EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER Tarkus RARER ORIG UK 1971 ISLAND EX+ LP with EJ DAY COVER

	£		21
	$		28

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.95. Europe (including Russia) £12.95 (£1 per extra record). Rest of World £19.95 (£2 per extra record). All my records are sent in boxes and the price of them has increased over time and these are my first price increases for nearly 10 years. Royal Mail prices have also gone up again. I will never compromise on quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take longer 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.

ANY ITEM or ITEMS TO BE PAID WITHIN A MAXIMUM OF 6 DAYS or they will be cancelled – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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. Please only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER

Album Title: Tarkus

Producer(s): Greg Lake

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Tarkus: Eruption, Stones of Years, Iconoclast, The Mass, Manticore, Battlefield, Aquatarkus.

Side 2: Jeremy Bender; Bitches Crystal; The Only Way (Hymn); Infinite Space (Conclusion); A Time and a Place; Are You Ready Eddy?

Label/Format: Island – Original Pink rim format with matt surfaces that have a gentle hint of texturing.

­ Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with any of the few spindle marks light and faint.

Catalogue Number: ILPS 9155

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: 147 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Moderate in theory but the genuine first Island pressings are far, far harder to find. If you find a copy on the Island pink rim format, it does not guarantee a first pressing. In fact most found are second Island pressings or even later Manticore examples. There are several differences between a first and second Island pressing namely: a) the first pressings have an A-1U / B-1U matrix number and include the ‘PORKY’ / ‘PECKO’ run out groove inscriptions and b) the cover is constructed from very thick and heavy card and was printed and made by the E. J. Day Group Ltd, the second examples were Howard’s or Robor covers. As a ‘first pressing’, this is quite a scarce record.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9155 A-1U / ILPS 9155 B-1U

Mothers / Stampers: 1 AM / 2 P0

Etchings: ‘PORKY’ / ‘PECKO’

Musicians: Keith Emerson – Hammond organ, St Marks Church Organ, Piano, Celeste, Moog; Greg Lake – Vocals, bass, electric & Acoustic guitar; Carl Palmer – Drums, assorted percussion.

Brief Info: Second album by the popular progressive trio, this a first issue with the E. J. Day cover which is thicker and more robust. Never easy to find in this better lesser-worn condition, many found are often severely rubbed and heavily ring worn. Side one is occupied by the title ‘Tarkus’ – a suite in seven parts and is an ELP classic. Virtuoso musicianship with super production and dynamics, all three members excelling. This is high class, high tempo prog-rock which pushed their sound even more forward after the classic debut (also on offer).

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD(+): arguably better for these unforgiving surfaces. An unlaminated gatefold­ format with very matt surfaces and a real heavyweight. Thick card and nicely constructed, importantly, this original was printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group. Beware of later printed covers, these being much thinner and lighter by Robor being offered as ‘first’. These EJD originals in particular usually wear less well than subsequent printings.

Cover Front: The famous Tarkus tank graphic has fared well and has only gentle surface rubbing with the odd light mark. But the lack of creasing and sticker issues are both good news.

Cover Back: The back has rubbing a fraction heavier than the front with a light press mark. But the lack of ugly penetrating ring wear is a plus.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The odd light mark and a hint of general darkening (being a little critical). But barely any trace of wear or rubbing to the splendid artwork. Please note the ‘E. J. Day’ imprint which ensures a first UK printing.

Top Edges: Thick, robust, straight and flush with only a little rubbing here and there.

Bottom Edges: Similar but with patchy light to moderate rubbing, surface edges seldom escape with none on covers like this.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both impressive and still sharp with minimal hint of thickening. The card way thicker than standard album sleeve card, this cover is quite heavy. Record enters on the back edge, the closed front is factory machine cut.

Spine and Text: A difficult spine and this one is very impressive. Thick and robust with hardly any wear. Solid, straight with no compression, any tilt slight. Folded very square, so the edges meet up flush and parallel. All text and graphic near perfect and unworn, and that is a real bonus on this one.

Corners: Light to moderate tip rubs. No bashes or dinks with around excellent shape being retained.

Cover Summary: Do not under-estimate the scarcity of an E. J. Day ‘Tarkus’ cover, they are harder to find than the later versions,they are heavier and made with thicker card and definitely more prone to wear. So this quite a hard find like this. Only offering mild hints of age or wear, this one should please many fans and collectors who want the genuine first print.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: a plain white solid unlined inner that were briefly favoured by Island until the blue inner came along. This has politely aged with some darkening of the paper. But hardly creased with all edges naturally intact. It includes the ‘PATENT NO. 1,125,555’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface marks few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright light. A few super-fine hairlines that do nothing, no penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, hardly anything even registers. Visually a super record that should please many, and possibly 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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This quality prog-rock album plays even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Offering 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 and this is a very clean pressing with no tracking issues* or inherent pressing noises. Few available copies will outperform this early first pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been reasonably well stored and the disc carefully handled. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this lovely record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better as a genuine first issue and can be strongly recommended.

* 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 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

I am one of the most established sellers on Ebay, trading since 2001 and offering the finest 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 all elements of the items I offer for sale. You may notice I only submit records quite 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 story. I will try to 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 near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. I hope the item below is to your liking – any questions can be emailed and I will do my best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, major 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 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie 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 D7500 DSLR 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.

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 bid retractions. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal from­ winning bidders. I only 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 2 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive – if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund if the item is returned in the same condition is was sent e.g. as per the listing pictures.

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, 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.