NEIL YOUNG 1st Album 1969. Orig 1st UK Press

	£		343
	$		454

Hi, I am Mike, now 50 – yes the big FIVE-O! Old enough to remember the golden era of original, high quality music, bands, artists and television.

Also records from the 1960s and 70s bought from the shops from new, I have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 37 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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 reader – 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 one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortophon 520 Mk II cartridge (tracks at 1.75 grams). Amps: Arcam 2 x 125W Pre-Power. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

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 promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: All records are posted in professional mailers or boxes as deemed appropriate for the individual item with the record(s) 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. Records are posted with TWO (at least) massively thick stiffners for protection and also heavier protection if deemed necessary depending on the content. These stiffners are the thickest possible and custom supplied for ‘Oneadayrecords’ – these are NOT commercially available and you will not have seen thicker protection anywhere. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if possible. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the cheapest and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional’ P&P. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.2 per percent based on over 2,000 items sold in over 5 years Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. Since the introduction of my ‘special’ stiffners it’s a rate of zero.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

Album Title: Neil Young.

A Special Note about this record: This is NOT the same copy I offered a few weeks ago on Ebay, the unbelievable has happened. After waiting 50 years to find an original copy of this rare record another one shows up, and with all due respect to the other superb copy, this one incredibly is even better. The most stunning example of this first pressed ‘lost’ classic you will ever wish to see. With an immaculate ‘No Name’ original cover and massively pressed super-clean record with beautiful rich and quiet sound, this is a dream-piece for fans of this legendary artist and I can confidently state, I will never find another like it again.

Producer(s): David Briggs; Jack Nitzsche, Ry Cooder & Neil Young.

Track Listing: Side 1: The Emperor of Wyoming; The Loner; If I Could Have Her Tonight; I’ve Been Waiting For You; The Old Laughing Lady.

Side 2: String Quartet From Whiskey Boot Hill; Here We Are In The Years; What Did You Do To My Life?; I’ve Loved Her So Long; The Last Trip To Tulsa.

Label/Format: Reprise – the genuine ORIGINAL tri-coloured format (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both immaculate: highly attractive with only very light and very faint spindle marks that hardly even show at all. There is no wear around the hole rims.

Cat Number: RSLP 6317.

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: A massive pressing at 176 grams, 11 grams heavier than the last one. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity & General Information: Very Rare and make no mistake about it, I actually consider this to be one of the rarest albums by a major act I have ever offered on the Net. The title itself is fairly easy to find but finding a genuine UK first pressed copy of this record is very difficult indeed and this is now only the second one of these I have ever had to offer. Firstly, a poor selling record and many sources state it was not issued in the UK initially but was delayed and appeared after the US release date, so the amount of time this title would have been available on this format would have been very limited. It was again repressed in 1970, again very briefly with the RSLP number on the deep tan format and that is also elusive. Initial copies of this record included the cover without his name appearing on the front, an unusual thing to do on a ‘debut’ album, later pressings had his name included. Remember, Neil Young was a relatively unknown at this time. A member of Buffalo Springfield but they had minimal sales in the UK too and many would not even know who this man was. Another major factor about this pressing it is the only source to the original mix which Young himself was not satisfied with. Subsequent pressings had some song’s remixed with his voice a little more prominent and clearer in the sound. Two tracks had additional guitar added too. Many Young connoisseurs preferred this original mix, his slightly muted voice actually adds to the atmosphere to the songs. The remixed version is different but not in a major way but the original sound is the most cherished by his fans. A delicate album that many acclaim as one of his finest ever, it experiments by blending folk, rock with orchestral elements and it works brilliantly. Condition is always a major factor on a record like this. Well the cover, rare in-itself goes beyond superb, this is little short of immaculate and if anyone has a better example, well cherish it because few ever will have. This is devoid of any significant wear and looks jaw-drop gorgeous (please check out my pictures again). The record equally is stunning and has hardly any marks at all and the odd one or two present are insignificant surface types that have no sound. These vintage Reprise albums were massively heavy pressed and thick and the grooves are deeper than many records and this is up there with the heaviest I have ever held as a non-specialist audiophile pressing. Pressed to a high standard too with minimal surface sounds and those delicate quiet songs sound clean too, there is little unwanted on this classic album and it was a pleasure from start to finish. The lack of any distortion, crackle or any great note or groove-wear is a massive bonus. Taken for sound quality, general looks and availability, I consider this a very rare album indeed, a scarce opportunity to own this unique pressing and album by one of the greatest artists ever. Go on, have another look at that incredible ‘No Name’ cover.

Original Year of Release: January 1969, I am uncertain exactly when the UK pressing was issued.

Matrix Nos: RSLP 6317 A-1 *T / RSLP 6317 B-1 *T

Stamper Codes: L 1 / E 1

Musicians: Neil Young: guitar, piano, electric piano, harpsichord, pipe organ, vocal; Jim Messina: bass; George Grantham: drums. Also: Ry Cooder: guitar; Jack Nitzsche: electric piano. Guest Vocalists: Merry Clayton; Brenda Holloway; Patrice Holloway; Gloria Richetta Jones; Sherlie Matthews; Gracia Nitzsche: vocal.

Brief Info: After the breakup of Buffalo Springfield, Stephen Stills stayed with Atlantic records but Neil Young went his own way to pursue a solo career and signed for Frank Sinatra’s fledgling label Reprise. This debut album received mixed reviews at the time and sold poorly making initial pressings almost impossible to find. I have outlined the details of the production and its subsequent remixing above but this very first pressing has the unique original mix and the beautiful ‘No Name’ cover. The material is mixed from rock to folk and surprisingly, the opener was an instrumental. The Young classic ‘The Loner’ follows and actually benefits from the low vocal mix. There is not a bad track throughout and time has acknowledged this album a ‘classic’. ‘The Old Laughing Lady’ has genuine eeriness and mystery, the death-like creepy backing vocals again work brilliantly on this original mix. ‘The Last Trip to Tulsa’ is Young first solo epic, a long finale with psych lyrics and distinct folk-rock sound owing much to mid-period Dylan, an astonishing piece that set out the pathway for future great songs and eventual greatness, although the path at times became rocky. This is a seriously rare record as a first UK pressing and this is somewhat hard to imagine for a man who is now a household name but this was the beginning of the journey that made him a superstar. I must emphasise again the sheer beauty of this set. The cover is gorgous and the record looks hardly even played, this bucks the trend in a huge way. So many rare classics when they do show up are invariably trashed and unplayable. What a delight to acquire this phenomenal copy, if you missed out last time on my last copy, well dont let this slip the Net again. I promise, this is unlikely to ever be beaten. Great looks, great sound, great rarity and above all else IT’S ORIGINAL!

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderate+: [Unlaminated covers are always the most vulnerable for rubbing, fading, sticker tears and ringwear, gatefolds are more prone still and the darker they are, the more this type of wear occurs and shows. Some sleeves have a textured finish or die-cut shaped edges or ‘windows’. These are even more delicate and the hardest to find in top condition. Fully laminated covers are more resistent to wear but often the laminate ages with dulling, creases and blistering. Many 60s covers have outer flipback construction, these are very vulnerable to damage]. (US covers are the most fragile of all, very rarely laminated and made with thick brittle card that rubs and ringwears badly. Seams and edges split easily). Please see format below to access this cover’s potential for wear and damage.

Cover Grade and Format: STUNNING MINT(-) and near reference standard. This must be one of the most beautiful covers ever made. A single fully laminated format that was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. It was distributed by Pye Records. This is the very scarce original ‘No Name’ cover that was later replaced with his name printed on the front. Try to find one even half this good.

Lamination: Front & Back: A supreme cover of immense beauty and colour, and now fast approaching 40 years old. This has the looks and freshness of a cover made in the last day or so, apart from a very few light hairline surface creases this has little else to fault. The laminate is very solid and fully adhered with no blistering or lifting, always a bonus on any cover I think. Both sides retain a fantastic deep lustrous shine and remain ultra clear, devoid of friction rubbing or dulling. A couple of small and very light half moons are present but remain largely invisible with normal viewing. Devoid of any significant marks or indentations and practically nothing detracts form this original format ‘No Name’ cover. The front artwork in particular is stunning and looks tremendous here, the colours fresh, vivid and unfaded. Quite how each side has avoided any major traces of record impressions with a 176 gram monolith of a record inside all these years is remarkable. The opening edge on both sides sees the laminate end a few millimetres short of full width and the back the same on the top and bottom. These exposed strips have NO traces of any grubbiness and no grime-line formation and remain spotlessly clean, there is a just a tiny laminate end crinkle on each side but this is nit-picking almost for the sake of it. Overall, a superb vintage and rare original cover, it will never be easy to find like this again and that’s a promise (and will it include the ultra elusive tri-coloured label genuine first pressing?) This cover is rare, precious and truly beautiful.

Top Edge: Unworn up to the right corner that has slightly compressed a tiny fraction.

Bottom Edge: Unworn up to the corner tips.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid but contructed quite thinly, straight with minimal compression. All text is perfect and well centred under the solid clear laminate. One microscopic surface hairline crease only but all ultra smooth with no grazing when running over the fingertips.

Corners: Light tip rubs on the right pair, the spine pair are superb. All retain fine definition.

Cover Summary: This is a work of supreme art and will grace the most prestigious of collections. The ‘No Name’ cover is gorgous and the lack of ID gives it a more sense of mysteriousness. With such little wear or ageing, this beautiful item should please all collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: To grade this incredible piece of historically important vinyl less than Mint(-) is almost a crime but I can see a few light hairlines and tiny surface mark (no sound of course), so a critical grading of EX++ is correct as far as this seller is concerned. A truly beautiful copy that is super clean with lovely shine, intense black and massively pressed – this will take most belt-driven turntables a second or two extra to get up to speed. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence. Visually one of the most pleasing and heaviest rare records I have ever held.

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 snippetts 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 wonderful record, easily for me Young’s rarest, plays up to and beyond it high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound (a huge bonus on any record of this era), all frequencies are very sharp and clear - sound quality is very high and the original mix is very interesting. Often strongly implied that the vocals are low in the mix, well they are in places but not in a bad way as I have outlined in my piece above. Quite why Young insisted on a remix with all the costs involved seems harsh and most connoisseurs of the man (who have actually heard both versions) prefer the original. I would still imagine many fans have never even heard an original being honest. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, the odd surface trace on the utmost quiet segment but that is near impossible to avoid on the delicate pieces. This is a 40-year-old record, never forget and the analogue format cannot compete for silence with the CD. No pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album. Nothing spoilt my pleasure and great interest hearing this title on such an early pressing – twice within a few weeks is a rare privilege. Few copies will match or outperform this genuine original I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very little and the lack of groove wear or penetrating marks is great news. This title will prove close to impossible to even find, and finding a better overall playing copy on this label will prove a major challenge (to say the very least). This is a record I am proud to offer again and barring a minor miracle, I can never imagine another showing up like this again, this has the strongest recommendation possible. Fans of the great man – DO NOT LOSE THIS ONE.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. US; Australia; Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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.

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions for payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.