THE GRATEFUL DEAD (1st) VERY RARE ORIG UK 1968 MONO 1st PRESS LP – SUPER SOUND.

	£		25
	$		33

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 – 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: THE GRATEFUL DEAD

Album Title: The Grateful Dead

Producer(s): David Hassinge

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion); Beat It On Down the Line; Good Morning, Little School Girl; Cold Rain and Snow; Sitting on Top of the World; Cream Puff War.

Side 2: Morning Dew; New, New Minglewood Blues; Viola Lee Blues.

Label/Format: Warner Bros – rare original UK gold format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: These gold labels in practically all cases dull from handling, they clearly react from being touched. These have patchy dulling, but still look attractive. In terms of spindle marks, hardly any, thus this rare mono first UK issue plays superbly.

Cat Number: W 1689

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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: 164 grams. A heavyweight record made in the era of quality.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Rare as a first press UK mono with the original gold labels. Then a new psychedelic band, this was no major seller in the UK, few of these were pressed or sold here. Although this copy has cover damage on the spine end bottom corner (as seen clearly in close-up), the record itself appears little played and sounds superb. The front cover still looks impressive, that beautiful graphic is unaffected by damage. Not a copy for purists if the cover is crucial, but for those wanting a rare mono original – the record really delivers.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: W 1689 A-1 S / W 1689 B-1 S

Mothers / Stampers: C 1 / T 1

Musicians: Jerry Garcia – lead guitar, vocals; Bill Kreutzmann – drums; Phil Lesh – bass guitar, vocals; Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan – keyboards, harmonica, vocals; Bob Weir – guitar, vocals.

Brief Info: The legendary debut album which is a mix of original and cover material that includes their version of Bonnie Dobson’s masterpiece ‘Morning Dew’, which many regard as one of the finest versions ever issued. My favourite Grateful Dead album bar none, this very much in the early Jefferson Airplane style, it was produced by David Hassinge who produced their album ‘Surrealistic Pillow’. Beautiful artwork which is unspoilt under the front laminate of this UK cover – most of the damage is seen on the back. It even has a clean-shaven Gerry Garcia from the early days. In the original design for the album cover, the cryptic writing at the top apparently says, “In the land of the dark, the ship of the sun is driven by the Grateful Dead”. The band requested the text to be made unreadable bar their name. Not one I have seen many times, those I have had been little short of trashed, so finding this record in this very impressive condition (looks and sound) bucked the trend somewhat. Okay, the cover has damage, and will not be for purists – but as I always say – you cannot play a cover. That said, I rarely offer covers with damage like this, but some albums show up so infrequently, there is no way this cannot be offered. Most collectors will have enough knowledge and common-sense to know covers this great age will not always be found pristine, and many will accept the fact. The record and its sound is always the most important factor I feel, and in a perfect world both would be great – but not always possible. As seen, it is still attractive, the damage largely being at the bottom of the back, so not drawing the eye’s attention as much. Look and make your choice, but few will be disappointed with the classic and rare record.

Cover Grade and Format: GOOD(+): a grade I rarely have to use. But this actually looks considerably better in real terms. A single format with front lamination. This covers the folds and ends on the back on three external flipbacks. The main back panel is matt and smooth. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse with ‘Patents pending’ text. Also included is the original Warner promotional inner sleeve.

Lamination & Front: The front has a small piece of the bottom edge towards the left sheared off. That apart, it still looks impressive. The laminate retains excellent shine, clarity and freshness, the graphic beneath has only fine and light, mostly edge creases and no lifting. Any dulling and faint seen under light, any marks are very few and small. The artwork looks brilliant, not seen the American version myself, but most covers there were made with no laminate, if that was the case, it will never have this level of colour and attractiveness. A couple of small nicks on the right edge near the top, clearly that is minor compared to the back damage, but I will mention all I see.

Cover Back: Clearly a shame the bottom right corner and flipback end area has suffered a trauma in the past, because this apart, the back is of similar quality to the front. Best look at the close-up rather than me using lots of unneccessary words for this area. The main back panel itself has survived very well with little to fault bar gentle discolouration. Obviously the damage will be a concern or issue for some more discerning collectors – and I full respect that of course – but for those priority is the record, sound and music, this rare record is still worthy of high consideration.

Top Edge: Smooth, reasonably straight with barely any wear.

Bottom Edge: Around an inch of the fold card has sheared off leaving a smallish open area. Part of the flipback also gone as seen. A central area was split, now neatly repaired by myself to best of my ability. The affected corner area is still actually intact with edge.

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

Spine and Text: Apart from three very fine surface cracks, the spine has fared very well. Solid, gently bowed with minimal compression. The ends pinched in manufacture. The text is all present strong bar a clip to the ‘A’ in ‘DEAD’, under the solid and clear laminate.

Corners: Moderate tip rubbing with fair to fine shape largely retained.

Cover Summary: Not one for purists because of the clearly seen and stated damage to the bottom corner area and flipback. But still a sound and attractive one apart, the front especially. Minus that damage, I would have graded this near excellent. With such a fine record included, I this has to be offered – I am unlikely to find a ‘spare’ cover with no record. So still a very respectable example (with flaw) for the right collector.

The Inner Sleeve: VERY GOOD: a vintage unlined Warner Bros promotional inner made with very thin paper. Hence two edges were split, which I have repaired best I can. Some creasing as seen, but still a very respectable inner, one quite scarce in its own right.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: with only mostly very fine and faint surface marks seen under bright light. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and heavily pressed on pure, robust, deep-grooved vinyl. No penetrating stylus scratches and this plays very impressively with very little unwanted. A copy modestly played on all the evidence, this one not ruined by old worn, heavy-tracking stylus. Bought from new by the one owner, the only cover from the collection with any damage like this – not sure what happened, I did not ask – none of my business really. But others were nice and the lot were clearly looked after – this one with a mishap that does happen occasionally. Visually a fine mono record that should please many 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 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 brilliant West Coast psych classic plays even above it’s very fine visual grading with hardly anything 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. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Warner Bros records from this era were pressed thick, heavy and made to last – far more durable than some. Few mono originals will outperform this significantly I feel sure – this surface very infrequently here in this form. I am certain this record has been played sparingly and has been generally carefully handled (the record that is). Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. The record itself will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. Clearly the cover will be an issue for some – and will NOT hide the fact.

* 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 programmes. 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’.