MIKE ABSALOM - ORIG UK 1971 VERTIGO SPIRAL EX LP with INNER.

	£		210
	$		278

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 arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to 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.

Artist or Band: MIKE ABSALOM

Album Title: Mike Absalom.

Producer(s): Patrick Campbell-Lyons.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Saga of John the Bog; Don’t Tell it on the Telephone; Let Me Give You Roses, Rose; Old Woman in the Moon; Saga of Ernie Plugg’s Bust.

Side 2: Saga of Suzie Grapevine and Pusher Joe; Frightened of the Dark; Gaza Striptease; It Must be Spring; Saga of Peaches Melba and the Hash Officer.

Label/Format: Vertigo - original Spiral format with matt smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both clean, still fresh and attractive with moderate spindle marks, but be assured – this very rare original Vertigo Swirl record plays beautifully with hardly anything unwanted. As I have said many times before, many owners used the labels to guidance to locate the spindle to hole and does not necessarily mean the record has been played many times. In this case, the playing surfaces are clean with little to fault and importantly, offers lovely clean, distortion-free sound with minimal traces of unwanted sound. The spindle marks only really show under angled light, viewed normally ful-on, very little at all.

Cat Number: 6360 053.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: This record is not warped, but does have a very mild waver near the edges if being critical. It has NO effect on play and not even budget turntables will have any problems with this. Tracking on both sides, from start to finish is effortless.

Weight of this Record: 134 grams. A very good solid weight for this label.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity & Detail: Very rare: In terms of numbers sold, few Swirls sold less than this one. Reputed to have only sold around 300 units and how many will survive with a record in very clean and enjoyable condition? This is without doubt one of the rarest Vertigos I have offered on Ebay and only the second one I have ever seen. The acoustic material record plays terrific with very little unwanted, mere traces near the very beginning for a few seconds and little else. The cover, a massive poster type made with single thickness card will never wear well, and it’s an achievement to find this at all in one piece with no cellotape or tacky repairs. This has edge and foldlines wear, but is very near fully intact with just one fairly small split to the top left of the main front/back corner as can be seen on my picture. No repairs and the other folds solid but some some wear in places. I have photographed every one of the SIX panels individually to show exactly what each face looks like and included all the foldlines and edges so nothing is hidden or left to chance. I want to hide nothing, and my regular and new customers deserve to be shown exactly what to expect and what will arrive. This is a major rarity even by Vertigo Spiral standards, many who strive to put a full set together will be missing this one I am certain and now an elusive chance to get one the most difficult with a very fine, clean and better than excellent sound record. Probably pressed once, some ending up in Bargain Bins with massive reduced-price stickers applied, and some returned to be recycled. An incredibly rare piece indeed and if this is needed, do not lose it as these really do surface VERY infrequently.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 6360053 1Y//1 420 1 1 2 / 6360053 2Y//1 420 1 1 1

Brief Info: Okay, not really ‘progressive’ but the label sure was and this is where I decided to list it. It will appeal to most prog collectors being on Vertigo. I have outlined the rarity of this album above and it cannot be overstated. Mike Absalom, a long-haired solidly built son of a cleryman who apparently could speak eight languages and a well-educated man. He achieved a small cult following supporting the likes of Lindisfarne and busking in London, this was his only album on the prized Vertigo Spiral label and it rarely ever surfaces to be offered. He plays a good-time, quirky dope-enhanced folk with risque humour, this is a great fun album and it’s just a shame it did not do better for him. This album proved something of a swansong for Absalom as he pretty much disappeared from the music scene afterwards. Special mention must be made of the cover: this has artwork by the legendary Roger Dean who later went on to design so many classic progressive album covers by the likes of Yes, Badger, Gentle Giant, Earth & Fire and many others. This being one of his earliest designs and less typical as the later ones he is far more famed for. Although this cover has worn around the edges and foldlines, it will prove immensely difficult to find one much better, in fact it will prove hard to find at all. It is incredibly similar to the one other one I had around 5 years ago. Clearly this is not just for Vertigo fans, but also for collectors of Roger Dean artwork, this has to be one of the rarest and most obscure in his famous catalogue. The record is very fine and plays superbly well.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+++ (almost off the scale). These poster covers do well just to remain intact. Many similar ones are seen torn, very tatty, even with holes in them where the folds cross. Often taped back together or even crudely glued. This has no repairs at all, but does have some (what I consider) reasonably modest wear to the edges and folds. When genuine rarities come on to the market, sometimes some give-and-take has to be made, even by the fussiest of collectors. Being honest, if perfection is mandatory, such albums would never be offered at all. So realistically, this is a very fine example.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(–): +/– but realistically that is worth more taken all into consideration. Not an easy one to grade definitely and this view somewhat subjective. I will let the pictures do the talking in this case – you view, study and decide for yourself. A single thickness card poster type sleeve and unlaminated of course. Printed and made in England and with the boxed VO price code on the back. The artwork by the brilliant Roger Dean. Includes the Spiral inner sleeve.

Cover Front: as seen when totally folded up, the face with the orange-red MIKE ABSALOM text. Probably the face that will take the brunt of the wear over time being permanently exposed. But this is still very nice with only rubbing on the very edges and corners (of course) Firstly, can I make this perfectly clear: there are NO tip-ins or enhacements on this cover, even on the black areas. Also NO repairs, trimming or enhancement of any kind. This front has hardly any rubbing or major creasing (any very few and very light), no sticker tears and remains clean and attractive. The edges a little burred, mainly on the top, but it will take a lot of beating, and how many will even appear to challenge it?

Cover Back: This the Skinhead character face that includes the VO PRICE CODE box and Cat. number on the top right. Again, most of the wear on the edges and corners with some burring on the top. The main area and graphic are impressive and have little to fault, the lack of ringwear here especially good news, any creasing very light.

Innermost Graphic Faces: These even better with less wear around the edges being naturally a little more protected. As can be seen from the close-ups and the main opened-out poster shots, these all look very nice. The lack of wear or damage to the Dean graphics by far the most important factor for me. The plain card reverse side has moderately darkened but not major issues that apart and this poster cover has not been mounted e.g. no pin holes, tape marks, or adhesives.

The Foldlines or Seams: Some fine whitening along the seam which is near impossible to avoid. But the folds are all strong and solid, the only small split as mentioned already on the spine top left fold end. So this cover is NOT about to fall apart, far from it. It is probably as solid as you will realistically find given the tiny numbers actually existing.

Top Edges: Some thickening and burring, any feathering modest and slight - again I remind nothing has been trimmed or enhanced.

Bottom Edges: These are the hinged and thicker, all have moderate rubbing but no splits.

Right Edges: The front is a fold, again solid but rubbed. The back provides a storage area for the record, these are neat and straight with barely any wear. Both naturally protected falling short of the front one.

Spine (left edge): Solid again being another hinge, again some rubbing with around 50% of the text eroded, that can be no great surprise given the facts, probably more of a surprise is see any text at all.

Corners: The outer top left is split and a little ‘open’, but for only around half-an-inch. All other corners have moderate rubbing, but no splits or ‘damage’ as such.

Cover Summary: A more than highly respectable all-round example of this ultra fragile post-style Vertigo cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. Thin, flimsy and totally uncompromising, this was not built for longevity and this has clear signs of the fact with a little tattiness around the edges and corners. That said, I consider this to be a quite attractive example. Not good enough for the ultra discerning or connoisseur but in this case, can anyone really afford to be ultra choosy? Hardly one that will be seen too often, sometimes compromises have to be made. The record inside will more than compensate for a little raggedness around the edges. For me, three factors make this somewhat exceptional. 1. the cover is still practically fully intact without the need for repairs. 2. All the main artwork is superb as can be seen, without damage to the Roger Dean graphics. 3. The lack of sticker tears or any major discolouration or creasing. So the Vertigo collector needing this can wait for the near impossible –and good luck with that – or compromise and take a very solid and still attractive example. As we say in the UK: “you pays your money, you takes your choice”.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(–): I cannot be certain this is the original inner, it IS the one that came with the album to me that I can honestly say. Anyway, this has aged a little, and being inside a flimsy cover all this time, I am not that surprised. A couple of small nicks on the window circle I did neatly repair to stop them catching and tearing in the future. The lining intact and clear. Some fairly light creasing and crinkle with just one smallish side split also neatly repaired. Still a very respectable Swirl inner overall.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: this being cautious, arguably a little better with any surface marks being mostly very fine and faint as seen under bright angled light. NO penetrating scratches and the record plays beautifully for most-all. Clean wth fine shine, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy played a few times if the labels spindle marks are to be taken seriously, but if so, mainly with due care. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors considering so few around.

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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This elusive and genuinely rare Spiral record plays even above its high visual grading with very little to fault. 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 sounds minimal, the merest trace at the very beginning for a few brief seconds (and this being ultra critical) and this is an exceptional clean pressing, and not being a loud ‘electric’ album, a fine pressing is essential. This more than delivers and this quirky record impressed from from the outset to end. Few copies will match let alone outperform this pressing significantly I feel sure. I cannot imagine this was pressed more than once, and how many were actually even sold? Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, only the second I have ever seen. This generally well preserved record will prove very difficult to find better and can be strongly recommended. Some cover wear, yes, but the record has little. DO LOST THIS ONE.

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 Terrarium 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 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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 2 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). 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 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.

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] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced 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 [£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’.