URIAH HEEP Very ’Eavy… Very ’Umble RARE EARLY UK 1969 VERTIGO SPIRAL EX++ LP

	£		236
	$		313

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 arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to 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.

Artist or Band: URIAH HEEP

Album Title: Very ’Eavy… Very ’Umble.

Producer(s): Gerry Bron.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Gypsy; Walking in Your Shadow; Come Away Melinda; Lucy Blues.

Side 2: Dreammare; Real Turned On; I’ll Keep on Trying; Wake Up (Set Your Sights).

Label/Format: Vertigo – original full spiral on side one and large spiral logo on side two with the song credits included.

Label Conditions: Both in superb condition: ultra clean, fresh and highly attractive with only three or four light, quite fine and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. The famous swirl logo on side one is gorgous and looks close to perfect from rim to hole with no chipping or rubs. Side two is still incredibly white with no grubbiness or handling marks. A one-owner copy from new, played only a couple of times and stored away. Such examples of this genuine Vertigo classic in this amazing condition are beyond difficult to find. Indeed, both cover and record could prove massive upgrades for many. Sound quality is outstanding as well, this one totally blew me away.

Cat Number: 6360 006.

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: 137 grams. A very good weight for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: This is now getting very hard to find, and in this quite outstanding condition, more so. Such copies now surface very infrequently, most locked away in valuable Swirl collections. So many were played without due care and attention on very basic, heavy tracking record players. Few hi-fi connoisseurs would have bought very early copies of this, especially with the scathing this album received at the time.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: 6360006 1Y // 1 420 1 1 9 / 6360006 2Y // 1 420 1 1 2

Musicians: David Byron - lead vocals; Ken Hensley - organ, piano, slide guitar, mellotron and vocals; Mick Box - lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals; Paul Newton - bass guitar, vocals; Ollie Olsson - drums, percussion.

Brief Info: Here is another classic super-clean, hardly played album. The debut from Uriah Heep with it’s famous macabre cover and one of the very early titles from the famous Spiral catalogue. Like most all their albums, issued to scorn and hostility by the critics of the day, it’s almost miraculous how this band survived and actually thrived selling millions of albums. With one of the most famous and memorable reviews in the history of rock, Melissa Mills of Rolling Stone magazine started with ‘If this group makes it I’ll have to commit suicide. From the first note you know you don’t want to hear any more.’ Harsh to say the least, what did she know? – the band became very popular and what happened to the reviewer? This is superb debut album and live they are always great entertainment. I saw them on at least five occasions in the 1970s and early 80s. A very solid and enjoyable progressive beginning and this includes the sublime track ‘Gypsy’. This ranks as one of the very best Vertigo Spiral albums I have ever had (and I have had many). Both cover and record are in superb conditions, the record looks hardly played and sounds fantastic with very little unwanted – just three or four clicks at the very start of side two, but little else and few will even get close. With one of Vertigo’s greatest ever sleeves, try finding one much better, this one of the few laminates in the Swirl catalogue. For fans of this evergreen and still very popular band (with fans anyway) and collectors of prog’s most sort-after label, this one almost sets the standard to be beaten. This copy from the collection of hardly played records recently purchased and only ever played on a quality stereo system with utmost care – the difference will be immediately apparent.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a gatefold format with front and back laminate. The inside is matt finished and smooth. The laminate ends inside the gatefold on the top edges and all closed edges are protected. Printed and made in England and including the original copy warning ‘Copyright subsists in all Vertigo recordings.’ This was later to changed from ‘Vertigo’ to ‘this label’, beware of substitutions. Includes the date=coded 1970 inner sleeve.

Lamination – Front & Back: Both front and back retain superb shine, freshness and clarity with barely any traces of dulling at all, even under light. No lifting and practically devoid of any press marks. Only marked down from Mint(–) for a few, mostly light surface creases/half moons. With normal full-on viewing, these hardly even show, but can be seen with angled viewing, as most blemishes will be. But both sides are hugely impressive with an unusual freshness most will lack these days. That famous cobwebbed graphic looks amazing and will never prove to find better with such deep vivid colour retained. Even the back has avoided the usual rim impression and dulling around, this makes a considerable difference to the more discerning owner and viewer.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside is practically as fresh and clean as when made, any pulling from the laminate ends is bordering on minuscule. So often large chunks are pulled off when these meet and opened, so another considerable bonus as this is seldom avoided.

Top Edges: Immaculate, as new and dead straight and fully laminated with no scuffing or abrasions as the fingertip test confirms. These for good measure, also meet up flush with perfect folding of the spine.

Bottom Edges: Practically the same again, the odd tiny end panel burr trace being ultra critical.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The tucked and folded, sealed front edge is pristine immaculate with full laminate coverage that is smooth and unpeeled. The open back storage edge is mostly sharp and clean with very little wear. Any thickening or burring being small and light as seen viewed end-on, this is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Firstly, I will make clear, this spine surface has NO wear to the ink at all. What may appear chipping to the top of the text area is NOT WEAR, it is part of the graphic which is FULLY INTACT. This is solid, very straight with any compression light. Also folded very square, so all the edges meet up perfectly together, flush and parallel. The hinge style of this cover always means it will form a central ridge simply from opening. This will often mean the text matter sinks and becomes difficult to read, here any traces of this are gentle and light. Again I state: ALL text is perfect and unworn under the solid laminate, hopefully this hopefully can be seen on my close-up picture. Any cracking or peeling is very small and light with most-all intact, again laminate issues on this spine are often of concern with many seen without laminate at all. This is probably as intact and strong as you will find and little detracts from this splendid, robust spine.

Corners: The odd tiny laminate chip on the right tips, but this near nit-picking on a cover 44-years-old. Any wear minuscule with better than excellent shape retained, in fact most are little short of as-made in that respect with no dinks or corner knocks.

Cover Summary: This is exceptional – one to hold and simply admire – they come along like this all too rarely. Finding this better will prove immensely difficult. It should please most collectors and it could indeed prove a major upgrade for many.

The Spiral Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: and actually looks better, just marked down a little with a very small top edge tear that I neatly repaired. This has its original Swirl inner, date coded 1070 (October 1970). This too in super condition and aged little, it more than does justice to the rest of the set. These Vertigo inners, almost as famous as the labels, do not age well and are normally seen badly browned or split. Any darkening on this original is modestly very light. The lining fully intact, solid and clear with only very mild crinkle. Both window circles are very crisp and sharp with no noteworthy damage. Any creasing very light and fine and all closed edges unsplit with no tears or repairs. Overall, an impressive spiral inner.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++) and practically MINT(-): an exceptional record I was told had been only twice, and owned from new by just the one-owner. Any surface traces bordering on minuscule, even viewed with scrutiny under bright angled light, I have seldom seen this, or any Spiral record a great deal better. A superb visual copy that is very clean with lovely shine and very solidly pressed. Visually an age-defying record that should please most-all collectors again. Like the cover, this could also prove a major upgrade for many, and such copies are at a real premium and do not surface or made available often.

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 now quite rare very early Vertigo record plays up to it’s high visual grading with hardly anything 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 barely even registered after three or four clicks at the very start of side two from a tiny mark probably present from day one in manufacture, the only blemish on what is an exceptional clean pressing apart. Very few of the first made copies will match or outperform this very well preserved example. Both channels are clearly defined with superb imagery and clarity – the music and vocals fully focused and sharp with no clipping or press rasps or noises. Carefully stored and lightly handled within a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful, legendary Swirl record. I have no idea what happened to the lady reviewer of this record, but this debut album has more than survived and the band themselves thrived. This copy will prove immensely difficult to find better and merits my highest possible recommendation – do not lose this one.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium 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 and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap 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 less than one in two thousand+ based on over 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. 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 FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, 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 and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). 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] = £8. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 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 £3 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’.