JOHN STEVENS Spontaneous Music Ensemble (Marmalade UK 1969) Test Pressing. Promo

	£		47
	$		62

 

 

John Stevens - Spontaneous Music Ensemble 

(Marmalade Records 608 008 UK Stereo LP 1969)

 

This is a rare UK Promo, or possible Test Pressing, LP from 1969. The previous owner worked within the legal side of the UK music industry. One of their clients was "John Stevens" I believe. Therefore, he often acquired early, and sometimes unusual, pressings of his LP's, or LP's where he is featured. So, this is how this Promo or Test Pressing LP was originally acquired.  

This LP has a heavyweight matte sleeve which has a factory "pinched" top & bottom spine. It comes with its original generic polythene-lined company paper inner sleeve. The record is pressed on thick vinyl & has plain white labels. It has 1st press 608008 A-1 1 1 2 and 608008 B-1 1 1 3 matrix numbers. These are machine stamped in the dead wax respectively.

As stated, this is a White Label Promo LP, or possible Test Pressing LP? These are very rare indeed. The LP, as the title suggests, was recorded spontaneously. in 1969, by several top UK Jazz musicians (Kenny Wheeler, Trevor Watts etc...). The music is in a UK Free Jazz/ Experimental/ Avant-Garde Jazz style. There is one track per side, "Oliv I" and "Oliv II".

I have some other rare & collectible 1960's, early 1970's, UK Original UK Jazz/ Free Jazz/ Modern Jazz  LP's for sale too. This includes several other LP's relating to John Stevens. So please see my other listings. Don't miss out!

Sleeve: There is mild, very mild or moderate rubbing wear on the top & bottom edges on some areas. There is more moderate rubbing wear to the corner tips. There is light, mild or very mild rubbing wear on the sleeve opening edges on some areas. This is not too noticeable. There is light, very mild or very minor hairline rubbing wear on the front spine edge on a few areas. There is some light, very mild or very minor rubbing wear on the spine face on a few areas. The spine text is completely legible. There is some light, mild or more moderate ringwear on some areas. Overall, a strong Very Good condition.

Vinyl: There are some light, mild, very mild or very minor sleeve rubs which can hardly be seen under a strong light. The original inner sleeve, over time, has left some light, very mild or very minor dull surface marks on some areas. These, again, can hardly be seen under a strong light. There is a very feint 2 cm surface pressing mark on Side 2. This is a bit thicker than a hairline mark. It is not that noticeable under a strong light. Overall, Very NEAR EXCELLENT condition. The labels are in Excellent+ condition and show minimal spindle wear only. The polythene-lined company paper inner sleeve is in a strong Very Good condition. There is light, mild or very mild ringwear, fading & creasing. There are no seam splits.

I have play tested this LP in its entirety & it plays Very Good+ to Near Excellent overall, & Excellent in some places. There is light, mild, very mild or very minor crackle in some places. There are a very few mild or very mild clicks a quarter of the way through Side 1. There are a couple of mild clicks, on Side 1, a bit later on too. There are a couple of mild or very mild clicks in a couple of places on Side 2. Please remember, in the main, this is quite a quiet LP. Therefore, any crackle or clicks are more noticeable.

This is a very reasonable audio copy overall, However, it would definitely benefit from a professional deep down "groove clean" in a record cleaning machine. Visually, the disc looks Near Excellent to Excellent overall. In reality, it actually looks to have been barely played! Therefore, any clicks or crackle is just due to microscopic deep down dirt in the grooves over years of storage. This record would play, I believe, Excellent to Excellent+ or better after a professional clean. It would remove any clicks and crackle.


  Traceable insurance is already included in the stated P&P price for this listing.


Discount is given on P&P for multiple purchases. I shall always weigh combined purchases to get a completely accurate price.  So please wait for the invoice to be sent before paying. Please see below for a more detailed description.

    >>  Grading Information All grading is very strict & adheres to 'Record Collector' specifications. However, I have fine tuned them & they are explained below. All vinyl is examined closely under a strong light & play tested on excellent quality audio equipment.

MINT Condition = This is as perfect a copy as you are likely to find. The cover will show no, or next to no, wear. The vinyl will be unplayed or very, very near unplayed.

NEAR MINT Condition = Nearly mint, just slightly under. There maybe some minor paper/ inner sleeve rubs that can barely be seen under strong light. This disc has been played only a few times & has been extremely well  cared for. The cover is nearly perfect - Very minimal wear only.

EXCELLENT Condition = An excellent copy will show only mild, or minor, signs of use. There will be light, or very mild, sleeve rubs that can hardly be seen under strong light. There may be a very small & minor hairline mark in some instances. Play, in most cases, will be excellent or better. There may be some light, or very light, crackle in a few quieter places. The sleeve will show mild, or minor, rubbing wear & ringwear only.

NEAR EXCELLENT Condition = This has been played a few more times but it has been well cared for. There will be mild sleeve rubs which can be seen under a strong light. There may be a couple of minor, or light, hairline marks. Playback will be generally excellent or better. There may be some light, mild or very mild crackle in some quieter places. The cover will show mild rubbing wear, ringwear or creasing

Very Good Condition = Most records that have been quite well played, but reasonably well cared for, tend to fit into this category. This is probably the most varied of the gradings so I have elaborated below.

There may be mild to more moderate sleeve rubs which can only be seen under a strong light. There may be a few light hairline marks but nothing too bad. A quite well played but serviceable copy. Playback will be very agreeable overall. There will be light, mild or very mild crackle in some places. There may also be a few light clicks. A more thorough description will always be on the listing. The record will certainly not be trashed!

The cover will show more noticeable signs of storage or use. There will be mild to more moderate rubbing wear on some edges There could be fading, ringwear or a minor seam split. There could be some mild creasing or mild sticker tears.

Please note that I also use "+" or "-" symbols for this grading. A plus symbol is obviously at the top end of "Very Good" & is really not too far from being in "Near Excellent" condition. The minus symbol obviously means it is at the lower end. This will mean that it is near to being in "Good+" condition. 
>>  Postage Rates

AN INVOICE WILL BE SENT TO YOU VERY SOON AFTER THE AUCTION ENDS. PLEASE WAIT FOR THIS BEFORE PAYING.

(Please note that these prices include packaging costs too) 
Double LPs are classed as two LPs. Also gatefold sleeves, posters, inserts, etc.. can increase postage costs.

Please note that there are now VAT import charges from the UK into all EU countries. Anything under 150 Euros will need an IOSS number. VAT is paid at point of sale. For any items over 150 Euros in value. There will be a customs charge too. These vary, I believe, from country to country. Please check your relevant postal service online for details. Please note that these charges are beyond my control and are the law for outside parcels going into the EU.

All records will be sent in high quality vinyl box/ mailers with at least two card stiffeners either side of the LP or 7" Single. I use a cruciform box for larger orders (3-6 LPs). All parcels will be marked "Fragile" and dispatch time will generally be between 1-3 days after payment.

I will also remove the vinyl from the sleeve & place them in a re-sealable polythene sleeve. In order to prevent seam splits. Depending on the inner sleeve; I often remove the vinyl from the inner sleeve & place it in a separate plain paper, or polythene-lined, plain inner sleeve. I am very conscientious and careful when packaging your LP(s).

I consider my postage & packaging costs to be very transparent & very fair. Packaging costs will generally be between £0.80 to £1.50. I am not adding any further costs for handling, etc...

If you are uncertain about any of the above, or just simply want some information regarding any item, please do not hesitate to contact me. I welcome any questions.

Remember to check out My Other Items Lots of rare & quality vinyl! Most are UK 1st Pressings. It is quite likely that there will be more records by this artist, or records in a similar vein.