SOFT MACHINE Fifth SCARCE Original UK 1972 CBS N/M LP

	£		36
	$		48

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: SOFT MACHINE

Album Title: Fifth.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: All White; Drop; MC.

Side 2: As If; L B O; Pigling Bland.

Label/Format: CBS – early full orange format.

Label Condition: Stunning clean pair with only ultra fine, few and light spindle traces. (Please see label scan for any information needed).

Cat Number: S 64806.

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: 125 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderately scarce, this wonderful band never sold in huge numbers.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: S 64806 A2 / S 64806 B1

Brief Artist & Album Info: The stunningly high standards of the previous two progressive jazz-rock albums is maintained on Fifth. A six piece band here featuring: Elton Deaqn, alto sax, saxello, electric piano; Hugh Hopper, bass; Mike Ratledge, organ, electric piano; Phil Howard, drums (side one); John Marshall, drums (side two) and Roy Babbington, double bass (side two). More blistering solos from one of the most respected pioneering bands within their field, a superb production too, such a shame the classic Third lacked the sound quality offered on this one. The only ‘ordinary’ thing about this album is the cover design – again it’s one of the hardest to find with little wear as it was not laminated and (obviously) black, wear-prone and fragile. Delighted to say this is one of the better ones I have seen, that’s not to say it’s perfect, few will be these days, but its a more than respectable example. The record is in superb condition, clearly little played and well pressed, this will really make any hi-fi, worthy of that tag, sing and should please most discerning audiophiles and collectors.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High++, all the ingredients for rubbing, ringwear and sticker pulls.

Cover Grade and Format: Near EX with a very small sticker blemish, a single format, unlaminated. The front has SOFT MACHINE and 5 delicately embossed on the front – the outline is the only giveaway visually as the ink colour varies little.This is an English Shorewood Packaging Co sleeve.

Cover Front: Rather bland in design I guess but that’s just my opinion. Clean with hardly any rubbing and only light edge creases mostly on the spine. A very small and mild sticker mark has been ‘improved’ and has modest visibility. The lack of ringwear is always a bonus on this and similar covers, without doubt one of the better ones I have seen, the majority look terrible these days.

Cover Back: The back is in very strong condition - the only noteworthy blemish is a faint shop stamp on the white of the ‘5’, this apart, and it’s pretty minor anyway, one of best backs you will ever see on this cover that again has no ringwear.

Top Edge: Ultra light rub traces only.

Bottom Edge: Light patchy rubbing, possible touch-in traces, the jury’s out, if so, they have been done superbly.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering. Mild thickening when viewed end-on, the lack of chipping to the black surfaces is reassuring. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: An unusually fine spine on what is a totally uncompromising cover. Solid and square with little wear or compression. All text is perfect and unworn and never take this for granted on a cover like this.

Corners: Tiny to small tip rubs only and all still nicely shaped as well.

Cover Summary: Not a favourite cover being honest, the front detail can only be seen with angled viewing and this remains for me, bland. Still it’s in overall very fine condition given the facts, not perfectionist standard but most realistic collectors should like it.

The Inner: Mint(-) and for me far more interesting than the cover. This is the unlined CBS ‘The Music People’ inner and apart from mild ruffling, it’s little short of as new. Unusually the edges are unsplit and there are no tears, marks or ageing. A lovely inner with a really attractive green colour that’s unfaded and fine artwork too.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and undergraded at even that. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, jet black and very solidly pressed. Barely a mark to be seen, this looks really looks like new. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please all 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 snippetts 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: The excellent music makes up for the less-than-inspiring cover. It plays up to its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, undistorted sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed, rich sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, and this does have some quiet passages but this is a near perfect copy, and few will play better than this. With plenty of reed-work it’s good state both channels are clean, sharp and fully focused. I am certain this record has been played very little, evidence suggests once or twice only and has been generally well stored and looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this jazz-rock classic. This copy will prove near impossible to find significantly better.

End Piece: Soft Machine have always been a connoisseurs ‘rock’ band, at times challenging but always compelling. This album is not quite as ‘difficult’ as Third but includes beautifully structured instrumentals with intricate solos. Unique and hugely admired this sets its standards very high, this is too good to miss and any fan should enjoy this copy, strong recommendation is mandatory.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

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 promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£39).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.