THE KINKS Something Else by… RARE ORIG UK 67 EX+ LP

	£		147
	$		195

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases and will never compromise on solid, safe packing.

Artist or Band: THE KINKS

Album Title: Something Else By The Kinks.

Producer(s): Shel Talmy & Ray Davies.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: David Watts; Death of a Clown; Two Sisters; No Return; Harry Rag; Tin Soldier Man; Situation Vacant.

Side 2: Love Me Till the Sun Shines; Lazy Old Sun; Afternoon Tea; Funny Face; End of the Season; Waterloo Sunset.

Label/Format: Pye – intense pink-magenta and black format with a matt, smooth finish. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both are very clean, fresh and attractive. Spindle marks are around or on the lesser side of moderate but with no widening or wear around the actual hole, I am sure in number they are misleading. This reitterated by superb stereo audio quality that is little short of perfect. These are largely fine and have removed NO ink on two very impressive labels. Some are longer but very fine indeed, hence they only tend to show under angled light, even my quite critical reflective scanner has hardly picked them up. This remains a very snug fit on my LP12 spindle. Old steel spindles on vintage record-players left their marks freely and in real terms these are quite modest for such a record. And with very clean and little marked playing surfaces, it’s more than clear to me this record has only been generally played with care and sound quality confirms has suffered NO abuse from any blunt or worn stylus. This is a fantastic classic record with lovely visuals and reproduction even when played on modern revealing equipment. A fabulous example from one of the greatest ever albums from the magnificent 60s.

Cat Number: NSPL 18193.

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: 160 grams. A very impressive, but no untypical weight for this era and label.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The title itself on vinyl is rare enough and considered the rarest ever ‘normal issue’ Kinks album. Personally, I think the stereo version is even harder to find and I have seen so few of these. Still the age of the mono record and fewer stereo originals would have been sold. Most that do show up are invariably played to near destruction and in grubby, badly worn covers, often near threadbare. Finding these in either mode is very hard in attractive, modestly and more carefully played and stored conditions. Considered by many as a masterpiece – myself very much included – this carried on where ‘Face to Face’ left off, but with even stronger songs and material including the sublime ‘Waterloo Sunset’. This is a lovely copy with only just enough hints visually of it’s considerable age and era. Soundwise, it’s fantastic – if it wasn’t I would not have even contemplated buying or offering. Never underestimate how difficult this album is in every respect.

Original Year of Release: December 1967

Matrix Nos: NSPL 18193 A-1 *F / NSPL 12193 B-2 *M (this has NO error corrections).

Stamper Codes: B 1 / F 1 (these are tiny and faint and very difficult to even locate).

Musicians: Ray Davies – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica; Dave Davies – lead guitar, 12 string guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals; Pete Quaife – bass, backing vocals. Guests: Nicky Hopkins – keyboards, piano, organ, harpsichord; Rasa Davies – backing vocals.

Brief Info: One of the UK’s greatest music treasures, this album is up there with the very best albums of all-time. Brilliant pop music and their sound had now progressed beyond pure RnB. Ray Davies writes most of the thirteen songs on offer with his brother Dave writing two – the classic ‘Death of a Clown’ was co-written by them both. Ray especially in the 60s, wrote some of the most brilliant songs of this famous decade. What a joy seeing the man at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics and his interview a few days ago on Breakfast TV on the BBC. ‘Something Else…’ has infectious and catchy tunes with superb lyrics, but their albums did not sell in the numbers they should have done. Although the singles still sold well, the albums declined which is mystifying as they simply got better and better and better. This is a very scarce record and the stereo version without doubt more elusive than the mono. It can be argued the mono version is rarer in better condition and I certain subscribe to that point-of-view. Tired, dull looking vinyl with penetrating marks, scratches and bad sound is almost the norm for today, finding any clean and lesser played examples is getting more and more difficult. This has hardly any marks of any significance and certainly NO penetrating marks or scratches. In fact under bright angled light this reveals little at all. Just one of note – but TOTALLY superficial and non-sounding. An ultra fine and faint rotation hairline is seen on side two, clearly made while the record was rotating. It hardly even shows and has no audio affect whatsoever, that apart, two near immaculate playing surfaces and even this blemish is hardly seen unless scrutinised (as I do on all records I offer). I do not do fleeting glimpses or quick glances in room light. I inspect all my records under a bright lamp and also very critically – if I spot something, I will mentioned it. The unprotected pale design cover is equally fragile and seldom seen devoid of heavy wear. This has some quite light rubbing, but compared to some horror-shows I have seen before, this is still very impressive. With ‘Peppermania’ sweeping the country, masterpieces of this type were largely overlooked, in my humble opinion, I consider this album superior to the far more famous title. In terms of rarity, well Pepper would have sold several thousand to just one of these. Hardly any wonder it’s all but disappeared. Baring this in mind, only one in many will ever have a record this clean and offering lovely sound. This did briefly peak at 35 in the UK albums charts, a lowly effort for such a beautiful album and faired even worse in the States with a miserable high of 153. Maybe the change of direction from beat to art-pop was not what their early fans wanted. Only as the years passed have these classic Kinks albums been so cherished and highly sort-after, few survive in top conditions with many trashed or even written-off – and even these with high asking prices. No piledriver thick, heavy stylus have ruined this one. Although it has a few more (but fine and light) spindle marks than I would choose in a perfect world, this in no way reflects the clean playing surfaces and hugely impressive audio quality. A record that plays with NO distortions or noteworthy surface sound, with all frequencies focused and sharp with no clipping. Clear separation and effect you (obviously) do not get on the mono version, and the lack of pops or noteworthy clicks a huge bonus? Remember, one jolt or needle drop from a Dansette or similar record player that tracked at massive weights could have destroyed this or any similar record. Pop nostalgia never gets better than The Kinks and this is one of their very best ever – the timeless ‘Waterloo Sunset’ brings this perfect album to the perfect end - and maybe even a tear to the eye?

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+, rarely seen without significant wear and damage.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: and for one so unforgiving for showing any wear so freely, this is arguably undergraded. A single unlaminated format, this being unusual for the time and most of the Kinks 60s albums were laminated. It has three large rear external flipbacks. This was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd and has the ‘Patents pending’ text. This was ALWAYS a dedicated mono sleeve with the NPL 18193 number on back and spine which was also used for the stereo version as well. A stereo sticker was often put on the back to hide the NPL prefix. As so often over the years, this dries out, loses it’s adhesion and simply falls off. And that is exactly what has happened on this one. A very faint rectangular shape trace is seen on the NPL prefix area with NO damage or pulling of the surface, to prove the fact. I have not got the small stereo sticker and I will never put a fake or replacement one on – this is as nature intended and the loss of a cover-up stereo sticker personally does not bother me at all. Clearly Pye records did not think it worthy investing in a true stereo cover so you get a mono one with all stereo copies anyway. This copy includes it’s original tracing paper lined inner sleeve in superb condition.

Cover Front: Very prone to all forms of wear and rarely seen looking even this nice. The silver-grey ink takes no prisoners and most are seen rife with major rubbing, creasing and ring wear. This has only modest rubbing around the record shape but no penetrating ring wear. With a record of this substantial weight inside since 1967, can this be any surprise? Let’s be realistic, how many will avoid no rubbing at all? This is still a very impressive front with any traces of creasing only few and ultra light around the edges. There is minimal traces of any ink loss, a small hints on the edges and a couple of the corner tips. Just enough to remind of it’s 45-year-old age and no shame in that, this will take a lot of beating for sure.

Cover Back: The back is even better, and that is some achievement. Very impressive indeed, in fact, the main back panel has minimal traces of wear at all. The stereo sticker mark is as faint as it will ever be with NO damage to the area at all. In fact with normal viewing, any traces barely even show and only under light is a faint dull seen. My camera flash has emphasised this more than for real, but at least you can see what I mean. All the very fragile flipbacks are sound and solid with little wear. The ends with barely any hint of burring and very crisp and neat. A couple of fine surface creases on the spine one but little else. Any rubbing of any real note pretty much confined to the corner tips and given the format, even these are modestly light. A cover that will never compromise, finding both front and back so clean and with such modest wear will never prove easy.

Top Edge: Quite modestly light patchy rubbing, a high percentage of the ink intact and unaffected, this also remains very straight.

Bottom Edge: This has light to more moderate rubbing which is more consistent on this storage edge which is hardly uncommon. The good news is has not spread to the main back and front faces to any real extent.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with barely any wear, no feathering and guaranteed trimmed. A slightly rustic cut in manufacture which was not uncommon on thicker card covers at this time. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Against the odds, the spine is in overall quite impressive shape and with most of any rubbing near ends which are very gently tapered in manufacture. Solid and straight with with barely any compression. Amazingly ALL the text is present, bold and strong and totally undamaged or eroded (please see my close-up pictures to verify). To say this is unusual would be an understatement. Few will show a great deal less wear than this and on the few high grading copies I have seen before, few have showed much less spine wear.

Corners: All corners have quite light to moderate (bottom right) tip rubbing. Fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A very difficult cover that begged to be laminated, but alas Pye thought differently. I have seen few with less wear than this and I feel a polite reminder of age is no disgrace (to say the least). So a very solid and attractive example, not quite good enough for the highly discerning, but most collectors will appreciate it.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): the plain white tracing paper lined inner is included in exceptional condition. These are very delicate indeed but the thin lining is immaculate as seen through two pristine window circles. A little mild creasing on the corners but clean and barely aged with all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+) and this does this superb record scant justice. As mentioned above, side two has a fine ‘spiral’ mark which clearly was made during rotation on the turntable, but this shows little and has NO sound at all. Even under light, this side has little else to fault and side one has merely ultra fine and faint surface traces that few records escape, there are NO penetrating scratches on either side at all, so nothing effects the beautiful sound of this record as I have already outlined above. Kinks albums are simply rarely found so clean and obviously modestly played. A superb visual copy that is super clean with deep shine and lustre, intense black and heavily pressed. This record has to be seen to be fully appreciated. With a high percentage of 60s Kinks albums in such terrible conditions, early examples in particular, this is a remarkable find. Clearly one minor misdemeanour but I suggest, if the same had occurred using a mega-weight mono record player, the result would have been disastrous, this fine mark on side two cannot be felt and certainly not heard. Clearly played, but I suggest modestly and certainly (in most cases) carefully and there’s the difference. These clean unworn grooves look and sound amazing. Visually a super record that 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 sublime album plays even above it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, never, ever take this for granted on any 1960s record, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed, punchy sound. Barely any surface sounds worthy of note, any minuscule traces hardly even registered - the songs are of such quality, my mind was more focused on enjoyment rather than nit-picking. No pops or noteworthy clicks were heard and this is an exceptional clean pressing – even the run-in and run-out grooves are near silent and the joining grooves between the songs are all practically the same – that is a massive indicator of clean sound on the music areas. What a joy to hear this monumental classic with such clean, sharp sound, this is a top copy and I enjoyed it immensely. Few examples these days will outperform this very early, and rarer stereo pressing significantly I feel sure - and early is the word for this - actually purchased within the year of issue. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this true classic. A copy that will prove very difficult to find significantly better and is unreservedly 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 programs. 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 Terrarium Black 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.

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 8,000+ items sold in over 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 2 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). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as me first.

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.

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] = £4.25

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12 (enhanced 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16 (£17 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced 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: 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’.