ONEADAYRECORDS – Serving-up a Christmas & New Year Feast of Entertainment

I would like to wish all my customers, regulars and newcomers, a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Over the Holiday Period, I am offering some interesting Christmas ‘Crackers’ – lovely albums – some rare – ENJOY!

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 (£2 per extra record). All boxes sent FIRST-CLASS & TRACKED in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS with extra 7mm side protection and bubblewrap.

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: LOL COXHILL

Album Title: Ear of Beholder

Producer(s): Lol Coxhill

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Introduction; Hungerford; Deviation Dance; Two Little Pigeons; Don Alfonso; Open Piccadilly.

Side 2: Feedback; Insensatez; A Conversation with Children/Jamaican Rumba; Piccadilly with Goofs.

Side 3: Rasa-Moods.

Side 4: A Collective Improvisation; I Am the Walrus; The Rhymthmic Hooter; Lover Man; Zoological Fun; Little Triple One Shot; That’s Why Darkies Were Born; A Series of Superbly Played Mellotron Codas.

Label/Format: Dandelion, format and design as seen, all four have matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only light, mostly fine and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Catalogue Number: DSD 8008

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 Records: 142 / 135 grams. Very good solid weights.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Rare, one of the most elusive on this very collectable label.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: DSD-8008-A1 / DSD-8008-B1 / DSD-8008-C1 / DSD-8008-D1

Mothers / Stampers: A 1 / A 1 / A 2 / A 1

Musicians: Lol Coxhill – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute, percussions, maracas; David Bedford – piano, organ; Dave Dufort – drums; Mike Oldfield – guitar; Ed Speight – guitar; Pierre Courbois – drums; Burton Greene – piano; Jasper vant Hof – piano; Robert Wyatt – percussions, vocals Kirwin Dear – guitar.

Brief Info: Lol Coxhill was a free-form soprano saxophonist, he found fame playing with Kevin Ayers and as a session player for a number of bands and performers. ‘Ear of Beholder’ was his first album under his own name. Like most on the Dandelion label, it proved a commercial non-starter. In fact, this is one of the rarest albums on the John Peel founded CBS off-shoot label. The label was a labour-of-love for Peel, he gave unknown artists he liked a chance to record, few sold in any great number. But even by Dandelion label standard, this was one of the least commercial and predictably, it fared badly. An expansive (and probably expensive to manufacture) double set of quite variable material. Few would have shelled out for this very alternative form of entertainment. Free-form and experimental music, that even includes young children singing The Beatles ‘I Am the Walrus’. Interesting for those with an ear to listen, but such albums were to end the Dandelion label as debts mounted. Not only challenging musically, but also the vinyl format. This has some very quiet passages so a few sporadic ticks are near impossible to avoid. The second disc has a couple of small marks near the edge, almost in the same position each side that do emit a few brief clicks. This quite possibly a pressing flaw, but little else in that respect, the discs look little played and overall, a nice example. So not for purists who only want perfection, but with this more out-there material, blemishes seem less critical than on more mainstream albums, the vast majority plays perfectly fine. A rare album for sure, sales would have been minimal (or less), a fine opportunity for Dandelion completists or fans of this fine musician, but challenging is the word even for those who enjoy more alternative style entertainment.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: an unlaminated gatefold format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse with Patents Pending text. Includes the two basic unlined open window inner sleeves.

Cover Front: Certainly in the top five rare Dandelion albums, this cover will not be seen often. This clearly difficult front has only gentle traces of grubbiness or marks with any creasing little, mostly fine and light. Fine manufacturing gripper marks are seen right up close both sides in alignment. These totally natural and hardly uncommon, and all probably have them, having been in the print trade for best part of 40 years, I know what these look like. So gently aged, but still a fine front that will always prove a challenging one.

Cover Back: Similar again, but even better, any rim impression gentle and light, that somewhat unusual for double sets with thicker records inside all these years.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Nice again with little to fault as seen.

Top Edges: Both straight, flat and parallel, some light surface rubbing, but registering less pale surfaces.

Bottom Edges: Fractionally less straight with less rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: A little thickening or burring here-and-there, but most still quite sharp. Records enter on these edges that are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression and folded square, so the edges meet up very closely together and parallel. Any tilt gentle and certainly not crushed. All text is perfect and unworn.

Corners: Light to moderate tip rubbing with fine to very fine shape retained with no bashes, any dink evidence gentle and light.

Cover Summary: A very fine all-round example of this difficult early 1970’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find better. This only gently aged and elusive cover should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeves: EXCELLENT(–): two basic white open unlined white inners with blue ‘PATENT APPLIED FOR’ text typically used for Dandelion records that were pressed by CBS. One moderately aged with paper discolouration, the other less so as seen. The window circles crisp and untorn, minimal creasing and all edges solidly secure, just one bottom edge had a small neat split, so I carefully repaired this to avoid it widening in future, this hardly registers. But most these days store their records in soft-lined replacements which I always provide of course.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: VERY GOOD(++) / VERY GOOD. A very fine visual pair that are clean with excellent shine and solidly pressed. Under my bright grading lamp, fine and wispy surface marks are seen, they hardly register in standard room light. As stated, the second disc has very small marks near the beginning of each side that are in close proximity, and I think these are small pressing flaws that do emit a few clicks. Visually still fine records that should please many collectors, but not for the highly discerning or intolerant of brief blemishes, that is fair to say.

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: Both records mostly play above their high visual grading with any audio blemishes relatively few and brief, mostly from the small aforementioned marks near the beginning on disc two. One of the more challenging albums I have played in a while, a difficult album in just about every aspect you can imagine. Ranging from quiet passages and very alternative and out-there music, which has varying degrees of sound quality depending on where it was recorded. The pressing itself is clean and has no tracking issues*. Finding any copy of this set that has no audio blemishes or issues will prove beyond difficult, especially as few were even sold or pressed. Be asssured however, the vast majority of this copy plays very well and little else spoilt the experience. Not for the highly discerning or blemish intolerant, but fans and label completists are likely to enjoy (arguably) the most elusive album on this prized John Peel Dandelion label – one I am more than happy to cautiously recommend, but there are a few clicks here-and-there.

* 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 programs. 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.

Equipment Used for Play-Grading: I now play-grade ALL the records I offer (unless clearly stated to the contrary) on the following equipment:

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’.