MOODY BLUES To Our Children's… RARER Orig UK 69 EX LP

	£		22
	$		29

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £11.75. Rest of World £15.75. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases.

Artist or Band: THE MOODY BLUES

Album Title: To Our Children’s, Children’s Children.

Producer(s): Tony Clarke.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Higher and Higher; Eyes of a Child I; Floating; Eyes of a Child II; I Never Thought I’d Live to be a Hundred; Beyond; Out and In.

Side 2: Gypsy; Eternity Road; Candle of Life; Sun is Still Shining; I Never Thought I’d Live to be a Million; Watching and Waiting.

Label/Format: Threshold (press by Decca).

Label Conditions: Both are very clean, fresh and attractive with only very light, few and faint spindle marks.

Cat Number: THS 1.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 150 grams. A typical heavyweight pressing on this brand new Decca subsidiary label.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate: but very early issues are far harder.

Original Year of Release: November 1969.

Matrix Nos: XZAL-9281.P-2W / XZAL-9282.P-2W

Stamper Codes: 1 BH / 1 C [Decca codes are rarely easy to read, and side one letters are a case-in-point]

Musicians: Justin Hayward - guitar, vocals; John Lodge - bass, guitar, vocals; Ray Thomas - vocals, flute, percussion, harmonica; Mike Pinder - keyboards, vocals; Graeme Edge - drums, percussion, vocals.

Brief Info: A prolific band around this time and this was the second of two albums issued in 1969. This for me was one of their very best albums ever and considering the quality of their earlier titles, that is a very bold statement. A conceptual and haunting album with beautiful lush melodies again with wonderful use of the mellotron and never afraid to experiment. Few, if any bands used that wonderful instrument more than the Moodies. The track ‘Candle of Life’ is absolutely sublime and for me, ranks as their best song ever. This never fails to give me that rare ‘tingle factor’ when hearing it at or near it’s very best. Blending electric and acoustic pop-psychedelia and now becoming more progressive too, this is an album no-one could fail to like and this wonderful group went from strength-to-strength. A top quality thick and heavy-pressed record and few will survive in much better shape. Everything points to a very modestly played copy and although this has several quiet passages, this plays very well indeed with little unwanted. The odd sporadic tick or crackle trace is near impossible to avoid totally, especially on the earliest pressings and played on very sensitive equipment, but I enjoyed this classic immensely and this is up there with one of my favourite albums ever.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: High: this is fairly flimsy and soft, thus vulnerable to all forms of wear.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): this being quite critical for such a fragile sleeve. An unlaminated gatefold format made with quite soft card with matt surfaces. This first printing has a wide spine and was printed in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and including the ‘Patent pending’ text. This includes the original 1969 date-coded inner as well as the original lyric insert sheet.

Cover Front & Back: Both sides are exceptional, and how many backs will avoid ringwear with a record this weight and thickness inside for around 42 years? Any marks, blemishes or creases are very small, light and faint and I can hardly imagine finding this wonderful, richly coloured cover better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Practically perfect again and looking impressive. A minor ‘ripple’ to the right of the central fold due to the thickness of spine, this is nigh-on impossible to avoid and here only light.

Top Edges: A little mild rubbing to the back on the right corner area, little else.

Bottom Edges: Similar to above with the rubbing to the front right.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, neat and crisp with barely any wear and burring or thickening. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Very thick indeed, later ones were much thinner. Clearly this means highly vulnerable to all forms of wear and potential damage. This is solid, straight and uncrushed or even compressed. A little gentle rubbing top and bottom and a little near the centre. The folds have survived hardly scathed which is even more unusual. The text is practically unworn with just a small clip to the ‘T’ in ‘TO’. All considered, this has stood the test-of-time well.

Corners: Small tip rubs but all retain very fine shape and generally impressive definition.

Cover Summary: A quality all-round example of this earliest printed version. One that will prove very difficult to find much better. This beautiful item should please most collectors.

The Lyric Sheet Insert: MINT(-): with practially nothing to fault.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: this has the Decca-style polylined blue stereo inner in very fine condition with any ageing modestly light. A little adhesive discolour to the seams that has very modest visibility and minimal grubbiness. Slight rim impression only and barely any creasing, all edges unsplit with the lining firmly attached. This is British patented and has the ‘Foreign patents pending’ text, it is date coded: 10-69, as seen on my close-up picture.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+) / EXCELLENT: with just one very fine surface mark on side two that is totally devoid of any sound. Any other marks are ultra fine and light surface traces only that few records this considerable age will avoid if scrutinised closely enough under bright angled light. This impressive heavyweight record has largely avoided the perils of the age. A super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. Visually a super record that should please many 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 very early copy plays even above it’s 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 real clout. The Moodies Blues albums were always amongst the very best produced albums from this era. High quality pressings and sound and only abuse and overplaying ruined the wonderful sounds. Well these grooves have survived and offer iimpressive and enjoyable sound. Any surface sounds are gentle, infrequent and faint and no pops or significant clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album that does have some quieter passages. Few copies will match or outperform this high quality pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this truly sublime album – a long standing favourite I never tire of hearing again. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better. One of the greatest albums of it’s type ever in my humble opinion, it helped close the greatest decade in music perfectly. This vintage 1969 issue deserves 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 Terrarium Black 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 8,000+ items sold in over 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 2 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). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

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] = £4.25

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £11.75 (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]) = £15.75 Add £3 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’.