EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER (ELP) Trilogy SCARCER ORIG UK 1972 EX++ LP – SUPERB SOUND

	£		38
	$		50

ONEADAYRECORDS – Serving-up a Christmas & New Year Feast of Entertainment

I would like to wish all my customers, regulars and newcomers, a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Over the Holiday Period, I am offering some interesting Christmas ‘Crackers’ – lovely albums – some rare – ENJOY!

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£2 per extra record). All boxes sent FIRST-CLASS & TRACKED in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS with extra 7mm side protection and bubblewrap.

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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER

Album Title: Trilogy

Producer(s): Greg Lake

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Endless Enigma (Part 1); The Fugue; The Endless Eniga (Part 2); From the Beginning; The Sheriff; Hoedown (Taken from Rodeo).

Side 2: Trilogy; Living Sin; Abaddon’s Bolero.

Label/Format: Island – Original Pink rim format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with deep colour. Spindle marks are few, light, fine and faint.

Catalogue Number: ILPS 9186

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: 142 grams. A very impressive weight for this album, issued within the oil crisis era where so many where made thin and flimsy, few were pressed this heavy.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Moderate in theory but first issues with the E. J. Day cover in this condition are harder to find.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9186 A-2U / ILPS 9186 B-2U [these large and deeply punched]

Stamper Codes: 1 M / 1 M

Musicians: Keith Emerson – Hammond Organ CS, Steinway Piano, Zoukra Moog Synthesizer III C, mini Moog Model D; Greg Lake – Vocals, bass, electric & Acoustic guitar; Carl Palmer – percussion.

Brief Info: Brilliant fourth album by this popular progressive trio and this an impressive, quite heavy early pressing that does it near maximum justice. An album of outstanding tracks and the sound quality is breathtakingly high – a real hi-fi recording that will make worthy systems really excel – BUT, you need a top pressing and preferably one little played. This one appears very little played and audio quality is fantastic, even on the quiet passages. Virtuoso musicianship with all three members excelling again, this is high class, quality prog-rock and one of my personal favourites. As it should, this has the original E. J. Day cover imprint and this in very fine condition for one that rarely wears well. For good measure, the original blue inner is included. A copy from a quality collection and one to please many, if not most collectors – indeed it could prove a substantial upgrade for some.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): an unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. Made with thicker, more robust card and very well constructed, but clearly prone to all forms of wear. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Group. Includes the blue Island lined inner sleeve.

Cover Front: Lovely pastel-like artwork that has little wear. Just traces of minor rubbing, few available ones will show less. No creasing and still fresh looking with strong colour.

Cover Back: This side even more prone to wear, especially ring wear which it seldom escapes. This has none, again only gentle rub traces and no creasing, seen few better overall.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Beautiful artwork and looking practically as made, note the E J Day credits that soon changed to Robor. So sad now both Keith Emerson and Greg Lake both gone.

Top Edges: Both very straight, flat and flush with only very light, patchy surface rubbing on the back one.

Bottom Edges: Similar again.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front edge is closed and very neat indeed. The opening back edge is mostly sharp with little wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Any thickening registering little, even viewed end-on.

Spine and Text: A thick and robust spine and in very fine condition with only a little rubbing near the ends and the odd tiny surface chip or two. Very solid, straight with no compression. Folded very square, so the edges meet up perfectly and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn and quite well centred as seen. Even the vulnerable folds have avoided wear and are unscuffed, all surfaces have avoided light bleaching or fading.

Corners: Mainly light tip rubs with excellent shape is retained, and no bashes or dinks.

Cover Summary: An attractive all-round example of this quite uncompromising 1970’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better as an original EJD-made copy. It should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): the original blue Island inner has little to fault and retains strong deep, unfaded colour. A little darkening of the seam area adhesive as usual, and the one original owner wrote neatly 20th June 1972 on one edge – personally, I have no qualms with that. This hardly creased, clean, still fresh and with all edges unsplit with no repairs. These early basing street inners are seldom seen a great deal better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a superb visual copy that is very clean with excellent shine and very solidly pressed with deep and wide grooves for super-fi sound, these have complex patterns. The merest whisker off my fully Mint(–) grade with any surface traces very few, ultra fine and faint as seen under bright light. A copy hardly played and it should please many, if not most 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 prog classic plays up to its impressive visual grading and beyond with hardly anything to fault – and this is not the easiest records with some very quiet passages, not least the the slow build up to the final song. With such detail and complex sound, this was a record that could be easily worn if not treated with due respect and many often have crackle and distortion. And then there is the pressing quality to consider at this time. This offers strong, dynamic and powerful sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is immense with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. This is a record with real hi-fi quality and will make any worthy system sound fantastic. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no tracking issues*. The odd crackle trace or sporadic tick is near impossible to avoid on a record like this, especially being played on ultra sensitive equipment – that a plain and simple fact – this has little at all. The beginning of ‘Abaddon’s Bolero’ is what you would expect, a very quiet, near silent beginning that gradually builds up. These types of tracks are the ultimate test for good pressings and total silence is near impossible, but this copy plays it impressively with very little unwanted. Few copies will match or outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure (as confirmed by the stamper codes seen above). Both channels are clean and sharp, focused and crisp. Clearly well stored and carefully handled within a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this impressive album. I rarely expect perfection from these prog albums that always have extremes on volume and quietness (and everything else inbetween), the contact format hardly allows it and 44-year-old records will always be a challenge, often even from new. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and strong recommendation is mandatory.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.