DAVID CROSBY If Only I Could… UK 1971 Plum Orig EX+ LP

	£		45
	$		60

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: DAVID CROSBY

Album Title: If Only I Could Remember My Name.

Producer(s): David Crosby.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Music is Love; Cowboy Movie; Tamalpais High (At about 3); Laughing.

Side 2: What Are Their Names; Traction in the Rain; Song With No Words (Tree with no leaves); Orleans; I’d Swear There Was Somebody Here.

Label/Format: Atlantic – Original red and maroon (‘Plum’) format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both are highly attractive, fresh and very clean. Clearly little handled and with just a tiny few ultra faint spindle marks on side one, barely a trace of any on side two. These labels will rarely be found better on this classic, but fragile album.

Cat Number: 2401005.

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: 136 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: Scarce especially in lightly played condition. This was a very late ‘plum’ issue with the label design and catalogue number changing within the same year. Prime condition examples on this original label are at a premium and this record is truly exceptional and the cover’s not far behind either. This is a challenging record with some very quiet passages and high quality pressings and little-played example’s are high on wants lists. The record plays beautiful and with practically nothing unwanted, it looks hardly even played. The cover wears badly too, many seen are scuffed, creased, grubby, rubbed and ringworn. This has little else but minor edge rubs that few will ever avoid. A truly beautiful example like this is quite a rarity these days.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 2401005 A1 1 1 3 / 2401005 B1 1 1 3

Brief Artist & Album Info: One of the greatest albums ever and one of the last of the ‘Plums’. Peaking at 12 in both the US and UK album charts, this Dave Crosby classic was justifiably popular and remains his finest ever moment as a ‘solo’ artist. Not that solo is really the correct term here because he is joined by the cream of San Francisco artists of this era. In no particular order; Crosby performs with all the following: Graham Nash; Neil Young; Phil Lesh; Bill Kreutzmann; Jorma Kaukonen; Grace Slick; Gregg Rolie; Joni Mitchell; Mickey Hart; David Frieberg; Henry Diltz; Paul Kantner; Michael Shrieve; Gary Burden; Stephen Barncard; Robert Hammer; David Geffen; Ethan Crosby; Laura Allen; Jerry Garcia; Jack Cassady, Ronald Stone and Elliot Roberts – as you would expect the backing and performances are nothing less and immaculate, a blend of musical brilliance seldom bettered on an album of this type. Vocally, Crosby was inspired and never sounded much better than here, spiritual, powerful and convincing, a man at the peak of his powers. The backing musicians are allowed space to perform and this is an unselfish record. This is a fantastic copy too, one of the more solid ‘plum’ pressings for this title I have had, more than 20 grams heavier than the last one I offered earlier in the year. Beautiful clean sound is on offer from two ultra clean playing surfaces. The cover too is way above average and looks brilliant with minimal wear and with sublime artwork. So often seen blighted by ringwear and rubbing, again no laminate was used on this one and the card is very soft. This album produced so late on ‘Plum’, it’s often seen with a Kinney sticker on the back, this very early example avoided one. For those seeking out this early 70s masterpiece, this will take a lot of beating.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+ and very arguably much better. A gatefold format and unlaminated with a very flat matt finish, with the closest of examination, it is ever-so-slightly textured, certainly the card is not dead smooth. The card is very soft and fragile and is seldom seen with so little wear. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press.

Cover Front: Apart from some small corner rubbing that just encroaches into view, this gorgeous front has practically nothing else to fault and is as close to perfect as they ever get these days. The lack of all the issues mentioned in my rarity paragraph is unusual and refreshing to see.

Cover Back: Practically the same as the front, with less corner rubs, one corner crease bottom right. The odd appearance of microscopic chip traces are not actually chips at all, just tiny print imperfections. These so tiny, it’s almost crazy to even mention. There is one faint light edge crease near the top right corner. This back sets the standard.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Perfect, as new with pictures of all the musicians and vocalists on view. They rarely get seen better than this.

Top Edges: Ultra faint patchy rubs if being somewhat critical. The corners have rubbed however.

Bottom Edges: Light to light+ surface rubbing. Being this soft, this is no real surprise.

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

Spine and Text: Ultra delicate but in very fine condition overall. Solid, straight, with minimal compression and square, both right edges meet up closely together and practically parallel. All text is unworn, the odd minor tiy chip to the dark surface and the corners have rubbed.

Corners: All have rubbed but not a major way, more on the spine pair that have scuffed more than the right four which remain very neat with excellent shape.

Cover Summary: The corner rubs apart, this is a fantastic original plum cover, one that can be held and enjoyed with immense pleasure. Not a tatty worn and grubby example to be hidden away. Most collectors will be pleased with this I feel sure.

The Inner: This copy includes its original Polydor style lined inner which is around EX. Fully lined and uncreased but some glue around the seams has moderately toned. The edges are unsplit and the window is very neat and undamaged. This inner is dated coded 0371 which is correct for its vintage.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: To grade this lovely lightly played record as EX+ is hardly doing it full justice. It has ultra fine and super-faint surface trace marks, those very fine whispy types that just catch angled light. They of course have no effect on sound whatsoever, and to state this record plays with immaculate sound would be something of an understatement. A super visual example that is super clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. Visually a super record that should please most collectors again.

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 fantastic record plays even above its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Clear, precise, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound, beautifully produced by the man himself. Any surface sounds barely even register and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album that has many quiet and delicate passages. Few copies will match or outperform this high quality Plum pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Dead silence is near impossible on such a record but this gives an incredible performance that was a delight to listen too and this too on a highly revealing system that hides nothing. A beautiful recording and a gateway into the recording studio itself, nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove close to impossible to find better for sound quality, this is as close to perfection as they get.

End Piece: A collector’s dream-piece. Recognized by critics and fans as one of the genuine all time greats this was Crosby’s debut ‘solo’ album, and a very busy time for the man after first producing Joni Mitchell’s debut and teaming up with Stills, Nash and Young for other albums. This record is an extraordinary work by any standards and essentially a mood piece with Crosby using vocal and guitar chords to stunning effect, the final song even has an eerie Gregorian chant feel, an amazing finale to a sublime release. This album is a real treasure and I am delighted to offer such a beautiful all round early pressed copy. Remember the Kinney orange and green labelled copies were only just around the corner when this album was issued. A host of stars make this record very special – as well as being a late Plum album, it should appeal to scarce vinyl collectors anyway. For those who originally thought Dave Crosby is not really for them, think again, give this one a try, you WILL discover a man inspired, this is as uplifting as music gets. Unreservedly recommended to all, do not let this sublime classic slip the net again.

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 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: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). 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 VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. 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 for clarity as well as a sender label. 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 ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

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

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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]) = £12. (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 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’.