BRIAN AUGER/JULIE DRISCOLL & THE TRINITY Open 68 EX+ LP

	£		67
	$		88

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Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down with Picture & All Shipping Rates.

Artist or Band: Julie Driscoll/Brian Auger & Trinity

Album Title: Open.

Producer(s): Giorgio Gomelsky.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: In and Out; Isola Natale; Black Cat; Lament for Miss Baker; Goodbye Jungle; Telegraph.

Side 2: Tramp; Why (Am I Treated So Bad); A Kind of Love In; Break it Up; Season of the Witch.

Country of Manufacture: Italy. The one and only owner purchased this from new in the sixties when serving in the armed forces. Attracted by the quite stunning cover that is totally unique and different to the UK version. The front is a work of art and captures the essence of the psych period perfectly, this looks good enough to frame and is fully laminated. Look at the candyfloss haired Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger attired in their psychedelic clothes and that lovely coloured ‘bubble’ swirly text. This has the Marmalade logo and clearly this is an Italian subsidiary pressing from the same time. Not just a rare variant for the collector but a true work-of-art and one that looks lovely. I have never seen this before and I cannot even find on the Net. This has to be a very rare album indeed and I would be sure very few were ever made. Well worthy of a second look.

Label/Format: R International (with the Marmalade logo on both labels).

Label Conditions: Both look lovely with a deep centre ridge. Spindle marks are light to light+, they can be seen as matt black is somewhat revealing.

Cat Number: LIR 22.014.

Speed / Mode: 33.3 rpm. The cover has mono printed but has a stereo gold sticker. To my ears, this a mono record.

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: 156 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.

Rarity: The UK version is quite rare in mono or stereo. This stunning Italian pressing with its vastly superior artwork will be far rarer still. I would be certain this was never or very rarely imported, the owner purchased it when serving in the British forces from Italy. I truly consider this to be one of the rarest albums I have ever offered on Ebay, how many have actually ever seen this before? Not only that, it’s in superb condition and plays with almost perfect sound which to my ears is mono.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: LIR 22014 1 / LIR 22014/2

Run Out Etchings: 11.10.67 (on both sides).

Brief Artist & Album Info: Jazz keyboardist Auger teamed up with Julie (Jools) Driscoll to make one of the most inspired albums of the late-mid-60s. Issued in 1967 - the summer of love - Open encaptures the sound of those times perfectly and for me is even better than the more acclaimed Streetnoise that came later. This stunning Italian cover says it all and is a rare colour picture of this pair in their real ‘pomp’ on an original album sleeve. Brilliant use of Auger’s keyboard skills blended with scintillating horns, this has the perfect 60s sound and captures the mood of that time perfectly with Driscoll’s vocals sublime thoughout. Side one is mainly instrumental, starting bizarrely with a saw-cutting sound before the music kicks in with great effect. Between tracks have strange sound effects, I will not elaborate, I will let the winning bidder discover all. Driscoll’s talents are far more apparent on the more vocal side two climaxing with a fantastic long version of Donovan’s ‘Season of the Witch’. Elements of psych-pop, rock, jazz and folk intermingle to perfection and this truly unique sound and album are a delight from beginning to end. The implies a stereo copy because of a sticker, but the cover is printed mono and the record sounds mono to me. This is a quality and heavyweight pressing and the sound is fantastic and plays with practically nothing unwanted. Listen while viewing the cover and take yourself back to the swinging sixties. This is almost too wonderful for words and without doubt a major rarity.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and the most wonderful 1960s cover variants I have ever seen. I am finding this very difficult to even offer and that is being totally honest. It blows away the UK version by a million miles, this should have been the standard for this cover here too. A single fully laminated format with a stereo sticker on the front but I am sure this is a mono record. It was printed and made in Italy and both front and back are unique, it has the Marmalade logo on both sides.

Cover Front: Sixties psychedelic artwork of the highest quality and looking magnificent here under clear solid laminate that has no lifting and only a couple of fine surface creases that onlly show under light. The laminate has a semi-gloss sheen and shows few marks. The sticker is clean but may have had a small pick with just a fine edge semi-crease. There is peeling and any dulling mild and faint around the rim. With normal viewing this looks near perfect and that quite breathtaking artwork of the pair encaptures exactly what this album is all about.

Cover Back: The back is far more basic in design but also in superb condition and has little to fault at all.

Top Edge: Practically as made.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and remarkably, no feathering. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: Immaculate and fully laminated and looking as made. Solid, very straight with no compression. All text pristine under solid, clear and uncracked laminate.

Corners: Any wear or chipping to the right pair is tiny and minor, the spine pair are as new.

Cover Summary: What a find, what a joy to view, the perfect cover for this wonderful album. I rarely put higher opening bids on my albums, but if this fails to make my ‘reserve’, I am more than happy to keep it and possibly put into a frame. I am certain few, if any of these have been offered on Ebay, certainly outside Italy. A connoisseur’s piece for the specialist and worthy of a third look.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++. A beautiful visual copy that has only two or three ultra fine surface marks that have no sound. No mean feat for a mono record, at the risk of repeating myself, we all know the state these are so often seen in. This is very clean with fine shine, intense black and a heavy top quality pressing. This looks lovely and has avoided the perils of old mono record players because the owner did not use one. The sounds embedded in the deep, wide grooves is breathtaking. Few of these avoided abuse from vintage equipment of the day and still sound magnificent on modern high fidelity equipment used now. Visually a highly impressive Marmalade International record.

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 very rare record plays up to its excellent good looks with practically nothing to fault. All frequencies are sharp and clear and sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound for the complex arrangements. A fantastic production that simply brings the 60s sound memories flooding back, few albums of this type capture that mood better, this truly is a classic pop-psych gem. Any surface sounds are minimal to none, this plays cleanly, quiet and with precise sound with no clipping, high-frequency echo or distortions. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel totally confident this record has been hardly played and has been caringly looked after. It should remind those of a certain age just what these records looked like when purchased from new – a bold statement, yes, but true. Nothing spoilt my sheer joy when play-grading this 60s classic. This copy will not be beaten easily for beautiful sound and it’s a record I can strongly recommend.

End Piece: Auger and Driscoll made magic music and their albums are greatly cherished by 60s collectors. Never appearing often and seldom in absolute top playable conditions – were records of this type ever really designed to last so long? – well probably not if played too much on unsympathetic equipment. This one has simply not been played much at all hence it can now be enjoyed on a modern lightweight deck with the full sound potential realised – this will last another 50 years if treated the same with such low modern-day tracking weights. To get this rare album from Italy with such a wonderful cover is the icing on the cake and is worth the price alone and surely must be a ‘must-have’ for memorabilia collectors too? – if this is wanted, bid before I change my mind and keep it – I would not need much persusading believe me.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon 2M moving magnet 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.

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 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. 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’.