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

	£		280
	$		371

Artist or Band: NEIL YOUNG

Album Title: Neil Young.

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

TRACK LIST:

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 very clean and attractive with light spindle marks that have modest visibility. There is no wear around the hole rims and this has the hallmark of a very lightly played record.

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 very heavy pressing at 157 grams. [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. 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 and bold 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 songs 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 of 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 is superb with few blemishes (please check out my pictures). The record does have a few light surface marks or very mild paper marks but they have no sound and this record plays brilliantly throughout. These vintage Reprise albums were massively heavy pressed and thick and the grooves are deeper than many records hence modern fine-tipped stylii delve deep and ignore any minor marks. 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 groove-wear is a massive bonus. Taken for sound quality, general looks and availability, I consider this a very rare album indeed, a great opportunity to own this unique pressing and album by one of the greatest artists ever.

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

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

Stamper Codes: J 1 / C 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 incredibly difficult 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 the amazingly, the opener is 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 popularity, although the path at times became rocky. This is a seriously rare record as a first UK pressing and this is possibly 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. Although the record has a very few light surface marks, they have no sound and it plays beautifully - this is now my copy to listen too anywhere if you see what I mean. The cover is gorgous and I honestly feel I will never find a better example. When the really scarce albums show up the odds are they will be trashed but in this case it’s light years away from the truth. A strong looker and great player and above all else IT’S ORIGINAL.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderate+.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and arguably better for sheer stunning good looks, it has little to fault. 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.

Lamination: Front & Back: A superb cover and now fast approaching 40 years old too. Any wear on this one is minimial and mild and any present largely confined to just the corners with a couple showing slightly rubbed tips. The laminate is very solid and fully adhered with no blistering or lifting, always a bonus on any cover I think and this cover is one of the ‘greats’. Both sides retain a fantastic fresh shine and remain ultra clear and practically devoid of friction rubs or dulling - a mere trace on the back if scrutinised up close under light. A few light surface creases but these barely even show with normal viewing. Surface marks or press marks are also few and very light and very little detracts form this original format ‘No Name’ cover. The front artwork in particular is stunning and looks tremendous here, the colours fresh and unfaded with the full intense colour retained (please see my close-up picture of the man’s portrait). There is a small, fine surface graze on the back which represents the most significant blemish on this laminate, which hopefully proves just how wonderful this truly is. The lack of any record impression is pretty amazing especially bearing in mind the massively heavy record that’s been encased for all these years. The back sees the laminate end a few millimetres short of full depth top and bottom and even these exposed strips have notraces of any grubbiness or grime-line formation and the front right edge is exactly the same. Overall, a superb vintage and rare original cover, it will never be easy to find much better these days and will it include the ultra elusive tri-coloured label genuine first pressing? This is very close to connoisseur and reference standard.

Top Edge: One tiny surface chip only, that apart unworn up to the right corner tip that has rubbed slightly.

Bottom Edge: Little real wear at all, the odd graze trace, tiny surface chip or hairline crease. The right corner tip again has rubbed.

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

Spine and Text: Practically as made: Solid but contructed quite thinly, straight with minimal compression. All text is perfect and well centred under the solid laminate.

Corners: The tips are lightly rubbed, most bottom right but being white this has lesser visual impact.

Cover Summary: A stunning visual cover, one of the true classics and this beauty does it practically full justice. A very strong all round example of this famous, but more seldom seen original variant cover. When covers are available for such a short period of time before being ‘altered’ it makes them highly collectable and rare and high in collector’s ‘wants list’. The ‘No Name’ cover is gorgous and the lack of ID gives it a real sense of mysteriousness. With such minimal wear or ageing, this truly beautiful item should please most-all collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Visually at or very close EX with just a few light paper marks or light surface marks, these have no sound as stated above. A fine visual copy that is super clean with fine shine, intense black and very heavily pressed. A copy modestly on all the evidence. This will be hard to find in its own right but harder still to find in better condition. Visually a strong record that should please the majority of 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 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 very scarce record, easily for me Young’s rarest, plays above its very fine visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound (a huge bonus on any record of this era), all frequencies are 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 prefer the original. I would still imagine many fans have never even heard an original being honest but they should - the differences are subjective with mixed opinions but owning the absolute first is always preferable. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no major pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album. One or two sporadic low level clicks are almost impossible to avoid on a record this delicate but this has barely any and nothing spoilt my pleasure and great interest hearing this title on such an early pressing. Few copies will outperform this genuine original significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played quite modestly overall and the lack of groove wear or penetrating marks is great news. This title will prove very difficult to even find, and finding a better overall playing copy on this label will prove a major challenge. With all considered, this is a record I am proud to offer and can be strongly recommended. A real gem for the connoisseur.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. 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.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. 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: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) 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. The boxes are then reinforced with TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. 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 at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

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.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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 – it’s always worth asking.

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: ALL 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: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other 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.

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’.