VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR Pawn Hearts UK Orig LP & INSERT

	£		243
	$		322

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR

Album Title: Pawn Hearts.

Producer(s): John Anthony.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Lemmings; Man-Erg.

Side 2: A Plague of Lighthouse-Keepers. Parts 1-10

Label/Format: Charisma – original pink scroll format.

Label Condition: Clean and attractive examples with a strong deep pink hue. Side two has a small ink blot that is clearly visible on my picture. Spindle marks are light to light(+) and only really show with angled viewing. No wear around the hole area, the ink on these does chip easily but here, it’s been avoided.

Cat Number: CAS 1051 (Manufactured and distributed by B&C Records Ltd, later copies were Phonogram).

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: 142 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Getting rare on Pink Scroll, this was never a big seller especially early on – it failed to chart. This copy includes an ORIGINAL lyric insert which is rare. The overall rarity of this album however I think lies within the quality of the pressing. Charisma pressing quality was to say the least, variable and many of the early VDGG albums play with very noisy sound and often with considerable distortion. Such unwanted sounds cannot be seen and even the cleanest looking records will often dissappoint and fail to please. I am asked regularly if I have any VDGG albums that actually do play well as they are fed up trying another one only to be disappointed again. Along with King Crimson, this band’s albums are amongst the most difficult to find that will play with clean sound and this album is one of the most challenging ever put to vinyl within this genre of ‘progressive rock’. At last I have another copy that does play really well and sound quality very clean and enjoyable with practiclaly nothing unwanted. Such copies are at a real premium and that’s the honest truth. There is no groovewear or pressing distortions and that in-itself is great news. I actually played and enjoyed this one to the maximum and I truly adore this album. One of the greatest within its field and now recognised by so many as the same. The odd faint crackle trace is almost the very least anyone could expect, but this has barely any and even the near silent passages play almost that. For sound, this will take a lot of beating and such fine sounding examples are truly rare and make no mistake about that. This could be the copy many have been waiting for.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: CAS 1051 A-1U and CAS 1051 B-1U

Stamper Codes: 2 H / 1 GA.

Musicians: Hugh Banton – Hammond E&C, Farfisa Professional organs, piano, mellotron, ARP Synth, bass pedals, bass guitar, psychedelic razor, vocals; Guy Evans – drums, tympani, percussion, piano; David Jackson – Tenor, alto, soprano saxes, devices, flute, vocals; Peter Hammill – guitars and piano. Robert Fripp of King Crimson guests on guitar.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Question: what is rarer than offering the three Nick Drake albums on Ebay at the same time? Well I think offering the three pink scroll Van der Graaf Generator albums at the same time with record’s that play superbly would be a good answer. I do not consider this an understatement as the pressing quality of this label is variable to say the least. Not only that, all three albums are highly intolerant of needle abuse and poor handling. This non-charting, poor selling album has to be a strong contender for the greatest ‘real’ progressive album ever – for me still impossible to choose between this and King Crimson’s debut. I now have three great friends who openly state this is their favourite album of all-time. It’s a unique classic and I hear something new on every fresh listen – its fast becoming a personal top 10 classic for me too. For sure its an album you either love or hate, in the past, when listening to this album, my wife has entered the room and left just as quickly asking ‘what on earth was that’!? Limited sales on issue, this album has gained in stature over the years and finding early copies in anything like decent playing condition that includes even a respectable, little worn cover is very difficult indeed. Copies with the insert are even more challenging, but this one HAS one and it’s guaranteed ORIGINAL. Like this band, Hammill’s vocals are either the greatest in rock or pretentious and unlistenable - there seems little inbetween - manic and expressive, even eccentric, few have ever matched his intensity and delivery. Pawn Hearts remains for me one of the greatest and complex albums ever issued, musically dark and compelling - Jackson’s use of the double simultaneously played electric saxes is stunning with amazing sounds generated. Using two adjoined saxophones that had multi-pickups, these treated winds sounded more like eight, often so loud he was told to calm it down by fellow band members (with little effect). Complex and ever-changing time structures and patterns to the music will challenge any unfamiliar listener – one minute quiet and melodic, the next blistering barrages of sound bordering on bedlam – this is not for the faint-hearted casual listener or pop music fan. At their peak of intensity VDGG can make the most brilliant racket and test any sound system to the utmost. Dense, complex lyrics, this has to be one of Hammill’s finest works all put to one near perfect album. ‘A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers’ is a prog classic – a tale of an old lighthouse keeper whose life has had great joy and sadness at the ships and lives he has saved and the sadness of the ones that were lost on the rocks. A roller-coaster ride of volume and intensity and almost impossible to find a ‘perfectly’ quiet record for this title. This one plays through effortlessly and sound quality is high with minimal traces of surface sound and practically nothing unwanted at all. I still maintain perfection on this Charisma record is near impossible with surface sound often overpowering the music on the quiet passages. Not on this one and there are NO pressing sounds or distortions, a common factor on this and other early VDGG albums. The details on this recording are at times quite mind-blowing. This head-spinning progressive masterpiece should be included in any serious rock collection.

Cover Grade and Format: Strong EX and showing far less wear than most around. The cover is almost as difficult as the record and it’s rarely seen devoid of ringwear and major rubbing. It’s an unlaminated gatefold format. Printed in England by the E. J. Day Group, London and Bedford and includes the correct B&C credits. This copy includes the rare original lyric insert.

Cover Front: A nice attractive front with little wear. Minor and light surface rubs near the top edge has proven near impossible to avoid on most all examples I have seen, the bottom has barely any traces for a change. Clean with fine rich colour and any creasing minimal and faint. Marks to the lovely artwork are few and modest and there are no ring or press marks. All very encouraging even for the more discerning collector.

Cover Back: Very similar again with just a light rub at the top, the lack of ringwear is always a major bonus on this one as so many suffer badly from it. The odd fine mark and two or three light surface creases with very low visibility are present but both sides of this cover will prove hard to find much better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: A bizarre inner, this has barely any wear or blemishes. I reitterate, this is the original with the B&C credits.

Top Edges: Minor rub traces only, far less than most I have seen and there is no obvious tipping-in on this cover.

Bottom Edges: Mainly very light patchy rubbing in places.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp, little wear and no feathering and guaranteed, untrimmed. Record entered on right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid and thick – thicker than average I would say. Straight, square and uncompressed, folded squarely with neat alignment of the right edges. This shows barely any real wear and all text present and unworn.

Corners: Light tip rubs in context to their edge, possible tiny tip-in on the spine top. All retain fine shape.

Cover Summary: A very difficult cover, but a fine all round example and it’s guaranteed original. One that will prove difficult to find much better. The main faces being attractive with little wear and do not underestimate how difficult this is. This splendid item should please many collectors.

The Lyric Insert: EX again and never underestimate the rarity of this either. Although I have occasionally offered replica inserts for this album, this one is GUARANTEED ORIGINAL, and it’s in very nice condition with little to fault. It has a few light handling traces or minor dulled spots under light but no tears or major creasing. There is a blemish to the bottom left corner as a tiny crinkle-crease and a minor thumb-crease on the central area of the right edge. Printed on one side only on fairly thin paper, this has a revealing matt finish. It was only included with the early pink scroll pressings and never with the Hatter repressings.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX, with side one better still. Clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed on thick vinyl. Just a tiny few light surface marks or fine hairlines, mainly on side two, but these have NO sound which is fantastic news. This one has NO raised blistering which again is fairly common on this album, when these are present, they nearly always sound but no such troubles here and the lack of pops or clicks was a massive bonus playing this. Charisma vinyl was not always the very best pressed or reliable and blemishes and cutting problems are relatively common. This is a very difficult album anyway with complex content and I would think very few ‘perfect’ copies will exist – even from day one, some had small faults and most all invisible and only detectable when played. This copy generally plays superbly with barely anything unwanted. Tracking is effortless and no problems at all.

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 snippetts 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 copy plays beautifully and exceeds its high visual grading. Very powerful, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds barely registered and enjoyment was total. I have sold this album a couple of times before as an original and this one is up there with the very best. Vitally important, the actual sound is sharp and distortion free and details in the cacophony of sound, especially in the manic parts of side two were especially forthright. Special mention must be made to the production of this astonishing record. Played on a large dedicated analogue, real hi-fi system this record is capable of the most astonishing sound. The dynamics and sheer power of this record will astonish – it can be a breathtaking experience with thunderous bass with real slam and power. Jackson’s dual, treated electric saxes are remarkable and Hammill’s vocals have an in-the-room quality. The manic interplay between electric reeds, keyboards and guitars is captivating. The massive highs and lows on ‘Plague of Lighthouse Keepers’ has to be heard to be believed. A beautiful racket with all the instruments clearly focused and defined, even on the most intense of passages where things get quite chaotic. At times there is so much happening, its near impossible to take it all in and it can, and does leave you in a daze. An awesome experience with stunning channel-to-channel interplay; few rock albums get close, this is real progressive music at its very best. This copy has real clout and any tiny, minor blemishes washed over me and were simply blown away by the scale, drama and power of this remarkable recording. If total clinical silence is wanted, a CD version will give you that – but this title on vinyl is genuinely exciting and full dynamic range the record offers cannot be bettered.

End Piece: A band now very much back in vogue after reforming in 2005, touring and issuing a brilliant double album that received massive praise from everywhere, including original fans, the music press and even the quality British newspapers. Their revival concerts sold out fast and also receiving incredible acclaim – all pretty amazing considering Hammill’s health problems of late and they seem more popular now than way back in the early 70s when they did not even sell out my ‘local rock’ venue in Ipswich (bet they would now). I was absolutely delighted to hear about this band reforming, who could have even imagined it? Every listen to a VDGG album reveals something new, complex musically and cryptic lyrically this is not pop music and not for everyone. Their albums did not sell initially in anything like large amounts, more often found on the later Hatter Charisma label. A splendid excellent copy, I can strongly recommend, all the major strengths far outweigh any small blemishes - a classic for sure from this so often ignored and misunderstood band. Hammill remains, even today, one of the great vocal eccentrics, few put quite this emotion into a song and I hope he carries on for as long as possible. If you are prepared for a challenging listen this album, Pawn Hearts will enthrall and challenge and what it will do for sure is entertain. They never really quite reached such dizzy heights again but the later albums are still worthy of seeking out. The inclusion of a genuine original insert is the icing on the cake and with it you can follow the lyrics with far more ease. Albums like this are a thing of the past which is a shame, the era of creativity and daring, no small wonder interest remains so high - this is indispensable.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance 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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.