STATUS QUO Picturesque Matchstickable RARE ORIG UK MONO

	£		172
	$		227

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Artist or Band: THE STATUS QUO

Album Title: Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from The Status Quo.

Producer(s): John Schroeder.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Black Veils of Melancholy; When My Mind is Not Live; Ice in the Sun; Elizabeth Dreams; Gentleman Joe's Sidewalk Café; Paradise Flat.

Side 2: Technicolour Dreams; Sheila; Spicks and Specks; Sunny Cellophane Skies; Green Tambourine; Pictures of Matchstick Men.

Label/Format: Pye – Original black and blue format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only very light to light and mostly faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. Great news for the mono record collector, this prime example looks very lightly played reitterated by super sound.

Cat Number: NPL 18220.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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: A very impressive 167 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: Rare: this has always been an elusive album and now greatly appreciated and sort-after by sixties psych collectors. Finding this gem with a record in such lovely condition is difficult and this has no significant marks, looks fantastic and sounds thte same. Rarely seen like this, one that has avoided blunt needle abuse and probably not even subjected to any mono record player at all knowing where it came from. Also one of the earliest ever pressed with the prized A 1 / A 1 mothers and stamper codes.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: NPL 18220 A-2 *T / NPL 18220 B-2 *T

Mother & Stamper Codes: A 1 / A 1

Musicians: Francis Rossi - vocals & lead guitar; Rick Parfitt - vocals & rhythm guitar; Alan Lancaster - bass guitar; John Coghlan - drums; Roy Lynes - vocals & organ.

Brief Info: Forty-two years ago, a new psychedlic British band issued a mini-classic that lauched a career that is still going strong today. Then a five-piece unit and sounding very different from the boogie-rock super-group they later evolved into. This, and the equally wonderful second album ‘Spare Parts’ are rare albums and never easy to find, especially in top playing conditions. Ignored in the US and first edition format copies remain highly sort-after by fans. Picturesque Matchstickable is real psych-edged pop music and includes original self-written material and classic covers, I am sure if these two early releases had been their only albums, they would be off-the-scale on wants lists. Just like the legendary Kaleidoscope (UK) albums which this is fairly similar to in musical style. This is the first example of this debut I have seen for some considerable time and the record was well worthy of the wait. It looks little played and sounds lovely in the mono format. One not ruined by old mono record players, I doubt if this has been subjected to one. The cover has worn a little with mainly edge creases being the issue, but it still looks really nice. For fans of the band and psych collectors, this is a copy that can really be enjoyed and treasured.

Cover Grade and Format: EX(-) and only down-graded because of spine edge cracking/fine creases on the front spine edge. A single format with front lamination that wraps around the closed edges on to three external rear flipbacks. This is the dedicated mono cover that was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and includes the earliest ‘Patents pending’ text.

Lamination & Front: The laminate is ultra clear and shiny and the famous Swan Vesta matchbox artwork can be enjoyed to maximum effect. The main issue is a cluster of spine edge creases which are fine by numerous. Almost remarkably, there is no lifting or blistering and all is fully adhered, yes even on the spine edge. A high degree of freshness is retained and the lack of other marks on this laminate is a bonus as is the lack of friction rubs or dulling. The bottom corners have chipped but the only real issue is the spine edge creases, there are few others and the main areas the eye is far more attracted to look superb.

Cover Back: The back is very nice and for a 42-year-old cover is exceptional. A few spine edge creases again and a red underline of the NPL Cat Number near the top right. Probably done by the shopseller to remind it’s the mono version. The main back panel is quite clean with minimal grubbiness, just a trace of darkening. This panel has no creasing or ringwear and even rubbing has been avoided. The flipbacks are strongly adhered and solid. The spine one has nine hairline cracks, the others less and the ends are clean with no grimelines. All considered, this is a splendid cover which is hardly a spring chicken in terms of age (to say the very least).

Top Edge: Corner tip rubs apart, this is practically as made and very straight too, considering its thinness, it’s in super shape.

Bottom Edge: As above with odd tiny surface chip and the corners have bigger chips.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, moderately sharp with any wear or burring fairly modest, this has feathered but thickening is evident with end-on viewing, this has not been trimmed or tampered with. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Fairly solid, reasonably straight with some cracking and compression. However, the laminate remains fully intact with no peeling and the really good news is, the text is all present and undamaged. The only significant small chip has just missed the ‘O’ in ‘QUO’.

Corners: The top pair have fairly small tip chips or rubs. The bottom left has a slightly larger chip and the right bottom has a large rub-chip. These evident on the front viewing, via the back, little is seen. Even though chipped or rubbed, they retain fine shape overall.

Cover Summary: A splendid all round example of this rare mono late 60’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find significantly better. Yes it has blemishes and mainly light wear, but importantly, it still looks very attractive and the laminate and artwork are very fine. Covers get creases most all of the time and this is no exception. The fact is, it has avoided any lifting and none of the creases are large, so the distraction is vastly reduced. The main graphic looks wonderful and is far more important than edge issues. This lovely item should please many collectors but will fall a little short for the more discerning purist.

The Inner: The original fragile tracing paper lined inner is in very fine condition with just a tiny tear to one side of the lining on the window. Some creasing, but clean and no edge splits.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+, at least. Any marks are very small, minor and faint. Odd hairline or two and faint paper scuffs, these have no sound and being honest, if all mono records showed up this clean and so obviously lightly played, I would be more than delighted. With most seen bordering on trashed and unplayable, such clean playing surfaces are a delight to view (and hear). A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and very heavily pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please 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 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: This near legendary debut album plays even above its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. This has avoided the perils of 1960s and early 70s record players, that in most cases were less than subtle. Most utilising huge tracking weights, sometimes up to 10 grams down-force, and often with coins taped on top to keep track of warped singles. You think I am joking or exaggerating? well fraid not. It almost makes you cringe to what these old classics were played on and subjected too. Few copies will outperform this earliest pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. The cover may have had minor ‘traumas’ over the years, but the record appears to not to have. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This one will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. If the cover creasing as described above is an issue, do not bid.

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 2M moving magnet 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 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. 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners 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 FOUR 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: 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 & 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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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: 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. 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 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’.