TREES On The Shore RARE ORIG UK 1970 LP, MOSTLY SUPERB SOUND & ATTRACTIVE COVER.

	£		289
	$		383

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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: TREES

Album Title: On The Shore

Producer(s): Tony Cox

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Soldiers Three; Murdoch; Streets of Derry; Sally Free and Easy.

Side 2: Fool; Adam’s Toon; Geordie; While the Iron is Hot; Little Sadie; Polly on the Shore.

Label/Format: CBS – original orange format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both in superb condition: very clean, fresh and attractive with any of the tiny few spindle marks very light, fine and faint with no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: S 64168

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: 114 grams. This quite light, but no untypical. The year of 1971 was the well-documented year of the great oil shortage and most record weight dropped considerably. But this is a pure top-quality pressing devoid of crackle or surface noise. The record itself does have a few fine usage marks with a tiny few sporadic ticks, but the vast majority plays superbly.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Rare – Trees albums were probably considered ‘loss-leaders’ by CBS and pretty much were. Apparently reviews of the time were less than positive, few bothered and they were quickly deleted. Both of their albums are very hard to find, this the second arguably rarer than the first, but both are difficult. A true folk-rock classic that largely slipped under the radar – mine very much included at the time. In fact it was only into my late forties that this fantastic band were made aware to me by recommendation – and was instantly addicted. Time so often puts things right, and both their albums have been hugely reassessed with huge praise, unfortunately for collectors, there are few around to offer. This is seldom seen as a genuine UK first issue, and rarer still in anything like top condition. This is a fine all-round example with a nice cover and the record appearing modestly played. A tiny few sporadic ticks, but as stated already, this delicate album plays impressively for most of its entirety.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: S-64168-A1 / S-64168-B1

Musicians: Celia Humphris - lead vocals; Barry Clarke - lead guitar, dulcimer; David Costa - electric 12-string guitar, mandolin; Bias Boshell - bass guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, piano, vocals; Unwin Brown - drums, vocals, tambourine. With: Tony Cox – bass guitar.

Brief Info: Trees made just two albums, this the second – both are sublime in my opinion – they were give little chance to flourish back in the day with scant promotion and less than fair reviews. Dubbed by some as another Fairport Convention, largely dismissed, overlooked and fading away. Only active from 1970 to 1973 and two albums were simply not enough. Has there ever been such injustice for any band? Celia Humphris is a wonderful singer with a gorgeous voice and there is some superb guitar-work as well, they added a touch of psychedelia to their sound that gave it quite a haunting character. The songs are a mix of traditional and original material, sure comparisons with Sandy Denny era Fairport Convention is fair – but in my opinion, Trees match the brilliance of the pink Island era of the far more famous band. Like many ‘lost’ classics, both the Trees albums are now treasured within the folk-rock genre and are hugely sort-after. The first album is superb, but I regard this one even better, but it’s close. Both are fantastic. Like several other folk and folk-rock bands of the era like Tudor Lodge, Mellow Candle and Comus, Trees albums came and went unnoticed and quickly deleted, thus few are seen or offered. Not all albums on major labels sell well, and here very much a case-in-point, until reasonably recently, Trees were possibly CBS Records best-kept secret, and that should never have been the case. This a strong copy, not perfect, few ever will be, but I enjoyed this immensely and many fans and collectors will be happy.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(–): a very wear-prone single unlaminated cover with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by Shorewood, these never wear well as many collectors will know. It has the ‘Patends Pending’ text and includes the original CBS promotional inner sleeve.

Cover Front: Shorewood covers always seem less resilient and wear-prone compared to many other manufacturers. With that in mind, I regard this as a very fine example, but it does have some edge wear, mainly to the top and bottom. This features artwork by the famous Hipgnosis studio and has quite an eerie feel – the little girl on the cover is Katherine Meehan, daughter of musician Tony Meehan. I regard this as one of the classic ‘lost’ CBS album covers. Only gently aged with mild rubbing mostly seen under light. There is hardly any ink erosion or loss and minimal creasing, any of the few present are fine and light, mostly near the edges. The colour remains strong, again a cover prone to fading from natural light exposure. A few fine and minor surface marks (look hard), but no sticker residues, tears or evidence of, that again a significant plus. Minor corner tip wear that few will hope to avoid totally. For a Shorewood cover, I consider this almost well preserved.

Cover Back: The back is largely the same, and here especially, the lack of ugly ringwear is a real bonus, I am sure with a thicker record inside, it could have suffered more. A tiny chip on the left edge (again look hard), and a small dink on the right just above the right corner. Again wonderful artwork, and both sides still give close to their best.

Top Edge: Straight with only a little quite light patchy rubbing.

Bottom Edge: Again straight with nearer moderate, less patchy rubbing.

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

Spine and Text: Solid, straight, fairly thin, thus fragile, any compression light, a little near towards the top. A smallish rub near the top on the fold and a tiny one near the central area that has rubbed the ‘O’ in ‘SHORE’. The other spine text is intact, present and easy to read. Given the nature of the card used, this never the quality of some, this spine has fared quite well as seen.

Corners: Light to moderate tip rubs with fine to very fine shape retained. No bashes, any dinking minimal and light.

Cover Summary: Still an attractive all-round example of this deceptively fragile and seldom-seen early 1970’s cover, one that is likely prove difficult to find much better. This classic CBS cover, very much in the Vertigo style, should please many collectors and finding a ‘perfect’ one will go beyond difficult. Sometimes on the genuine rarer items, a little give-and-take has to apply – but be assured – this is a nice example of an elusive gem.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: an unlined thin paper CBS promotional inner sleeve. Gently darkened with age and hardly any other wear or issues worthy of special mention. Minimal creasing and all edges now unsplit with no repairs. .

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(–): still a lovely record with a few light marks. Most are purely superficial with just the odd tiny one or two with a couple or three light clicks. More critically under bright angled light, more wispy surface marks are seen along with a couple of fine hairlines that do nothing at all. As stated above, the vast majority of this rare record plays superbly, but just the odd very brief reminder of what is being listened to – a genuine original 45-year-old vinyl record. A lovely overall copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and quite solidly pressed. Not the heaviest of pressings, I guess all were the same, I doubt if this was pressed more than once or twice anyway, also around the year of the oil shortage. A copy with modest plays on all the evidence. Unless ‘perfection’ is demanded, this is a copy to please many collectors, near mint barely played examples will command vast prices (should one ever be made available or even exist). Not an album that shows up often, this is more than worthy of high consideration.

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 quality album plays even above it’s high visual grading for its vast majority with little to fault bar a tiny few sporadic light clicks here and there. So not for absolute purists who want ‘perfect’ at any cost, but realistically, this clean and equally well pressed record will be difficult to find much better. Now into its 46th year, how many more delicate records will not have the odd minor blemish?, that is simply being honest and realistic. It still offers 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 (crackle or pressing noises) are minimal indeed with hardly anything registering, and although light, this is an exceptional clean pressing made with pure vinyl. That often the trait of thinner pressed records from this difficult yea – better thin than heaver made with recycled or ‘mixed’ vinyl. Beautiful songs, vocals and music on this top-quality CBS original, this was a pure joy from beginning to end, few copies will match, let along outperform this lovely clean pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp and has no tracking issues*, I am certain this record has been played sparingly and appears reasonably carefully handled overall. Clearly a few minor visual and audio blemishes, but little more than that, I feel many collectors will be delighted to own this folk-rock classic. I can think of few great albums that fared as badly commercially as Trees, it was a real shame, with justice they should have gone on to be as successful as the Fairports and made far more albums – two was simply not enough. A wonderful band that are now cherished by folk collectors, truly, they hardly get better than Trees and the sublime Celia Humphris. For those still yet to discover this tragically overlooked band, I cannot recommend them highly enough – this one of my favourites ever in the folk-rock genre – just sad when they were active, they did not receive the recognition and sales they deserved. Sounds a familiar story for them and many other wonderful acts of the time. If a tiny few very brief and light clicks are acceptable (if not, wait for the near impossible with potentially a deep purse), this is a beautiful album and record, one to please many for sure.

* 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’.