MILES DAVIS Kind of Blue RARE UK NIMBUS SUPERCUT AUDIOPHILE NEAR MINT LP. SUPERB

	£		175
	$		232

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, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take longer 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.

ANY ITEM or ITEMS TO BE PAID WITHIN A MAXIMUM OF 6 DAYS or they will be cancelled – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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. Please only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: MILES DAVIS

Album Title: Kind of Blue

Producer(s): Michael Cuscuna & Cal Lampley

A SPECIAL NOTE: At first glance, this could appear as a standard UK reissue of this jazz masterpiece. But no, this is a rare and elusive Supercut audiophile pressing mastered and pressed by Nimbus Records exclusively for readers of Hi-Fi magazines Practical Hi-Fi and Hi-Fi Today in the early 1980s. A small few others artists had one-off albums made by Nimbus in this series that include The Beatles, Wings, Jackson Browne, Supertramp, The Eagles, Pink Floyd and Rickie Lee Jones. The company mastered each release from the original master tapes using the best available mastering processes and the discs were pressed on the highest quality, purest vinyl available. Every album had it’s own unique sound, thus all are highly sort-after and collectable. This is no different and this hardly-played copy offers truly sublime sound that leads you directly into the recording studio – as they fully intended to do. Readers of these specialist magazines were not casual listeners, far from it, and these records (as I clearly remember) were quite expensive back in the day – far beyond what average listeners were prepared to pay. They were strictly limited, few made or sold, and only briefly available. Buyers were largely those prepared to spend a vast sums for ultimate hi-fi equipment to glean every last possible fragment of information from the source. And the beginning of the hi-fi chain starts with the record itself. Given the sheer age of the legendary recording, this sounds remarkable. Such a shame all records were not pressed up to this standard. The difference has to lie in the lack of mass unit production and vinyl purity – these were strictly limited pressings and made with utmost care and precision for the discerning listener market. In fact within the audiophile and audiophile super pressing market, these are amongst the rarest ever made – and arguably the very best too – equally as good, if not even better than Mobile Fidelity – both are fantastic. To fully appeciate the difference, they are best enjoyed on top quality equipment and few collectors and fans of this legendary artist will be disappointed – do not miss this marvellous album.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: So What; Freddie Freeloader; Blue in Green.

Side 2: All Blues; Flamenco Sketches.

Label/Format: CBS with matt fairly smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only one or two ultra fine and faint spindle traces. People who purchased these specialist pressings invariably looked after them to a very high standard and played them on high-end systems.

Cat Number: BPG 62066

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps or Lateral Movement: Assume all records I offer have no significant warping or lateral movement to cause sound or tracking issues. All should play fine even on budget turntables.

Weight of this Record: 120 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Nimbus Supercut discs are scarce and elusive. The absolute masterpiece albums like this (and Sgt Pepper and Wish You Were Here) sold out almost immediately and are the rarest of all with few seen or offered. These were not available in shops but only via mail order direct from the magazines.

Original Year of Release: 1959

Matrix Nos: BPG 62066 - A2 / BPG 62066 - B2

Run-Out Groove Etchings: MPT JH ‘NIMBUS ENGLAND’ on both sides [this in machine punched type]. This detail is crucial as proof of the record being the genuine Nimbus pressing..

Musicians: Miles Davis – trumpet, band leader; Julian ‘Cannonball’ Adderley – alto saxophone; Paul Chambers – double bass; John Coltrane – tenor saxophone; Bill Evans – piano; Wynton Kelly – piano.

Brief Info: For me, the coolest and one of the most wonderful albums ever made – and that within any genre of music. This is simply a masterpiece and it has to be Davis’s greatest ever piece of work backed by other incredible musicians. Any music-lover, and even non-jazz fans could not be failed to be impressed with this beautiful album. Melodic, smooth and catchy with tunes that get into the subconscious immediately. It features the legendary John Coltrane on tenor and all musicians play impeccably. The session was beautifully recorded and it sold in considerable numbers for a jazz record, it is said to be the biggest selling album within the genre. This Nimbus Supercut has clearly hardly been played and sounds fantastic.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a single unlaminated format with matt surfaces. As seen, the front has the gold Practical Hi-Fi sticker promoting it’s a Nimbus Supercut version.

Cover Front: Little to fault on this front, and this one has no edge splits which often happened to these as they were a mail-order product with the record posted inside the sleeve (which we all know is not a great idea). Just a couple of tiny tip creases on the bottom corner ends with an rub traces tiny and faint. Little short of as-issued, the sticker is immaculate, clearly never picked at or removed.

Cover Back: The back is largely the same with little to fault bar the tiny tip creases. All back text is by jazz legend Benny Green.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both straight with no splits or thins. The top unworn, any rub traces to the bottom storage edge very small and light.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Crisp and neat with hardly a trace of thickening.

Spine and Text: Solid, clean and straight with any trace of compression minimal. All text perfect and unworn and neatly centred.

Corners: Light tip creases to the lower corner ends but little else to fault.

Cover Summary: One of the most elusive of the Nimbus covers, and given these were mail order items, this has survived with little to fault. The lack of edge splits always a plus for these as well. This will please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): the soft-lined inner has little to fault at all.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR MINT: a fantastic visual copy that is ultra clean and fresh and without any doubt, hardly even played. Any surface traces minuscule even viewed under my bright grading lamp. Visually a stunning audiophile gem to please most-all 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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This magnificent jazz masterpiece plays up to it’s high visual grading with barely 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. Given this was recorded towards the end of the 1950s, the detail and clarity of this music is amazing. These Nimbus pressings carry that extra detail, range, clarity and sonic delivery of the content, especially for those with high-end equipment that will notice the difference. Any surface sounds barely even registered and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues* or inherent pressing noises. A record that more than lives up to its Nimbus reputation and few classics merit the Nimbus treatment more. A monumental issue and one of the most important and greatest album in music history. I am certain this record has hardly been played, and then on a top-quality system. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, just wish all records were manufactured to this standard, this was a genuine delight. It will prove beyond difficult to find better and the record especially 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 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

I am one of the most established sellers on Ebay, trading since 2001 and offering the finest 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 all elements of the items I offer for sale. You may notice I only submit records quite 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 story. I will try to 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 near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. I hope the item below is to your liking – any questions can be emailed and I will do my best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, major 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 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie 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 D7500 DSLR 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.

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 bid retractions. 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 only 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 2 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive – if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund if the item is returned in the same condition is was sent e.g. as per the listing pictures.

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, 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.