THE BATTERED ORNAMENTS “Mantle-Piece” CHRIS SPEDDING UK Jazz Prog Psych lp M-

$

88

THE BATTERED ORNAMENTS “Mantle-Piece” UK Prog Psych lp M-

1969/Canada/Harvest Records SKAO-422….. here’s a clean original Canadian pressing of this rare lp. The cover is in solid condition, there is light shelf wear top and bottom of the cover, light seam wear and 2 delete holes, top right and lower left corners, otherwise this cover is clean and solid with no splits. The vinyl is in clean Excellent to M- condition with four super light inaudible hairlines on one side and a bit of staining from the inner sleeve. The vinyl looks and plays clean with excellent fidelity! A smooth clean play with no distractions! Clean deep groove labels have no spindle wear or marks. A solid clean original pressing! Don't miss this gem! Please check my auctions for other prog, psych and rock lp’s. Good luck and thanks for looking!

Battered Ornaments were credited as the backup band to Pete Brown on their first album, 1969's A Meal You Can Shake Hands With in the Dark. For the follow-up, however, they chucked Brown out of the band and released it simply as the Battered Ornaments. It's a disappointment after its flawed but worthwhile predecessor, mostly because of Brown's physical absence; although his presence is still felt as the writer or co-writer of most of the songs, his vocals were erased and re-recorded by other members of the band. Brown's gruff voice might not have been that great, or as accessible to the pop audience as many other frontmen's of the time, but it did have character, which is something you can't say for the merely functional replacement vocals by the other musicians. It's also true, however, that the material on this record isn't as good or imaginative as the songs on A Meal You Can Shake Hands With in the Dark, lacking some of the jazz-blues-psychedelic colorings that made that prior LP interesting. The tunes are eclectic but disjointed, and while you can hear some of Brown's unusual and striking lyrical imagery bob up to the surface on some of the better numbers (especially "The Crosswords and the Safety Pins"), the anonymous vocals make their quality far easier to overlook.

AIR POSTAGE TO USA IS $12 IF THE PACKAGE WEIGHS LESS THAN 500 GRAMS (one regular weight pressing).........USA AIR POSTAGE FROM 500 GRAMS TO 1 KILO IS $16 (usually 1-3 lp’s depending on individual weight) IF YOU WANT TRACKING PLEASE E-MAIL ME FOR THE COST.

AIR POSTAGE OVERSEAS UNDER 500 grams is $20-$26 depending on location (one regular weight lp), OVER 500 grams is $39-$44 depending on location (usually up to 3 lp’s depending on individual weight) IF YOU WANT TRACKING PLEASE E-MAIL ME FOR THE COST.

IN CANADA..POSTAGE IS $10 to $15, as per postal code. PLUS APPLICABLE HST/GST. TRACKING AND INSURANCE INCLUDED. PLEASE WAIT FOR MY INVOICE AS THE eBAY INVOICE IS WRONG

I REMOVE RECORDS FROM THE COVERS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS, IF IT'S SEALED I WILL LEAVE IT SEALED UNLESS YOU LET ME KNOW OTHERWISE. ALL USED RECORDS CLEANED ON A VPI RECORD CLEANING MACHINE. I offer Combined shipping on all listings. Combined shipping rate is based on final weight of the package so if you'd like a quote prior to purchase, please inquire listing the titles you’re interested in.

PLEASE PAY WITHIN 7 DAYS UNLESS DISCUSSED BEFORE AUCTIONS END. IF NO CONTACT OR PAYMENT IS MADE THE ITEM WILL BE RE-LISTED AND I WILL FILE A NON PAYMENT CLAIM TO RECOVER MY COSTS. PLEASE DO NOT USE E-BAY CHECK OUT, I WILL SEND YOU THE CORRECT INVOICE. I WILL CONTACT YOU AFTER THE SALE. IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY WITH YOUR PURCHASE PLEASE CONTACT ME TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK AND I WILL BE HAPPY TO DO THE SAME! THANKS AND GOOD LUCK!!

///GRADING///

MINT: as stated with no defects

NEAR MINT: as stated near Mint!, or Mint Minus, same thing, very clean with no defect to sound or visual appearance, one scuff or mark may be permitted but it will be mentioned in the description, a near Mint record looks and plays very clean

EXCELLENT: not much below near Mint, may have a delete hole and/or a minor defect or two not visually detracting from the cover, the vinyl will appear shiny and in clean condition with very minor defects not affecting the sound, still very clean and very collectable!

VG++ still a very nice copy with minimal cover wear and/or delete/splits, still visually appealing, the vinyl will retain it's original gloss and can have some minor scuffs/scratches that don't affect play very much

VG+ a little more cover/ring wear and delete, splits etc., the vinyl will still retain much original gloss with a bit more scuffs and/or scratches I may list a very rare or desirable item with a lower grade, I will try to list all defects, both cover and vinyl no matter the condition.