THE HOLLIES Greatest RARE ORIG 68 UK Parlophone MONO LP

	£		172
	$		228

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Artist or Band: THE HOLLIES

Album Title: Hollies’ Greatest.

Producer(s): Ron Richards.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: I Can’t Let Go; Bus Stop; We’re Through; Carrie Anne; Here I Go Again; King Midas in Reverse; Yes I Will.

Side 2: I’m Alive; Just One Look; On a Carousel; Stay; Look Through Any Window; Stop Stop Stop; Jennifer Eccles.

Label/Format: Parlophone – Original yellow and black format with the embossed ‘K T’ tax codes on side two. These two fine letters are pristine with no chipping, rubbing or flattening. Please see all details on my scans.

Label Conditions: Both superb: Parlophone’s will rarely be seen looking much better than this pair. Clean and beautifully defined with hardly any trace of wear at all. Any spindle marks are very light and few, and we all know old steel spindles left their marks readily but few here. There is no wear around the hole rims and clearly, this beautiful record has been played very little reitterated by beautifully clean and focused sound which is always very difficult for early Hollies, especially in mono.

Cat Number: PMC 7057.

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: 140 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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: More easily found on the later silver and black 1970s format, mono originals are far harder to find especially in superb playing conditions. This Hollies album was justifiably popular and those who bought them usually played them heavily. The playing surfaces on this copy proves what an exceptional record this is. It has avoided any overplaying or abuse from blunt worn mono needles that wrote-off so many gems like this. With a lovely clean cover and inner included also, this set will prove very hard to find like this again and is one for the discerning 1960s collector.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: XEX 693-1 and XEX 694-1. Stamper Codes: 1 GL / 1 GR

Brief Artist & Album Info: Along with The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Kinks, The Hollies made some of the very best singles of the 1960s, every song included on this fantastic singles compilation is a classic and the icing on the cake here is the fact its a mono original copy and it plays beautifully with little unwanted, never take this for granted on any mono pressing especially by this band. I consider Hollies albums in mono amongst the hardest to find that will play well throughout. The intense sound, complex harmony vocals and volume nearly always incur high frequency distortion and break-up. Well this very lightly played example has barely any traces of that, any surface sound or clipping is minuscule and these classics sound fantastic. The detail and dynamics are quite incredible and I heard fine detail and sound I feel sure I had never heard before. A pure feel-good factor this band’s singles (and albums) always give, and sounding so good in their natural mono sound, the format of the era. The Hollies in the 60s were quite brilliant and their singles collection from this period are second to none. The mono mixes here are vastly superior and any connoisseur collector is likely to agree, what a joy to hear these gems so clear and clean, I fear most of the seven inch singles would not get close to these. Not just another compilation, this is a definitive collection of some of the finest singles ever made by one of the finest 60s bands, do not miss this one.

Cover Grade and Format: Strong EX and arguably better. A single format with a laminated front that wraps around the closed edges on to three large rear flipbacks. PMC 7057 on the back with Also available on Stereo No PCS 7057. File under POPULAR: Pop Groups on the top right. Three large flipbacks on rear and text ‘this mono record’ etc and reference to New Emitex record cleaner. It was printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse and has the original ‘Patents pending’ printed as well.

Lamination & Front: Very shiny and clear with a fresh look making the famous rocking horse band picture look fantastic. All is fully adhered with no lifting or blistering and marks are few and faint. There is a mildish dull around the rim shape near the top edge seen under light but little else. Being a dark cover, the overall lack of significant creasing is a major bonus. Just a small few, light a small edge types and one on the bottom right corner. No half moons at all and that is unusual on these vintage covers. The laminate ends a few millimetres short of full width on the right edge, but the exposed strip is clean with barely any traces of wear and this front looks lovely, remember too, this is over 40-years-old.

Cover Back: An easy match for the wonderful front. This has lost little of its whiteness over the years and there is no toning and an grubbiness minimal and light, most of any present near the top edge again around the rim area. Barely any real wear on the exposed back panel which is devoid of creasing and has few handling traces. All three flipbacks are neat with no damage and any end burring very light and little. Even the ends have avoided grime-line build up and look very attractive overall, all the imprint credit text is immaculate. All too often these perilous flipbacks are seen ripped or damaged and only small percentages ever avoid some disaster, but these surfaces even have very few creases and that is fairly unusual. So both the main sides look lovely and defy their great age, few will better them significantly.

Top Edge: Practically unworn up to the corner tips that have small rubs.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, fairly sharp, not the cleanest of cuts in manufature (which I have always found on this cover) but with little wear and no feathering, guaranteed untrimmed, beware of razor sharp edges on this one. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: Apart from a small crease on the bottom corner tip, a near perfect spine. Solid, straight with no compression, all text is perfect and unworn under very solid and uncracked laminate which is very clear and shiny.

Corners: Small tip rubs and creases on the bottom pair, but fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A highly attractive all round example of this scarcer late-60’s mono cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. This strong item should please most collectors.

The Inner: A fantastic Near Mint, almost looks new. This copy included the sepia EMI promotional inner that has the ‘Patents applied for’ text. These were not lined and amazingly the edges have survived unsplit or torn with with barely a crease to be seen. This inner promotes other EMI and Parlophone acts from the 60s up to 1967 and includes: The Seekers, The Beatles (Sgt Pepper), Lulu, Pink Floyd (Piper) and Simon Dupree and the Big Sound. Finding these inners like this is never easy either and always a good guide to the lack of record handling. This guaranteed original and the one that came with the record.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and immensely unusual to find these popular compilations looking so underplayed. People who bought these usually played them into the ground. This is super clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. Barely a notewothy mark to be seen, both playing surfaces look stunning and this looks barely used. This again will be a joy for 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 fantastic mono pressing plays up to its high visual grading with barely anything to fault and must rank as one of the very best (difficult) mono albums I have ever heard in terms of pure clean sound. As I have stated already, I have always found Hollies albums very difficult to find ‘perfect’ in mono. Just a few plays with a blunt pile-driver stylus ruined so many of their early records making the delicate vocal harmonies clip and distort, destroying the marvellous audio quality once there. This is so often the norm rather than the exception - this clean sounding record is THE exception. Strong and punchy sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is tremendous with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal to none and few copies will play better than this, most would be just happy to match it. Both channels are clean and sharp and devoid of that single channel mono noise. Any traces of clipping is minuscule with just the odd tiny trace noted. To have zero is a near impossible ask and this sets the bar very high indeed. 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. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading these 14 classic tracks, what a joy to hear them all so clean with that mono mix that does give them that extra clout and clarity. The 60s was the age of the mono record and still the connoisseur’s choice. The bass tones are certainly richer and deeper and the sound is just so right for its time. This copy will prove difficult to find better for high quality, clear and practically noise-free sound and is highly recommended.

End Piece: This truly was a thrilling play-grade, I have always loved the Hollies early records, it bought back happy memories of my dad played these back in the late 60s on his Alba radiogram (a stereo unit) and this was only my second time hearing all these gems on my LP12 in superior mono, the difference really is vast with a far stronger more detailed sound. If you need this fine set for your collection I promise you will find it difficult to find a better copy for looks and sound, this is a treat from beginning to end - dont lose it.

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.

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 [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2 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]) = £12. Add £3 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’.