VAN MORRISON Moondance RARE ORIG UK 1970 A1/B1 Stampers. NICE EXAMPLE.

	£		138
	$		183

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World £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. More details on this 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. 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 MORRISON

Album Title: Moondance

Producer(s): Van Morrison.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Stoned Me; Moondance; Crazy Love; Caravan; Into the Mystic.

Side 2: Come Running; These Ddreams of You; Brand New Day; Everyone; Glad Tidings.

Label/Format: Warner Bros – original deep orange format with matt, smooth surfaces (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh looking and attractive. Spindle marks vary: side one has only a tiny few ultra fine and faint ones that hardly even show. Side two however has more moderate ones in number and these do show more. But the record plays very well indeed with little unwanted even with a few quite light surface marks. No penetrating scratches and this was a very pleasing play-grade overall.

Cat Number: WS 1835.

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. Not quite up to the massive weights some orange Warner records have, but still a very solid and thick record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce as a first issue. This famed album was not available very long on the orange label, most seen are green or later pressings. These heavier original grooves carry all that wonderful information and sonic delivery of the sublime music that is not really quite the same on the later issues. Those with the right equipment who have heard both will know exactly what I mean – the same goes for the masterpiece ‘Astral Weeks’ on the same label.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: WS 1835 A-1 *T STEREO / WS 1835 B-1 *T STEREO

Mothers / Stampers: A 1 / B 1 [the earliest pressing you will ever find, such early matrix runs are often reserved for the test pressings and seldom seen on the commercially available copies]

Musicians: Van Morrison – vocals, guitar, rhythm guitar, tambourine, harmonica; Jack Schroer – alto and soprano saxophones; Collin Tilton – flute, tenor saxophone; Jef Labes – organ, piano, clavinet; John Platania – guitar, rhythm guitar; John Klingberg – bass; Gary Mallaber – drums, vibraphone; Guy Masson – conga; Emily Houston, Judy Clay, Jackie Verdell – backing vocals.

Brief Artist & Album Info: How any artist could possibly follow up one of the greatest albums ever made was uncertain. Astral Weeks was an achievement of monumental proportions and it’s status as a popular music masterpiece is beyond dispute. Where on previous recordings Van Morrison had implied soul and R&B roots, on Moondance he set them free. He had rarely sounded so relaxed, whether on the bubbling joy of ‘And it Stoned Me’, the finger-tapping ease of the title track or the celebratory bliss of ‘Caravan’. Morrison revelled in the music’s tight arrangements, which has a greater use of brass than used on the previous album. More stunningly beautiful songs, all a little shorter than featured on Astral, none better than the haunting ‘Into the Mystic’ and the uptempo ‘Come Running’ and ‘These Dreams of You’. A very soulful album and is pure class. Also more commercially successful than Astral, even charting at 32 in the UK and 29 in the US. That said this is a very difficult album to find as an original on the orange WB label, this would have been one of the very last pressed on this orange format, it changed to the more familiar green labels around 1971. This is a very fine copy too with less wear to the cover than most I have seen and the record, which going by the spindle marks (which cannot be totally relied on) has been been played several times, but still offers very clean and enjoyable sound. This is only the third time I have had a worthy copy of this to offer, most I have seen have been simply trashed and I will not offer such copies. Any of the quite few marks on the record are purely surface and superficial and this ultra rare A1 /B1 coded first issue, does this magnificent album strong justice.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(–): a single unlaminated format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse in England.

Cover Front: A cover rarely seen with the original WS 1835 number in decent condition. The thick Warner records just about always inflict heavy rubbing and ring wear and they are very rarely seen without it. This front has avoided any substantial rubbing and any rim impression is very faint indeed. Some corner tip rubbing, a few light surface marks (mostly seen under light) and any creases few and light as well, so this is certainly one the best front I have yet seen. It retains strong colour and minimal grubbiness with no sticker issues.

Cover Back: A little light surface rubbing near the top and bottom edges, and any ring wear very little and light, few will have less than this. A few light marks and gentle creases, but viewed normally full-on, little shows. I consider both front and back a fair degree above average and both are still attractive.

Top Edge: Light to moderate rubbing, most being white, so this has little visual impact.

Bottom Edge: More moderate rubbing that does show more. Storage edges seldom escape totally.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The record enters on this edge that has thickened as seen viewed end-on. No feathering and still quite neat, it is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid, but quite thin with any compression mild. The ends have rubbed but most of the text is present and very easy to read, some rubbing to a small few letters as seen in close-up.

Corners: All four show moderate rubbing with reasonably fine to fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: More than a very respectable all-round example of this unforgiving cover, one that could prove hard to find much better. With most of the wear on the edges, but really important areas – the front, back and spine – are still very nice. Not for the highly discerning cover admirer, but given the difficulty even finding this at all, it should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: the orange label Warner albums included a quite heavy-duty polylined plain white inner sleeve. This has aged a little with the usual darkening of the seam adhesive. But has two immaculate window circles and very clear lining. Just one corner crease and all edges unsplit with no repairs. This is UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(–): arguably better. A very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. This has a few mainly light to very light surface marks – no penetrating scratches – and these are pretty all superficial and non-sounding. For some reason, just about all the copies of ‘Astral Weeks’ and ‘Moondance’ I have found as early pressings – that is the orange label originals and the early WS green label version second pressings – all seem to acquire scratches and marks. In real terms, this is one of the best examples I have seen or heard with a few of the marks being noticeable, but not affecting the splendid sound of the music. Visually this is a lovely record, not for the visual purist, but I feel sure many, maybe even most collectors will enjoy.

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 evergreen classic album plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little 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 are minimal indeed and this is an exceptional clean pressing. There is no doubt at all, the very early copies – and they hardly get earlier than this – offer the very best detail, dynamic range and sonic delivery of the music. Van Morrison connoisseurs will rarely want to compromise on not having a first issue of this and ‘Astral Weeks’, and who can blame them? At their best, they offer audiophile sound quality and this copy goes a long way to satisfy. Few available copies will outperform this ultimate A1/B1 mother/stamper code earliest pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, this record has been played several times, but still really delivers and I enjoyed it immensely. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – I had to delve way back into my archives to find the last time I offered one of these, and it has been ages. This copy could still prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

End Piece: An album with more freedom and joy, slightly jazzy with more sublime songs, ‘Into the Mystic’ remains one of his finest moments. Moondance is more than just a worthy follow up to Astral Weeks - it was really a mission impossible - but for me and for most, it was mission accomplished. This rare first issue copy is a joy and I feel many fans needing this masterpiece, will enjoy it – “As We Sail Into The Mystic”.

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’.