling or friction rubs. Any marks are few, light and faint and any creasing the same. This early and significantly scarcer laminated version will prove quite hard to find better.

Top Edge: Unworn with no laminate scuffs at all.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear and guaranteed untrimmed. One tiny nick pressmark near the top. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with a trace of light compression near the bottom. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate, this is centred a fraction low (being critical), this a very minor manufacture issue of course.

Corners: Any tip rubs are tiny and faint, the spine pair are almost perfect. All retain excellent to near mint shape.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this very famous 70’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. One to do it strong justice, this is still one of the most famous covers of all-time. This beautiful item should please most-all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: The plain white unlined inner is practically like new.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-): a superb visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy with modest plays on all the evidence and without any doubt, on quality equipment with utmost care. Any any surface trace marks few, light and ultra faint. Visually a super record that should please most-all 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This classic first album on Virgin plays up to it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is immensely high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. A real high fidelity recording that beautifully reproduces real instruments to the highest standard. That eerily beautiful piano intro alone makes this record worthy to in any album collection and it’s use in William Friedkin’s horror masterpiece ‘The Exorcist’ was truly inspired. Those few opening notes still gives me that rare tingle factor that only the most memorable music can. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Not all are – fact – I have heard some Mint looking copies that disappoint with crackle and pressing issues, these are usually obvious repressings. Remember, first pressings are way rarer on this label than all others. Few copies will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played only lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This evergreen progressive masterwork will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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.

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 prompt 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 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: 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 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. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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: 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’.

CORRECTION: Mike Oldfield was NOT a member of Soft Machine, I got my Oldfield and Kevin Ayers briefly mixed-up. Oldfield did play on the early Ayers album 'Shooting at the Moon' – Mike