RENAISSANCE ex-Yardbirds Rare Island Pink Debut. EX LP.

	£		22
	$		29

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World in 2010.

Artist or Band: RENAISSANCE

Album Title: Renaissance.

Producer(s): Paul Samwell-Smith.

Engineer(s): Andrew Johns.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Kings and Queens; Innocence.

Side 2: Island; Wanderer; Bullet.

Label/Format: Island – Original full pink format, smooth finish and a lovely shade of ‘salmon pink’, the rarer pale version.

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: ILPS 9114.

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: 142 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 135 to 145 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, many 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 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: I regard this probably the most difficult album in the Island catalogue to find in decent condition. The record very difficult and the cover near impossible.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9114 A1 1 1 / ILPS 91114 B1 1 2

Musicians: Keith Relf - vocals, guitar, harmonica; Jim McCarty - percussion, vocals; John Hawken - piano, harpsichord; Louis Cennamo - bass; Jane Relf - vocals, percussion.

Brief Info: The original Renaissance were the other band formed from split of The Yardbirds. Wanting to be different musically than before, this band played a more classical based progressive rock but did not stay together for long. The name continued but with an entirely different line-up that went on to be quite successful in their own right. This original line-up did reappear later as ‘Illusion’. This early Island set is a lovely album and quite unique in its day. A notoriously difficult record to find in top playing conditions with groove-wear rife on many copies resulting in distortion and breakup, particularly to the vulnerable piano parts. This has many quiet moments too and I have seldom ever heard a really decent copy and yet to ever hear a ‘perfect’ playing example. Many experienced dealers and collectors have the same opinions and like me, regard it one of the most impossible albums ever. The cover fairs even worse and must rank as one of the most intolerant ever made. Well this has a pretty typical cover but better than average and the main faces have little wear and look attractive. The records itself is lovely and does play well and is devoid of most all of the usual problems. It is very clean and looks very lightly played, the only blemishing, yes there almost has to be something on this title, is some light surface sound near the end of side two on the ultra quiet piano part. If anyone can claim to have a pristine silent copy of this album on any Island format label, well treasure it because I truly think few exist.

Cover Grade and Format: EX(-) and although not an exceptional grading, it can be deemed more so for this impossibly wear-prone cover. An unlaminated gatefold format and is near to impossible to find in anything like top conditions. Printed and made in the UK.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high indeed. One of the very worst ever with ink that fades and rubs just by looking at it. Near impossible to find devoid of ringwear and major rubbing on all surfaces.

Cover Front: Put into context, this is a very attractive front. It lacks the usual unsightly wear that affects most all, especially the early-made ones with the heavier, thicker pink label albums inside. The only visible wear seen from the front is some edge rub encroachment mainly from the top edge. The actual front itself has barely any wear and is unusually clean, fresh and lacking creasing and ringwear. Certainly one of the better ones I have seen for some considerable time.

Cover Back: Similar to the front with just a few fine edge creases and a small few light marks mainly visible with angled viewing. A little light rubbing near the bottom and again some edge wear is visible. One of the tiny few I have ever seen without deep penetrating ringwear from which this one suffers more than most. In fact it has avoided it altogether which I consider almost a minor miracle.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Even the inside of this one wears and again ringwear can set in fast. This has avoided this totally and only has the slightest traces of surface rubbing to the blue edge frame. This centrefold, like the main front and back faces will prove difficult to find much better.

Top & Bottom Edges: Light+ to moderate, patchy rubbing or chips.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front edge is sealed and quite neat with little wear. The back opening edge has thickened a little but has no feathering. Both are guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: The spine has faired quite well: still solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up quite closely together and almost parallel. I have seen a few of these folded badly off-square and this adds to the unattractiveness. This does have some modest rubbing but only to the ends and the just to the top fold in a couple of places. Highly worthy of note, ALL the text is present and unworn as is the main surface of area of the spine’s surface.

Corners: All have moderate rubbing and being dark it shows. Given all the facts, they mostly retain decent shape.

Cover Summary: The most difficult and challenging of covers, this makes Led Zeppelin II seem ‘easy’, but again in context not that bad either. It’s one I have yet to see in top condition and this is one of the most respectably attractive ones I have seen. But with a lovely original record inside, their lies the difference, that was a pleasure to listen too and that basis I am more than happy to offer this set. Not a cover for the connoisseur stating the obvious but sometimes even the discerning have to compromise a little.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX+ / EX++ and a superb looking Island record. As difficult to find this clean as the cover. Fresh with super shine, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy played very little on all the evidence. It has one faint surface scuff at the start of side one but has little sound, little else bar that apart and this looks exceptional. Visually this record should please many, if not most 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: One of the most challenging Island, and indeed rock albums for clean sound. Most of the examples I have heard have some form of groove-wear distortion and often with plenty of surface noise and crackle. This copy plays mostly up to its visual grading, a little below briefly, but a high percentage above. Strong totally distortion-free sound with sharp and clear reproduction. The piano pieces are very difficult indeed and here they do sound sharp and devoid of clipping that so often happens on this one. The opening of side one is a solo piano and I have rarely heard it sound better, sharper of clearer than this. The faint scuff has a tiny few ultra faint and gentle ticks, they register little and fade fast. Basically, this record is intolerant of any heavy stylus abuse or overplaying on heavy weighted equipment. This copy looks modestly played and has survived any damaging groove-wear and this was very enjoyable to listen too still (and will be in the future on modern lightweight decks). However, silence on this record is nigh-on impossible: this has some very mild surface sound, gentle and fairly brief towards the end of side two on the ultra quiet bass solo outro part just before the ethereal vocal comes in. So common on this recording I am almost convinced it’s present on most copies. Minus this, a record that sets the bar high and still does anyway. A beautiful recording but fragile to say the very least. Any other surface sounds are minimal indeed and no irritating significant pops or clicks were noted and this (overall) is a cleaner pressing than most. I enjoyed this immensely and I feel most other listeners will too. Few early pink copies will outperform this significantly I feel sure, but if ‘silence’ is demanded from a 40-year-old, impossibly difficult record, the wait for the near improbable will have to continue. Little, if anything really spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. I feel pressing standards on this title were not the very best ever and I could say the same on one or two other Island classics also. Free’s ‘Fire and Water’ and King Crimson’s debut (amongst others) are incredibly hard to find also that will play well. As far as it goes, this copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and on that basis, it can be warmly recommended. However, if some cover wear and a little mild, brief and gentle surface sound is not acceptable, do not bid.

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: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). 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 VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. 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 as well as a 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 ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not 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. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

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 ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12. (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 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’.