NEIL YOUNG (1st) RARE RSLP No Name Cover, Super EX++ LP

	£		72
	$		95

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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 – first tan repress with the original RSLP number (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both clean and attractive with only light and mainly faint spindle marks. All evidence suggests the lightest played copy I have seen for some considerable time, reitterated by the very best overall sound quality too.

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: 165 grams. Yes you read right, a massive 165 gram pressing, even heavier than most of the 3-colour first issues and 15 grams heavier than the last one of these I offered.

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 RSLP original on the tan label is actually harder than on the tri-coloured Reprise format. A very limited repress before being remixed and put in the more common ‘named’ cover and with the new Kinney number. 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 either RSLP format would have been very limited. Only early 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 relative 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 these early pressings, they were 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. This is a massively pressed record and one of the final ones pressed with the original RSLP number. It plays nigh-on perfectly too with any minor surface sounds minusule, this is as good as they will ever get for pure audio quality featuring the prized first mix. The cover has a little wear or minor marks but overall, still looks very impressive, the main artwork on the front near flawless infact, any blemishes on the white order edges as explained further down. High grading examples command big prices now and this early pressed RSLP with the ‘No Name’ cover could be just the one for you without breaking the bank. Not all vinyl fans want to spend huge prices on the rare ones and sometimes a little compromise has to be made. Well this is a super copy and the sound will fail to disappoint.

Original Year of Release: January 1969, this would have been pressed in 1970 and has exactly the same matrixes as the three colour Reprise label as seen below.

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

Stamper Codes: R 1 / F 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.

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 the early ‘original’ pressings incredibly difficult to find. I have outlined the details of the production and it’s subsequent remixing above but this first tan repressing has the unique original mix and the beautiful ‘No Name’ cover. The material is mixed: from rock to folk and unusually, 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 and here, play perfectly. These vocals are intense and often break-up or clip with crackle even on modestly played copies if played on less subtle equipment from the distant past. Here fully focused, precise and sharp, most will fail this test, this to on very revealing equipment. ‘The Last Trip to Tulsa’ is Young’s 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. I actually consider the tan RSLP pressings rarer than the three colour first. With a hardly marked record with nigh-on perfect sound and a still very attractive cover, this is a rare opportunity to experience this now somewhat legendary ‘original’ recording.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(-): but in real terms looks much better. It only has the relatively light and minor issues that many collectors would consider normal on a cover this great age. A single fully laminated format that was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. It was distributed by Pye Records and it’s exactly the same as used for the three coloured label copies. This is the very scarce original ‘No Name’ cover that was later replaced with his name printed on the front. It was made with very light and thin card, which is the main reason why is rarely seen anything like perfect.

Lamination – Front & Back: A pure fact of life is, record covers this great age will sometimes get used, handled and moved around. – being made with thin card means it’s less resistant to everything. Thus they get a few creases, odd mark or stain or corner dink. This, being fully laminated, has protected the gorgeous artwork well and overall, it has few things to really complain about, most things are light and relatively minor. The laminate is very clear and retains superb shine even freshness. It is pretty much fully adhered with no lifting or blisters of any real note, it has the odd light surface scuff on the back, but overall, marks are few and very light. A small stain on the bottom left corner has minimal visual impact and most of the creases present are near the edges and most remain fine with again little visibility. Any friction rubs or dulling is mainly seen on the back from the thick record’s rim near the top and bottom, this more under light. The real star of the piece is the front: the stunning artwork looks magnificent and has practically nothing to fault at all as I hope my close-up picture shows. Stunning rich artwork with gorgeous detail, this front does it maximum justice and is simply fabulous. Grading the coloured area of the front alone would justify a Mint(-) grading, that’s how strong this stunning picture is. The spine top corner tip area has thickened and the others rubbed or darkened a little and there is the odd tiny laminate chip, but as stated, these numerous blemishes are little more than that. I have seen far, far worse looking examples graded higher and that is the truth. This is still a very fine example that will please many collectors, but not the perfectionists of course. But that very important front graphic is still a class act and worthy of a second look.

Top Edge: Still neat with little wear, especially so as the fold and trim is not quite flush, the back panel was not laminated hence more vulnerable than the bottom edge that was.

Bottom Edge: Little wear again and fully laminated.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and sharp with little wear and guaranteed untrimmed. No burring, feathering and the exposed right strip still clean and ungrubbied.

Spine and Text: The spine is thin but still quite solid and mainly straight. The ends have rubbed but avoided the usual crease-cracks from which this often seems to suffer. Will most of the laminate retained, this means all the text is present and unworn which of course is great news.

Corners: The left spine pair have rubbed and thickened, this more at the top. The right pair are neater and cleaner with very fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: A rare and still very attractive cover. The ‘No Name’ cover is lovely and the lack of identity gives it a real sense of mysteriousness. Okay, a few light and mostly minor blemishes or traces of wear, but this still sets a high standard. It’s flimsiness is a always such a factor, but overall – very nice indeed. Not for the connoisseur, but most fans will enjoy owning it.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: only really marked down a little for darkening. A plain white, solid unlined inner, this has barely any creasing and somehow, has all the edges unsplit with no repairs. The odd tiny nick or two on the top opening but overall, a very fine inner looking just right for it’s considerable age.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a copy with very few surface marks, any few present are ultra fine hairlines seen critically under light. This has NO penetrating scratches at all and this is quite possibly the very best looking and certainly sounding Neil Young debut I have had. A very impressive visual copy that is clean with fine shine, intense black and massively pressed on super-heavyweight vinyl. A copy played very modestly indeed on all the evidence, including outstanding sound quality. This is never an easy record to find like with most all I have seen being marked and played more. Visually a strong record that should please most collectors and for this record, the more discerning collectors can consider.

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 very scarce record, easily for me Young’s rarest, plays even above it’s high visual grading with almost 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 barely even registered and any odd sporadic click being very few indeed, ultra gentle and faint. The odd one or two are almost impossible to avoid on a record this delicate but this has barely any at all. No irritating crackle or loud unwanted sounds, this offers wonderful sound that almost takes you into the recording studio itself and nothing spoilt this rare first mix experience. The cover may have a few minor issues, but the record has practically none and sound for me is always the priority. With that in mind, this merits my highest recommendation.

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 QED Silver 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.

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.

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 stiffners 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 & 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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.