VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR Godbluff SCARCE ORIG UK 75 LP

	£		26
	$		34

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

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. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR

Album Title: Godbluff.

Producer(s): VDDG.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Undercover Man; Scorched Earth.

Side 2: Arrow; The Sleepwalkers.

Label/Format: Charisma – first press Hatter label. This album was never issued on the large Hatter label or with B&C credits. Phonogram is the first issue credit for this record (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only light, fine and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. Side two has hardly any at all.

Cat Number: CAS 1109.

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: 125 grams. About average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: a band that sold only modestly even within the progressive rock genre.

Original Year of Release: 1975

Matrix Nos: CAS 1109 A // 4 C 1 2 8 and CAS 1109 B // 3 C 1 3 2 [these are first issue matrixes]

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘ARUN’ [on both sides]

Musicians: Peter Hammill – voice, piano, clavinet, electric guitar; Hugh Banton – organs, bass pedals, bass guitar; Guy Evans – drums and percussion; David Jackson – saxophones and flute.

Brief Info: Album number five for this premier league British prog-rock band. Premier league in terms of the creative music they made, but not in terms of sales – many at the time found their music too intense and difficult. But these days more loved than ever. Fronted by the legendary songwriter and vocalist Peter Hammill, his vocal style was uncompromising, at times manic bordering on eccentric. But ‘Godbluff’ is more accessible and slightly toned down compared to the earlier works. After a brief split, VDDG’s music had mellowed somewhat, this return maybe to find a new audience but still an intriguing act. Originals in fine condition are not easily found: this is a superbly pressed copy, but does have a fine fine mark on the first track of side one. This emits a number of very faint ticks for around a couple of minutes, some masked by the sound. These sufficiently light enough not to disturb me to any real degree (or I would not offer it), but blemishes of this type are purely subjective and not all listeners are the same. As the rest of the album plays to near perfection (that never easy on this label with this style of music), I have few qualms in offering it (with a very low starting bid). This marks very fine indeed, and without a play-grade it could have easily been missed visually. But that is why a complete sound-check is crucial so such things can be clearly mentioned. The cover is somewhat plain and massively prone to all forms of wear. This one is exceptional and just one front half moon surface crease of near perfect. The lyric inner is dated 1.5.76 with the £2.25 price paid with a neat signature of the owner. This very neat writing apart, this lyric inner is practically Mint. So a copy not for the perfectionist, but still a lovely original that even with the very light ticks, could prove difficult to find much better. Indeed, the cover could be a substantial upgrade for many as most are seen badly rubbed and ring worn.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a single unlaminated format with matt, very slightly textured surfaces. Printed and made in England by James Upton. Includes the card lyric inner sleeve.

Cover Front: Stunning and without doubt, cover-protected from new by the clearly discerning collector. One half moon surface crease and little else. Intense black, ultra fresh and clean, this has not aged at all. Barely even a hint of rubbing or rim impression – so few will ever get even close to this.

Cover Back: The back simply in incredible condition, this is little short of pristine Mint.

Top Edge: Straight and devoid wear.

Bottom Edge: Any rub traces are microscopic, both edges very straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very harp with barely any wear again. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Little short of Mint with all text pristine perfect as seen in close-up. Very straight with barely any hint of compression.

Corners: Any tip rubs or creases are tiny and very faint indeed, all retain excellent to near mint shape.

Cover Summary: An exceptional all-round example of this VERY challenging mid-70’s cover, one that will prove immensely difficult to find better. Most collectors will know how hard this one is to fine even a decent very good. Many are seen very tatty with ugly ring wear, heavy creasing and sticker tears. This comes very close to reminding of new and few will ever get close. As stated, this could prove a huge upgrade for many owners and fans.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(-): this NOT taking into account of the very neat and quite small writing on one bottom edge by the original owner. A superb unlined lyric inner that is printed on both sides. This is little short of as made, clean, fresh and uncreased. The recessed top opening is immaculate and barely even a trace of rim impression. All edges unsplit with no repairs, again (the writing apart) could also prove a significant upgrade again as these are so often shredded on the sides and grubby – this is truly exceptional.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: with a fairly small and very fine mark that DOES omit several gentle ticks (my term for a soft quite low-level click). This on the first song and some are masked by the sound of the music and sufficiently light as not to disturb the enjoyment to any major degree. Of course I would prefer it not to be present, but is not bad enough not to offer this record, especially as the rest plays beautifully. Still a very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with a few other non-sounding very fine hairlines. I am certain the cuprit being the unlined card inner. The evidence being these fine blemishes being straight, so not caused by any stylus or they become curved. With normal viewing, little is seen anyway, as stated, only a play-grade would have drawn attention to the smallish light mark that does sound. Visually an attractive record that should please many collectors, but with the moderately short audio blemish, this is not for the highly discerning or less tolerant.

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 still nice album plays even above it’s high visual grading for most with very little to fault bar the aforementioned light ticks on ‘The Undercover Man’ on side one. 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 other sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or other significant clicks were noted (after the already mentioned ones) and this is an exceptional clean pressing. A typical prog album with highs and lows in volume, so this will never prove easy to find ‘perfect’ anyway. I found this easy to listen too and still enjoy, the ticks are quite light but this is clearly not for the perfectionist. I feel all the positives this offers overall, still outweigh the fairly brief and gentle negatives. So this is more than worthy of (cautious) recommendation – the cover and inner are exceptional, and the one sounding mark apart, so is the record.

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 8,000+ items sold in over 10 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’.