URIAH HEEP Salisbury - RARE ORIG UK 1971 VERTIGO SPIRAL EX LP – PLAYS SUPERBLY.

	£		324
	$		429

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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: URIAH HEEP

Album Title: Salisbury

Producer(s): Gerry Bron

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Bird of Prey; The Park; Time to Live; Lady in Black.

Side 2: High Priestess; Salisbury.

Label/Format: Vertigo – original first press format with the large swirl on side two. These have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and highly attractive with only very light, fine and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. The more critically revealing side two is superbly white and devoid of discolouration and handling marks. This rare very early example sets a very high standard.

Cat Number: 6360028

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 139 grams. Quite a heavy copy of this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare on Swirl, the first large first issues are elusive and never easy to find offering top sound quality with covers in litt-worn condition. This is another highly challenging album: the record includes brass, often this complex sound is ruined by old heavy-tracking record players. An album more often heard with lovely lovely crisp clarity lost, but this one plays beautifully with all the sound intact and superbly pressed. The cover, especially the back with the large area of brown, rarely escapes ringwear and major rubbing, again any blemishes on this one are small, few and minor. My best copy of this ever, and first on Spiral for ages. Indeed this large Swirl rarity could prove a significant upgrade for some.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 6360028 1Y*1 420 1 5 & 6360028 2Y*1 420 1 1 1

Musicians: David Byron - lead vocals; Ken Hensley - organ, piano, slide and acoustic guitars, harpsichord, vibes and vocals; Mick Box - lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals; Paul Newton - bass guitar, vocals; Keith Baker - drums.

Brief Info: The second and last Uriah Heep album that was originally issued on the most famous and sort-after progressive Vertigo label before changing to Bronze. Like most all their albums, issued to scorn and hostility by the critics of the day, its almost miraculous how this band survived and actually thrived selling millions of albums. This album is less commercial than most within their catalogue, it delves deeper in progressive rock territory, the epic title track uses brass and woodwinds and some found it ‘difficult’ – personally I think it works brilliantly and this is actually one of my favourite Uriah Heep albums. It’s a record that can wear badly if not treated well, the brass on ‘Salisbury’ can often distort with clipping and echo and only a small percentage of the earliest copies will play anything like ‘perfect’ these days. This copy has no such issues and sounds very impressive indeed with little, if anything unwanted. The cover too is as fragile as the record, the back not too dissimilar to Led Zeppelin II with it’s brown ink, again an impressive example. Originals are now elevating in value and rarity with fewer and fewer making the open market – and fewer still in this type of condition. Few would have bought this album initially, more discovered the band from ‘Demons and Wizards’ onwards, then investigated the earlier albums – by then, the Spirals were gone, thus most copies of this are now seen on the Bronze labels.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and for what it is – a very difficult cover – this grade, or even better is more than merited. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England, uncredited as the first ones were. Later ones were printed by Howard’s. This also includes the first ‘Vertigo’ Warning copyright credits.

Cover Front: The front retains immensely deep colour with no fading and minimal traces of any rubbing or marks. This one, for some reason, often chips and is massively prone to the unforgiving price stickers of the time, most were not designed to peel off, thus massive sticker tears and rips are seen on so many Vertigo covers as so few were ever laminated. This has a very gentle and faint trace of an outline that just about catches angled light, but the surface has NO tears with minimal hint of any surface trauma. So somewhat luckily, this one got away with almost the least possible. Any of the few surface creases are very light, small and show little and the surface has hardly any of the aforementioned common chip marks. A massive plus is the lack of ringwear, that you may think is not so unusual on a front gatefold cover. But Vertigo, being Vertigo, they decided the record was to be stored on the front side rather than the usual back. So ringwear is often rife on this side, but has avoided any on this one. Indeed I have not seen a cleaner or fresher front to this album before, and with a first issue Swirl inside, that is a major achievement.

Cover Back: Massively wear-prone, brown ink in large solid areas is one of the most vulnerable to rubbing and fading. Although this has a few small chip marks or tiny visual blemish, this is also the best one of these I have seen again. Superb colour is retained with hardly any creasing and no fading. No rim impression and even the edges are superb. Simply compare this to most seen, few originals will survive a great deal better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Again superb, and these matt black surfaces are just as wear-prone as the outside faces. What sets this apart is the lack of handling or fingermarks to the highly revealing surfaces. There is barely a trace to be seen, and, once applied, they are near impossible to remove. The only tiny blemish is a rub to one letter of the text, that apart – and how tiny can blemishes get? – these critical surfaces are fantastic.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four edge surfaces are near incredible. On such a wear-prone cover and areas, there is hardly any. Yes, even the bottom storage pair retain practically all ink with any blemishes bordering on minuscule. Both pairs are straight, flush and very neat indeed, try finding these areas better.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Here the record enters on the front as stated already. The back edge is close with a real tucked fold which is brown and barely rubbed, being clean and neat. Even the inside card end is crisp with minimal hint of any thickening or burring. The same goes for the front open edges which are clean, sharp with barely any wear at all. Front edge storage on gatefolds is quite unusual and rarer, but Vertigo enjoyed being different. No edge enhancements of trimming guaranteed.

Spine and Text: A hugely impressive spine as well with hardly any rubbing to the actual surface and minuscule traces to the impossibly vulnerable folds. Solid, quite thick, straight, uncompressed and folded square, so all edges meet up near perfectly together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn, that a massive achievement in-itself. Unfaded with the fold-around artwork graphic fully intact as seen in the picture.

Corners: Mainly tiny and very minor tip rubs and no bashes or dinks. Excellent or better shape retained.

Cover Summary: A really difficult cover, those who know this album well will already realise the fact. Even with minor blemishes, this is a near outstanding first print original that will never prove easy to find better. Indeed having seen several well-worn ones over the years, this could prove a considerable upgrade for some, it should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a superb Swirl inner and guaranteed the absolute first original with the crucial date-code 0171 (January 1971), so manufactured just a couple or three weeks prior to the album’s release. Copies of this classic hardly get earlier. Only marked down a little for the usual age darkening of the seam adhesive that few can hope to avoid. Two neat undamaged window circles, and the solidly intact polylining clear and fresh. Hardly any creasing, just a trace of crinkle here and there, no edge splits or repairs. This genuine first inner almost puts the icing on the already rich cake.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT, with one quite minor visible surface mark with NO sound. The more critically under bright angled light, very fine, faint and whispy surface traces, most even finer than hairlines and totally harmless. Almost certainly from dry-cloth ‘cleaning’ that will, if too ‘enthusiastic’ will leave such fine traces. My honest view on cleaning records – use only a top-quality professional quality machine. Anyway, no harm done, this is still a very fine visual copy overall that is clean, with impressive fresh shine and very solidly pressed. I am sure this has been played little and still sounds fantastic, it 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 is now creeping up to middle-area Vertigo rarity, and almost drying up in terms of copies surfacing on the open market. First issues especially are becoming highly elusive. A very difficult record to say the least in all departments including sound. The intricate and complex title track is especially demanding with rasping brass but this gives a superb account of itself with the music focused, crisp and precise. No noteworthy surface sounds and effortless easy tracking*. Few original and available copies will better this. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this fantastic record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and merits strong recommendation. The earliest one I have seen, had or heard for several years, and none better all-round than this.

* 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’.