THE ROULETTES Stakes & Chips 1965 ORIG MINT

	£		910
	$		1,206

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: THE ROULETTES

Album Title: Stakes and Chips.

Producer(s): John Burgess.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Bad Time; What You Gonna Do?; Settle Down; Taste of Honey; Find Out the Truth; I’ll Remember Tonight; You Don’t Love Me.

Side 2: Stubborn Kind of Fellow; I Hope He Breaks Your Heart; I Can’t Think of Leaving Me; Me Body; This Little Girl.

Label/Format: Parlophone – Ultimate original with the embossed ‘K T’ tax code letters on side two which are both pristine. So unworn infact, they are not too easy to see on my scan. (Please see my label picture).

Label Conditions: Both go beyond beautiful, these are practically as made with just one (yes ONE) small and faint spindle mark on side one and none (yes, true), on side two. Both immaculate, a record time has overlooked, as did the original owner. You could go another lifetime and never find this album like this again.

Cat Number: PMC 1257.

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: 159 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 135 to 145 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, many 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 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very Rare: Seldom seen or offered. This too using the term ‘rare’ correctly. So often banded on Beatles and Rolling Stones records that sold by the bucket-load, this record would have only sold one unit to many thousands by those and other bands of the time - how can they ever be deemed rare? They are scarcer in top conditions, granted, but never hard to find. This is only the second example of this album I have ever seen and that was at least two to three grades below this astonishing copy. This is a record, cover and inner time has forgotten. When seen like this, a thing of real beauty and this goes beyond rare. This truly could conceivably be the best example in existence and I know what a bold statement this is, but if anyone has or has seen a better example than this since the mid-60s, well I sure would like to see it too. This sold in tiny numbers and was almost universally ignored and overlooked by the record-buying public at the time. For the lucky few who did purchase it, most played into destruction on Dansettes and other mono record-players of the era. Only a handful will ever even get close to this these days, most that surface are heavily played, badly marked or affected by groovewear and distortion. Housed in tatty, grubby and torn covers that often have major damage. Here both record, cover and even the tracing paper lined inner will remind what these once looked like in their factory-fresh condition. Now regarded as a mini-classic of its genre but few own an original, fewer still will own one in excellent or better condition. This breathtaking, jaw-drop example grades better than Mint(-) and it’s as close to full mint as any 44-year-old album ever will be. Not only that, this has the ultimate first-pressed 1 G / 1 G mothers and stampers. Both labels are as fresh and clean as new and without any doubt whatsoever, have barely been handled. The playing surfaces are in supreme condition and I am struggling to even find the faintest hairline trace or surface blemish. This may have been played once or twice but no more. The cover is also back-to-the-60s fresh and clean and practically unworn as is the original fragile inner-sleeve. A mono record that’s barely even run-in and it plays with pristine perfect sound. This has to go on to disc for my future pleasure before it goes, I will never, ever get another opportunity like this, even offering this record is proving difficult. In terms of units sold and condition, this has to be one of the rarest items I have ever offered on Ebay. This is museum quality, it will delight every connoisseur and discerning vinyl collector reading this piece. I do not put reserves on items as collectors are bidding in the dark and several local dealers have already made me substantial offers, so I do reserve my right to remove this record if it fails to make Catalogue Value (which is still way under its true worth in the real world). I prefer this to go directly to a good home and hopefully a collector who appreciates and cherishes it for what it is – one of the UK’s rarest and most stunning condition RnB albums in existence. Rare? – this goes way beyond rare like this – almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Re-live again, the feeling of buying a vintage 1960s mono record again in 2009 practically in the same condition it was originally made in. Simply world-class, do NOT lose this one.

Original Year of Release: 1965

Matrix Nos: XEX 545-1G / XEX 546-1G

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 G / 1 G

Musicians: John Rogan - bass, Russ Ballard - lead guitar, Peter Thorpe - rhythm guitar; Bob Henrit - drums.

Brief Info: Just imagine turning back the clock and walking into a record shop back in the mid-60s, thumbing through racks of what are now known to be classic and rare RnB albums. Most around at the time who did just this, bought Beatles, Searchers, Hollies and Rolling Stones albums, a few bought Kinks, Them and Small Faces records too. But barely anyone even noticed this gem. This copy will remind of those days again simply because this ultra rare classic album still looks practically as new as it did when it fruitlessly awaited purchase in the shop back in it’s day. The Roulettes were originally formed as Adam Faith’s backing band and under his name, they proved very successful as the rock and roll explosion thrived out of Liverpool. Towards the latter part of 1963 they split to persue their own career. They were clearly an above average band and made good music with catchy hooks and quality vocals - in the same mould as The Fab Four and a few others at the the time. The big difference was they did not sell well and this peach of an album sunk almost without trace. Without doubt one of the rarest albums within the mid-60s beat genre, just finding a copy in any sort of condition is challenging enough. So what chance one surfacing that could practically pass for new? For the many thousands of Beatles albums that sold, just one of these would have sold in direct like-for-like comparison. I have outlined the condition above, but such treasures when found like this are worthy of mention again. And all the details for what to expect here are listed below. For the serious connoisseur collector needing a copy of this elusive album, I will state ‘a better copy will never be found’, and on that I state my reputation.

Cover Grade and Format: Better than Mint(-) but it’s unrealistic to grade a 45-year-old cover Mint. But this is as realistically as close as they ever get. A single format with front laminate. This wraps around the closed edges on to three rear external flipbacks. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and included the ‘Patents pending’ text (please see close-up pictures of this and the superb condition of the flipbacks).

Lamination & Front: Stunning, truly stunning: This is little short of pure perfection. The laminate is ultra fresh, clear, shiny and smooth as when first applied back in 1965. Cover-protected from new hence even under angled light, there is barely even a trace of surface marks or any marks at all. Truly, I can barely even seen a faint hairline on laminate so clean and pure, it almost looks sprayed-on, this remains as smooth as glass. The right edge sees the laminate end a few millimetres short of full width, but even this fine exposed strip is like new with no chipping, burring or grime-line formation - simply incredible. There are no rub marks or friction dulling at all and any record impression is minuscule and barely anything shows, even near the critical area of the bottom central position. Blemishes?, well nothing can ever be perfect I guess. there are four small hairline edge creases on the spine, these being the only creases on the front. There is a tiny laminate lift on the bottom left corner, so small infact few would even bother to mention it. All other is fully, and solidly adhered, ask yourself, will I ever see this legendary cover looking like this again – I seriously doubt it. A reference quality front, the only problem is, will the rest of your collection live up to this standard?

Cover Back: The back is of the same incredible quality. The unprotected main back panel is little short of pristine and any traces of handling are minuscule. Still as white as the day it was purchased with no toning, grubbiness, creasing, scuffs or marks. The three flipbacks are superb also: all fully adhered, clean and white with no ageing or darkening. The ends have no grime-line formations or burring and perfect shape is retained with no distortion. This cover lies dead flat, just as nature intended. I cannot even begin to imagine finding one like this again.

Top Edge: As made and dead straight too.

Bottom Edge: One chip the size of a pin-head (think I am looking almost TOO hard to find things that are barely there). This microscopic blemish apart (hope you have good eyes), as above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with no wear or feathering, this has a rustic type trim in manufacture as many of the thicker card covers did from this period. This critical edge I guarantee has NOT been enhanced or trimmed in any way and there are NO cosmetic improvement to this cover whatsoever. The concept was totally unneccessary on a naturally immaculate cover. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Pristine Mint as made: Solid, straight, uncompressed and square, the ends gently taper in manufacture. Still snowy white with fantastic shine, all text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate.

Corners: Maybe, just maybe a tiny rub on the bottom left, but I feel it’s as made. That apart, all as new with stunning pointed shape retained and no dinks or creases – simply a fantastic four.

Cover Summary: Well this is one (should it sell), I won’t forget in a hurry. It just goes to prove with the utmost care in handling and storage, such vintage covers can be preserved to still look as new. All the perils time and human carelessness have all been avoided on this ‘Peter Pan’ cover – one that has not aged one iota. This is a cover of incredible beauty and will prove nigh-on impossible to find better. Even if others do even exist like this, most are locked away in valuable collections never to surface to be offered. Well this one has found its way on to the open market and it will blow most others into oblivion. This beautiful item will please all collectors, even the most discerning connoisseurs. This lays down the gauntlet to be beaten.

The Inner: Mint(-), it’s the guaranteed original tracing paper lined inner. Similar ones came with Beatles albums of this period on the same label of course. This also is immaculate, clean, fresh with perfect undamaged lining and window. These fragile circles are incredible and have not even got a burr or nick. Barely any creasing at all and any ruffling is faint. All edges unspilt and with NO repairs, none neccessary. These inners are seldom seen this clean either and all conclusive proof the record has hardly been touched or removed.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Can I, or dare I grade a record this great age Mint? Well yes I can because it is. I have seen brand new records in shop racks looking in more ‘used’ condition that this. A supreme visual copy that is super clean, immaculate, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed on high quality vinyl. There is barely a noteworthy mark or even hairline trace to be seen. Even with the dangers of packing back in the 1960s factory, this has escaped almost totally. We all know the terrible state mono records ususally get seen like these days. Dulled, scratched surfaces with labels a maze of spindle marks and invisible groovewear caused by worn out or misaligned mono needles that inflicted carnage to the delicate groove walls. That is one end of the spectrum, this being the other. A copy played no more than twice and that including my play-grade. Visually a breathtaking piece of RnB history and a superb record that will delight all collectors again.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play 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 quite incredible record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. No surface sounds or pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few copies will even approach this Mint example let alone outperform this ultimate first pressed record. Both channels are clean and sharp with no hidden mono ‘nasties’, this too being played on the legendary Linn LP12, a stereo turntable that takes no prisoners in revealing all. Clearly this mono record was not designed to be played on such equipment but when in this condition, it sounds incredible. The dynamic mono detail and power is superb as is the fully focused, totally unworn sound. What a joy to hear this record just the way it was made, one for the true audiophile listener. Stored with the utmost care and attention and carefully handled within a non-smoking environment, neither cover or record have seen light-of-day for decades. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, with continued care this will last another 45 years and beyond. This copy will prove as close to impossible to find better as they ever can and is unreservedly recommended. If this rare album is wanted, do not even think about losing it. I would suggest the ultimate copy for the purist collector and possibly the best Christmas present ever received.

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.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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. (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 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. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.