SLAPP HAPPY - Sort Of - Orig UK 1972 N/M LP

	£		1,131
	$		1,499

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Artist or Band: SLAPP HAPPY

Album Title: Sort Of.

Producer(s): Uwe Nettelbeck.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Just a Conversation; Paradise Express; I Got Evil; Little Girl’s World; Tutankhamun; Mono Plane.

Side 2: Blue Flower; I’m All Alone; Who’s Gonna Help Me Now?; Small Hands of Stone; Sort Of; Heading For Kyoto.

Label/Format: Polydor (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both practically as made: very clean, fresh and attractive with barely a spindle trace to be seen.

Cat Number: 2310204.

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: 125 grams. About average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: RECORD: England / COVER: Germany.

Rarity & Info: Very Rare: one of the rarest albums on a major label and without doubt, one of the rarest I titles I have yet offered in my 10 years of being an Ebay member. The guides put a big value on this but even this hardly tells the true story. This was pressed in tiny numbers in the UK and the cover was imported from Germany. Apparently, it came with a flimsy German insert that could have been mistaken for a promotional sheet, hence few will even exist these days, this is NOT included. It appears the reason for this album going totally unnoticed was the lack of promotion and the band’s decision not to tour. It simply sunk without trace with only tiny numbers sold or even made. Now a hugely collectable and sort-after album as a UK-pressed original and few will ever be seen or offered in such clean condition. The labels and playing surfaces give more than strong indication this has hardly seen light-of-day. The cover has aged a little more with some relatively minor visual blemishes, but the record without doubt has not made the trip out many times (if indeed, at all). Soundwise, a little light intermittent crackle was noted on one track on side one (‘Paradise Express’), and a mere, even briefer trace on side two (blink and you will miss it), but this apart, it plays superbly. These brief short crackles within the pressing and nothing to do with marks, I would think most of the tiny few that exist could be similar. Clearly this is a piece for the serious prog-rock and Krautrock collector – with backing by Faust, this was produced by Uwe Nettelbeck at the legendary Wümme Studios in Germany. The female vocals are by Dagmar Krause who has a almost unique vocal style and the material is reasonably easy on the ear, less avant garde than when the main two members moved to England and teamed up with Henry Cow. The Faust backing sound will be familiar to fans and the songs are quite varied, they have a quirky style that will be familiar on the Virgin-era Fault albums. Being a serious Krautrock fan, I instantly loved this album, this being my first ever copy on vinyl – I feel sure many would have never seen it before either. It rarely surfaces and is one of the rarest albums within this highly collectable genre – stating the obvious, a very rare opportunity, if this is needed, do not lose it.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: 2310204 A // 1 420 1 1 1 & [2344037] 2310204 B // 1 420 1 1 2. Note: the bracketed figures are lightly struck through and the correct side figures are scripted. All other characters are typically punched Roman Polydor style matrixes.

Musicians: Peter Blegvad – Guitar, Saxophone, Vocals; Dagmar Krause – Vocals, Tambourine, Piano, Woodblock; Anthony Moore – Guitar, Keyboards, Vocalsl Gunter Wüsthoff – Saxophone; Werner ‘Zappi’ Diermaier – Drums; Jean-Hervé Péron – Bass guitar.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a fairly flimsy single format that was fully laminated. Printed and made in Germany, this was the standard cover that was imported for the UK market, apparently a German insert sheet was included initially, this one does not include it.

Lamination – Front & Back: This is a standard-made German cover that was imported for use with the tiny few UK pressed copies. The laminate retains a fine shine and clarity with minimal traces of any dulling or friction rubs – light evidence near the top and bottom edges from rim pressure in storage seen under light. Mostly fully adhered too with just a little lifting on the back top spine edge that shows little, there is no peeling. Just a couple of relatively minor issues: the spine edge has some fine hairline crease-cracks that have lightly darkened, so they show a little more. They are only small and light and few covers this flimsy will avoid these totally. The other is a small fade on the back top left corner, this matches the top edge which has also faded, so it appears a trait of this pink coloured in. I would assume due to light exposure over the 40 or so years, the spine is a little similar too. Some ink hues fade more than others and clearly this is prone. There are barely any creases away from the edges and none present are heavy, any discolouration is tiny, faint and minor but there is slight clues to vintage with minor non-specific traces of ageing. The superb artwork on the front is nigh-on pristine and the laminate remains unscuffed or unmarked by stickers or pressmark indentations. Overall, a near excellent example of one of the rarest album covers you will find.

Top Edge: Faded by light with a small few ultra fine surface hairline creases, full laminate cover is retained.

Bottom Edge: Barely any wear at all.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Quite clean and fairly sharp with little wear and no feathering or trimming. Very slightly thickened viewed end-on, the number 209 is written inside the storage area. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, reasonably straight with some mildish compression in places. A small few fine hairline creases again and the pink colour faded by light – again, I assume this will not be unusual as most store covers with the exposed for easier location. All text is perfect and unworn under the clear laminate that is still fully present and adhered bar a small chip on the bottom corner.

Corners: Minimal cornerwear and all retain very fine shape.

Cover Summary: A lightly aged but still attractive cover, one of the rarest with the progressive genre and I can think of few rarer albums on the major Polydor label. This rarely offered item should please many collectors, but not the perfectionists. Sometimes for the super-rare items, a little compromise has to be made, this will not be seen or offered often with a UK-pressed record inside.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): the UK printed lined Polydor sleeve has aged little, any traces near the seams with some mildish glue darkening. Two immaculate window circles and solid inner. Barely any creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-): a superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with labels devoid of spindle marks and any surface trace marks on the playing surfaces barely even visible. Visually a super record that should please most-all collectors. Visually, I wonder if a cleaner, less-played UK-pressed example will even exist.

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: This mega-Polydor prog rarity mostly plays up to it’s high visual grading with little to fault. The only blemish noted, as already mentioned, is some very brief intermittent crackle on the side one’s second track, ‘Paradise Express’, and a tiny trace on side two that is so brief it could go almost unnoticed. No pops or clicks were noted and sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound, most-all of it’s duration is as you would expect from a barely played record. Polydor pressings are usually amongst the best around and to hear any minor brief crackle was a slight surprise, but few near 40-year-old record will play as quiet as a CD, a simple fact and trait of the format. Any other surface sounds barely even registered and overall, a mainly clean pressing. I have never had another one of these to compare this too, and quite unlikely I ever will have, even some very experienced dealers have told me they have never had one of these. Although the cover has aged a little, the record certainly hasn’t and a cleaner, less marked copy will prove nigh-on impossible to find. Very little spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, I enjoy the more challenging music and Faust and Slapp Happy are great exponents. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. If any of the small issues are of concern, do not bid, but with so few of these even in existence, consider carefully, I state again, this in real terms is one of the rarest titles I have offered on Ebay.

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 QED Silver 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.

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.

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 stiffners 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (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 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’.

NOTE: Now included with this already very rare record, is a superb reproduction of the impossibly rare insert sheet with all the lyrics in English. This is NOT full size, scale can be seen against the album cover and still a worthwhile addition to this set. As the insert sheet came with only a tiny few UK copies, it is nigh-on impossible to find, this at least shows what it looks like and is printed in high definition. The size is 7.75 x 8.75 inches.