JONI MITCHELL – Blue – RARER ORIG UK 1971 SUPERB EX+ LP, SOUND, COVER & INNER.

	£		142
	$		188

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: JONI MITCHELL

Album Title: Blue

Producer(s): Joni Mitchell

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: All I Want; My Old Man; Little Green; Carey; Blue.

Side 2: California; This Flight Tonight; River; A Case of You; The Last Time I Saw Richard.

Label/Format: Reprise – original tan format with no Warner logo, these have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with spindle marks on the lighter side of moderate/moderate as seen mostly with angled viewing. Be assured, this record defies minor spindle alignment marks, it looks and plays superbly, and this a largly acoustic set that is very difficult to find as such. All elements of this classic set are impressive and is possibly the finest all-round original I have seen for some considerable time.

Catalogue Number: K 44128 [this was never issued with a RSLP number, this number is a first issue]

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: 115 grams. Average for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Moderate in theory, but one of the most challenging from her early catalogue. Cleanly pressed, and only carefully played copies will ever offer the sound the more discerning collectors crave. The cover is a wear-prone minefield. Deeply coloured, unprotected textured surfaces, this will seldom be found without often considerable rubbing, creasing, and especially ringwear, which this has largely avoided. Last, but no less least, the blue inner sleeve – this so often missing and only came with early copies – it includes the ‘L’ text and black interior, these were not lined and made with very thin, fragile paper. So finding one little creased with NO edge splits or repairs is quite rare. With the obvious reference to the album’s title, this is an integral part of the set and must not be dismissed as ‘just an inner sleeve’, it arguably the most difficult part to find intact and in such attractive, fresh condition.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: K-44128-A1 / K-44128-B1

Musicians: Joni Mitchell – appalachian dulcimer, guitar, piano, vocals; Stephen Stills – bass and guitar; James Taylor – guitar; Sneaky Pete Kleinow – pedal steel guitar; Russ Kunkel – drums.

Brief Info: Joni’s fourth album which many regard as her finest – a masterpiece issued at a time of torment in her personal life. With two relationships breaking down, this is quite an intense album with powerful lyrics and not quite as commercial as previous albums. Largely acoustic and delicate, this copy does it superb justice with fantastic clean sound, lovely little-worn cover and intact inner sleeve. An album that shows up, but so often with tatty, ringworn covers, no inner and the disc trashed with marks and unlistenable sound. This gem bucks the trend in all departments and is one many, if not most fans and collectors will cherish. An undisputed classic of grace and beauty – this is Joni Mitchell – who would expect anything less?

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and actually looking better with most of any wear on the edges (not spine). An unlaminated gatefold format with matt surfaces, the outer ones being textured. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press, includes the blue inner sleeve.

Cover Front: One of the classic covers of the early 1970s, simple, but superbly effective. This front is very impressive indeed and rarely seen as such. The texturing and intense blue colour makes for a massively challenging surface, this has little to fault. A couple of gentle half moon creases lightly seen under angled light, any marks or blemishes tiny and faint. The same goes for any rubbing of which there is hardly any, that something near remarkable on one like this, there are no sticker issues either. Intense colour is retained with no fading or natural light bleaching, when viewed up close, this is a graphic of genuine beauty.

Cover Back: Clearly the back will be even more vulnerable with an almost solid block of single dark colour, one tiny press mark on the bottom edge near the right corner area apart, this surface is little short of remarkable condition. Viewed up close, there may appear to be a small scuff mark near the bottom right area, but no, this is part of Joni’s hair that wraps around from the front. Any creasing is minimal, hardly any, and the lack of ugly penetrating ring wear is a massive plus. Any hint of rim rubbing is bordering on minuscule put in real perspective. I can hardly remember seeing both front and back so nice on a single cover, this is one to hold and admire.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside surfaces are smooth, but no less vulnerable to wear, both sides are again very impressive as seen. I suspect a tiny chip on the edge may have been ‘improved’, but look hard to even spot it, the one previous owner was a very particular person. All the song lyrics are very clear and in perfect register.

Top Edges: Both straight, flat and flush with any surface rubbing light and patchy.

Bottom Edges: Largely the same again with just a little more moderate rubbing near the right corner areas. Edges on covers like this will rarely escape a little light surface rubbing, especially on the storage ones.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely any wear. Any thickening or burring less than minucule even viewed end-on. Record enters on the back edge, the front is closed, machine cut and natural.

Spine and Text: A superb spine and rarely seen as such. Solid, straight with minimal hint of compression. Also folded square, so the edges meet up very closely together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn, also superbly centred as seen. Any rubbing to the main surface or folds is tiny, very fine and super-light.

Corners: Moderate tip rubs on the bottom right leading pair, that rarely avoided either, only very small and light on others.Excellent shape or better mostly retained with no bashes or dinks.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this very fragile early 1970’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. Not pristine, but how many realistically ever will be these days?, this beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): this being quite critical on one of the most fragile inners of the time. An unlined, intense blue thin paper inner, the inside is black with an ‘L’ type character printed multiple times in lines on it, this I have tried to show best I can. As stated, an integral part of the album due to the colour matching. This only came with early copies and rarely seen intact. This has only a little fine creasing near the top, but no tears, edge splits or repairs, one of the very few I have seen as such. This, like Led Zeppelin’s fourth album inner, is rarely seen without major wide side splits, every one on this cover is unthinned, strong and neat. Also no ringwear, yes this inner is as prone to this (if not more so) than the main cover itself, this, as seen has none. The intense blue colour is fresh and unfaded, it will also prove very difficult to find better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): arguably better. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and quite solidly pressed. The playing surfaces suggest minimal plays, and then with due care with any surface traces few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. No penetrating stylus marks and visually a super record that 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 legendary album plays even above 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. Joni’s voice at times is emotional, at all times powerful and full-on, a genuine and personal recording, there is no faking its delivery and intensity, her wonderful voice fully focused and very clear. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Silence on such albums and age is a massive ask, the odd tiny reminder of what is being played has to be expected, especially being played on very revealing equipment, but very little on this very clean copy. Few available ones will outperform this A1/B1 pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played lightly and with care – spindle marks mean little – clean surfaces and sound do – this has been generally well store, for most of its time in a protective cover and carefully handled within a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. 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.

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 programs. 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’.