VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR Least We Can Do inc RARE POSTER

	£		265
	$		351

Hi, I am Mike, now 51. Old enough to remember the golden era of original, high quality music, bands, artists.

Also records from the 1960s and 70s bought from the shops from new, I have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 37 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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 reader – 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 one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. 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: I post all my UK items on FRIDAY every week, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. 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 massively thick stiffners for even extra protection and bubble wrap if deemed necessary. These stiffners are the thickest possible and custom supplied for ‘Oneadayrecords’ – these are NOT commercially available and you will not have seen thicker protection anywhere. 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 as well as ‘Fragile’ tape for that extra professional touch for the packet. 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 NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the cheapest and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 3,500+ items sold in over 5 years of Ebay trading (I am now one of most established sellers via Ebay) and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

Album Title: The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (includes ultra rare poster).

Producer(s): John Anthony.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Darkness; Refugees; White Hammer.

Side 2: Whatever Would Robert Have Said; Out of My Book; After the Flood.

Label/Format: Charisma – Pink scroll format with deeply textured rough surface finish.

Label Condition: Two stunning examples with deep rich colour and clearly hardly even handled. Both reference standard and with just a couple of light spindle marks on each that show little. Not a single chip or other blemish to these amazing surfaces, these textured Charisma are truly outstanding. (Please see label scan for all information needed).

Cat Number: CAS.1007.

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: 147 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 & Special Note: This album was intially pressed with different matrix numbers and has a different mix and is very rare indeed (A and B, with no G). This copy has A + G and B + G matrixes which means it was remixed and still hard to find as an original with the textured labels. This album did not sell well initially, a band too extreme for many and certainly an acquired taste. What I always feel obliged to mention regarding this label is the pressing quality. Most collectors will know Charisma pressings are somewhat variable and this copy is no exception. I have been asked quite a number of times for VDGG albums that play ‘perfect’ or very close to – so many have copies of their records but find they have (often very serious) pressing or cutting problems resulting in noise and very bad distortions. Finding ‘perfect’ copies is near impossible expecially for this album that has the most incredible sound and dynamics. Although this copy has clearly hardly ever been played it does have some sporadic brief pressing sounds, mostly on track one. Nothing to do with wear, static or abuse, it’s simply lies in the pressing and this is hardly unusual. I reitterate, it’s fairly brief and short and not too disturbing but it will not please the more discerning audiophile or sound connoisseurs – I wish to make that very plain and clear. The vast major of this record plays really well with little else unwanted, the sensitivity of the system it will be played on must be considered too. My LP12 is highly revealing and little escapes so the sounds may prove less apparent for some collectors. There are a few brief clicks at the very start of the album also but no other clicks were noted. The sound remains focused and mostly sharp thereafter and this will test out any system and its tracking ability. There is a very mild ‘raise’ on the pressing too, near centre, that causes no problems to my ears. As stated, Charisma records are a lottery and none are the same. Some have horrendous pressing faults and serious surface noise. Some are close to perfect but are highly elusive and rare - looking at them gives few clues, they have to be played and this is what I do. Also the early copies can be destroyed by heavy needle abuse from vintage record players - this VERY complex album is not tolerant of this.

This early copy is made all the more rare by two other major factors: the cover, like the record is highly intolerant of heavy handling and poor storage and is very rarely found with little wear, and most have deep ringwear and rubbing and look a real mess. This one is in fantastic condition and is a genuine original with the B&C publishing credits and ‘patents pending’ text (please see close up). Also this copy includes the ultra rare poster which came with a mere handful of early copies – not all ‘originals’ included it, just a select few from a very limited run. This is in superb UNMOUNTED condition and is highly elusive indeed and will prove near impossible to find better. Such a clean overall copy is rare, make no mistake. If the pressing sounds are an issue – PLEASE DO NOT BID – but remember most early copies will have some flaws and often far more than this copy has. More on sound quality further down.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: CAS 1007+A+G / CAS 1007+B+G

Brief Artist & Album Info: Their first album issued in the UK, their first album proper was Aerosol Grey Machine that was issued in the US and some European countries only. For many these days, VDGG were the definitive UK prog band, for sure they were up there with the very best. A band now very much back vogue after reforming and recently touring, they seem more popular now than way back in the early 70s when they did not even sell out my ‘local rock’ venue in Ipswich. Fronted by the eccentric and intense vocalist Peter Hammill, VDGG made some of the most complex and inspired sounds of the early 70s. David Jackson, the saxophonist often played two simultaneously creating a mesmerising sound and often an amazing racket. With multiple pick-ups and treatments, these dual saxes often sounded more like eight. Musically complex using constantly changing time structures and like fellow progsters, King Crimson their albums have great highs and lows in volume. This album remains my second favourite they ever made after the legendary Pawn Hearts that still ranks possibly the only serious contender to King Crimson’s debut as the best album of its genre. An album of blistering real hi-fi sound with immense levels of volume and some very quiet passages too. I always feel it a shame it was not issued on Decca or a similar high quaility label where pressing issues were a major rarity. A marvellous original band that were under-appreciated at the time but adored by the few (myself included) – Hammill remains one of rock’s great exponents of originality and mildly extreme. This is real, exciting progressive rock for the connoisseur fan. This is not a flaw-free record however as outlined above and below, but a fairly typical Charisma pressing. But to compensate a little, it does have a superb cover and the ultra rare poster.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+ at least, arguably better for one of the most intolerant of covers, certainly one of the best I have ever seen. It’s a gatefold format and not laminated. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd and it still has the Patents pending text and with B&C credits on the back proving it a genuine first and correct for the pink scroll copies. This includes the elusive and rare poster in fantastic condition.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high++ beware of later ‘Phonogram’ credited examples being substituted for the real thing.

Cover Front: Very clean and fresh looking with few marks, barely any rubbing or creasing and no ringwear. The artwork is unfaded and attractive with no scuffing or price sticker marks or pulls. These are so difficult to find like this.

Cover Back: Very similar again to the front with a moderately light crease near the top right corner area. This has not broken the ink hence it has very modest visibility, any other creases are light and hardly even show with normal viewing. A very mild record pressmark near the top which has NOT developed into ringwear and finding any B&C example with none is very difficult indeed. The pink scroll records are much thicker and heavier than the Hatter repressings thus the covers usually suffer accordingly. Both front and back on this one are truly exceptional and probably undergraded.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Both faces are in superb condition with little to fault at all – the white areas are still just that – white.

Top Edges: A the odd small surface rub and a few small chips.

Bottom Edges: Some very light patchy rubbing. Nothing remotely heavy, both edges quite exceptional really and NO touch-ins.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean sharp with no wear or feathering, record is stored on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Wow, at last, the near perfect spine: Solid, square and straight with no wear at all. A near impossible task. Foided square so both right edges meet up near perfectly and parallel. No text was printed on this spine and the design is unworn and clean.

Corners: Small tip rubs only and all retain great shape and definition.

Cover Summary: Certainly one of the very best examples of this cover with all the early attributes included you will ever see these days. It’s one to be held and viewed, not hidden away, it should please most collectors.

The Poster: Mint(-) and pretty much the same as when purchased all those years ago, clearly hardly ever unopened and certainly NEVER mounted. Yes this has NO pinholes, cellotapes marks or blu-tak stains, totally as made and looking stunning. One of the rarer rock posters to say the least - to put into perspective, I have had at least 10 Black Sabbath ‘Master of Reality’ posters since trading but only seen this two or three times before EVER. This must be the very best example too. Ultra clean and fresh with sharp edges and minimal traces of extra creasing. This has four manufactured folds and all are solid and unstressed or weakened. The artwork pristine with no toning and barely any handling traces or marks. Take a good look, the cover behind gives its size proportions, it is large and will not be seen or offered often and rarely in such beautiful condition.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), probably the most stunning visual copy of this album on the pink label I have ever seen. A record played two or three times only, the original owner taped all his albums and this looks practically new. A lovely clean visual copy that’s ultra clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. Hardly a mark at all, this looks beautiful but… there is a very mild pressing ‘rise’ near the centre that causes NO problems with tracking and any sound blemishing from this is miniscule to none. A few pressing ‘pits’ are evident too and cause no problems either, again good news. However, as mentioned above already, there are some unwanted sounds, mildish distortion on track one. Not too much and fairly sporadic and brief and the majority of the song plays okay. Thereafter, any traces are minimal and very light indeed and generally, the record still gives a very fine account of itself but sound purists be aware of what I have said. Side two plays with near perfect sound. There are NO clues to these cutting or pressing flaws and would have been present from new – that’s Charisma for you, it was a lottery. BUT THIS IS WHY I PLAY-GRADE ALL MY RECORDS. Visually a super record that will prove very difficult to ever find looking better.

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 is a very difficult record and I think I could search forever to find any copy that will play absolutely perfectly. This heavy pressed ‘original’ gave a very fine account of itself for the most part with side two especially playing supremely well (especially for a Charisma record of this era). It has very powerful sound with extremes in dynamics and details. A record of massive highs and lows and most all bar the first song play really well with little unwanted. As mentioned above, ‘Darkness’ does have some sporadic pressing sounds, mild distortion and a few clicks at the very beginning. Dave Jackson’s shrill electric reeds send a shiver down the spine and Hammills vocals have ‘in the room’ qualilty. The explosive bassline midway through ‘White Hammer’ has stomach wrenching depth and if played loud enough I am sure it could remove glass from windows. I have rarely heard such depth and power in sound and it shook my room when play-grading. Another noteworthy moment of hi-fi nirvana, amongst many moments is the blood-chilling distorted scream of ‘Anihilation’ on the brilliant final song ‘After the Flood’ – this never fails to generate that rare ‘tingle factor’ I experience with the real classic moments in sound. So a copy that overall does play well, it will not be one for sound purists or the ultra discerning but if some pressing sounds can be tolerated on the first song (not too many hasten to add), this is a fine all round copy. At least you will know what is coming and not at the mercy of guesswork. So many examples of this album can disappoint in a huge way and on all the songs, not just the one (in places only). But if you have any doubts, PLEASE DO NOT BID.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. US; Australia; Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

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’.