ONEADAYRECORDS – Serving-up a Christmas Feast of Entertainment.

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

Over the Christmas Holiday Period, I will be offering some really lovely pieces for your purusal and future enjoyment, so please keep watching.

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.

Artist or Band: PRINCIPAL EDWARDS MAGIC THEATRE

Album Title: Soundtrack.

Producer(s): John Peel and the band.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Enigmatic Insomniac Machine; Sacrifice; Death of Don Quixote.

Side 2: Third Sonnet to Sundry Notes of Music; To a Broken Guitar; Pinky – A Mystery Cycle.

Label/Format: Dandelion – Early red ‘flower’ type format with matt, smooth surfaces (please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Lovely clean examples of this famous John Peel label that show barely any spindle traces. A light adhesion crinkle that shows little unless scrutinised under angled light close-up.

Cat Number: S 63752.

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.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce, a commercial non-starter that’s seldom found and even rarer than the second album that was issued in 1971. A very fine album that is a little difficult to pigeon-hole on this very collectable label. The record has only one tiny brief blemish around a dozen clicks at the start of side one, thereafter, nigh-on perfect. The very prone-to-wear cover equally fine with only a small price sticker remant on the front with a tiny pull, clearly the original owner decided to leave the small backing piece alone in case of other potential marking, this shows little anyway. Overall a very elusive album and this a lovely all-round example.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: SBPG 63752-A1 / SBPG 63752-B1

The Musicians and Personnel: Cover from left to right: Monica Nettles - dancer and speaking voice. David Jones - writer and percussion; John Hill - dancer; Gillian Hadley - choreographer and writer; Root Cartwright - guitar, composer and arranger; Bindy Bourquin - violin, recorder, piano, organ; Eva Darlow - dancer; Lyn Edwards - percussion; Jeremy Ensor - bass guitar; Vivienne McAuliffe - lead vocal; Leslie Adey - lights, Harry Housman - stage and road manager and designer; Martin Stellman - writer and lead vocal; Christopher Runciman - lights.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Dandelion Records was founded by John Peel through frustration. Several bands and artists he really enjoyed could not get record contracts and in the days before demo tapes it was unlikely many ever would. A non-profit venture Dandelion issued it’s first record in 1969 with Bridget St John’s Ask Me No Questions, this title was the third. Soon 25 albums were issued up to 1972 before Dandelion folded – it was reputed Peel lost some interest after a couple of albums had fringe chart success. Several titles on this cult label, have since become rare and highly collectable and this one really deserves more attention and investigation. It was the first of two they made on this famous early ‘indie’ label. Principal Edwards included a host of players including dancers, they were apparently a great live act and spectacle, this album captures their strange blend of psychedelic acid folk perfectly and is superbly produced by John Peel, who from the beginning had a high interest in their music. Vocals are mainly female with Vivienne McAuliffe’s voice up there with the very best within this genre. This vintage Dandelion pressing is a beauty and plays with near perfect sound after the initial minor flaw from a tiny super-fine mark with around a dozen clicks. The cover is ultra delicate and does not age well and this example will never be easy to find better. For those who have never heard this fine band, a treat is in store – progressive folk with great vocals and lyrics is the menu here and just think, if the late, great John Peel had not started this small cult label, they probably would have never been heard at all.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a delicate unlaminated gatefold format withmatt, smooth surfaces. The front being only single thickness card. The record enters from inside the centrefold making all fragile and prone to just about all forms of wear. A little strangely, this has a typical CBS (the company who pressed this record for Dandelion) stereo sticker on the back, but as far as I am aware, this was not issued in mono. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group and includes the original plain unlined inner sleeve.

Cover Front: A very clean and fresh looking front with hardly any rubbing due to friction or storage. There is a small price sticker residue near the ‘K’ on the orange title, also with a tiny surface pull. The left edge, being the single thickness and under-strength spine, has a white line on the fold. This so difficult to avoid as the flimsy spine will tend to flatten over time, in terms of this, here it is quite mild. A few gentle surface creases hardly even show and given just how delicate this colourful front is, it still looks attractive with far less wear than most that surface.

Cover Back: Very similar again but this more robust back has very little creasing and still includes a practically mint ‘Stereo’ gold shiny sticker on the back. After checking through my Ebay archive files, the one other copy of this I had included the same sticker as well, so it appears likely this was standard practice. This has clearly never been removed or ‘picked at’ and looks superb. Importantly, and unusually, no ring wear and practically no pressmark either. Any wear on the spine hinge fold lighter than the front. This back is quite exceptional again.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Little to fault inside, a few fine surface creases near the hint almost the least to be expected, all lyrics printed. No splits to the highly vulnerable folds and the vulnerable entrance area very neat indeed.

Top Edges: These are also quite fragile, a little quite mild thickening is seen viewed end-on.

Bottom Edges: As above, being storage edges, near impossible to avoid on a cover like this.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with a little light rubbing on the sealed edge, minimal thickening. The thin front edge is neat and crisp and guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced. It has been ‘naturally’ protected by being drawn back a little as the spine as tilted to the left. The record enters via the centrefold like The Beatles For Sale which makes the lack of splitting to the inner spine fold all the more remarkable.

Spine and Text: Single thickness card and under-strength really to support the album and it’s content. A number of albums at this time had a similar design and most have spine issues. These will rarely, if ever remain erect within storage and tent to tilt or totally flatten. This has not flattened but tilted to the left and the top fold in particular has rubbed, also to a lesser extent on the bottom. The main spine surface has minimal wear and all the text – against the odds – is fully present and unworn, that a considerable plus-point. Given the facts, this spine is in fine condition, still neat and solid, but it will never stand up without tilting again.

Corners: Light+ to moderate tip rubbing with fine to very fine shape largely retained.

Cover Summary: A difficult cover in fine attractive condition, a few light issues that will be rarely avoided. But this is a rare Dandelion album and they hardly show up regularly. Also I feel this is a somewhat unappreciated album that many collectors simply are even unaware of. It has tremendous female vocals and plenty of them too. This is strongly worthy of investigation and is the rarest of the three albums they made before disappearing further into obscurity.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a plain white solid unlined inner that is little short of as made. Clean, fresh, barely creased and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: but with a very small mark at the very start of side one that emits 12 or so clicks, that the only audible blemish on a very clean looking and sound record. Very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed by CBS. A few other light surface marks but no other sound at all. Visually still a lovely record that should please many collectors – but the small, very briefly sound mark, no for the perfectionists.

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 super record plays even above it’s high visual grading with barely anything else to fault bar the aforementioned (several times) dozen or so clicks at the very beginning. This even before the real music starts on a gimmick effects start making their impact less than they could have been. Strong, totally 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 surface sounds barely even registered and this is a top quality pressing. The brief and quickly over-with blemish apart, few copies will match or play better than this thereafter and this was a delight to hear sounding this clean. Peel’s decision to record this band was nothing short of inspired. Even though not perfect – and how many ever will be that?, it could prove very difficult to find significantly better and merits strong recommendation.

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.

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 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’.