NICO Chelsea Girl SCARCE UK MGM N/M LP, CLASSIC. BACKING: THE VELVET UNDERGROUND

	£		26
	$		34

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 arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for 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.

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. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: NICO

Album Title: Chelsea Girl

Producer(s): Tom Wilson

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The fairest of the Seasons (Copel/Browne); These Days (Jackson Browne); Little Sister (Cale/Reed); Winter Song (John Cale); It Was a Pleasure Then (Nico/Cale/Reed).

Side 2: Chelsea Girls (Reed/Morrison); I’ll Keep It With Mine (Bob Dylan); Somewhere There’s a Feather (Jackson Tim Hardin); Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (John Cale); Eulogy to Lenny Bruce (Tim Hardin).

Label/Format: MGM – gold and blue format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: In terms of spindle marks, hardly any and the record plays superbly for a challenging title. Some gentle toning spotting here and there as seen.

Catalogue Number: 2353025

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: 105 grams. Light, but very well pressed and plays beautifully. This is always a difficult album with some quiet, dark songs with quite sparse instrumentation.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: The second Velvet Underground album in all but name and issued in the same year as the seminal groundbreaking debut. The very first copies of this record were issued in the US in 1967 on Verve. In the UK it was only made available from 1971 on MGM. This is a later pressing, but clearly still on MGM, later ones still were repressed on Polydor. MGM copies are always a challenge to find very clean and lightly played, often spoilt by crackle and noise. This one hardly played and offering very impressive sound from a quality clean pressing.

Matrix Nos: 2353025 A//3 E 420 05 1 1 3 & 2353025 B//2 420 1 2 1 6

Musicians: Nico – vocals; Jackson Browne – acoustic guitar; Lou Reed – electric guitar; John Cale – viola, organ, guitar; Sterling Morrison – electric guitar. Larry Fallon – string and flute arrangements.

Brief Artist & Album Info: The German beauty queen that came to music fame via her contributions with The Velvet Underground. The Velvet Underground and Nico remains for me one of the greatest albums ever issued and it’s importance to music history cannot be overstated. Requesting to do all the lead vocals, but turned down, Nico left the band soon after. This album, her first, for me is an absolute classic, it simply carries on the sound of the famous VU debut – a couple of the songs were actually to feature on the VU album, but due to length restrictions, were dropped. It even features compositions and backing by Velvet Underground members. (I have included the writing credits on the track listing above). Also featured is a young Jackson Browne with memorable songs by him also. The album’s title is from the famous Chelsea Hotel in New York which was used by many celebrities of various types in those heady days of over-indulgence and experimentation. Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Jackson Pollock, Allen Ginsberg, Edith Piaf, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen (he made a famous song about his experiences there) and Janis Joplin all stayed there. This is an album of stunning beauty and I never tire of listening to it. Nico was unique, a one-off, no-one sounds quite like her and this album for those who have not heard it, simply carries on where the first Velvet Underground album ends. It can be argued, this is the Velvet Underground that never was – all bar Mo Tucker feature and the dark mood is the same. Slightly more subtle and subdued in texture – with reference to the her songs on that masterpiece debut. This sparse, mellow and stark, but beautiful record gives few clues to the following dark gothic album that was to follow - The Marble Index. Superbly produced by Tom Wilson, at this time producing Zappa’s Mothers of Invention Verve classics. I have often found the MGM pressings crackly with substantial amounts of unwanted pressing sounds. This one has little to fault – the odd tiny reminder with the odd one-off tick of what you are listening too, being a vintage record, not a squeaky clean digital format. The music is so captivating and engrossing any minor blemish washed over me. I adore this record, for me, almost as important as the legendary banana cover classic. The famous sleeve is in very fine condition with little wear or ageing. For me this is one of those definitive covers that again bring those incredible days of the 1960s underground scene back again. If you love, like me, ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’, ‘I’ll Be our Mirror’ and ‘Femme Fatale’ you will adore this dark, haunting record that is seldom seen this clean.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a single unlaminated format with a matt, smooth finish. Printed and made in England by Akenmay Ltd.

Cover Front: This classic cover, one of the most iconic of the 1960s, has little to fault. What a beauty this lady was. This front has aged little and the lack of rubbing or ring wear is a considerable bonus. The card is thin and seldom avoids significant rim impression and rubbing. Although not a first MacNeill printing, this still looks pretty much the same and looks terrific.

Cover Back: In contrast, the darkness of the front is switched to a more predominately white back. This is superb and has hardly anything to fault at all, any darkening or hint of grubbiness very gentle and light.

Top Edge: Unworn bar a fine and small gentle surface crack near the centre (NO split), also very straight.

Bottom Edge: Unworn with a hint of central compression, being somewhat critical.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, ultra sharp with no burring or thickening. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal hint of compression. All text is perfect and unworn, also superbly centred for good measure, the white finish is very clean and untoned.

Corners: A tiny rub trace on the top left, little else. Excellent, or better shape mostly retained with no bashes.

Cover Summary: An impressive all-round example of this wear-prone cover, the matt ones especially hard to find with such little wear. This attractive item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a Polydor style inner with the slightly later less clear lining as seen through two immaculate window circles. Barely any creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs. A little natural discolouration but a very nice inner that only gently reminds of age.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(–): a superb visual copy that is very clean with excellent shine and freshness, quite lightly pressed, but on pure vinyl offering clean sound without manufacturing flaws or sounds. Visually a lovely record that will prove immensely difficult to find better, it should 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 B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: A dark and quite chilling album. If Reed had agreed to Nico’s request to be lead singer on her own, this would have been the second Velvet Underground album – it’s has all the characteristics of the famous ‘Banana’ album (but with better sound). The backing is somewhat sparse and apparently Nico disapproved of the flute parts, but personally, I think they work well. An album that has no drum or bass and offers an eerie Baroque and chamber music feel. This wonderful record plays mostly up to it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear with no tracking issues*. Sound quality is high with a full dynamic range and detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal and faint, hardly any actually, this being one of the finest pressings I have heard for some time. Finding any copy of this album that will play silent is nigh-on impossible. As stated, I have heard this album several times on MGM and most have some inherent surface sound – this has hardly any. The odd gentle sporadic tick as a gentle reminder of what you actually listening too – a vintage vinyl record – not a clinical digital version. Excellent material and sung as only Nico could, this really is The Velvet Underground under Nico’s name – the missing album they could have made and been credited too. Few copies will match or outperform this quality pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played hardly at all and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. Never an easy album for condition or content, a copy that should please most collectors, my highest recommendation is mandatory.

* 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 2.2 grams.

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 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 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 it’s 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 programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14­ 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 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 withdrawals. 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 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’.