TINY TIM 2nd Album Elusive UK Orig 1968 Reprise N/M LP.

	£		21
	$		28

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: TINY TIM

Album Title: Tiny Tim’s 2nd Album.

Producer(s): Richard Perry.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Come to the Ball; My Dreams are Getting Better all the Time; We Love It; When I Walk With You; Community; She’s Just Laughing at Me; Have You Seen My Little Sue?; Chrisopher Brady’s Ole Lady.

Side 2: Great Balls of Fire; Neighbourhood Children; I Can’t Help But Wonder; It’s All Right Now; Down Virginia Way; Medley: a) I’m Glad I’m a Boy and I’m Glad I’m a Girl; b) My Hero; As Time Goes By.

Label/Format: Reprise – original tri-coloured steamboat format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: RSLP 6323.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 126 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very scarce: indeed only the second time I have ever found this album. Tiny Tim made three albums for Reprise, the debut being the easiest to locate but the others two are elusive.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: RSLP 6323 A-2 * STEREO / RSLP 6323 B-2 * STEREO

Stamper Codes: A 1 / E 1

Brief Artist & Album Info: Born Herbert Khaury this eccentric entertainer regularly played on the New York Greenwich Village circuit during the early to mid-60s. A bizarre figure with his long straggly hair, beak-like nose and camp mannerisms, he had a warbling, falsetto voice and played ukulele and this all round novelty actually gave a him a hit single with ‘Tip-Toe Thru’ the Tulips in 1968. He worked under many pseudonyms but settled on Tiny Tim borrowed from a Charles Dicken’s character in A Christmas Carol. Strange yes, but this guy has a charm and personality that makes his records very enjoyable if you have the taste to try something different. I can just about remember seeing him on TV appearing on the ‘Andy Williams Show’ in the late 60s, and even then thinking ‘this man is pretty weird’. Well after all these years I finally get to hear this second album, and I did not hold out much hope of actually liking it - but to my surprise I love it! - I enjoy all things weird and different and this is certainly that. His version of the rock n roll classic ‘Great Balls of Fire’ is pretty amazing, you haven’t heard nothing quite like this before - its pure crazy - along with ‘label-mate’ Larry ‘Wildman’ Fischer this has to be one of the most eccentric and off-the-wall artists to get a recording contract. Anyone who enjoys the bizarre, unusual and truly original will love this one, this too would not have been out of place on Zappa’s Straight label that specialised in the unusual, odd-beat and weird - Tiny Tim more than fitted this bill and Straight artist lovers will enjoy this album I feel sure. The undervalued price in the guides give few clues to the rarity of this album too, UK copies would be even rarer and its a surprise (to me anyway) he actually made three albums for this quite major label. On this album front, Tiny Tim is photographed with his parents and what a pretty strange trio they make. Obviously an act like this only has a limited shelf-life and any sales would have been from around the issue time and I doubt if this was available for any great length of time. So if you feel like a strange surreal ride from those wacky times, you might just find yourself enjoying one of the craziest and unique albums I have yet heard - this guy’s voice is beyond description and if you have never experienced it, well its for real and for sure its unlikely to be copied on record ever again - Tiny Tim was a true one off.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+ and one of the most flimsy and uncomproming covers of the time. Very similar in construction to The Kinks ‘Village Green’ and ‘Arthur’.

Cover Grade and Format: At or around EX. A really fragile, thin and flimsy cover, a gatefold format with a wafer thin front. It’s laminated front and back and was printed and made in England. The inside has two twin flipbacks on right face, top and bottom. The record storage is via the inside centre making for spine wear top and bottom almost inevitable especially with such a heavy record inside.

Lamination, Front & Back: Now the second one of these I have seen and both had almost identical laminate issues. The flimsy card is not ideally suited to laminate adhesion and the back has crinkled in manufacture. Similar covers often have the same problem. In this case, not too bad but present nonetheless. This cover still looks quite nice and the bizarre looking front especially so. The artwork has not worn, the laminate has protected it well, but its fliminess has made it prone to peeling. The single thickness spine will prove almost impossible to find erect and unflattened and then of course the laminte tightens, cracks and peels (as here). That said, most is intact, it’s just affected on the spine fold area. Still ultra clear and retaining a fine shine with actual real creasing being modest and minimal. I am not likely to find this once in a blue moon, and with a stunning record inside that will be near impossible to find better, I have no qualms in offering this rare piece.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Includes many pictures of various era Tiny Tim. Overall in very nice condition, and incredibly, no splits to the top and bottom of the centre foldline and few of this type ever avoid it. This is very thin and delicate and with pressure from the solidly pressed record, most will be very tatty and torn. Just mild creasing to the very top and bottom but still very much intact. Both flipbacks are very neat and secure and have barely aged at all. The artwork is superb and any grubbiness or age toning minimal.

Top and Bottom Edges: The ultra delicate front edge has thickened slightly on the bottom, the top remains very neat. The double thickness back (but still thin) shows little wear at all and the laminate somehow has remained secure.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear or feathering. Record enters via the centre as stated and this right edge is closed and unsplit.

Spine and Text: An impossibly delicate lightweight spine that has little chance in surviving unscathed. This has flattened in places but not drastically so, it has shed its laminate on its surface but the surfaces are unworn and all text and design is present. One crease-crack near the bottom. Overall not at all bad considering…

Corners: Against all odds, the corners are quite neat and relatively scathed. The odd small tip blemish but they retain fine shape.

Cover Summary: All considered, this is a very nice example and importantly, it looks good to the eye. The inherent laminate disturbances apart, its not bad at all and it will not be easy to find this good again. When kept inside a protective cover, this still looks really nice and its best kept protected to avoid further problems. Clearly not one for the perfectionist but its scarcity must be taken into consideration. One thing’s for certain – they dont make them like this anymore.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), and plays beautifully with nothing to fault. A very fine visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. The odd ultra light surface trace if scrutinised under light but try finding this better as an original UK issue. A copy barely even played on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please most 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 snippetts 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 wonderfully bizarre record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. 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 no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album. Few examples will match or outperform this vintage copy significantly I feel sure. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this elusive record. This copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better and the record especially can be strongly recommended. Tiny Tim remains one of pops most unique and idiosyncratic characters.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets out ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is no bad thing. Also: any item with a value over £40 will have to be insured as well, but for any item that sells for over £150, I will pay the extra insurance (then the lower shipping price applies).

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course of multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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. (Only for items under £40)

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (Compulsory for items over £40).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, [£500 Maximum]) = £11.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500 Maximum) = £15.

For items that sell over £150, I will pay the insurance, so the lower shipping price will apply.

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 timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.