STRAWBS Dragonfly UK A1/A1 TEST PRESSING LP

	£		124
	$		164

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Rates.

Artist or Band: STRAWBS

Album Title: Dragonfly.

Producer & Engineer: Tony Visconti.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Weary Song; Dragonfly; I Turned My Face Into the Wind; Josephine, For Better or For Worse; Another Day.

Side 2: ’Til the Sun Comes Shining Through; Young Man; The Vision of the Lady of the Lake; Close Your Eyes.

Label/Format: A&M – Ultra rare, possibly unique white label Test pressing with details written by hand in the factory. (please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both practically as made with just one spindle mark on side two.

Cat Number: AMLS 970.

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: 140 grams. Around or above average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: First issues of this album are scarce. Ultimate first pressed Test pressings are beyond rare. Few were made, even fewer left the factories. A small few were given to staff or band members and these white label copies are far rarer than demo or ‘factory samples’. This lovely item would have been one of the very first ever pressed, no doubt about. Highly sort-after examples for the specialist and connoisseur collector.

Original Year of Release: 1970.

Matrix Nos: AMLS 970 A-1 / AMLS 970 B-1

Stamper Codes: A 1 / A 1

The Band: David Cousins - vocals, acoustic guitar; piano, dulcimer, Chinese piano, percussion; Tony Hooper - vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, tambourine, percussion; Ron Chesterman - double bass.

Other Musicians: Clare Deniz - cello; Tony Visconti - recorder; Bjarne Rostvold - drums; Rick Wakeman - piano; Paul Brett - lead guitar.

Brief Info: Second and probably the most elusive album in their fine catalogue. This is pure quality folk-rock and one of the finest exponents of the genre. Beautifully packaged, this cover is well worthy of another look, this is really hard to find with a still white cover with little wear. As delicate as the insect beautifully drawn on the cover, not only a mainly white sleeve, it’s textured too – front and back and the early ones are made with thicker card. Can you imagine what most of these will look like now? I am not saying this is perfect as it has a little light rubbing, but it will be hard to find much better. Early ‘shop’ copies includes an insert, this does not have it. This is an ultimate first pressed white label Test pressing, and although it has a few light surface marks, it plays to nigh-on perfection with detail and clarity only the earliest pressings could ever offer. The one-and-only owner worked in the record industry for several years including a stinct at Island. This immensely rare item could be unique and few, if any will ever be offered again. Do not miss this exceedingly rare opportunity.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high indeed. All should speak for itself.

Cover Grade and Format: I cannot grade this lovely cover less than Excellent. Simple in design but its beauty is beyond dispute. A single format on thicker card with moderate and pronounced texturing on both sides and of course unlaminated. The detail on this beautiful dragonfly is quite stunning. This gorgeous cover was printed and made in England by MacNeill Press. If difficult, beautiful vintage covers are to your liking, look no further.

Cover Front: I realy like this cover, the detail on the insect is gorgeous and this does it near full justice. The dragonfly itself is totally unworn with beautiful colour and freshness. The white areas are equally clean with minimal traces of grubbiness. A light rub near the top edge and an even lesser one near the bottom and traces only near the sides. Hardly any traces of creasing and given the sheer fragility of this splendid cover, it’s in really super shape.

Cover Back: Even more wear prone being dark and textured. Again this looks real nice with any mild rubbing mostly confined to the top and bottom areas with only light creasing and no ringwear. Both sides will prove immensely difficult to find much better

Top Edge: Any rubbing faint and mild, being white has it’s advantages too.

Bottom Edge: Mildly rubbed, but again it shows little.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mainly sharp with little wear and no feathering, guaranteed untrimmed. Tiny nick burr on front right (but look hard). Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, quite straight with some mild compression in places. This is a quite thin spine anyway and the fact all text is present with little traces of wear is a huge plus. A few light hairline creases and mild rubbing, again this is white so modest visual impact.

Corners: Light tip rubs, odd tiny crease, but being white…, all retain very fine to excellent shape.

Cover Summary: Always a difficult and challenging cover, rarely seen devoid of significant grubbiness or ringwear. This one looks really lovely, not perfect, but it will take an exceptional example to better it to any major degree. NO insert with the Test pressing but the original plain white unlined is included that has darkened with age but fine that apart.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Excellent(-) to near Excellent with small few light marks that have NO sound. Minor surface sounds are seen under light but everything is ignored. A very fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy that plays beautifully with no pressing sounds and pristine clear sound with no distortion or groove wear, never take that for granted on ‘Mustard label era’ A&M records. I have heard several titles with significant pressings sounds and even distortion, the invisible enemy of the vinyl collector, hence play-grading essential. Test pressing record often have a few marks, often left lying around the factory, sometimes they are near right-offs without being played. This is still a lovely looking record, make no mistake, I am certain it’s been hardly played, it 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 rare record plays very well indeed with practically nothing to fault. The sound is strong and distortion-free with all frequencies sharp and clear. Sound quality is high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. At times delicate with some quiet passages but all plays with clean sound. Any surface sounds are minimal and this is a very clean and ultimate first pressing for a quite difficult album with no pops or clicks noted. A pleasure to hear such a lovely copy, few examples will better this significantly I feel sure. Sound purists with know already the most detail and audio quality is gleaned from the earliest pressings and no copy made is earlier than this one. This Test pressing will prove very difficult to find significantly better and is strongly recommended. If these white label copies are your thing, do not lose this special copy.

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 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 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’.