FAMILY Music in a Doll's House - SCARCE DUAL-MATRIX UK 1970 PRESS, SUPERB SOUND.

	£		31
	$		41

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

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 – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

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: 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 –deep tan format with matt, smooth surfaces and still with the RSLP catalogue number.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with minimal light spindle marks.

Cat Number: RSLP 6312 (please note the cover has the Mono ‘RLP’ prefix, which was quite normal for original stereos, more in the ‘mono’ era, they included a ‘stereo’ sticker).

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: 122 grams. A more typical weight for this pressing.

Country of Manufacture: England

Original Year of Release: 1968. This copy from 1970.

Rarity: Scarce as a first issue. This is a first ‘second’ pressing with dual matrixes listed below from 1970. These were made in very small numbers prior to being repressed again with the new Kinney K 44057 number on the labels. It is quite unusual to see Kinney matrixes with RSLP labels. Full Kinney copy covers no longer had flipbacks, but were fully laminated. This copy comes with a mono original sleeve, these often had ‘Stereo’ stickers to cover the VLP prefix. Clearly old covers were still being used prior to be reprinted (and revamped). Note below, the Kinney number only as A and B stampers, these almost certainlyh unique to this very first tan label copy, most have -1, -2 etc following the letter.

Matrix Nos: RSLP 6312 A-3G [K 44057 A] / RSLP 6312 B-3G [K 44057 B] this details is captured on my first label picture.

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. Mellotron played by Dave Mason.

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 United States. ‘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. 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 stereo, and still very early copy, it plays superbly with barely anything unwanted. It being a transition copy with RSLP tan label and dual new and old matrixes. These pressed in few numbers and available for the briefest of time.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: one of my favourite covers of the 1960s, this one does it high justice. A single format with front laminate that wraps around the closed edges on to three large external rear flipbacks, it has the RLP mono prefix. The main back panel is matt and smooth. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and this has the original ‘Patents pending’ text. Includes the plain white inner sleeve.

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 is still very clear, fresh and shiny and all is fully adhered which is never guaranteed. The famous artwork still looks lovely as this has minimal dulling, traces seen under light. Gentle fine edge creases are seldom avoided and a few equally fine and light half moons near the right, these barely show with normal full-on viewing. The main issue are rubs to the bottom corners – both moderate as seen. But little else detracts from this impressive front.

Cover Back: Back cover artwork seldom gets the attention of the fronts, but this is really lovely. That lovely Victorian-era doll on the earl tricycle gives this cover real character and charm as seen in close-up. This back is in superb condition and grades more excellent plus. The main matt panel has hardly aged with any blemishes minuscule – a minor handling trace just near the doll’s head. Lovely colour and no rubbing, ringwear or creasing. All three flipbacks are impressive as well, solid, neat with minimal burring to the ends.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both straight, smooth with little wear up to the ends, most wear here on the bottom right.

Right Edge(s), and Type: A little thickened seen viewed end-on, still reasonably sharp overall. Guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced, the laminate end strip wide and visible on the front.

Spine and Text: A strong spine too that retains unpeeled laminate that still shines as well. Solid and straight with minimal traces of compression, the ends pinched in manufacture. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and clear laminate, very small wear to the bottom tip (being critical).

Corners: Light to moderate tip rubs with fine to very fine shape retained. As stated, most on the bottom pair, especially the right. No bashes and minimal evidence of dinks.

Cover Summary: With most wear on the bottom corner ends, this is still an impressive and pleasing all-round example of this classic original cover, one that could prove difficult to find much better. This attractive item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: VERY GOOD(++): a plain white solid unlined inner. This has modestly aged with a little tone spotting and a little crinkle to one corner. All edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a lovely visual copy that is very clean with fine shine and quite solidly pressed. Appearing little played with any surface marks tiny, very few and faint as seen with scrutiny under bright angled light. With superb sound throughout, this 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 classic album even exceeds it’s high visual grading with hardly anything 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 sound traces are minimal, hardly anything notes, superbly pressed with no inherent pressing or tracking issues*. A complex recording with plenty going on, some difficult instruments, but all unstressed and precise, this disc sounds impressive with all the detail and dynamics early records offer. Some mono copies had a documented pressing fault, stereo ones avoided it, and being honest, I think this brand new ‘cut’, actually is cleaner pressed than the very first. Few available copies will outperform this still early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played only very lightly and it generally, has survived the ravages of time and early playing equipment well. Okay, not first issue, but in real terms, these first tans copies are probably rarer still, it should please most collectors and merits my highest recommendation.

* 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 programmes. 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’.