BLUE PHANTOM Distortions VERY RARE Psych-Prog on UK 1972 Kaleidoscope EX LP.

	£		109
	$		144

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all. More details on this nearer the end of the listing.

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 ‘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: BLUE PHANTOM

Album Title: Distortions.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Diodo; Metamorphosis; Microchaos; Compression; Equilibrium.

Side 2: Dipnoi; Distillation; Violence; Equivalence; Psycho-Nebulous.

Label/Format: Kaleidoscope – matt finish with deep inner ring ridge and rough textured surfaces. Pressed by Pye, this small independent label resembles the early Island albums in terms of weight, matrixes and label style (Please see my label pictures).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only a small few light, fine and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: KAL 101.

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: 172 grams. Yes, true. A massive weight for any record, even Pye records from the 1960s seldom hit such vast weight, and this record was pressed in 1972, the year of the great oil shortage where thin flimsy records were almost the norm.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very Rare: and this using the term correctly. A tiny independent label and a massive UK pressing of this almost ‘lost’ prog obscurity.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: KAL + 101 + A2 / KAL + TUR + 101 + B

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘BILBO’ on side one

Musicians: No information given or known.

Brief Info: A mysterious album and band that originated in Italy in the early 1970s. Information is sparse and few would have even been pressed anywhere. This is an original UK 1972 issue made for the tiny Kaleidoscope label by Pye. That is more than obvious from the massive pressing weight, block punched matrixes and label style. Also the trademark heavily textured labels the likes seen on the early Island pink albums and a small few Pink Rim pressings from 1971. What can be made perfectly clear: this is a terrific instrumental psych-rock with clear progressive elements album. It has heavy riffs, spaced-out guitar and strange keyboard sounds, all blending for an ultimate collage of prog-psych-rock. The back cover suggests the music is an evolution of life as seen through avange garde music. Unknown I would guess by most, but for those who have heard it, or even purchased it as a curiousity when briefly available back in 72, most love it and this does attract very positive critical reviews. The sound quality and production is immense and this copy, possibly against the odds, sounds terrific. A little gentle surface sound between a couple of songs, but the music is full-on and little unwanted is heard. This is certainly up-there for obscurity and rareness on my time on Ebay – now into my thirteenth year – I had never seen or heard this album before, but remained a curiosity seen the price guides with no knowledge of what it was all about. A true ‘lost’ gem and great one-off, lovers of prog and psych music will sure to treasure this one – not one you will often for sure – strongly recommended.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a single format with front laminate. This covers all the closed edges and ends on the back via the spine edge. The back is matt and smooth finished. Printed and made in England by Senol.

Lamination & Front: The artwork shows of the theme of evolution from foetus to the atomic age to observation from afar. The laminate retains a fine shine, clarity and freshness. A moderate crease near the top right corner area being the main blemish with few marks overall and any dulling quite light. There is a little creasing near the bottom left corner tip but the laminate has no lifting at all. Bright vivid colour artwork, overall a splendid front.

Cover Back: A little mild grubbiness, gentle rubbing and mild rim impression near the top – that can be no surprise with a massive 170+ gram record inside for over 40 years. What is a surprise, is the lack of heavy penetrating ring wear. A light fade near the right edge, possibly due to laminate shrinkage, and a small number 18 near the top right corner. Overall, this has survived well with such a thick record housed inside.

Top Edge: Thin, but straight and unworn.

Bottom Edge: Almost the same again.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear, and avoiding thickening or burring. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and largely uncracked laminate. This well centred on quite a narrow depth.

Corners: A little ‘knurling’ of the bottom left corner tip but little else. Fine to very fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this very rare and highly elusive 1970’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. This bright and mostly attractive item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: a plain white open unlined inner again with an ‘18’ on one corner. The only issue is corner creases, often made to stop the record falling out, and this weighty beast could easily have flew out if tipped. Both window circles crisp and undamaged and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: arguably better still. A very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and massively pressed on very thick heavyweight vinyl. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface trace marks few, mostly light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. Visually a super record that should please many 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This somewhat legendary album is shrouded in mystery will not prove easy to find much better. Any record pressed over 160 grams is a real heavyweight, and this in the year of the oil crisis where records were most often pressed light. This Pye contract pressing bucks the trend big time and this is exceptional. This significant rarity plays up to it’s high visual grading and most-all beyond with very 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 indeed – a little between tracks but little else. Pye contract pressings could be inconsistent for quality, but this does play well and has a fantastic production. . 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 very lightly and appears carefully handled. Nothing of any real spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. It deserved greater promotion and publicity – in this case, obscure, does NOT rubbish or not worthy. As stated above, this is an instrumental album, so no language barriers for this top quality Italian prog-psych gem. This record is not seen or offered often, so a great opportunity, this copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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’.