BEE GEES Odessa RARE Orig UK 69 MONO N/M LPs FELT COVER

	£		231
	$		306

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Artist or Band: BEE GEES

Album Title: Odessa.

Producer(s): Robert Stigwood and the Bee Gees.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Odessa (City on the Black Sea); You’ll Never See My Face Again; Black Diamond.

Side 2: Marley Purt Drive; Edison; Melody Fair; Suddenly; Whisper Whisper.

Side 3: Lamplight; Sound of Love; Give Your Best; Seven Seas Symphony; With the Nations (International Anthem).

Side 4: I Laugh in Your Face; Never Say Never Again; First of May; The British Opera.

Label/Format: Polydor – Original deep red format with mono logo.

Label Conditions: All four look fantastic and they seldom do on original mono copies. Ultra clean and attractive with only very light and faint spindle traces, especially so on disc two that looks hardly even played. Always a delight to offer one of my favourite albums in such clean and beautiful playing conditions.

Cat Number: 582 049/050.

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 these Records: 140 / 138 grams. A good weight for this title.

Full Matrix Nos: 582049 A // 1 420 1 1 2 & 582049 B // 1 420 1 1 2 & 582050 A // 3 420 1 1 6 & 582050 B // 1 420 1 2 5

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: This is a scarce album, it never sold in the numbers the brilliance of the music justified. A very late mono version and quite honestly is looks and sounds hardly played. Not only that, this is a very difficult title to find in anything like decent condition. The ultra fragile and delicate felt cover rarely is seen anything like attractive and that’s no understatement. I have seen examples of this one being offered that look dreadfully shabby with severe, deep penetrating ringwear and huge bald areas, large chips, splits, tearing with dull grubby looking felt that looks ‘tired’ and covered with inground debris. Often with dust and foreign matter pressed into its delicate surface. Pale and faded, even washed out examples with large white areas are more the norm. Deeply marked and ‘furrowed’ fronts and backs with totally worn-through felt and threadbare white edges are also almost considered normal and these are often offered as Excellent. I have only ever seen one of these that could be almost be considered as near ‘new’ looking – a friend of mine sold me his copy some years ago and the felt looked almost like billiard table baize (albeit in red) and as near mark and blemish-free as they ever get. It’s only when an example like that shows up to remind collectors what a ‘new’ copy originally looked like that puts other examples into perspective. This example is a very decent one and is certainly one of the better ones I have seen for some time and it’s a genuine mono original as can be seen on my close-up picture, these are significantly harder to hard to find and these had their own unique cover. This cover does have some wear but only modest for what I consider to be without doubt one of the most fragile and uncompromising covers ever made. The card is thin and tears very easily too. By 1969, the mono format was in major decline with few new titles being issued in the single-channel mode, this was the last Bee Gees album to be offered as such on both formats. For those who did buy it in mono, they did so for a reason, to be played on a mono record player and we all know what that often meant. Both these superb records have bucked the trend, and how, they both play to near perfection from start to finish and is the very best example I have heard in mono since my friend’s copy near 10 years ago. A magnificent pair and offering all the stunning songs with the punch and detail the mono format offers without the noise and distortions time, careless handling and heavy-tracking needles offered so many. All four sides offer almost as new audio quality and what a pleasure it was. This mono original is rare like this and if I waited for a ‘pristine’ felt cover to offer with these outstanding records, I guess they would never be offered at all.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Brief Info: I always find offering this immense release a delight and a privilege, this album did not sell well and is such a hard one to find in mono for all the obvious reasons. A double album of immense beauty that for me anyway, is the Bee Gees best ever album and a true late 60s classic that was sadly overlooked and underrated by most at the time. The brothers Gibb wrote some incredible music and songs in the 1960s which was probably not as appreciated or recognised as it should have been at the time – with the Beatles and Stones around, many other popular music groups were often overshadowed. Time now seems to have put this right. With its famous felt cover that ages very badly if not stored with great care (see comments above on this), this is more than a highly respectable and still attractive example, but not blemish-free. An album of stunning harmonies and beautiful music, the title song is truly memorable. But all songs are superb and not one filler is on show. Forget the ‘disco’ 1970s phase – 1960s Bee Gees were simply marvellous and very different – quite why this album failed to sell well is a complete mystery to me. That said, I too only discovered the early Bee Gees later in life, but it really was worth the wait – their early records are very special indeed and all up to this album are essential. If your collection does not include any of their titles, this one will thrill and what a stunning pair of scarce mono records are included within this still attractive cover. Both looks hardly even played and both grade Mint(-) for sound and little short on looks either. This title was issued in both mono and stereo in the UK, both are magnificent and both are truly essential for collectors with very different sound presentation. Like the cover, the records often wear badly too. This has amazingly intense and loudly recorded music and vocals, even stereo copies often have distortion and high frequency clipping and break-up. Mono copies are even more prone, usually played on very heavy equipment with thick, sometimes chipped pickups that caused irrepairable damage to the delicate groove walls resulting in unlistenable sound. This one has incredible real high fidelity sound with power and punch and the mono sound is truly breathtaking. Fully focused, sharp and distortion-free. I adore this album and finding such a clean pair of records inside a strong felt cover is a rare privilege. For those who have not heard an original mono ‘Odessa’ in near pristine condition, it’s an experience you owe to yourself. Brilliant is too small a word for this wonderful pair of records and the cover’s not half bad either. I honestly rate this album as one of the most beautiful records ever made and all music lovers will treasure it.

Cover Grade and Format: I think a grading of near Excellent is not doing this cover full justice. Most of any ‘wear’ is caused by the record rims pressing on the edges and that is very difficult to avoid. I think by the standards some are graded at, I would think this is arguably better still, but have preferred to put a fairly conservative grading on what is one of rock’s most fragile sleeves. A gatefold format with a real felt front and back, it’s very delicate and mounted on only thin card – longevity is short unless kept very carefully. With two very solidly pressed records inside, this sleeve has little chance. It has embossed gold text and Polydor logo and this is rarely seen looking nice either as it blackens and fades with age. This one too is an original mono version with its mono text inside on the bottom left edge (seen in close-up). It was made in England by Ernest J. Day Ltd, London. Blemishes and very light wear, yes, will any not have?, but this is a splendid example given all the facts and this should please the majority of collectors wanting a copy of this lovely album.

Cover Front: This retains an intense deep red finish and retains a very good freshness. There is recosrd rim pressure marks and mildish rubbing on the four edges but NOT full circle ringwear that many get. A few light marks and scuffs that few avoid at the very least but all the embossed gold text and logo are little short of perfect. No bald or threadbare areas at all and with no creasing or tears, this front is way better than respectable, it’s somewhat attractive I feel. The avoidance of small marks and pressure areas are nigh-on impossible to avoid, this simply being honest and logical. This is genuinely over 40 years old now and how many available ones will look much better?

Cover Back: Even more critical with just a large area of red with no text or design. This has worn even better and that is incredibly unusual. Rim rubs on the edges are slightly less but still some present but fewer marks or blemishes overall. The lack of penetrating scuffs and inground grime is always a huge bonus on this cover. This does set quite a high standard.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Apart from some very minor edge burring, there is practically nothing else to fault.

Top Edges: Light patchy rub traces with a very few, VERY small white patch traces on the ever-so-slightly thinned felt. Let me make it clear: practically all the two edges are still red and felt covered.

Bottom Edges: Little wear at all and barely any traces of any white patches. Being the resting edges, this is a near impossible ask.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, reasonably sharp with just a little thickening and burr traces, more apparent when viewed end-on. One of the very few I have seen that actually have NO splits, tears or repairs, the delicate thin card is solid and unfeathered and guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: The top corner has either had a minor dink or scuffed and that is the only evidence of any damage on the cover. ‘Damage’ being too strong a word: only looking end-on on to the spine shows this dink and lightly cracked area. The rest of the spine is very solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up very closely together and parallel. This spine never had any text printed on it but amazingly this example has ALL it’s felt still fully attached, unthinned, no white or rubs up to the top corner, this I have seldom seen before. Even the vulnerable fold lines retain all felt with no stressing or bald spots. I have viewed this as critically as possible and there appears to be no touching in or any tampering to the surfaces - all edges are quite exceptional and will rarely be seen with less wear.

Corners: The top left (spine) corner has a very small split and scuff but most of the felt is even still attached even here, but this small blemish is the ‘biggest’ on the cover in terms of damage. The other corners have small tip rubs and will any not have being honest? All bar the top left retain super shape and even the small dinked one is more than respectble, the knocked area only very small indeed.

Cover Summary: This cover goes beyond fragile and only the most carefully stored and handled examples will ever look decent or presentable. Yes this one has record impression rubs and a few marks and that very small corner dink/split, but it will still prove very difficult to find significantly better, of that I am certain. If any collector wants only perfection as made, well you can wait for the near impossible, and then at what price? Most realistic collectors will know just how difficult this one is and I feel sure will enjoy this one on offer. Perfect?, no, but still highly presentable and attractive, one that can be held and enjoyed and not hidden away waiting for the nigh-on impossible. Any doubts, do not bid. Two plain white inners are included.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++ to Mint(-) with any surface trace marks being few and ultra faint only. A superb visual pair that are very clean, shiny, jet black and very solidly pressed on thick, top quality Polydor vinyl. A beautiful mono set, very little played on all the evidence reitterated by superb sound quality. Visually super records that should please most-all 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 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: Both records play up to and even exceed their high visual gradings with nothing to fault. Only rarely have I ever stated this on this album whether in mono or stereo. Immensely powerful, totally distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Sound quality is astonishing with a very wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted. A difficult album where distortion can be rife on abused or heavily played copies. With complex vocal harmonies and strings, few will retain the clarity and focus this pair offer. The brilliance of the music, songs and arrangements on ‘Odessa’ is world class and has not aged at all. Forget the mid-70s Bee Gees sound, that offers no relation to the material on this or any of their 60s sets. To say this is an exceptional mono copy would be something of an understatement and even the connoisseur collector should enjoy owning this pair. Beautiful music with breathtaking harmonies and fidelity, this copy deserves to be played on a high-end deck and system. The cresendo of harmonics and vocals on the title track alone will sort out the capable systems. I would think few mono copies will survive these days with such clean, clear sound and this was a pure joy from beginning to end. Most experienced collectors will know just what abuse these classic 60s mono albums were likely to be subjected too, and this pair simply have avoided it. Few examples will even match, let outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. I feel very sure both records have been played very lightly and have been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Most of any cover ‘wear’ is natural pressure marks from the solidly pressed records, only storage outside the cover would have avoided this, and few ever did or would have even thought about it. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading these beautiful records. Yes you probably realise I was rather impressed by this set, it certainly will prove very difficult to match or find significantly better. I hope this one goes to a collector who enjoyed it as much as I did – BRILLIANT – and both records are unreservedly recommended – it’s been far too long since I had one of these good enough to offer.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I 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 (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (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. 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 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’.