TRAFFIC (2nd Album) RARE ORIG UK 1968 PINK ISLAND 1st PRESS EX+ LP, SUPERB SOUND

	£		115
	$		152

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: TRAFFIC

Album Title: Traffic

Producer(s): Jimmy Miller

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: You Can All Join In; Pearly Queen; Don’t Be Sad; Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring; Feelin’ Alright?

Side 2: Vagabond Virgin; Forty Thousand Headmen; Cryin’ To Be Heard; No Time to Live; Means to an End.

Label/Format: Island – original orange eyeball format with matt, smooth surfaces. This superbly pressed by Phonogram. One of the few early original pink Island albums with smooth surfaces and far more consistent, quality sound.

Label Conditions: Both in beautiful condition: very clean, fresh and attractive with any spindle traces very few, fine and faint and no wear around the hole area. A small rim blemish in manufacture on side two as seen, totally natural and minor.

Catalogue Number: ILPS 9081T

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: 140 grams. Heavy, and pressed on pure vinyl with lovely clean sound.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Scarce as a first issue. This one appearing hardly played and a superior Phonogram pressing. A very nice cover as well with far less wear than usual, the triple stapled booklet inside solid and totally unloosened or damaged.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9081 T A//2 1 3 & ILPS 9081 T B 5 1 1 4

Musicians: Dave Mason – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica; Steve Winwood – lead vocals, electric guitar, Hammond organ, electric rhythm guitar, bass, piano, backing vocals; Chris Wood – saxophones; Jim Capaldi – drums, percussion, backing vocals.

Brief Info: The second Traffic album and last to feature founding member Dave Mason. A brilliant follow-up to the magnificent ‘Mr Fantasy’ and now moving their music into more jazz-rock territory. Superbly recorded and heard to near maximum advantage on this scarce first UK pressing. Lovely packaging and beautifully produced by Jimmy Miller, this one of the finest examples I have seen for some time.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: (or very close to), an unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. The inside gatefold has two external flipbacks on the top edges. Also an 8-page triple-stapled booklet. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse, includes the polylined inner sleeve.

Cover Front: Another classic wear-prone early Island cover that cries out to be laminated, but alas, like most this wasn’t. Hence seldom seen without considerable rubbing and ring wear which this example lacks. This front remains very attractive with deep colour and even freshness, the only issue of any real note is gentle creasing, mostly near the right side that shows little when viewed normally full-on. No sticker issues, for which this matt surface is highly intolerant, any marks or blemishes are few, fine and light, few will escape with such little rubbing on the main surfaces, a little on the corner tips is almost the least to expect.

Cover Back: Only gentle surface rub traces seen under light, this side has avoided creasing, and the lack of ring wear is a major plus. Like the front, clean and attractive, I consider this back near exceptional given the age, type and format.

Cover Inner Gatefold & Booklet: Firstly, the inside covers front and back – little to fault with either. Both flipbacks are strong and totally unlifted or damaged, only minor traces of set-off from the dark paper that rests upon the front when closed. The line mark on the face of the front graphic is NOT a scratch, this is simply part of the picture and totally correct. The 8-page book also is very impressive with no loosening of the three original staples, two are punched into the outside of the spine, the central third one only into the pages themselves which is correct. All staples have avoided tarnishing and can be seen in the booklet’s middle. It appears it took two attempts in manufacture to punch these correct, as two marks are seen near where the staples lie. Any hint of ageing or toning to the pages is minimal and faint, there are no creases – all pictures are shown in the listing.

Top Edges: Both robust, straight and flush, a little darkened, but hardly any rubbing.

Bottom Edges: Light to moderate patchy rubbing on the front edge, lesser on the back.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Mostly sharp, neat with little wear. Any thickening or burring minimal and light as seen viewed end-on, the ends are naturally a little darkened. Record enters on the back edge, both are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced (as the card colour emphasises and proves).

Spine and Text: Solid, again very robust and straight with no compression, also folded square, so the edges meet up very closely together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn, and the actual surfaces show little wear at all. Two small staples holes are seen, clearly from the aborted first attempt to punch the booklet into place first time.

Corners: Light (left corners) to moderate (the right ones) corner rubbing with fine to very fine shape retained. No bashes, any dinking evidence mimimal and very light.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this wear-prone 1960’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find much better. This attractive item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: the paper has aged a little as usual and there are two corner creases, these often deliberate by owners to stop the record sliding out. Two crisp, neat window circles and the polylining clear. All edges unsplit with no repairs. This is British patented with ‘FOREIGN PATENTS PENDING’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): and this hardly does this near 50-year-old record fully justice. A fine, non-penetrating surface mark on side one does nothing. A superb visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and heavily pressed by Phonogram. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface trace marks very few, ultra light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. Visually a gorgeous vintage Island record that should please many, if not 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 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 Traffic classicplays even above it’s high 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*. Few available copies will outperform this genuine first pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended, this 1968 record seldom surfaces this clean and little used.

* 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 programs. 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’.