RAMASES Space Hymns RARE Orig UK 1971 Vertigo Spiral LP

	£		161
	$		213

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: RAMASES

Album Title: Space Hymns

Producer(s): Ramases.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Life Child; Hello Mister; And the Whole World; Quasar One; You’re the Only One.

Side 2: Earth People; Molecular Delusion; Balloon; Ding Swan Year 2000; Jesus Come Back; Journey to the Inside.

Label/Format: Vertigo – Original Spiral, swirl format, please see my picture scans.

Label Condition: Both very clean, fresh and attractive. Spindle marks are very few and fine and faint, if a little on the long side on side on. Only really visible with angled viewing. The famous large spiral on side one is nigh-on perfect looking with no scuffs or ink removal from rim to hole. The hole rim itself totally unrubbed and still a very snug fit on my LP12 spindle. Side two still incredibly white with just an ultra faint and tiny tone spot trace (but look extra hard to see it).

Cat Number: 6360 046.

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: 135 grams. A little above average.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very scarce these days and this one has never been common. One of the moderately obscure Vertigo Spiral issues that would not have sold in large numbers. Finding this album at all now is difficult enough and finding one in anything like attractive condition is a real challenge.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 6360044 1Y // 1 420 1 1 7 and 6360044 2Y // 1 420 1 1 7 4 (the 7 is lightly corrected).

Musicians: Eric Stewart (Lead guitar and moog); Lol Creme (Lead guitar and Moog); Kevin Godley (Drums and flute); Graham Gouldman (Guitar and bass) and Martin Raphael (Sitar). Ramases and his wife Sel sing all songs.

Brief Artist & Album Info: A surreal and spacey Spiral set from a band that became better known as 10CC. This is amongst my favourites on this cult and hugely collectable label. Brilliantly titled Space Hymns, because this is what this is, progressive psych songs about aliens, space travel, the universe, first contacts, the second coming and hypothesis concerning the atom and the universe, a very original record and quite unique. A spectacular fold-out poster cover too and probably one of the most difficult ones to find in decent condition. Featuring spectacular artwork from renowned, and equally collectable artist Roger Dean, this has to be one of most breathtaking. Vertigo issued a small few albums in this poster style: the card was quite thin and so many were wall-mounted. Thus many are covered in pin-holes or tape marks (or both). Clearly this is one of the most spectacular and a high percentage were displayed and enjoyed. Unlike some, this one was printed each side with superb artwork on both. Of the few that surface, only a tiny percentage are in anything like top condition with a super excellent example being worthy of still higher gradings taken all into consideration. This one has some relatively modest wear, but is solidly intact and is unmounted. The record very little played but does have a few light marks on side two with a few light and brief clicks from one very small mark that must just about penetrate the surface. That apart, the record plays superbly and this is never an easy one with some very quiet passages in places. This is my first copy since 2005 and since then I have had many Vertigo Spirals under my belt, so clearly, this is not an easy one in all departments. So, not a perfect example, but a overall, a very respectable one – the record actually very nice indeed. Not for the connoisseur or highly discerning collector, but many Swirl and prog fans will enjoy having it.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: as stated above, this grading can almost be considered conservative for such a fragile format. A multi-foldout poster format, it expands to six times it’s normal size, so around 3 x 2 ft (36 x 24 inches) when fully opened. Made with single thickness and fairly thin card, it has no laminate and is matt finished. Printed and made in England by Howard’s.

Cover the ‘Outer’ Spaceship sides: This the side where the folds naturally fold inward, hence they lie on the outide when folded up. So, stating the obvious, these areas will be the most prone to wear and damage, many weaken and split, I have even seen similar Vertigo covers actually showing holes where the folds cross each other. Here all folds are strong with NO splits (bar the odd minuscule nick) and no repairs. Only the ones that are exposed on the outside when folded have any rubbing and these in context are only modestly light with the most on the spine. Against the odds, most-all of the spine text is intact and present. Both the lower vertical folds are near pristine with any ink loss to the above pair minimal and light. The single long horizontal fold is equally strong again with hardly any rubbing. The ultra critical area where the folds cross are still quite neat and almost as solid as they will get these days. I have tried to show the fold areas to try to be as clear as I can. The actual main areas of the stunning Roger Dean graphic are superb and shows very little traces of wear at all. Only the top right panel (the cover’s back when closed) has a lightish crease near the top left corner, but few other creases at all. An almost remarkable statistic on such a flimsy and fragile cover. The edge ends are mostly crisp and sharp, any burr traces are tiny and only lightly present on the top, again avoidance of this is near impossible. When opened fully, the four main corners are all very sharp and crisp, unthickened, burred or creased, I can hardly believe this myself. On closing fully, ‘new’ corners are created of course, these are cross-over folded areas and these have some still relatively modest rubbing. Colour remains very dark and strong with no fading. Let’s be honest, how many of these will not have some mild rubbing to the folds? Given all the facts, this ‘opening’ side has survived in super and still hugely attractive condition. Not quite for the perfectionist, but how many available examples ever will be these days?

Cover Purple ‘Inner’ sides: Simply stunning: the folds now go inward and these are far less exposed than the other side so less vulnerable. Grading this on it’s own, a Mint(-) grading would not be unreasonable, this looks fantastic. Just the same quite light corner crease as the front, but that apart, little else to fault. I hope my picture does this full justice.

Cover Summary: A ‘working’ cover, one made to be mounted and enjoyed. Many were – then ripped down damaged, faded or even disgarded. Some held together with cellotape or hanging together by a thread. Scruffy, tired, torn and aged examples are seen, but who wants them? A poster sleeve has to be taken for what it is – a fragile and flimsy packet to store a record or be used – either way, few faired well. With all commonsense and logic considered, this should please most collectors – you decide for yourself.

The Spiral Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): this has the type two slightly later style inner. One in equally fine condition with little wear. A little mild glue darkening on the seams but overall, still clean and attractive. The window circles are mainly crisp and neat, the odd tiny nick or two only. The lining still very clear and solid with just a little mild crinkle. Very little in the way of creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+) / NEAR EXCELLENT: a fine to very fine and attractive looking copy with very few, fine and faint surface traces on side one. Side two has a few light surface marks on the first two songs. Just one very small mark emits around a dozen mainly light clicks. Any others are very light, few and faint indeed and the overall sound is clean and very pleasing – a blemish yes, but hardly serious. Clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with only modest plays on all the evidence, the fine surface marks on ‘Earth People’ suggest to me a mild manufacture blemish, but that is speculation on my behalf. Still they are minor and do sound very much, the main clicks on this song are via the one tiny mark elsewhere. Visually a lovely record that should please many collectors, but this small blemish may concern the absolutely sound purist who only demand perfection as any cost.

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 rare record plays very well indeed with crisp clear sound and no distortion or sound degrading at all. Just the 12 or so, mainly light clicks on ‘Earth People’ as mentioned above and a few very light an faint ticks briefly on the following song ‘Molecular Delusion’. This record has a spectacular production and must rank as one of the very best Spirals in terms of sound quality – a genuine hi-fi recording with some amazing sounds, rich bass and superb stereo imagery. A very wide dynamic range with some interesting groove patterns on the record. Side one plays beautifully with practically nothing to fault at all and the vast majority of side two the same. Most collectors will enjoy this one but NOT blemish-free, so decide carefully if this is for you.

Final Summary: Rarely, if ever recognisable as the popular chart toppers they later became, this fine set of 11 songs is more X-Files than ‘I’m Mandy, Fly Me’ and most progressive rock fans will love this rare set. It will not appear that often so it may just your chance to fill that missing Spiral gap. The Roger Dean cover is impressive and shows far less wear than most available ones ever will. The record mostly plays superbly, a few light clicks are any record this age are quite difficult to avoid totally. The lack of crackle and distortion more than compensates on a delicate and fragile recording. Not a perfectionists copy, but realistically – given all the facts – one that should please many collectors. One I am happy to highly recommend, on such rare records, a little compromise sometimes has to be made.

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.

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: 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.

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: 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’.