FAMILY Music in a Doll's House RARE ORIG UK 1968 VLP MONO nr EX LP + N/M COVER.

	£		147
	$		195

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’ – the theme this year being ‘Rock Classics’ – 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 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in 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 traceable 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 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.

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: FAMILY

Album Title: Music in a Doll’s House

Producer(s): Dave 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 – Original tri-coloured steamboat format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with quite light, fine and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole. From the same collection as the ‘Family Entertainment’ I am currently offering.

Catalogue Number: RLP 6312

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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: 166 grams. A typical heavyweight Reprise pressing from this time.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity and Note About This Record: The history of this album in mono is interesting. It is documented as having problems in manufacture. John Whitney, the band’s guitarist, states in the ‘Record Collector 100 Greatest Psychedlelic Records’ book, “the mono pressing of Doll’s House had ‘technical problems and it kept jumping the grooves”. I have spoken to other record dealers and collectors who said very few copies of this album, in mono, actually play through and also have unwanted noise or distortion. Whitney also said “the mono record was withdrawn”, making it much rarer than the stereo version. This copy on offer certainly played through fine on my LP12 with no tracking problems and has no inherent pressing noises or distortion. This only the third copy in mono I have had – the other two did have several, quite unpleasant pressing noises. So to date, this is the very best mono copy of this album I have had. The record has a few light superficial surface marks, but with minimal to no audio affect, the record was a delight to play-grade and does sound different to the standard stereo version in a highly positive way. Again Whitney has said the mono copy has different guitar parts done in the mixing and he thought the mono version sounded much better – that I can fully endorse. When first issued, some copies included a large band picture insert sheet. The owner said this copy never had it, but it does include a fantastic reproduction which actually looks better than the very few originals I have seen. With originals being scarce, I include this repro as a free bonus to any winning bidder. This copy includes the original VLP numbered cover which is in superb condition, this up there with the very best I have ever seen – few mono prefix examples will match or better this. So this a rare opportunity to own this legendary album in mono that plays without the documented inherent faults or issues – it being the only one for me to date that does so. Such examples will be rare and only playing the mono record will any invisible faults be known.

Original Year of Release: July 1968

Matrix Nos: RLP - 6312 - A.1.G / RLP - 6312 - B.1.G. The tiny stamper codes are: A 1 / G 1

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 UK, and it failed to even chart in the US at all. ‘Doll’s House’ is a classic album and 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 expressive voices, his vibrato voice remains distinctively unique. A highly inventive and thrilling debut, the use of saxophones, cello, Mellotron and violin at this time was highly creative and gave Family extra profile – an album that thrills from beginning to end and still sounds as fresh and exciting as it did on issue. This is a very fine mono copy and it plays equally well with little unwanted. The cover is fantastic with hardly any wear and remains for me one of the greatest covers of the decade. A few originals included an insert picture of the band, it is rare, seldom seen or offered. Hence I include for free, a superb repro taken from an original to make this one like ‘complete’. The insert is full size and arguably looks even better than the original.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a real beauty, even arguably under graded at this. One of my favourite covers of the 1960s, this one does it near maximum justice. A single format with front laminate that wraps around the folds on to three large external rear flipbacks. The main back panel is matt and smooth. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and this has the original ‘Patents pending’ text and VLP catalogue prefix. Initial stereo versions were the same with a sticker obscuring the mono detail. The original Reprise company green inner sleeve is also included. The insert is a superb repro taken from an original and is a free bonus to the winning bidder.

Lamination & Front: Not only one of the greatest albums of the late 1960s, one of the greatest covers too – and that’s front and back. The lamination retains superb shine, freshness and clarity with any trace of dulling very gentle and faint seen under light around the very thick record’s rim, few can hope to show less. No lifting at all and only half-a-dozen small and light half moons towards the right stops an even higher grading – and these again only really register with angled viewing or under light. There are no chipping or press marks, any surface traces ultra fine and faint. That superb graphic looks gorgeous and will seldom be seen better on this vintage cover.

Cover Back: This side I can actually grade close to Mint, this really is that nice. One of my favourite back covers ever: the gorgeous doll on the tricycle looks fantastic, please see my close-up picture. Blemishes?, well barely any worthy of mention, the beautiful back panel is practically unworn and ultra clean, fresh and attractive with no rubbing, grubbiness or creasing – and certainly no ring wear – this truly takes you back to the time of manufacture and release. The flipbacks are in amazing condition with no lifting, burring or damage – the ends crisp and flat and they even retain rich shine. Their ends often a victim to plastic sleeve storage as the ends can stick and pull, removing the surface. These have avoided such issues and the lack of creasing to the laminate will rarely ever be found now. There is just one hairline to the top, one on the right and none at all on the bottom. I doubt if this has been removed from its protective cover or handled for decades. This a work-of-art and will rarely ever be seen better. Being honest, I hardly think it even possible.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both practically unworn with no chips or scuffs, they retain full laminate that is still very smooth to the touch, both very straight as well. They hardly get better than this.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with any thickening gentle and light seen viewed end-on. A cover that seldom avoids thickening on the these edges mainly due to the thick heavy record inside that puts more ‘stress’ on the opening. This one is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way, the exposed strip on the front where the laminate ends a little short of full width still clearly visible and quite wide to reiterate the fact. Even this exposed strip is unworn.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal traces of compression, the ends lightly nipped in manufacture. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and clear laminate. This also beautifully centred for even better good look.

Corners: A tiny chip to the front top left apart, all are superb and barely worn at all. I would even think this tiny white on that tip was even present from new. Near mint shape is mostly retained with no knocks or dinks.

Cover Summary: A truly superb, bordering on immaculate example of this classic vintage mono prefix cover. Later ones were constructed without the flipbacks making the first issues unique. Some covers remain memorable, and this one to simply hold and admire, it should please most-all collectors wanting one.

The Family Insert: I reiterate again: this is a REPRO insert at full size taken from an original. Originals are immensely scarce and seldom seen or offered, when they do surface they are invariably in poor shape. I have been told it was a lottery if they were included in first issue copies, being only 10 at the time of release, I cannot verify this with any certainty. This high quality repro is absolutely superb and of course gives that more ‘complete’ satisfaction.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): the Reprise company unlined inner sleeve is superb. Clean, fresh and hardly creased with no ring wear. It is made with very thin paper, so with just one one small bottom neat edge split, it has fared very well. This I repaired as neatly as possible to stop it widening, and it hardly even registers. These vintage inners are never easy to find like this.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: arguably better, any dulling in the pressing purely in manufacture. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with fine shine and heavily pressed. A copy with some light surface marks – one an obvious fine stylus mark in an arc, but this is non-penetrating and cannot be felt being virtually superficial, the odd faint sporadic tick possibly, but little else. The music loud and intricate most of any blemishes are lost. These very thick Pye-pressed heavyweight records of this time were robust and tough making them more tolerant of blemishes or minor mishaps. Modestly played and without the documented flaws apparently most had. This rare mono first issue could prove very difficult indeed to find better.

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 fantastic album plays even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Knowing the reputation of the mono mode pressing of this album, this was a nervous initial play-grade, but this was a revelation and it totally blew me away – so-much-so, I played it twice – the second time putting it to disc for my own future personal use. Mono copies simply do not come along often and sounding this clean. This offers strong, very powerful distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. None of those pressing rasps, loud crackles or distortions I heard on previous mono copies. Yes, also this really does sound different to the stereo version. There is more deeper bass, detail, warmth and dynamics to the sound. The track ‘Old Songs New Songs’ was a revelation with full-on drive, punch and drama – other tracks had the same experience. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed – the odd trace on a quiet passage maybe, but few will have less. The odd gentle sporadic tick is very hard to avoid, so the odd polite reminder of what is actually being played – a 50-year-old vintage mono record – but will any better this significantly? – I honestly doubt it. Overall an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*, inherent pressing rasps or distortion. This has suffered no clarity loss or groove damage and my Linn LP12 Sondek played this effortlessly. A complex recording that still gives a worthy system a good work out – it was somewhat intolerant of heavy usage or heavy tracking record players with mono records often written off all too quickly. Few available copies will outperform this unique mono experience, this at times proved breathtaking, I can hardly wait to play it again on my big digital system. Both channels are clean and sharp when played on a stereo system. I feel sure this has received few plays and has clearly been superbly stored within a non-smoking environment. Yes one fine stylus marks, that in itself unusual from the collection it came from, proving even careful owners can have the odd mishap. But little harm done, the fine arc has minimal to no audio consequence. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – the mono mix, as Whitney correct states, is vastly superior and different, especially for me in the sonic delivery of the music. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better 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 2.2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. 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. 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 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 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 Nessie 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 17­ 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. 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’.