PINK FLOYD, BAKERLOO, PETE BROWN, BATTERED ORNAMENTS et al - 1970 HARVEST PICNIC

	£		46
	$		61

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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: VARIOUS ARTISTS on HARVEST

Album Title: Picnic (A Breath of Fresh Air)

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: 1. Into the Fire (Deep Purple); 2. Mother Dear (Barclay James Harvest); 3. Embryo (Pink Floyd); 4. Twisted Track (The Battered Ornaments); 5. Glenlogie (Shirley & Dolly Collins).

Side 2: 6. The Good Mr Square (The Pretty Things); 7. Song of the Ages (Roy Harper); 8. The Worried Feeling (Bakerloo); 9. Eleanor’s Cake Which Ate Her (Kevin Ayers); 10. Again and Again (The Greatest Show on Earth).

Side 3: 11. Water (The Third Ear Band); 12. Terrapin (Syd Barrett); 13. A Glade Somewhere (Forest); 14. Golden Country Kingdom (Pete Brown and Piblokto); 15. Round and Round (Panama Limited Jug Band).

Side 4: 16. Black Sheep of the Family (Quatermass); 17. Postcards of Scarborough (Michael Chapman); 18. Maybe My Mind (Tea & Symphony); 19 Old Gopher (Edgar Broughton Band).

Catalogue Number: SHSS 1/2

Label/Format: Harvest – Orig Pre-EMI format with ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ text on rims, these have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: All four are in superb clean and fresh condition. This is a compilation that often took a lot of usage and seldom is it seen this clean. Spindle marks are on all four are very light and very few – the second record a mere one or two only, without any doubt, both discs have hardly been played to offer a near perfect Picnic.

Cat Number: SHSS 1/2

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of these Records: 130 / 126 grams. average solid weights for this pair.

Rarity: Quite scarce, especially like this. Although popular and great value at the time, I would think this was only available for a relatively short time and never (as far as I know anyway) issued on CD. This classic Harvest double-set with it’s bizarre artwork is almost certainly unique to the vinyl format, all four sides play superbly. Due to the inclusion of a unique Pink Floyd song entitled ‘Embryo’, without the band’s permission, it was fairly quickly removed from sale.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: SHSS 1 A-2, SHSS 1 B-1 / SHSS 2 A-1, SHSS 2 B-1

Stampers: 1 GT / 1 R / 1 H / 2 GD

Brief Artist & Album Info: Not just another sampler (some consider it a compilation), far from it, this ‘picnic’ serves up a feast of ‘progressive’ entertainment from beginning to end. Every collector will know those interesting black and white advertising inner sleeves with those rather more obscure (and magnificent) early Harvest album covers printed on them. All the super rare ones that sold modestly (or less) between 1969-1970. This double sampler set has a track by them all, and many actually feature the best track from the representative album. It has a wonderfully unique Hipgnosis designed gatefold cover, and like the early and elusive albums, this one shows up less often these days. Not only great bands here, there are some mighty fine producers too including: Norman Smith, Andrew King, Peter Jenner, Gus Dudgeon and Johnathan Peel (not the DJ). Apart from the impressive music on offer, serious prog collectors want this set because it includes a rare Pink Floyd track called ‘Embryo’ that was unique to this double set. It must rank as Floyd’s rarest song, never a single (or B-side), and not issued on any official album bar this. It’s a lovely song too, written by Roger Waters, this would have been perfect on the More or Ummagumma albums, it was produced by Norman Smith. Delicate and atmospheric, this is a quiet track and very delicate. Here it plays beautifully with practically nothing unwanted as does the whole album which sadly is not often the case. Devoid of distortion that is so often rife on some of the more prone tracks like Kevin Ayers, The Third Ear Band and Syd Barrett. The artists featured on this superb and highly collectable early Harvest sampler are listed above with their appropriate track. I am a huge fan of this classic label and I search for any item that is available if the conditions are right. Don’t take this as an ordinary sampler, this is a very collectable set and should be included in any serious Harvest or progressive rock collection. This example is impressive with two superb clean records, both appear hardly played and sound terrific. The cover has aged well with little wear, it has avoided the grime formation on the laminate ends that most seem to attract but did have a neat smallish tear on the inside right edge now very neatly repaired and appearing now as a fine crease. I am certain this has never been issued on CD making the vinyl original unique, it gives more than an insight into the early Harvest catalogue and Floyd’s ‘Embryo’ worthy of the price alone.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: this taking into account of the small inside repair as mentioned. This example actually looks way better than excellent. A gatefold format, laminated front and back, designed by Hipnosis. The laminate ends on the inside top edges with all folds covered. Printed and made in England. The original polylined plain inners are included.

Lamination – Front & Back: It has been suggested the mysterious gas-masked foursome on the front are Pink Floyd, but that has been largely dismissed. This gatefold cover does not wear well and most are seen with heavy dulling and ring wear. Also the laminate ends attract grime which ages the cover badly. This copy has largely avoided all these issues. The laminate retains superb shine and clarity with minimal dulling, even under light. Gentle rim impression is near impossible to avoid totally as double sets press more against each other, any present again gentle and faint. The lack of lifting always good news as well, this has perfect adhesion and has minimal creasing – even with the small, neat inside blemish, this is one of the most attractive Picnic covers I have seen for ages.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Both faces are very impressive, the laminate ends on the top edges and is very clean and lacking the dust and grubbiness most seem to attract. Also these ends have not pulled. The aforementioned small tear on the right edge is now neatly repaired and only shows as a fine ‘crease. So not perfect, but this will still blow many away for attractive fresh looks.

Top Edges: Barely worn with smooth unchipped laminate, flat and flush, these are clean and impressive.

Bottom Edges: Largely the same again.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both these entrance edges are in clean and sharp condition. Even the laminate ends have avoided the grubbiness they usually attract and both are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way. Any traces of thickening or burring are tiny, few and faint as seen critically end-on, these will prove immensely hard to find better when left natural. On the inside record storage area, it appears the one owner put a line of tape which has left residue marks. But being in the cover, this remains invisible unless looked for – quite why this was done, I have no idea, but out of sight – out of mind and harmless. But as always, I will mention everything I notice when inspecting.

Spine and Text: Superb! – solid and straight with minimal compression. This cover always forms a natural central ridge purely from opening. This can, and so often does result in the laminate peeling and that is hard to avoid. Here the laminate is totally full with no flaking, cracking or loosening, that is rare to see. The ‘PICNIC’ text totally unworn and very easy to read as seen with no sinking into a deep groove as per many. This one is folded square, so the edges meet up flush and parallel. It has to be the very best spine for this cover I have seen to date.

Corners: Barely any tip wear at all with superb better than excellent shape retained with no bashes or noteworthy dinks. Any tip creasing is minuscule and tiny.

Cover Summary: The one inside neat repair apart, this is a very impressive all-round example of this scarce Harvest early 1970’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find significantly better. So many are seen very tired, badly dulled and creased with ugly grime on the laminate ends – this has little of any – and the laminate barely aged with terrific shine and clarity. This attractive gatefold cover will please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeves: EXCELLENT: a pair of polylined white inners that are a mirror-image pair, British made and patented. Both have pristine window circles and very clear unfogged linings. A little crinkle but no hard creases as such, all edges are unsplit with no repairs. A little patchy toning to the seam adhesive that is so hard to avoid, so very gently aged only.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): with four impressively attractive playing surfaces. These are very clean with fine shine and pressed on solid vinyl. Even under bright light, any surface trace marks are very fine, wispy and faint, there are no penetrating stylus scratches at all, and I am certain both discs have been played very little. Lovely vintage records with no affects from the polylinings – and all four sides play as good as they look++.

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: All 19 songs on this great set play superbly with hardly anything to fault. The prized and delicate ‘Embro’ by Pink Floyd, then unavailable elsewhere, plays very cleanly with very little unwanted – that some achievement for such a quiet and delicate piece. The same goes for practically the whole album and this is no easy task as there are some difficult songs included. None more so than Kevin Ayers and Third Ear Band tracks that often suffer distortion and are highly prone to it – none heard at all on this copy. The quieter folky songs also play supremely well too. For those who have just seen the inners and never the albums, Picnic gives a great insight into these lesser-known, early and highly collectable Harvest artists. It still remains a mystery to me why the rare Floyd cut was never included on a full album – apparently it was issued on Picnic without permission. A haunting track very much in the ‘Cirrus Minor’ and ‘Cymbaline’ mould from More and is a beautiful song all Pink Floyd fans will want – can your system, reveal the fine details of sound near the song’s end? Most collectors will appreciate this set, a gateway to the early Harvest world, and it really is not that common to find with records like this. Considered by some as a compilation rather than a sampler – what is for sure, it is one of the very best of it’s type ever issued.

End Piece: A great introduction to some rare bands and tracks. A stunning array of cult talent, some classic songs and with the hugely important, unique Pink Floyd song, ‘Embryo’ it should appeal to the Floyd officianados too. Only rarely do samplers/compilations include ‘unique’ tracks and they seldom get better or more significant than this. Some of these originals are largely ‘lost’ now - how often will Pete Brown, Battered Ornaments, Bakerloo, Greatest Show on Earth, Forest, Panama Limited, Quatermass and Tea & Symphony items appear on vinyl these days? It’s just great to hear them again on the format they originally were released on. This is NO ordinary compilation, it’s an important, even vital album in it’s own right, I have rarely heard all four sides better, do not miss this one, unreservedly recommended.

* 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’.