JOHN LENNON Two Virgins VERY RARE Orig UK 1968 Apple LP

	£		202
	$		268

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: JOHN LENNON and YOKO ONO

Album Title: (Unfinished Music No. 1.) Two Virgins.

Producer(s): John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Two Virgins No. 1; Together; Two Virgins No. 2; Two Virgins No. 3; Two Virgins No. 4; Two Virgins No. 5.

Side 2: Two Virgins No. 6; Hushabye Hushabye; Two Virgins No. 7; Two Virgins No. 8; Two Virgins No. 9; Two Virgins No. 10.

Label/Format: Apple – this has all the factors to be the genuine article, namely: the small Track logo at the 3 o’clock position, ‘Sold in U.K. …’ and ‘Mtd in U.K.’ text. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both practically mint as made with very deep rich colour and barely a spindle mark to be seen.

Cat Number: SAPCOR 2 (613012)

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: 145 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Overview and Rarity: To say this record is rare would be something of an under-statement – the only rarer album in the John Lennon catalogue is the mono version that is nigh-on impossible to find. The mono was not sold in the shops, the Apple Corporation did not want to issue this album at all and only a handful of monos exist. The stereo version was only pressed in a relatively small number too, around 5000 reputedly. Sure, there are rarer items around for relative unknowns, but John Lennon is undisputely one of the biggest names to be put on to any record label. An album of near legendary status but mostly for the wrong reasons. This was the first of three albums the pair made that featured no real music, instead an avant garde collage of tape recordings and electrical sounds made within a house. Weird sounds and noises with screams and minor dialogue. Bass hum and experimentation that sounds more like an 80s industrial band or Krautrock at its most uncompromising. Not what Lennon fans either wanted or expected in 1968. This was produced very quickly and included, again arguably, the most infamous cover ever made. It featured the pair totally naked, the front cover from the front and the back, yes from the back. It caused outrage and many retailers refused to sell it, in the US it was sold inside a brown paper back to hide the couples modesty. Clearly a landmark cover and the first to feature such a high profile artist revealing all and unashamed. Of course, I cannot show the full cover on Ebay, hence a small cover-up needed in the crucial areas, but this is hardly difficult to find on the Net should anyone be unfamiliar of what to expect. Although this album was issued in the United States, it was only allowed to be when covered in a brown paper wrapper to hide the cover’s artwork. As stated, this was not a comfortable issue for Apple, only afterwards did Apple create their ZAPPLE series in order to promote more experimental material. So only after some time did Apple actually make an agreement with Track Records to issue this, and then in stereo; not their preferred choice, but Track were the only company which dared release it. For all it’s uncompromising weirdness, this was clearly a very personal record for the Lennon’s, it remains an elusive and hugely collectable piece for Beatles and related fans. Seldom seen or offered and finding this record much better will prove very difficult. The cover is incredibly thin and flimsy, hence wear and damage prone, the laminate being prone to all forms of problems. Apart from one modest peel on the back top right corner, their are few other significant issues and could also prove difficult to find a great deal better, and certainly the case for the black inner sleeve which has survived in superb condition, this too very delicate as most Apple collectors will know. So, a rare opportunity to own one of the most controversial and rarest records ever issued by an iconic artist. Groundbreaking in so many ways and totally uncompromising, the first of the three hugely experimental albums that with a little practice, can actually be enjoyed.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: SAPCOR 2 A - 1 / SAPCOR 2 B - 1 (deeply punched, bold and very clear)

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 R / 1 T.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(-): a single, fully laminated cover. This text includes the ‘Made in Merrie England’ on the bottom of the back, as seen in my close-up picture. Clearly to confirm to Ebay rules on nudity, I had to cover up the obvious areas of the famous pair. Printed and made in England by Technink Ltd and includes the black inner.

Lamination – Front & Back: This is a very flimsy and fragile cover, made with very thin card and certainly never laminate friendly. Here it retains a very fine shine and clarity with minimal traces of any friction rubs or dulling. A couple of small blisters on the front, but some lifting on the back near the spine. There is a smallish peel near the top right corner. As the cover is predominately white, any laminate lifts or indeed the peel, has very low visual impact. Any creasing is surprisingly modest light with hardly any on the front especially. There is a trace of a light pressmark near the top right corner area of the front with the a very fine thumb semi-crease near the right edge. The artwork of the pair is pristine and nothing is covered up – both are totally naked bearing all seen from front and back. Highly daring for any time, apparently Lennon shot the pictures on a time delay in Ringo’s abode. Apparently the other Beatles were not impressed and did not want this cover issued at all, but clearly McCartney relinquished and actually put a the line “When two great Saints meet is is a humbling experience. The long battles to prove he was a Saint.” on the text of the back. This stereo cover includes the photograph credit reference by John Lennon, this is omitted on the mega-rare mono version where the text appeared on the front. In terms of wear, both sides have little and these two virgins will not be found looking much better easily on this uncompromisingly fragile, thin sleeve.

Top Edge: Very thin and fragile, little wear at all and reasonably straight with all laminate intact.

Bottom Edge: Largely the same but this edge was not laminated, the end line can be seen on near the edge of the back.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Crisp, neat and sharp and guaranteed untrimmed, the laminate ends still very apparent with the fine exposed end strips ungrubbied. One tiny pressmark and microscopic nick split only (the word ‘split’ hardly even appropriate as it’s so tiny). Given the thinness of the card and the record enters on this edge, this has survived very well indeed.

Spine and Text: This is plain white and laminated, it had no text printed. Solid and reasonably straight with any compression fairly modest. The laminate is almost fully intact and still quite smooth to the fingertip.

Corners: A little light tip rubbing and the back spine top has peeled. Any wear shows little again because of the covers lack of colour. Very fine shape is generally retained.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this rare, groundbreaking and hugely daring cover. One that could prove difficult to find much better, these are hardly offered often. This is recognised as the correct stereo cover for the stereo record, a tiny few apparently exist in the unused mono variant that has the text on the front, but these are immensely rare. This delicate, but fully intact cover (bar the modest laminate corner peel on the back) should please many collectors.

The Black Inner: EXCELLENT(++): and finding this better will prove hard. This has one corner crease and apart from light record rim impression, has little else to fault. One tiny, barely visible circle nick tear on the one and only window – the back is solid – this label area will seldom be seen neater. All edges unsplit with no repairs, clearly, the record has seldom made the journey out, hence this very fragile unlined inner has remained close to as made.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++) / MINT(-): a super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence with any surface marks few, light and faint. Visually a super record that should please 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 very rare record – my first stereo one – plays up to it’s visual gradings with very little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound (but who would ever know for sure?), a few very light ticks were heard near the very end of side one, but little else. This is a hugely unusual record, it has no ‘real’ music as such. Some vocal and electronic sounds and noises – pure experimentation and deeply into the avant garde area with considerable passages of quietness. Hence a quality pressing is required, and this copy is more than up to the job. Little unwanted on side one and side two, nigh-on perfect. Few copies will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been carefully handled and stored within a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this, well – interesting record. Let’s be brutally honest: this is not a record that will be played that often. A piece for the serious Lennon collector. An album pressed in very small numbers and even within his heyday, this failed to sell. Price Guides do not put vast values on records unless they are truly rare, and this is certainly that. The latest mono guide price is now £3,000, proving just how near impossible that one is to locate. This stereo copy is not as rare of course, but still difficult to find and it will prove very difficult to find significantly better, the record especially so and can be highly recommended.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver 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.

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 prompt payment is a problem, please do not bid.

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 and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap 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 less than one in two thousand based on over 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, 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 and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£46 maximum]) = £10. (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.