SHELAGH McDONALD Album VERY RARE Orig UK B&C 71 LP

	£		126
	$		166

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4. Europe £10. Rest of World £14. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: SHELAGH McDONALD

Album Title: Shelagh McDonald Album.

Producer(s): Sandy Robertson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Look Over the Hill and Far Away; Crusoe; Waiting for the Wind to Rise; Ophelia’s Song.

Side 2: Richomond; Let No Man Steal Your Thyme; Peacock Lady; Silk and Leather; You Know You Can’t Lose; Ophelia’s Song.

Label/Format: B&C (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both in superb condition: very clean, fresh and attractive with only a couple or three very light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. Minimal traces of any fingermarks on matt labels that show any handling freely. Try finding these better.

Cat Number: CAS 1019.

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: 138 grams. A very good typical weight for this label.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare and elusive, this album faired very poorly when issued. Now a cult female folk classic and highly sort-after.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: CAS 1043 A-2U / CAS 1043 B-2U

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 G / 1 R

Musicians: Shelagh McDonald – vocals, guitar; Keith Christmas – guitars; Andy Roberts - guitar; Roger Powell - drums; Keith Tippett - piano; Pat Donaldson - bass; Ian Whiteman - piano, electric piano, organ; Gerry Conway - drums, Mike Evans - bass; Gordon Huntley - steel guitar, dobro; Tristan Fry - vibes.

Brief Info: Scottish folksinger Shelagh McDonald remains one of the most enigmatic artists of all-time: she made just two albums in 1970 and 1971 – this was her debut, both on B&C Records. These received wonderful critical reviews and briefly she was the darling of the folk-scene circuit. Alas, the reviews did not reflect in sales and this first album sold very poorly. ‘Stargazer’, the second faired only slightly better and both records are elusive and seldom seen. She worked with fabulous musicians as seen above and both albums can be regarded as ‘lost’ folk classics. It seemed certain a huge career would follow but in 1971 she simply disappeared. A tragic loss to the music industry and her growing fan-base. Her whereabouts remained a mystery with rumours arife she was no longer even with us. But in 2005 she unexpectedly returned to tell her story; explaining she was a victim of a very bad LSD trip which affected her mind badly and her voice had been wrecked. She thought she was now better after living a quiet life out of the limelight – her voice was back and she was now interested in recording again – however it was not to be and she then disappeared again. Along with fellow enigmatic folk-singer-songwriter Nick Drake, her albums are highly prized and sort-after. Explaining a voice is not easy, but my best attempt would be to blend 70% Joni Mitchell with 20% Judy Collins and a 10% dash of Sandy Denny – and you have one of the most astonishing female vocalists ever. The material is very impressive with songs self-written as well as Keith Christmas, Andy Roberts and Gerry Rafferty – this album simply exudes class – such a shame this fabulous lady could not issue more music. Even though I have had her two albums on CD for some time, this is my first ever copy of this first album, it now equals my only copy of ‘Stargazer’. Finding one also with a better cover will prove near impossible. An ultra flimsy, thin card textured format that will never wear well, this has little to fault at all. The record has hardly been played and came from a quality collection. B&C records could be inconsistent in pressing quality, but this is generally very quiet with just a small few, mostly light, sporadic one-off clicks, these within the pressing or just the odd microscopic fragment on the surface. An album musically that takes you to a different place with quite breathtaking vocals, passion and wonderful backing by some of the UK’s finest folk musicians. The spectre of drugs ruined this wonderful woman’s career and life and deprived the world of her immense talent. Two albums was simply never enough and her immense charm and talent shines forth on both. I feel sure there will be so many reading this who will still not be familiar with this album or the lady herself, but once heard, you will want more. Sometimes you feel there is no justice in the world, this woman should and could have been a superstar only for drugs to halt progress in her tracks. All very sad indeed.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a single unlaminated format with matt textured surfaces, this is made with very thin card and incredibly delicate. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group.

Cover Front: With a cover this fragile and wear-prone, my grading is being extremely critical. Finding one better will prove beyond difficult. This front has few blemishes: a tiny rub speck near the top right corner (look very hard) and the faintest of faint rim rubs near the top and bottom – these register little. The left edge has light fading which is natural caused by light over the years, this is mild. Mere traces of the same on the top edge, again this registers little. Artwork with textured surfaces will rarely be seen so unworn and this retains superb, rich colour and nigh-on perfect good looks.

Cover Back: The back is similar and arguably even better with little to fault at all. With hardly any creases on either side, that is remarkable for one so soft and flimsy. Also how many backs on this will avoid any ringwear?

Top Edge: Light, patchy rubbing only and this is very thin and delicate too.

Bottom Edge: Similar with just a shade more in places.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and sharp with barely any hint of thickening or burring. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, reasonably straight with minimal compression. Just the ends have rubbed a little so all the text is present and unworn. That a massive bonus on such a cover and would bet many that surface will be badly eroded.

Corners: The tips have rubbed but only mildly so in context of such a cover. All retain very fine shape.

Cover Summary: A superb example of a hugely challenging cover, few will ever be seen to this standard these days. A little rubbing, yes, but how many will ever avoid it – any present is light and neat. This beautiful item should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a heavy-duty plain white polylined inner. Aged little with the lining ultra clear as seen through two crisp and undamaged window circles. All edges unsplit with minimal discolour or creasing.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: and this hardly tells the real truth. There is no doubt at all, this superb record has hardly been played. A very impressive record now into it’s forty-second year, very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A few light surface marks are seen on side one that I have no doubts at all are manufacture blemishes, they have no sound anyway and are only seen under angled light. Any others are few and faint and equally superficial. Visually a super record that should please many, if not 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 ‘lost’ classic plays mostly even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. In terms of crackle, this has barely any and that on this label is a significant bonus. A small few sporadic mild ticks in places, mostly one-offs and very few of them anyway, and few and far between – most briefly near the start of ‘Let No Man’. These lie I am sure within the pressing and if anyone owns a ‘silent’ copy of this, I for one would be very surprised. The other Shelagh McDonald album I had, ‘Stargazer’ was a little noisy in places and it seems to be trait of this artist on vinyl. This one is significantly quieter and very impressive overall. It has strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. A really superb high fidelity recording, that wonderful voice has an immense quality that could almost be present in the room itself. A gateway into her recording studio itself, this copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. Just the odd sporadic tick here and there is the only issue – just enough to remind you of what you are actually listening too – a 41+ year-old-old vinyl record – finding one better will go beyond difficult – a rare opportunity for sure.

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’.