FAMILY Music in a Doll's House 1st Tan UK Press N/M LP

	£		66
	$		87

Artist or Band: FAMILY

Album Title: Music in a Doll’s House.

Producer(s): David Mason.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Chase; Mellowing Grey; Never Like This; Me My Friend; Variation on a Theme of Hey Mr Policeman; Winter; Old Songs New Songs; Variation on a Theme of The Breeze.

Side 2: Hey Mr Policeman; See Through Windows; Variation on a Theme of Me My Friend; Peace of Mind; Voyage; The Breeze 3 x Time.

Label/Format: Reprise – First pressing on the new tan label with dual matrixes – the rarer ‘transition’ pressing. The first pressing was issued on the tri-coloured steamboat label. This has NO warner logos. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean with deep rich colour, spindle marks are very few and light and for sound, this is unbeatable.

Cat Number: K 44057.

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: 135 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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The originals are quite rare in anything like top conditions. This early repress with dual RSLP and K- matrixes are scarce. This one includes a fully laminated cover and an example of the ultra rare insert taken from an original pressing (please see my picture of this as it will not be seen often).

Original Year of Release: 1968. This copy would have been available from around 1970-71

Matrix Nos: RSLP 6312 A-3G [K 44057 A] / RSLP 6312 B-3G [K 44057 B]

Musicians: Roger Chapman - lead vocals, harmonica, tenor saxophone; John Whitney - lead guitar, steel guitar; Jim King - tenor, soprano saxophones, harmonica, vocal; Ric Grech - bass guitar, violin, cello, vocals; Rob Townsend - drums, percussion.

Brief Info: Issued in the UK in 1968 to great acclaim but it only peaked at 35 in Britain and it failed to even chart in the US at all. ‘Doll’s House’ is a classic album and in my mind, one of the greatest UK debuts ever. Blending powerful rock with psychedelia and superbly produced by Traffic’s Dave Mason. Fronted by the slightly eccentric Roger Chapman with one of rock’s most powerful and inventive voices his vibrato voice remains unique. A highly inventive and thrilling debut, the use of saxophones, cello and violin at this time was highly inventive and gave Family extra profile – an album that never flags throughout and still sounds as fresh and exciting as it did on issue. Can you imagine if a modern band issued such wonderful inventive and innovative album today what type of reaction it would get? Hardly likely is it?, no wonder real music fans still only want to listen to the classics from the golden era of quality, everlasting music – where innovation came as standard and sounds that stimulated the mind and entertained with musicianship, skill and excellence. What a lovely copy this is too, being a slightly later pressing means it avoided record-wrecking heavy tracking weight record players and this beauty plays like new. If early groundbreaking progressive rock-psych is for you, well don’t even think about losing this remarkable classic – the rarely seen insert is the icing on the cake.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderate being fully laminated.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+ and one of my favourite covers of the 1960s, this one does it near full justice. A single format and fully laminated. It differs from the original with the exterior flipbacks now gone but the back now being fully protected which means the wonderful doll on the tricycle is given a more de luxe look (please see this in close-up). This was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. The insert is an example taken from the 60s pressing, the original now being ultra rare and near impossible to find. This truly looks better than the original.

Lamination: Front & Back: Not only one of the greatest albums of the late 60s, one of the greatest covers too – and that’s front and back. Both have beautiful lamination that is very shiny and ultra clear so the doll’s house artwork can be enjoyed to maximum advantage. There is no peeling and all is fully adhered with no blistering or lifting. I always consider this a huge bonus on any cover for maximum good looks. This remains very clear and very shiny with any friction rubs or dulling minimal. Creasing: the front has one near the top left corner area that has modest visiblity, the back has a moderate one near the top right corner area that does show more and a much lesser one near the opposite top corner but these are the only real blemishes of substance and this cover still looks gorgeous. The front artwork is magnificent, the back is sublime, that lovely doll on the tricycle has rarely looked better than this. A superb cover, now well into its thirties will be incredibly hard to find much better, and the lamination on both sides gives this extra depth, richness and extra class.

Top & Bottom Edges: Barely any wear at all, if being ultra critical, slight thickening to the front panel edges.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with minimal traces of wear and no feathering. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A fantastic spine too that retains rock solid laminate that still shines too. Solid, straight with minimal compression, all text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate.

Corners: All corners have little wear, odd small chip or tip rub only and all retain great shape and definition.

Cover Summary: A beautiful all round example of this elusive classic cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. A few creases yes, but how many cover this great age will ever avoid some? This attractive item should please many collectors.

The Family Insert: Taken from an original 60s example, it’s nice to include to make this copy kind of complete. For sure not many copies will include one or any kind.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and what an absolute beauty, a copy that has suffered no abuse or over-use and this could almost pass for new. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and far heavier pressed than most tan examples. A copy with very few plays on all the evidence. There are a couple of small surface marks within the pressing that curiously have the same colour as the label but the good news they are both TOTALLY ignored. Probably just a tiny ink residue mark rather than a real mark, of no consequence whatsoever anyway. Visually a super record that should please most-all 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 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 classic record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. An album worthy of ‘classic’ status, this never fails to impress, but a top quality copy is mandatory. Unfortunately many of the originals suffer badly from use on less-than-worthy equipment, the advantage of the slightly later pressings being they had a better chance of avoiding the Dansettes or similar mono record players. Their heavy tracking weights and thick sapphire needles damaging those delicate groove walls. So few will ever mention these perils for old records but it’s a fact. The majority of the mono copies are unlistenable due to pressing or cutting faults, also fact acknowledged by Whitney. This has strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Free of any noteworthy surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a complex and challenging album. Few copies will match or outperform this ultimate dual matrix pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record and can be strongly recommended to all discerning record collectors.

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: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. 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 thick stiffners for even extra protection. 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 and well as 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 NOT surface mail abroad. I never make 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, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

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 Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

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’.