STRING DRIVEN THING - VERY RARE 70 UK DEBUT on CONCORD

	£		287
	$		380

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: STRING DRIVEN THING

Album Title: String Driven Thing.

Producer(s): John Read.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: July Morning; Say What You Like; Magic Garden; Wonderful Places; I Don’t Wanna Wake Up; City Man.

Side 2: Another Night in This Old Cigty; That’s My Lady; Catch as Catch Can; No More You and I; Lie Back and Let it Happen; One of the Lonely People.

Label/Format: Concord (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Two stunning examples of a very rare label, a tiny independent that is seldom seen or offered. Both ultra clean, fresh and attractive with only tiny and faint spindle traces, just a couple or three on side one and just one faint trace on side two. These gorgeous labels will prove near impossible to find better.

Cat Number: CON-S 1001.

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: 146 grams. A very good weight for any record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very Rare: this using the term ‘rare’ correctly. Seldom seen or offered. Issued in tiny numbers on this very small, but beautiful independent label. My first ever example of this ‘lost’ folk-rock classic.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: CONS 1001 A1 - H / CONS 1001 B1 - H

Mothers / Stampers: 1 /1

Musicians: Pauline Adams - vocals percussion; Chris Adams - guitars, vocals; John Mannion - guitar.

Brief Info: A ‘lost’ folk-rock gem issued in tiny numbers on a colourful, rare small independent label, Corcord, it went pretty much unnoticed and sank without trace. Now highly collectable and sort-after by folk and prog-rock collectors. This was the debut album by this Scottish trio. Later to record on Charisma when their musical direction changed to progressive rock. The trio were fronted by husband and wife Chris and Pauline Adams and a lovely set it is too. My first ever vinyl copy and a hugely worthy example. Rarely seen or offered, this should interest the serious collectors of the elusive lost classics.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: a single format with front laminate. This wraps around the closed edges and ends on three rear external flipbacks. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Lamination & Front: A very impressive 1970 cover that will be seldom seen and unlikely a great deal better. There is some mostly light surface creasing, most near the right edge, but even here less than moderate. The laminate is still very shiny, fresh and clear, the lovely band artwork looks terrific. All is fully adhered with no lifting or blisters and even under light, has minimal traces of any friction rubs or dulling. A light surface marks show little and a very eye-pleasing example of one of folk-rock’s rarest covers.

Cover Back: The unprotected back is equally impressive, possibly even more so. Hardly traces of wear or grubbiness with no creasing to the main back panel. The flipbacks are all solid, clean with no grubbiness to the ends. A few fine surface creases and faint rub traces to the bottom one’s edge, this almost nit-picking, it again will prove hard to find much better.

Top Edge: Unworn, very straight with smooth unscuffed laminate fully retained.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly very sharp with little wear and no feathering or trimming. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A near perfect spine: solid, straight, uncompressed. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate, the ends are lightly tapered in manufacture.

Corners: A small rub on the bottom right, barely any on the others. All retain very fine to excellent shape.

Cover Summary: Possibly undergraded, the mainly mild creasing on the front was the deciding factor, but an Excellent(+) grading would not be unreasonable. A very strong all-round example of this highly elusive early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better – finding it at all is challenging enough. This beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(-): a basic unlined white inner that gives few clues to it’s great age. Very mild adhesive darkening on the seams that all remain unsplit with no repairs. Both window circles are pristine and barely any creasing.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: VERY NEAR EXCELLENT: a very fine visual copy that is very clean with fine shine, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with modest use with a few light surface marks and hairlines that are mainly superficial. Few 41-year-old records will avoid a few light surface marks at best and this is still an impressive record. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors again.

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 even above it’s high visual grading with little 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 and few clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Of the very few, ultra faint and gentle clicks just heard were on side one, I retterate, these are very brief and minimal and I politely remind of the ultra sensitive equipment I use to play and play-grade my records on. Few copies will outperform this one significantly I feel sure – let’s face it – how many will ever be offered anyway? Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played fairly lightly and has generally been modestly handled and well stored, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, my first ever and I enjoyed it immensely. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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.

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 prompt payment is a problem, please do not bid.

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: 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 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. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.