PENTANGLE Solomon’s Seal SCARCE ORIG UK 1972 EX++ LP. BEAUTIFUL BRITISH FOLK GEM

	£		22
	$		29

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all. More details on this 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: PENTANGLE

Album Title: Solomon’s Seal.

Producer(s): John Wood & Pentangle.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Sally Free and Easy; The Cherry Tree Carol; The Snows; High Germany; People on the Highway.

Side 2: Willy O’Winsbury; No Love is Sorrow; Jump Baby Jump; Lady of Carlisle.

Label/Format: Reprise with no Warner logo, these have a matt, smooth finish (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with hardly a spindle trace to be seen.

Cat Number: K 44197.

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: 122 grams. A fairly typical weight for the era and this record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: Pentangle’s most elusive album and this is a beauty. It includes the fragile ultra thin lyric sheet and the record looks and plays practically as new.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: K 44197 A4 / K44197 B4

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘PORKY’ / ‘PECKO’

Musicians: Terry Cox – drums, finger cymbals, vocals; Bert Jansch - guitars, banjo, dulcimer, vocal; Jacqui McShee - vocals; John Renbourn - acoustic guitars, electric guitar, recorder, sitar, harmonica, vocal and Danny Thompson - upright acoustic bass.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Along with Fairport Convention Pentangle were in the premier league of folk bands around this time. They had a unique sound blending folk with blues and jazz influences. A hugely talented five piece band, all top-quality performers, Thompson especially for me stands out as one of the finest upright bass players ever. His style is so distinctive and his guest appearances on various other albums can always be distinctly heard which is credit to an acoustic bass player. Jacqui McShee too has a wonderful expressive voice, just listen to the traditional classic ‘Willy O’Winsbury’ that opens sides two, it is simply sublime and I have never heard this song sung better. Starting out more as a blues singer, she began it all in the club and pub circuit. This was their last album for some time, and not a big seller, making it the most elusive and difficult to find in their catalogue. This copy is in super condition and it includes the wafer thin and fragile lyric insert in undamaged, clean condition. The cover is quite rustic, not dissimilar to Traffic’s ‘John Barleycorn’ and does not always wear well, this has little overall to fault. Also the same for the record which plays with pure, clean, crisp sound. A unique record and band, Pentangle were special, very special indeed and few folk bands even came close to matching them, and this one of their very finest.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a single unlaminated cover with a rustic type matt finish. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press and includes it’s original inner sleeve and delicate lyric insert sheet.

Cover Front & Back: The front is mainly very clean, fresh and attractive with any marks few and light. A faint and fine rim arc rub near the top edge with the odd tiny crease and minor tip rub, but little else. The deep blue graphic and black text totally unworn and seen to maximum advantage. The back is very similar indeed, and better if anything and this somewhat wear-prone front and back will both be hard to find much better.

Top & Bottom Edges: Very light surface rubs which hardly even register on a cover like this, both straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear at all. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with any compression light. Lightly darkened but all text unworn, which on this vulnerable cover is unusual, centred a little low in manufacture.

Corners: Fairly light tip rubbing, again very modest with little visual distraction. Fine to very fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this elusive 70’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. This solidly attractive item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(-): superbly preserved and guaranteed, original. Unlined and plain with hardly any creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

The Lyric Insert: EXCELLENT(++): and one of the thinnest and most fragile inserts ever put inside a record cover and often missing altogether. This again is in superb condition with no tears and only a very gentle semi-crease. This will also prove immensely difficult to find better. Viewing under light the paper appears watermarked. All edges crisp and sharp and remains fresh and clean, and of course, guaranteed original.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and a very impressive looking record. A super visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy very little played on all the evidence and with fantastic sound. Any surface traces are fine and whispy as seen right up close under bright angled light. Visually a super example that should please many, if not most collectors again.

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 beautiful folk classic plays up to and most-all even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. With barely any surface sound and no pops noted, this is an exceptional clean pressing for a difficult album. Largely acoustic and rarely for Pentangle, some electric guitar used, but still a fairly quiet album that needs a high quality pressing and this one delivers beautifully. Few copies will match or outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. With such immaculate labels and very clean playing surfaces, it actually makes me wonder if this has hardly been played at all. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended, do not miss this beautiful timless classic set.

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 Terrarium 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 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 stiffeners 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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 2 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). 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 FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, 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 and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). 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] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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’.