THE YARDBIRDS - FIVE LIVE… VERY RARE ORIG UK 1964 COLUMBIA LP. SUPERB MONO SOUND

	£		157
	$		208

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 will now be blocked 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: YARDBIRDS

Album Title: Five Live Yardbirds.

Producer(s): Giorgio Gomelsky.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Too Much Monkey Business; I Got Love If You Want It; Smokestack Lightnin’; Goodmorning Little Schoolgirl; Respectable.

Side 2: Five Long Years; Pretty Girl; Louise; I’m a Man; Here ’Tis.

Label/Format: Columbia – Original Columbia turquoise label with embossed KT tax codes on side two. These fine letters completely unworn with full ink retention and no flattening. All the text details seen on my label pictures.

Label Conditions/Overview: Firstly remember the age of this record and it’s era, thus what it would have been likely played on. I often mention the mono records players of the early or mid-60s, the Dansettes and similar types and what they could do to records. Both labels are clean and still fresh looking. Spindle marks are less than moderate and even less on side two. Most being quite fine with modest visibility, seen more under angled light. The record’s playing surface has few marks – one surface scuff on the final song has NO sound – and overall, this vintage mono record plays superbly. There are no more crucial factors as far as I am concerned, this RnB classic was a pure thrill to play-grade.

Cat Number: 33SX 1677.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 153 grams. A more typical heavyweight pressing from this era of quality.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite rare: and very difficult to find a 1964 record that will still play little short of as-made. As stated, the vast majority of these will be rendered unlistenable by heavy usage on the most basic, very heavy tracking record players of the time. These early ‘beat’ classics were often ‘party-pieces’ and many loaned and ruined by multiple users. In terms of usage, this one looks far less played than many and the surfaces are still very clean. Yes one surface mark is seen, but totally superficial and non-sounding. The lack of groovewear, pops, clicks and even crackle makes this a rare find, the audio quality remains crisp and clean – the play-grade was a genuine thing of beauty. A legendary live album including a very young Eric Clapton, this is pure quality that demands to be included in any serious collection.

Original Year of Release: 1964

Matrix Nos: XAX 2725-1N / XAX 2726-1N

Stamper Codes: 1 GR / 1 L

Musicians: Keith Relf - Vocal, harmonica; Paul ‘Sam’ Samwell-Smith - electric bass guitar; Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar; Jim McCarty - drums; Eric Clapton - lead guitar.

Brief Info: Most people reading this listing will already know about this legendary album. A very unusual occurence for a first long player to be a live album, but nothing encaptures the early Yardbirds sound better than this awesome recording at The Marquee Club in London. A blistering set of raw excitment and high energy and is one of the most definitive recordings of this popular ‘beat’ period. Great vocals from Relf who also blows a mean harmonica and of course Eric ‘Slowhand’ Clapton never puts a note wrong and this album proved a launching pad for a very long and successful recording career. For those who were there, this must have been a phenomenal experience, you can almost feel the heat and passion of the band and audience as the volume and enthusiasm boils over. Several classic standards are covered with high intensity and few other bands at that time or since have ever captured their sound quite like this legendary recording. To hear such a clean sound as this via the original vinyl will thrill all fans and collectors. It almost seems unfair to play a 50-year-old mono record on such a revealing stereo turntable – my Linn LP12 Sondek takes no prisoners in revealing all – but this copy still excelled. Yes it has a few light surface marks and one scuff that shows more on the final song. But this has barely any unwanted sounds. All the vocals, guitars and full-on harmonica are fully focused with no clipping or echo. This is a loud and raw recording and a mighty fine one given the age and being live of course. Pulsating, exciting and sheer good time entertainment – Five Live Yardbirds has it all and this truly is one of the all-time greats.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a single format with front laminate, this covers all the closed edges and ends on the back via three external flipbacks. This one has NO ‘File Under’ text and was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse and has the ‘Recording first published in 1964’ text and ‘Patents pending’ text. The vintage tracing paper-style linner sleeve is included.

Lamination & Front: The front is age-defying and still looks very attractive. With solid, clear laminate, this retains very fine shine and freshness with only rim dulling seen under light from the thick heavy record, will any ever not have any? Barely any lifting and no peeling, any creasing little and light, Half a dozen small half moons near the right edge hardly show with normal full-on viewing. Very slight wear to the right entrance edge being somewhat critical, but little detracts from this splendid old cover, the artwork still looks fantastic.

Cover Back: Impressively respectable and still looking attractive. A little gentle toning around the edges and mild hints of grubbiness, but way less than average for a cover this incredible age. Barely any creasing or rubbing to the main matt back panel with any rim impression very gentle indeed. All the flipbacks are solid, unlifted with no damage. Just five hairline type laminate creases on these, and even the ends re still quite clean without the usual grime-line to the ends most are seen with. Also the lack of burring to the flipback ends is more good news. So just enough to remind of the age, but both sides of this classic cover will prove hard to find a great deal better.

Top Edge: Solid and smooth with full laminate retention with no scuffs, also still quite straight.

Bottom Edge: Largely the same, little to fault on this more wear-prone storage edge.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Some light to moderate thickening but not a great deal of real wear and overall these are neat. No feathering and solid, guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way, the front laminate end-line is wide and importantly, still present.

Spine and Text: An exceptional spine: solid, straight with barely any compression, the ends gently tapered in manufacture. The fully protected text is all unworn under the solid and very smooth laminate that has not peeled or darkened.

Corners: Light to moderate tip rubbing with mostly fine (arguably better) shape retained with minimal hint of erosion or rounding, just a trace on the bottom right.

Cover Summary: A splendid all-round example of this very scarce original mid-1960’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. With minimal real wear and only modest ageing this genuine rarity should please many collectors. Age has to be taken into account for any record cover, that’s a simple fact. People move houses, and the older the item the more likely it is to be handled and potentially damaged. Given the more than obvious facts, this cover, now over 50, is in highly respectable condition. Not for the perfectionist, but how many will still exist that will be? It still sets the bar high and many 60s beat collectors will treasure this one.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: a little aged with seam toning and mild discolouration. A couple of corner creases but both window circles are crisp and very neat. The fragile tracing paper style lining immaculate. No edge splits or repairs, so like the main cover, just enough to remind of age, but fully intact and strong.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT / EXCELLENT(–): with mostly just very fine and faint surface marks/hairlines with one scuff mark on the final song on side two. But even this fails to sound and the audio quality of this vintage piece is outstanding throughout. No penetrating stylus marks and no wear to the actual sound, this is also superbly pressed on very robust and clearly more forgiving, high-quality vinyl. This record is clean and retains fine shine and heavily pressed. A copy certainly played several times, but this has had practically no impact on sound and the audio quality exceeds the visual grading. Along with The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Small Faces, Kinks et al. albums of this age – beat albums were the most amongst the most played albums of this era and are the hardest of all to find still in high-quality playing conditions. This visually is still a very looking record, the scuff mark being the most significant visual issue, but as it has no audio affect, why worry? Visually, an impressive 50-year-old mono record that will take a fair degree of beating.

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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This wonderful rare record plays even a full grade above it’s highly respectable visual grading with very little to fault. It exceeded my expectations and was a delight from start to finish. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is high with a quality live sound that has real power and excitement. I have largely described the sound in my earlier preamble above but I have to say again, this captures a young band at their very best. Clearly they deemed their sound was best recorded live and it was proved correct. There are no studio restrictions to the sheer energy and enthusiasm of this set and it works perfectly. Any surface sounds are minimal and no pops or clicks of significance were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for any album let alone one like this. Mono records were the most vulnerable to wear and abuse and few survive sounding this clean and fine. The surface marks this record has were simply ignored and I honestly believe few early and available copies of this title will better it significantly. Both channels are clean and sharp and focused, and that will be rarely said for this legendary set. I can just imagine this album being blasted from a mono record player of the day, it was what it was made for let’s be honest. These Columbia records were tough however, and any plays this one has received has had little effect on these vintage grooves which are clean, clear and unworn, this record could easily last another 50+ years if carefully played and looked after. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful album. Any mono record this age always leaves me sceptical until I hear it and this one failed to disappoint. A little clipping or distortion is almost expected but I heard nothing from beginning to end, this was a real thrill. It will prove very difficult indeed to find significantly better for quality, clean sound and I unreservedly and strongly recommend it (even with the surface marks).

End Piece: It’s a fact of life that records of this vintage can very rarely be offered close to Mint or even a high grading EX+, but be assured even with a lower grading and visible marks, this record plays superbly. I will never compromise, if any record fails to please me or sounds less than great, I will not offer it – fact. I would rather give them away than offer inferior poor sounding noisy records. Few people shelled out good money in the 1960s on records they did not want to play and they simply got used. But this copy not only looks solid and attractive, it gives a great account of itself audibly as well. A legendary band and debut album, this is quite special.

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 Blue 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’.