THE KINKS Village Green… VERY RARE ORIG UK 1968 EX++ LP

	£		415
	$		550

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Artist or Band: THE KINKS

Album Title: The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society.

Producer(s): Ray Davies.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Village Green Preservation Society; Do You Remember Walter; Picture Book; Johnny Thunder; Last of the Steam-Powered Trains; Big Sky; Sitting by the Riverside.

Side 2: Animal Farm; Village Green; Starstruck; Phenomenal Cat; All of My Friends Were There; Wicked Annabella; Monica; People Take Pictures of Each Other.

Label/Format: Pye – original black and blue format.

Label Conditions: Clean, fresh, attractive and only showing light and very spindle marks which have little visibility – in context for a Kinks album, these are exceptional, any handling traces are very light also, mild fingermarks just seen on the black area. (Please see label scans).

Cat Number: NSPL 18233.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 168 grams. A massive Pye pressing so typical of this classic period.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare in both mono and stereo formats, I have never found either format easy to find as this record did not sell well. Highly in demand these days, there simply are not enough originals to go round. The cover is one of the most fragile ever issued and just finding one in intact is a bonus. This one on offer is fully intact with no damage and minimal wear and shows far less laminate issues than almost any other one I have ever seen. More information on this further down. The record very modestly played and sounds superb with little unwanted. The Price Guide values on this album are now soaring and at last getting realistic, but this is still in real terms still undervalued. With so few sales and those that sold being played into submission, finding any copy that plays well is hard enough. Now regarded by many as one of the greatest albums ever issued, a sentiment I totally agree with, available copies are almost getting rarer by the day.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: NSPL 18233 A-3 * T STEREO / NSPL 18233 B-4 * T STEREO

Stamper Codes: F 1 / B 1

Brief Artist & Album Info: Only listed under 'Rock Classic' because 'Rock Masterpiece' was not available. By 1968 The Kinks had fallen from public grace in the UK, a bizarre fact made even more inexplicable as Ray Davies was at the height of creative brilliance. Still receiving high critical acclaim, this album, totally failed to capture the imagination of most record buyers of the time. Still writing beautifully honest pop songs about everyday events no longer appealed to Kinks fans and it simply failed to sell. Listening to this now for a more mature record seller, simply brings home just how this man’s mind worked at the time, a work of absolute nostalgic brilliance and (for me) a strong contender for the best album ever – yes TRUE! – as time passes – like quality wine – this matures and just gets better and Better and BETTER! The attractive (but flimsy) packaging did little to help sales. Playing this album makes it’s relative failure all the more confusing: every song is a classic, perfect songs performed – well perfectly. A similar fate awaited the equally wonderful ‘Arthur’ that followed. Rarely ever has there been such an injustice of two albums failing to sell in the quantaties they clearly should have done. Now after 43 years, there are not enough original copies to go around for the collectors who ignored this all those years ago (myself very much included). I think, as collectors and music fans get older, they look back on the nostalgia of pieces like this, helped of course by inclusion of past television programs like ‘Heartbeat’, a series set in the 1960s and using music from this, and other similar albums to help set the scene for the storylines – it clearly gets more people interested in these bygone classics. The joys of the Village Green and cricket… taking pictures of people to enjoy when the subjects are no longer with you… the quaint old English customs and delights of the 1960s… the wonderfully bizarre song about an overweight cat that just sat and got fat (with sublime surreal psychedelic overtones)… old school friends that have disappeared and where are they now?… and wonderful steam trains and technology of the past… this is diary of classic songwriting history, and a young mind working ahead of it’s time – the genius of Ray Davies. To get a copy of this in superb condition is a massive achievement. To say the cover is fragile is something of an understatement: even within a short time time, this flattened and creased. Even with modest use and handling, the edges got burred and torn. As the spine weakened, the laminate problems really kicked in and most all seen are badly creased and often showing massive lifts and blisters. This one has only modest blistering and NO peeling which is a very unusual (to say the least). Most Kinks albums got played heavily, for those who did buy them initially, most did so freely and finding clean playing copies is always a huge challenge. For clean sound, this is certainly one of the best examples I have ever heard. This has few marks and offers quality, little-blemished sound. The lack of groovewear distortion is always a massive bonus and this plays with none. Also devoid of any significant surface sound and with just a couple of one-off clicks noted, this is an exceptional original copy. All evidence points to a lightly played record and most collectors will enjoy this. The cover is highly impressive, so many are a tatty, wornout mess, often being held together with cellotape with the laminate peeling off, with wrecked, split and torn spines with huge ugly creases. I hope my close-up pictures reitterate just how strong and clean this one is, how many will withstand zoomed-in pictures to show minimal blemishing or wear? Few will even get close to this these days and most fans of this wonderful band will treasure this copy. I think the great Ray and Dave Davies would approve – a work of songwriting genius that will never age and now established in my favourite albums of all-time.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High Indeed – Almost off-the-scale in fact: a truly beautiful cover but unfortunately one of the flimsiest and most damage-prone covers from around this period ever. So-much-so, many are seen with reinforcing tape around the edges to try and hold it together (even from the early days). The same goes for ‘Arthur’, the follow-up album to this one, again with another very similar delicate sleeve. The front is only single thickness card and to make matters worse, the very thick and heavy Pye record was stored via the inside centre which put enormous pressure on the lightweight, thin spine. Most of these delicate spines were badly torn and sliced by the record’s edges and this has been avoided here (and NO tape was applied to this one). Few escape major laminate issues and (somehow) this has avoided any serious issues at all and is one of the very best I have ever seen. Only one in many hundreds will better this, most are seen falling apart or in tatters. Look at the pictures, when was the last time you saw one quite this wonderful?

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: (but in terms of this cover, it’s worth a higher grade). A cover of real beauty but so fragile. A gatefold format with the front being only very thin single thickness. The outer faces are laminated and this ends on the inside external flipbacks. The back has a stereo NSLP sticker to cover the mono details which was still the format of choice at this time. Clearly Pye records did not consider it necessary to print a dedicated stereo cover. This was printed and made in England. Please see the stereo sticker close-up picture in detail.

Lamination: Unless kept in cottonwool, the laminate does not survive in good shape and even modest usage makes this lift, crack, peel and split. If, like most, the record is stored inside, the cover is always opened and closed and this puts pressure on the laminate especially around the spine area. Most are seen with enormous blisters and these eventually will crack and peel. This has failed to happen on this one. The laminate has lifted on the spine, and few will ever avoid this and I would feel certain many had it from new. The front has two distinct lifts: the top one being pretty light, the one beneath, a little more substantial and can be seen on my picture. Both are uncracked or peeled. The back has a few small blisters to the to half which are minor, below is a larger lift, but totally unsplit or cracked. This is normal laminate traits of laminate tightening and with normal viewing, shows little. The front shows a moderate crease near the bottom right corner but little else, and this classic front looks fantastic. The back has a moderate crease to the bottom left corner, but little else. An exceptional back with the stereo sticker looking superb and aged little. Both sides has very clear and shiny laminate with barely any traces of friction rubs or dulling and the artwork looks exceptional and fresh. Only the mainly natural ageing gives clues to it’s substantial age and for looks, this will blow most away. Even the fragile edges are crisp and very neat without the usual burring, softening and flaking most are seen with. With many seen held together with cellotape or hanging together by threads, this is a mildly naturally aged example of excellence. Simply: to put this into true perspective – both sides are EXCEPTIONAL!

Cover Inner Gatefold: Wow, this is fantastic! Brilliant artwork and this will remind of what this looked like from new. Both flipbacks are solid and neat and little short of looking new. A couple of creases, (near moderate on bottom left corner), but little else to fault (remember just how thin this front is). The unprotected artwork is clean and fresh and highly attractive (see those close-up pictures of the four band members). There is minimal traces of wear and NO damage to the vulnerable entrance area, just tiny rub traces to the very ends (being critical), will any available one show less?, this centrefold is simply WONDERFUL.

Top Edges: Incredible: barely any wear at all. Even that very thin front has minimal traces of any thickening or burring and seldom will this cover show less wear to these very fragile edges.

Bottom Edges: STUNNING: I can hardly believe myself how little wear these two ‘resting’ edges show. Both are little short of as-made and the lack of thickening, scuffing or rubbing is almost remarkable. Most seen are laminate stripped, split, thickend or tatty, these buck the trend in a huge way and look almost as made. When was the last time you saw these two incredibly fragile edges retaining ALL laminate and totally scuff-free? I had to check three times to make sure I was not dreaming. AND these have NEVER had cellotape protection – fact.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Incredibly sharp and factory sealed proving these two fantastically sharp and unworn edges have NOT been trimmed or enhanced. They do not lie totally flat, but being so thin and flimsy, how many ever will? These are come very close with the crease on the front bottom right corner a little ‘raised’, few will get even close. Both are closed as the record enters via the centrefold. Go find both these edges so clean and crisp is incredibly rare.

Spine and Text: As close to impossible to find unworn or flattened as they get. This has tilted slightly to the right, but if anyone has a totally erect and unflattened example, I sure would love to see it. This one is probably as close to as made as they realisically get these days. A superb spine that is totally unworn with ALL text present with no wear at all. Fully laminated with no peeling, clear and unscuffed, the surface remains very smooth to the fingertip with NO peeling. Please see my close-up pictures of this text, many are stripped and devoid of laminate or held intact with cellotape. This has aged as lightly as possible and is folded near-on perfectly.

Corners: A little tip creasing is almost an insult to even mention on corners like this. This apart, barely anything else to fault with crisp, unfeathered definition retained – the spine pair are truly exceptional and fully intact and almost remind of new.

Cover Summary: A superb all-round example of this ultra delicate, wear-prone late 60’s cover, sleeves of this era rarely came much more flimsy or delicate than this. When picked up one-handed, it will bend quickly and severely crease and ruin before you have time to support with the other hand. When all is said and done, this is a gorgeous original example. As stated, I have seen this and ‘Arthur’ literally falling apart, split and creased into submission with the laminate actually hanging off and all edges split to shreds. This is why cellotape was often applied, even from new. Now well into it’s forties, this has barely aged at all and most-all realistic collectors will know what this is like and will be delighted to accept it for what it is. A rare item and looking beautiful to the eye – not quite perfect, but even the most discerning collectors can consider this beauty. All ‘experienced’ collectors and fans will know what original examples of this covers look like these days, and to find one so little worn is a rare and exceptional find. This should please most-all collectors wanting this outstanding cover.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a plain white polylined inner that is UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text. This has aged little with two ultra crisp and neat circle windows and a very clear, barely creased, intact lining. Any creasing light and all edges unsplit with no repairs. All offer big clues on little record removal or usage.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a superb visual copy of this massively pressed original record, one of the earliest ever issued in stereo. Very clean indeed with any surface marks ultra fine, faint and few, without doubt, a copy hardly played with minimal visual blemishing. The playing surfaces very clean, shiny and fresh, few available stereo copies will better this and one for the discerning collector who wants the classic albums close to reminding of when they were first issued. This has avoided the traumas and perils of the era and the equipment most often used to play them on.

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 classic record plays even above it’s solid visual grading with fantastic sound that left me delighted overall. Even very clean playing surfaces can hide the dreaded ‘distortion-factor’, the invisible menace of records this age, but delighted to state, this has none. One chipped or worn pickup and the damage is done, this does not show but can be heard with devastating, irrepairable results. This has sharp and focused and quite beautiful stereo sound which is totally distortion-free. All frequencies are sharp and clear with no clipping or echo on the high frequencies - sound quality is superb with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Barely any surface sounds and just a couple of one-off clicks were noted – hardly bad for a record this considerable age. These thick, heavyweight Pye records were tough and it takes a really bad arm drop to penetrate deep enough to affect sound. The mono copies were more as risk for this as tracking weights were usually so much high, but many stereo copies were played on the same equipment as the inners of 60s stated it was safe to play them on mono record players. The wonderful songs and stereo imagery makes for a highly enjoyable listen, this is priceless song-writing of the highest calibre with sublime lyrics. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this beautiful album, any minor surface sounds were between songs, and even here, they registered little (this too on highly sensitive equipment). The perfect pop record that even has hints of psychedelia and tons of nostalgia. This copy will match or beat most available and was a delight to hear again. One I can strongly recommend and a delightful all-round example that sets the bar high, my highest possible recommendation applies for this wonderful trip down memory lane.

End Piece: For some reason, Kinks albums when they do show up, are often more played into submission more than even Beatles or Stones albums - the reason, obvious, the people who did buy them adored them and justifiably played them a lot, it’s what they were bought for let’s face it. For pure fine 60s sound quality, this easily makes the grade and proudly exceeds it’s high visual grading. I am always delighted to offer the rarest records in this type of condition, these are getting harder and harder to find like this and there lies the difference. Both cover, record and sound is exceptional and nothing will ever beat hearing the real thing. With wonderful detail, clarity and realism of the earliest pressing, this is the way it was meant to be enjoyed – just holding this record offers the ultimate pleasure. The genius of Davies at his ultimate best on this evergreen masterpiece, a priceless piece of work and this copy does it near near maximum justice. DO NOT LOSE THIS ONE sublime is too small a word for this one.

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’.