TEA AND SYMPHONY An Asylum For the Musically Insane N/M

	£		203
	$		269

Hi, I am Mike, I am 46 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 33 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and ellusive items now. 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, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirity, not just bits to guess a grade (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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 reader – 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. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert - Thankyou.

Artist or Band: TEA AND SYMPHONY

Album Title: An Asylum For The Musically Insane.

Track Listing: Armchair Theatre; Feel How So Cool the Wind; Sometime; Maybe My Mind; The Come On; Terror in My Soul; Travelling Shoes; Winter; Nothing Will Come of Nothing.

Label/Format: Harvest – Classic yellow and green format. This is an early pre-EMI copy, that is say the labels do not include the boxed EMI logo.

Label Condition: Under normal viewing this pair look close to mint but when held under angled lighting there are some light dull areas, probably caused by years stored inside the sleeve, a minor blemish on what are a beautiful rare Harvest pair. Spindle traces are almost undetectable and there is hardly a trace of any at all. This major Harvest rarity appears hardly played on all the evidence. (Please see label scans for all information needed).

Cat Number: SHVL 761.

Mono or Stereo: Stereo.

Country of Manufacture: Gt Britain.

Rarity: Quite Rare. This is without doubt one of the very rarest of the early Harvest albums and it is so seldomly seen, also this copy is in pretty stunning condition too.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: SHVL 761 A-3U and SHVL 761 B-3U

Stamper Codes: 1G / 1G

Brief Artist & Album Info: One of the real obscure vintage Harvest bands that play a kind of light progressive rock/folkesque type. A band that has eluded me for many years and this is very first time I have had this album to offer. For me its rarer than some of the Pete Brown albums on the same label which I have at least had a couple of times. No excuse for missing this cover: it is a strong contender as the best ever on this famous progressive label and what a joy to be able to offer a stunning copy of it – just check out that stunning artwork. The record too is immaculate and try finding this one better. This is one of those early rarities that is always printed on the Harvest advertising inners but is so rarely seen for real. Any collector needing this one is unlikely to even find a copy easily but to find one that could almost pass for new will be close to impossible – so dont let this insanely rare record pass you by (bye).

Cover Grade and Format: EX+++ (a couple of very minor blemishes only stops this being Mint(-). Its a gatefold format, laminated front and back. An astonishing cover and one of the finest ever seen.

Lamination: Stunning lamination that is virtually uncreased with no peeling or dry areas, indentations or dulling. This infact shines like a mirror and its so clean and fresh it makes the brilliant artwork that lies beneath looks quite amazing - this has to be seen for real to be fully appreciated. The only blemish here is a tiny chip on the very top edge about three inches from the left - very minor, but there. It can probably just be seen on my front cover picture.

Cover Front and Back: Wow, take another look at this one, this is a work of art and has few rivals to better it. This has to be owned in this type of condition, nothing else will really do after this has been seen. The tiny top chip apart this front and back are close to perfect. Super clean and unworn and that amazing artwork is very intensely coloured. Any pressmark from the enclosed record is as light as can be realistically found and hardly anything shows. This has no ring or ringwear at all and this will be near impossible to find significantly better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Pretty much close to perfect, clean and no wear.

Top Edge: The tiny chip is just about the only wear on this edge.

Bottom Edge: The only other blemish on this magnificent cover is a small rub on the back right bottom edge, right near the corner, any other rubbing on this edge is very light and minor traces.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with hardly a trace of any wear. Record entered on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid and square and unworn, the laminate remains strong and uncracked, no text was ever printed on this one. The artwork simply runs on from back to front and is totally unblemished.

Corners: Any cornerwear is minimal and any present is confined just to the very tips only.

Cover Summary: Simply the best: a joy to offer such a find quality cover in such fantastic condition, virtually all collectors will enjoy owning this one.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Tempted to put mint on this one because I cannot imagine finding a better copy anywear, but let’s say possibly undergraded at Mint(-). A superb visual copy that’s super clean, shiny, jet black and very solidly pressed. Barely a mark to be seen, this looks really lovely. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please all collectors again.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super record plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault. Strong, undistorted sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is top quality with a rich dynamic range and very full sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and nothing significant was noted, and few copies will play better than this - I cannot remember a single pop or click. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little, if anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this rare Harvest record. This copy could prove near impossible to find significantly better.

Mono vs Stereo, an overview: Always a matter of opinion which is better or more important. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records. As a general guide to rarity, mono was the far more common format from 61–65; Around 66–67 the balance was roughly equal, then from 68-69 the balance swung more to stereo, making monos from these dates far scarcer, even rare - this guide is important and effects values greatly.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: Almost certainly a huge commercial flop when issued, musically quite easy to listen to and enjoy but this is not pop music for sure. It’s taken me a long, long time to find a copy of this to offer but the wait was well worth it. If your Harvest collection is missing this one, dont even think about losing it, because there will be few copies that will even match this one, let alone better it. This is worthy of a place in any serious collection and should prove to be a sound investment for the future. I strongly recommend this fine all round item – Mike.

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. 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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I by quality single items and collections also (Email me please if you have quality items for sale).

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions of their intended payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions. NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM UNREGISTERED USERS, I will cancel them immediately, and sorry, I cannot give valuations on people’s personal items just for their own curiosity, no item can be accurately valued blindly.

Having the Powerseller Logo: This is recognition from Ebay for the highest possible customer services, satisfaction and quality, it should reassure any potential bidder that all items are described, graded and shipped to the highest standards possible. Customer care of the highest order is a standard feature here and I am proud to have achieved this recognised standard of excellence from Ebay with help from collectors and buyers from all over the World - I thank you all.

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3.00; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £5.50 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Doubles add extra £1, triples add extra £2. Box sets add extra £3 (£4 overseas and Europe)

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

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 (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more and I often actually lose money on this part of service - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be worthwhile.

I can accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders OWN risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above)

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other interesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear 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. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.