ELTON JOHN (2nd) Orig UK 70 DJM EX RED TRANSLUSCENT LP

	£		34
	$		45

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Artist or Band: ELTON JOHN

Album Title: Elton John.

Producer(s): Gus Dudgeon.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Your Song; I Need You to Turn To; Take Me to the Pilot; No Shoe Strings on Louise; First Episode at Hienton.

Side 2: Sixty Years On; Border Song; The Greatest Discovery; The Cage; The King Must Die.

Label/Format: DJM (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with hardly any discernible spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. The odd minor handling trace on revealing black labels.

Cat Number: DJLPS 406.

SPECIAL NOTE: This record has been pressed on red transluscent vinyl. This means light will pass through the record and gives off a rich red colour under bright light, hopefully my picture will show this. Although this appears with normal viewing, to be a normal black record, this eerie effect is seen when viewed directly under a bright lightbulb. Normally, these red transluscents are very limited and usually on first pressed records, this being my first ever for an Elton John album, I cannot state catagorically if this is the case or not, but I would be sure these unusual copies are far from common.

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: 134 grams. About or slightly above average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate but incredibly difficult to find with a decent cover, and this one is way better than ‘decent’, it’ s a real looker with little wear.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: DJLPS 406 A4 / DJLPS 406 B1

Mother & Stamper Codes: BI 1 / B 9

Musicians: Elton John - piano, harpsichord, vocals; Frank Clark - acoustic guitar, bass, guitar; Colin Green - guitar, Spanish guitar; Roland Harker - guitar; Clive Hicks - acoustic guitar, guitar, rhythm guitar, 12 string guitar; Alan Parker - rhythm guitar; Caleb Quaye - guitar; Les Hurdle - bass; Dave Richmond - bass; Alan Weighall - bass; Brian Dee - organ; Diana Lewis - Moog synthesiser; Paul Buckmaster - cello; Skaila Kanga - harp; David Katz - violin; Terry Cox - drums; Dennis Lopez - percussion; Barry Morgan - drums; Tex Navarra - percussion. Vocals and Backing Vocalists: Madeline Bell, Tony Burrows, Roger Cook, Lesley Duncan, Kay Garner, Tony Hazzard; Barbara Moore - vocals, choir, chorus.

Brief Info: The second Elton album, but first issued in the States and even today, this is often mistaken for his debut. It sparked his rise to fame largely due to the classic single ‘Your Song’ and the album was the first to be produced by Gus Dudgeon. A notoriously difficult album to find with a nice cover due to the lack of protection, soft textured and very dark colour. Few are ever seen devoid of often severe rubbing and ringwear, many get sticker damage, creases and even tears. This is by a distance the best I have seen for years. The record appears lightly played and sounds very nice but does have three or four marks on side two, one of which I did suspect would sound on the first track, but no, this and the others are ignored and this vintage disc offers enjoyable and mostly very clean, clear sound. I would not say I am a big Elton John fan myself, but I admire and like his early works, the days mainly prior his glam-rock era and rise to mega-stardom and this album along with several others are very special.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High++: one of the most difficult to find even a respectable Very Good. Few are seen devoid of often heavy wear, damage and appear very tired. This is a lovely example, not perfect, but it could prove a significant upgrade for many.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+) and the actual four main faces grade little short of Mint(-) and that’s a huge grade for such a fragile and totally ruthlessly wear-prone cover. An unlaminated gatefold format with very flat matt surfaces that are lightly textured with a rough feel to the touch. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group .

Cover Front: Apart from small corner rubs to the spine, this front is little short of as made and being honest, I have never seen one quite like it before. A think of genuine beauty when seen as such. With very deep colour retained and barely even a surface trace mark or crease seen even under light, this beyond wear-prone front could hardly be seen much better.

Cover Back: Quite how this has survived with no ringwear I am not sure, but seeing is believing and this back is almost of the stunning quality of the front. Again a little rubbing to the corner tips but very little else.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside faces are little short of full Mint, yes true. Simply incredible with intense blackness retained on the finely textured surfaces that include the song lyrics.

Top Edges: Edgewear will always be an issue on such a soft fragile cover, thus the necessary downgrading from an almost deserved near mint grading. This top pair show only very light patchy rub traces.

Bottom Edges: This resting edge pair have light rubbing but erring towards moderate on the back right towards the corner. All considered, not at all bad for this one.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, and still remarkably sharp with little wear and no feathering or trimming. Any thickening of the back opening edge is very mild and light.

Spine and Text: Stating the obvious, this spine is immensely fragile and often seen threadbare. This again has survived in wonderful overall condition with any rubbing just to the very ends. Solid, or as much as they ever will be with softer card, straight and thick. Minimal compression and folded dead square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn and that initself is a mighty ask. And even the folds retain practically full ink cover with no white patches. Just the very ends of the corners have rubbed and whitened and will any not have to be fair?

Corners: Light to very light tip rubs on the right four and these retain near excellent shape. The spine pair have rubbed and whitened, of course this is more highlighted on such a black cover but in real terms, this is only a very small area of the spine top and bottom.

Cover Summary: A wonderful all-round example of this most ultimate fragile early 70’s cover, one that will prove immensely difficult, if not almost impossible to find much better. This beautiful item should please most realistic collectors. This early E. J. Day printing of this textured, soft card sleeve throws down the gauntlet to be beaten, and if anyone has a much better one, well treasure it.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT+. A heavy-duty polylined plain white inner that has only slightly aged with minor discolouration. Both windows are crisp and ultra neat with the lining firmly intact and very clear (even shiny). All edges secure with no repairs and not hard creases at all, minor ripple being critical. This is UK patents and has ‘Foreign Patents Pending’.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT (++) / EXCELLENT(-), A record of two sides, one being little short of Mint(-) but side two, as mentioned further up has some marks. Mostly fine, but one on the first song is more noticeable and I suspect it would sound – but no, this too was ignored, so these marks on side two are really superficial. The evidence including highly attractive labels suggest a little played copy and clearly the odd accident within a collection can and does happen. Visually still a fine record, side one being superb, it should please many collectors but not the more discerning.

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 classic early Elton John record plays more to its upper grading level with little unwanted. 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 but a little gentle traces were noted on the odd quiet moment or two but barely any significant clicks were noted with no pops and overall, a fine, mostly clean pressing. Few of the earlier copies will outperform this significantly I feel sure. The aforementioned marks are pretty much all ignored. The more sinister one on ‘Sixty Years On’, that can just be felt with the finger, surprised me somewhat by being non-sounding which was a relief and a bonus for sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored within in a non-smoking environment. The cover itself more than proves this. Little, if indeed anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful old record. This copy will still prove quite difficult to find significantly better (and the cover is unlikely to be beaten easily) and can be highly 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 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’.