NEIL YOUNG Tonight's the Night RARER ORIG UK 75 COMPLETE.

	£		127
	$		169

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: NEIL YOUNG

Album Title: Tonight’s The Night.

Producer(s): David Briggs, Neil Young & Tim Mulligan.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Tonight’s the Night; Speakin’ Out; World on a String; Borrowed Tune; Come on Baby Let’s Go Downtown; Mellow My Mind.

Side 2: Roll Another Number (for the road); Albuquerque; New Mama; Lookout Joe; Tired Eyes; Tonight’s the Night (part II).

Label/Format: Reprise –1st pressing with no Warner logo.

Label Conditions: Both immaculate and could pass for new. Ultra clean and highly attractive with no discernible spindle traces at all, even under a magnifying glass.

Cat Number: K 54040.

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: 116 grams. This a typical weight for this record, like ‘On the Beach’ (also on offer), this one appears always lightly pressed and this one eight grams heavier than the last one I had (good enough) around three years ago.

Rarity & Overview: Scarce as an original. These were different from later pressings. Firstly, the label has no EMI logo. The covers more robust with thick spines and with a more defined gentle textured feel to the surface. Also these include a graphic inner sleeve and a small insert sheet, both manufactured in England. Later ones especially fail to include the small folded insert.

Something else I consider very important regarding this album as well is how it plays. It is one I almost expect to play badly every time I risk buying a copy. For me, this has to be one of the consistently worst-pressed albums I have ever heard – either that, or I am unlucky – I think the former. Quite why this has to be the case I do not know, but I have found this a near impossibility to ever find even listenable. Generally, I find Reprise records to be of a high standard and give few issues, but ‘Tonights the Night’ rarely, if ever will play anything like quiet or devoid of pressings issues, that is even from copies that appear hardly played. I have heard some that sound like they have been pressed on sandpaper with constant moderate crackle and surface noise, often with rasping cutting noises and distortion. Often the impurities can be seen within the vinyl without even having to look too hard – I am pretty certain many of these were pressed on recycled vinyl and had little chance from the very start. It has got to a stage now I will not buy this album unless I can hear it first as I have three already not fit to offer because aforementioned pressing issues. This copy visually is lovely with superb cover, inner and insert sheet – ALL pieces UK made. The record appears barely even played and looks impressively clean, bar one fine surface mark that has NO sound. Still it had gentle surface sound and a few sporadic pops or clicks. I gave this a very thorough clean on my VPI machine which has improved it to quite a degree and now is more than acceptable and being the best copy I have heard for some considerable time. I am NOT saying it’s perfect, but any surface sound is now minimal, very light and infrequent with only a small few sporadic ticks here and there. This will now prove hard to find much better and the cover and contents are superb. If absolute silence is demanded from this album, I could put a strong case for the CD version and own the original record for it’s beauty. But here, little spoils the experience from this VERY difficult album that simply was not pressed to the highest standards audiophile listeners would want. Rasping pressing noises or cutting issues when present are there to stay of course, but this copy has avoided them. Over my time selling on Ebay, I have disgarded no less than five copies of this album, not all first issues but at least a couple were, simply for unacceptable surface noise, crackle or pressing rasps and distortion. Indeed this could be as good a copy as you will find – I realise I am fussy, but few would have accepted the copies I refused to auction, and nice at last to find one that I found enjoyable, if not entirely perfect. So any copy that offers near pristine packaging and a very listenable record with little unwanted, I certainly consider rare.

Original Year of Release & Note: 1975.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Matrix Nos: K-54040-A2 [MS 2221 31884-RE-1 1C] / K-54040-B2 [MS 2221 31885-1B] The first unbracked matrixes are punched and very clearly pronounced.

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘EXPORT HELLO WATERFACE’ / ‘EXPORT GOODBYE WATERFACE’.

Musicians: Neil Young – vocal, piano, guitar, harmonica, vibes; Ben Keith – pedal steel guitar, vocal, slide guitar; Nils Lofgren – guitar, piano, vocal; Danny Whitten – guitar, vocal; Jack Nitzsche – electric piano, piano; Billy Talbot – bass; Tim Drummond – bass; Ralph Molina – drums, vocal; Kenny Buttrey – drums; George Whitsell – vocal.

Brief Info: An album that was delayed by Young and Reprise as they thought the public were not ready for such an onslaught of bleakness and intensity, especially after the ‘Time Fades Away’ live set. Instead it was issued a year after the masterpiece which was On the Beach, again another downbeat album that did not sell at all well. Many thought Young was a spent force after a disatrous tour and the resulting effects of two friends deaths from drugs for which this album is dedicated. Within the two years this record was stored away, his career did take an upturn from the tour with Crosby, Stills and Nash then it was deemed a better time to unleash this remarkable album to his fans. It remains one of his most moving albums of his long career, deeply harrowing and chilling. It did not sell well but remains, along with the previous album, one of the key releases in the entire decade. The work of a troubled man, but now on the road to recovery from alcohol when issued. It includes one of my favourite Young tracks ever in the wonderful ‘Albuquerque’, where his voice is still in total control even through the torment he was suffering at the time. A cornerstone album from one of the greatest songwriters of all time and this copy does it fine justice. An album that so often suffers major pressing problems with very unpleasant unwanted sounds. This is one copy of FOUR I have here – the other three have distortion, moderate crackle and really horrible pressing noises spread across the duration of the music. I will NOT offer those, they will be given away or put out for recycling. The brilliance of this album demands it be heard with fine quality sound and this copy, for most, does deliver. At times, quite a sparse album and few places for blemishes to ‘hide’. Without any doubt, there were issues with the manufacture of this album and it was not just a trait of this Young album, others suffered too around this time. This first issue, at last allows me to offer only my third complete copy of this classic on Ebay. Others all had pieces missing – this has both the inner and the elusive double-folded insert included. The irony is, this copy has a few surface marks that have no sound. The other copies look unmarked, but those wretched pressing noises and distortions are present from the small pressing imperfections seen closely under light. This copy from 1975, offers the best sound I have heard for some time, but still not silent with some gentle surface sound here and there, but easily acceptable for this quite critical listener. I guess one day a perfectly pressed copy will come along, but I fear it unlikely, so in the meantime, this will do nicely.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): this being somewhat criticall, this is as close to my full Mint(-) grading as they get. An unlaminated gatefold format with a very dull matt surface finish that feels very slightly textured to the fingertip. Made with fairly thick card and with the original wide spine. Printed and made in England by Shorewood. The illustrated inner sleeve and insert sheet are included.

Cover Front: Immaculate and it could pretty much pass for new. The odd corner tip rub trace being ultra critical but little else.

Cover Back: Same again, simply superb with not even a hint of rim impression or wear at all.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Looks new again, a fantastic centrefold.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both pairs straight with any rub traces tiny, few and very faint.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with barely any hint of wear and both guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on the back edge that (again being critical) has a hint of thickening viewed end-on.

Spine and Text: Little short of pristine, practically as made bar one tiny rub trace on the bottom fold. Solid and very thick, straight, uncompressed and folded square, all the edges meet up flush and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn as is the entire spine surface really. Hard to find this in such super shape with no crushing.

Corners: Any tip rubs are tiny and light, the spine ends are nigh-on pristine as made. Excellent to near mint shape retained.

Cover Summary: Dark, unprotected and fragile – but this cover-protected example has been stored with utmost care and appears hardly even touched. I doubt if this has seen light-of-day for decades and it should please most-all collectors – indeed this could prove the ultimate upgrade for those needing one.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(-): unlined and also printed in the UK. One of the few I have seen with no edge splits, and these are not even weakened or stressed (and have NO repairs). The owner had the very good sense to put the record inside a replacement lined inner. Barely any hint of creasing and minimal rim impression or handling traces. These fingermark intolerant matt surfaces will never prove easy to find better.

The ‘Hello Waterface’ Insert: MINT and not even sure if the owner even realised it was inside. Again UK printed and double folded. Clean with crisp edges and solid folds, also, which is not always the case, this is perfectly folded with all edges flush and parallel. This is fairly elusive and often missing, this one looks brand new.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: this has a few straight surface marks – these NOT inflicted by any stylus. Longer stylus marks would be curved and never straight. So either from manufacture or from the unlined inner, I think from the former. Still a fine visual copy that is clean with decent shine and fairly solidly pressed. On close inspection under bright angled light, some dulling is seen within the pressing and that is where the less than silent issues always seem to lie. This leads me to think most-all of these were pressed in batches on mixed quality vinyl. So sound quality always seems a lottery, ranging from noisy to less noisy (and anything inbetween). On severely bad copies, tiny bright specks can be seen when the light catches them right, these are never good news and these the culprits for the rasping pressing noises often heard. Well this copy has NONE of these, thus NO rasps or distortions to the sound which is all sharp and focused. Some examples are riddled with them and the sound unusually unlistenable. Being honest, if I spot these cutting flaws, I leave any album alone, but now I only will buy this title if I can hear it first. Althought not perfect, this is a very respectable record and it actually may take some beating.

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 Neil Young classic plays mostly well, but a little very gentle surface sound is apparent here and there – this purely within the pressing as mentioned in more detail above. I am certain it has hardly been out of the cover or played, so, like most all others I have heard, this is purely a manufacture issue. Clean and distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. The absence of pressing rasps and distortion are considerable bonuses, these are the near invisible menace of this album in particular and are common. Hence a play-grade is even more crucial than usual. The lack of loud crackle that ruins so many copies is welcome news and some of the songs play practically devoid of any at all. I also remind I play all my records on incredibly sensitive equipment including the famous Linn LP12, still one of the most critically revealing front ends ever made. Compared to most all others I have heard, this is a relatively clean pressing for what I consider a hugely difficult album. It is possible few copies will outperform this to any great degree and little of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful album. So NOT silent, but even with a few surface marks that fail to sound, this is one of the better copies for audio quality I have heard and maybe, I am being too critical? The noises encountered on the others I have here made me cringe and whole beauty of the album was lost – these will never be offered. This one sets quite a high standard, is very listenable and most-all very enjoyable. A little gentle sporadic surface sound I have almost come to expect as part of the experience of this set on vinyl and if that is not acceptable – well it could be a wait for the near impossible. With a stunning cover, inner and insert sheet and considerably better than average sound, this copy still merits high recommendation, but not for audiophile purist who wants nothing but silence, but that I have found near unachieveable. Indeed, if I did not offer a copy this clean, I would probably never offer a copy of this album at all.

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 ask 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] = £4.75

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]) = £12.50 (enhanced 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced 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’.