VAN MORRISON Astral Weeks RARE ORIG UK WS 1768 1968 Nr EX LP - PLAYS SUPERBLY.

	£		460
	$		610

ONEADAYRECORDS – Serving-up a Christmas & New Year Feast of Entertainment

I would like to wish all my customers, regulars and newcomers, a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Over the Holiday Period, I am offering some interesting Christmas ‘Crackers’ – the theme this year being ‘Rock Classics’ – ENJOY!

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and traceable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: VAN MORRISON

Album Title: Astral Weeks

Producer: Lewis Merenstein

TRACK LISTING:

Side 1: “In the Beginning’’– Astral Weeks; Beside You; Sweet Thing; Cyprus Avenue.

Side 2: “Afterwards’’– Young Lovers Do; Madame George; Ballerina; Slim Slow Slider.

Label/Format: Warner Bros – original orange format with matt, gently textured surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only light, quite fine and relatively few spindle marks that show little. A rare original that plays impressively throughout with no inherent pressing faults or issues. Indeed this is one of the very few I have found on the orange label without repetitive clicks or problems. The play-grade proved a joy.

Catalogue Number: WS 1768

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity & Overview: Original orange WB copies of this wonderous record are rare. Even the early green label repressings are not so easy either – but an orange ‘Astral’ is a very special record. Only relatively recently, have price guides given any idea of the real rarity of this album as an original. It failed to chart, sold in very small numbers and has always been elusive and most that show up are heavily played or even trashed. It’s classic status remains undimished and demand for orange label originals is high amongst serious collectors. This copy plays superbly – it has some gentle surface marks, but superficial and non-sounding, this being one of the few I have had without penetrating stylus scratches. Here, Morrison takes you to a different world on a creative high and he was truly inspired – a massive change in direction from the RnB of Them. Few noticed it on issue, even fewer shelled out to buy a copy and those special orange labels were not available for very long before being replaced to the more familar green format. I have never, and doubt if ever will find an unmarked ‘pristine’ original of this album, but any marks on this are mostly fine and faint, importantly superficial and the sound is really clean and lovely. The original ‘W7’ logo cover with the correct WS 1768 number is also very nice with only scant clues of its 50-years-of-age. This a copy many will enjoy and a rare opportunity. An impossible album to categorise, simply file this album under ‘genius’.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: WS 1768 A-1 *T STEREO and WS 1768 B-2 *T STEREO

Stamper Codes: B 1 / C 1

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: 168 grams. originals were always pressed heavy (by Pye), repressings far less so.

Brief Artist & Album Info: I can think of few better albums ever made to welcome in the New Year than this sublime and timeless classic.

After the disbandment of Them and a hurried issued Blowin Your Mind, Van Morrison took a short time out and then issued one of the greatest albums ever made – I say this unreservedly and with full conviction – it remains, and always will in my personal top ten albums ever. Recommended and worshipped by the critics for 50 years, this underground masterpiece has now become part of the establishment. It cries to be listened to without interruption, which may explain why it failed to reach either the UK or US charts. It wanders and weaves, repeating themes and lyrics as if one song, yet we never tire of ‘gardens wet with rain’, ‘champagne eyes’ or the wonder of how Morrison can make a place like Ladbroke Grove seem so hauntingly evocative. The record is also a great educator in opening your eyes beyond pop, to soul and jazz, and although Morrison continues to return to it’s themes again and again, this is his core. A true timeless classic of immense beauty and sung with such power and emotion it takes you through highs and lows of joy and sadness. For me one of the greatest lyrical albums ever made, arguably even surpassing the greats like Dylan and Cohen – no music-lover can fail to be moved by this record. This one album alone makes him immortal and it has and never will age. This is a deeply mystical experience, at times with great intensity (‘Beside You’), Morrison puts his entire soul into this song.

Divided by the two sides, called ‘In the Beginning’ and ‘Afterwards’ this album has eight songs, and not even a second of time is wasted, every track is sublime. Few can move like ‘Madame George’ or a trip back to ‘Cyprus Avenue’ and the beauty in ‘Sweet Thing’ and ‘Ballerina” is beyond my words. Delicate strings, interweave with guitar and occasional reeds. The acoustic bass, played by Richard Davis, formerly with Miles Davis’ band, gently pulsates from the speakers from this amazingly perfect production. A record with an interstellar musical feel and the musicianship throughout is quite magnificent. It is so very special – to offer a copy as an original is almost an honour and to own one, a privilege. Not only is this aural experience difficult to track down, it’s even harder in anything like decent condition. With a record that plays impressively with very little unwanted, and an attractive original cover, this is a copy way above average. Bought by the few, but cherished and usually well played by those who did. I never tire of listening to this album and nothing beats hearing it on a very first pressed 1968 record – I hope the winning bidder enjoys this monumentous experience even half as much as I did, a rare opportunity, do not lose this one lightly.

Cover Condition and Details: EXCELLENT: arguably better. A single format with a laminated front, this wraps around the closed edges and ends on three large rear external flipbacks. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd and includes the correct original catalogue number WS 1768, also the ‘W7’ logo seen on the front, back and spine. The white polylined inner sleeve is included as well.

Cover Lamination and Front: The laminate retains fine shine, freshness and clarity with minimal hint of dulling and hardly any trace lifting. That great news for a very revealing cover with its black surround. The main issue are reasonably fine, and mainly edge creases that few seem to avoid. There are three half moons near the right which shows under light, with normal front-on viewing, these show little. The young Morrison portrait looks absolutely superb with rich colour and no blemishes. One of the classic 1960s covers and here seen to high advantage with just enough to politely remind of age. Personally, for a 50-year-old cover, I have no qualms with that.

Cover Back: This predominately white and unprotected back shows little real wear and the card remains a nice white, not browned, grubbied or aged. Indeed this unforgiving surface is one of the very best Astral Week backs I have seen to date. Only a couple of very fine light creases to the main rear panel, any discolouration or rim impression minimal. I doubt if many will have less. The three vulnerable flipbacks are in lovely shape too and will also prove difficult to find much better. All are solid with clean ends that have no thicking, lifting or burring. Several hairline creases on their laminate, yes, but how many will avoid those are the barest minimum?

Top & Bottom Edges: Both thin, but neat and straight with full laminate protection and no wear or chips.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Solid, clean and still impressively sharp with just a tiny nick to the front and hardly any thickening, even viewed end-on. Record entered on this vulnerable edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way, the laminate end line on the front still present to reiterate the fact.

Spine and Text: Again quite a thin spine and with significant weight to support when holding the heavy-pressed record, this could easily buckle and ‘break’ over the years. This is still solid, mainly straight, with any compression patchy and generally light as-seen. All the laminate is intact with no peeling and even retaining nice shine, just a couple of very fine hairline creases. ALL text is perfect and unworn under the solid laminate, also very nicely centred for good measure on the narrow depth.

Corners: Any tip rubbing is tiny and light, hardly any really and just a gentle dink on the back bottom right tip. Very fine to near excellent shape retained with no heavy knocks.

Cover Summary: A very fine and still attractive all-round example of this rare classic 1960s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better as a true original. With the beautiful portrait graphic looking magnificent and the white back hardly aged, it should please many, and maybe, given its rarity now, most collectors?

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: the original polylined inner which is UK Patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text. It has a couple of corner creases, often deliberate to stop the record sliding out. Both window circles are neat and crisp and the lining clear. No edge splits or repairs, that some achievement with such a heavy record inside half-a-century. Some mild discolouration mostly near the top opening edge.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(–): arguably better. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and heavily pressed. Label evidence suggests modest plays, the surfaces have some mostly fine surface marks, but no penetrating stylus scratches. That, along with being very well pressed on thick heavyweight vinyl, the best news. A complex acoustic, quite fragile album with some very quiet passages, so the lack of repetitive clicks and minimal hint of surface or contact sound with no inherent pressing rasps or distortion means the finest of listening experiences. To be clear: not all first pressings were manufactured this clean, and some I have heard have had significant sound issues – this is NOT one of them. Visually and aurally, a super record that should please many, and maybe even most collectors?

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: Put simply: this is one of the finest sounding copies of this I have ever heard, I am totally convinced only the very first issues offer those finer details, dynamics and purity the sound enthusiasts really crave. This evergreen masterpiece plays above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault – and this on a somewhat challenging and complex album, on a very revealing turntable*. Instrumentation is, at times, relatively sparse and all acoustic, there is nowhere for flaws and blemishes to hide, and luckily, this copy hardly needs them. Lovely acoustic guitar, strings, winds, and some of the finest acoustic bass (by Richard Davis), I have heard on an album back Morrison’s soulful vocal and poetic words – has any artist ever truly matched the beauty of ‘Astral Weeks’? This offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. The production and stereo imagery is simply gorgeous, any surface sounds minimal and light and very very infrequent, most of the songs have hardly any, and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking or manufacturing issues*. Few available, genuine first pressed copies will outperform this significantly I feel sure. The odd sporadic gentle tick or contact trace is nigh-on impossible to avoid totally, but this has very few and the music simply takes overshadows any minute blemish. Both channels are clean and sharp, the vocals fully focused and precise, Morrison’s emotion and soul simply pours from the speakers. Little of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, I have few that came close to matching this. For me, still one of the greatest albums from the golden period of the mid- to late 1960s. Even though is has some quite mild visual surface marks, it will prove very difficult to find better for audio quality, all the visuals are ignored, and for me, nothing is more important than that. Even though not pristine visually, it has to merit my highest recommendation – these are getting immensely difficult to find – and a great opportunity for fans and collectors of this legendary artist. Fifty years on, the music is still sublime and a true one-off masterpiece… and that garden still wet with rain.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie 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 Nessie 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 17­ 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. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.