URIAH HEEP Sweet Freedom RARER ORIG UK 73 Island/Bronze LP

	£		63
	$		83

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

PLEASE NOTE: Overseas packets that go through the customs system, can take up to 4 to 6 weeks to process and deliver, this IS normal. For Russia, this can take even longer and is out of my control, so please be patient.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: URIAH HEEP

Album Title: Sweet Freedom.

Producer(s): Gerry Bron.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1:Dreamer; Stealin’; One Day; Sweet Freedom.

Side 2: If I Had the Time; Seven Stars; Circus; Pilgrim.

Label/Format: Bronze - Original ‘Evolution of Man’ format that includes the Island i distribution credits. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both immaculate: ultra clean, fresh and attractive with only one tiny faint spindle trace on side two. You are unlikely to find these labels on this (or any other Bronze record) looking better.

Cat Number: ILPS 9245.

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: 152 grams. A massive weight for a 1973 record. Hardly any thought of the oil shortage of the time with this heavyweight, thick record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: First issues are scarcer and I feel sure few will be pressed this heavy. Also the wear-prone double gatefold cover is in stunning condition, that never easy to say the least.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9245 A-1 / ILPS 9245 B-1

Mother & Stamper Codes: 2 GD / 1 GR

Musicians: David Byron – vocals; Ken Hensley – keyboards, guitars, Vocals; Mick Box – Guitar; Gary Thain – bass guitar; Lee Kerslake – drums, percussion, vocals.

Brief Info: Sixth album from the band the critics loved-to-hate. Like most all their albums, issued to scorn and hostility by the reviewers of the day, it’s almost miraculous how this band survived and actually thrived selling millions of albums. From the very beginning they were loathed by the music press: their Spiral debut attracted one of the most famous and memorable reviews in the history of rock; Melissa Mills of Rolling Stone magazine started with ‘If this group makes it I’ll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don’t want to hear any more.’ Harsh to say the least, whether the lady was good to her word or not, I don’t know, but Uriah Heep went from strength-to-strength and sold many records and still perform even today under the same name (all-be-it with different members). So her comments fell on deaf ears. Live they are always great entertainment, I saw them on at least five occasions in the 70s and early 80s. A very solid and fine progressive band that were a little more commercial sounding than many. By this issue they were selling well, the previous two albums, both with superb Roger Dean covers, probably got them more noticed by rock lovers. Those two sold well but this album actually charted higher than them both. Never easy to find this in top conditions, the cover especially suffers badly from rubbing and ringwear, this one is a beauty. With an unusally lavish double gatefold format, this is quite an unusual one too. The record massively pressed and evidence suggests little played. A little very gentle and brief surface sound present here and there but most all plays superbly with ultra detailed powerful sound. For fans of this evergreen band, this should please most, but not the ultra perfectionists.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): and an extraordinary example the likes I have rarely seen. An unlaminated DOUBLE gatefold format with matt very slightly rough surfaces to the fingertip. Printed and made in England by Robor Ltd and including the early Island distribution credits.

Cover Front: Stunning, and little short of as made. Clean, fresh and attractive with strong unfaded colour. Any blemishes minuscule and it does come close to reminding of new.

Cover Back: Practically the same again with just the tiny faint surface trace mark near the top seen under light. The lack of rubbing, creasing and ring wear on all surfaces is remarkable.

Cover Inner Gatefolds: Both the inner gatefold spread look almost as made – a mere trace of thickening on the bottom resting edge being ultra critical.

Top Edges: All unworn and dead straight.

Bottom Edges: Largely the same again, as stated, the odd hint of thickening being critical.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Again in incredible condition: ultra clean, very sharp with no wear at all, no trimming on any edges is guaranteed. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: A superbly neat and practically unworn spine, just a slight tilt to left being critical again. Solid, straight, uncompressed and folded square, so the edges meet up closely together (allowing for the mild aforementioned tilt) and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn and even the folds are pristine – NO tip-ins either.

Corners: All crisp with fantastic shape and definition, barely even a hint of any wear – almost remarkable on such a cover.

Cover Summary: A very strong and beautiful looking all-round example of this deceptively wear-prone 70’s cover, one that will prove immensely difficult to match, let alone find better. This amazingly preserved item should please most-all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a plain white solid unlined inner that has aged little either. Any marks fine and light with just a hint of crinkle here and there, no edge splits or repairs, also retaining fine whiteness.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): with any surface marks very fine, few and faint as seen critically under angled light. The odd faint dull spot traces within the pressing has nothing to do with wear. A super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed with a very unusual thickness and mass compared to most on this label at this time. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually a very fine record that should please many 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 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 real heavyweight Bronze-Island record plays up to it’s high visual gradin, and most all above with little 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. Any surface sounds are minimal and quite brief – traces near the very beginning of each side purely within the pressing but disappearing quickly and the high intensity sound for the majority of this record masks most of any minor blemishes. No pops or significant clicks were noted and this very early cut copy gave an impressive performance overall. My LP12 is ultra revealing, so any gentle surface sound could go almost unnoticed on even slightly less sensitive equipment. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this lovely album. With the music and vocals focused, precise, detailed and sharp, this copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended to most. Not quite for the audiophile who wants perfection at any cost however, but again, anything unwanted is very gentle and brief.

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 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 ask 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] = £4.75

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]) = £12.50 (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]) = £16.50 (£17.50 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’.