SANTANA (1st Album) RARER ORIG UK 1969 VG LP, PLAYS GREAT. EX+ LAMINATED COVER.

	£		34
	$		45

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, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take longer 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.

ANY ITEM or ITEMS TO BE PAID WITHIN A MAXIMUM OF 6 DAYS or they will be cancelled – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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. Please only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: SANTANA

Album Title: Santana

Producer(s): Santana & Brent Dangerfield

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Waiting; Evil Ways; Shades of Time; Savor; Jingo.

Side 2: Persuasion; Treat; You Just Don’t Care; Soul Sacrifice.

Label/Format: CBS, original format with matt surfaces that have the faintest hint of texturing. These have the first credits as seen on my pictures. Later ones may look the same initially, but have Chrysalis credits for some songs.

Label Conditions: Both clean, still quite fresh and attractive with a few moderate spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. The record does have some surface marks, but plays superbly with little unwanted, virtually all visual blemishes are ignored*. The record much thicker and heavier than subsequent pressings.

Catalogue Number: S 63815

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Few vintage records are ever perfectly ‘flat’, so some slight or very gentle arm movement is normal. If any record I offer has more than that, I will mention it, and it can be assumed all I offer should track without issues, even on budget turntables.

Weight of this Record: 148 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: First issues, as per this copy, included front laminated cover and were manufactured by the Upton Printing Group. These are rare, on release in 1969, it sold very poorly. Only after they became better known and for a while, quite popular, did this album attract more attention. By then, it has been repressed on thinner vinyl, the labels with new credits and the laminate on the cover dropped on matt surfaces with no credits. The laminated covers, as always, add extra class and excellent good looks to bring out the intricate detail of the lion graphic. These were made in tiny numbers and seldom surface for sale.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: SBPG 63815 A1 / SBPG 63815 B1 [these full matrixes are not unique to first issues, I have a second issue copy of this album in stock with the same details. But the labels have the later credits and has the matt sleeve. Later ones still dropped the ‘BPG’ and only include the ‘S’ before the digits.

Credited Musicians: Carlos Santana – guitar, backing vocals; Gregg Rolie – lead vocals, Hammond organ, piano; David Brown – bass guitar; Michael Shrieve – drums; Michael Carabello – congas, percussion; José ‘Chepito’ Areas – timbales, congas, percussion.

Brief Info: The debut Santana band album and a brilliant set it proved to be. A new name for many at the time, certainly within the rock field. It was one of their heaviest albums and began the introduction of this master guitarist to a rock audience. However, few noticed this album on issue, only over time did it sell more. Originals with the laminated cover are elusive and seldom surface. This a heavyweight first issue – yes it has some marks, but most are ignored and the sound remains very clean and impressive. Mostly loud music, so the odd minor blemish is largely ‘lost’ anyway. Brilliantly produced and recorded as you would expect from this master musician, this failed to disappoint and exceeded my expectations. The much rarer first issue laminated cover is superb as-seen. A rare opportunity, but the record is not for visual perfectionists. However the sound more than compensates, or I would not offer it.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and even this hardly does it real justice. A single format with the front laminated, this covers all the folds and ends on the back via the spine edge. The back panel is matt and smooth. Printed and made in England by the Upton Printing Group, includes the 1969 CBS promotional inner sleeve.

Lamination & Front: A magnificent and dramatic front with the famous lion graphic, here seen to absolute maximum advantage under the very shiny, fresh and clear laminate that has hardly any traces of dulling, even under light, also no lifting. Any creasing very fine and faint, mostly confined to the spine edge with hardly any at all away from the sides. All gentle and faint. The white areas of the graphic are still exactly that, white, not yellowed or browned, and this does occur even under laminate as most collectors will know. So no exposure to nicotine or bad storage for this one. This rare original cover front will prove immensely difficult to match or find better.

Cover Back: Again, hardly worn, the lack of rubbing, and especially ring wear is great news for this unforgiving black surface. Any creasing gentle, few and light, only light handling traces which is so difficult to avoid. Viewed normally full on, this wear-prone surface looks very impressive and more than matches the quality of the front. It will also prove hard to find better.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both retain full laminate and are quite straight with no wear.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with any thickening little and light as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: A fantastic spine that looks practically as-made. Solid, straight with minimal compression, the ends are gently tapered in manufacture. All text perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate, this also beautifully centred as-seen.

Corners: A minute tip crease on the front top right (look very hard). Barely any wear apart with better than excellent shape retained.

Cover Summary: A very impressive all-round example of this much rarer original late 1960’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find better. This is the first laminated original I have seen in years, it should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: an unlined black and white CBS late 1960s promotional inner sleeve. Some top corner creasing apart, it has little to fault. All edges unsplit with no repairs, it includes the Patent No 1,125,555 text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: VERY GOOD: with some visible surface marks and superficial scuffs. Numerous much finer surface marks seen under light, virtually all visuals are non-sounding, the much thicker and heavier first issue record still plays impressively – and actually happy to state superbly. Still a fine visual copy that is very clean with fine shine and quite heavily pressed. Barely any (if any at all) penetrating stylus scratches, hence this largely avoids pops and clicks, the odd sporadic one or two, but such is the volume of most of the music, they are largely ‘lost’. Viewed in average room light, still a lovely record. Not for visual purists, but the audio more than compensates, so it will please many fans and collectors, and those wanting a genuine first issue. .

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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This quality album plays even above it’s visual grading with very little to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. This a loud and powerful recording, being a thicker and heavier record than subsequent pressings, the grooves are deep and any surface sounds are minimal with no tracking issues*. Even though marked, few available first press copies will outperform this significantly I feel sure. This exceeded my expections and the record gave a strong excellent play-grade which I thoroughly enjoyed. Little of any spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful album. For audio quality and that magnificent cover, it could prove difficult to find significantly better and can be recommended on that basis.

* 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 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

I am one of the most established sellers on Ebay, trading since 2001 and offering the finest 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 all elements of the items I offer for sale. You may notice I only submit records quite 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 story. I will try to 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 near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. I hope the item below is to your liking – any questions can be emailed and I will do my best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, major 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 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie 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 D7500 DSLR 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.

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 bid retractions. 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 only 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 2 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive – if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund if the item is returned in the same condition is was sent e.g. as per the listing pictures.

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, 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.