HENRY COW Legend RARE ORIG UK 1973 B/W VIRGIN LABEL EX+ LP. AVANT PROG CLASSIC.

Sold Date: September 13, 2015
Start Date: September 8, 2015
Final Price: £18.77 (GBP)
Bid Count: 4
Seller Feedback: 7201
Buyer Feedback: 160


ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

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 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘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: HENRY COW

Album Title: Legend

Producer(s): Henry Cow

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Nirvana for Mice; Amygdala; Teenbeat Introduction; Teenbeat.

Side 2: Extract from ‘With the Yellow Half-Moon and Blue Star’; Teenbeat Reprise; The Tenth Chaffinch; Nine Funerals of the Citizen King.

Label/Format: Virgin – original black and white ‘Twin Virgins’ format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both ultra clean, very fresh and attractive with any spindle marks, few, fine and faint.

Cat Number: V 2005.

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: 120 grams. Around average for the time.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Scarce: low commercial potential, this sold in quite small numbers.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: V 2005 A-2U / V 2005 B-2U

Mothers / Stampers: 1 M / 1 R

Musicians: Geoff Leigh – saxophones, flute, clarinet, recorder, voice; Tim Hodgkinson – organ, piano, alto saxophone, clarinet, little bells, voice; Fred Frith – guitars, violin, viola, piano, voice; John Greaves – bass guitar, piano, whistle, voice; Chris Cutler – drums, toys, piano, whistle, voice. With: Jeremy Baines – pixiphone; Sarah Greaves, Maggie Thomas and Cathy Williams – chorus.

Brief Info: A very early album on the new Richard Branson Virgin record label. When founded in 1972, Virgin almost specialised in new and more avant garde ‘progressive’ acts such as Mike Oldfield and experimental European bands such as Faust, Tangerine Dream and Gong. It probably amazed Branson himself that ‘Tubular Bells’ sold in such monumental numbers and ‘Phaedra’ even broke Tangerine Dream into the UK album charts. This new label opened many music lovers ears to more adventurous and interesting bands of the time. Henry Cow, an English band from Cambridgeshire were signed in May 1973 and quickly recorded this superb debut album – it was promoted with a tour supported by the Krautrockers Faust. Neither band ever sold-out to being commercial, and Henry Cow’s music, even progressive terms, has never been anything like mainstream. They developed their own style of jazzy ‘art rock’ that was never orthodox, but always compelling, their albums only bought by the curious and more adventurous music fans. Many regard this debut as their best, it is a captivating album which I found fairly easy to get into, but it could too a little too ‘out-there’ for some. Predominately instrumental and including the immense improvised guitar talents of Fred Frith, this at times reminds me of Zappa’s Mothers of Invention circa 1968 to 1970 – that is probably why I found this very much to my own personal taste. This album and band is one of the least-seen on the early Virgin label and is a very fine copy. For those yet to experience the joys of Henry Cow, this is the place to start.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: arguably worthy of a (+). A single fully laminated format. Printed and made in England, uncredited, includes the plain white inner sleeve.

Lamination – Front & Back: A very nice example of this quite famous art-rock cover. The laminate retains very fine shine, freshness and clarity with just a little neat spine edge lifting on the front which this one seldom seems to avoid. A tiny trace on the back but all is uncracked and solid. The lack of creasing is a major plus, just three or four fine hairlines on the spine edge of the back. Any dullng is very light and gentle around the rim seen under light. To date, this is the best ‘Legend’ cover I have seen.

Top Edge: One small chip and the centre has a smallish rub which has thinned, but not actually split (and has no repair). This small movement mark is only really seen viewed end-on, and without it for sure, the extra (+) would have applied. Still straight, neat and clean.

Bottom Edge: This storage edge is practically perfect.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp, the inside one very sharp with little wear. Any thickening or burring light as seen viewed end-on. A tiny, close to microscopic nick on the back hardly registers. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Solid, mainly straight and quite thinly made. Minimal compression, the ends are tapered in manufacture. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and unpeeled laminate, centred a fraction high in manufacture being somewhat critical.

Corners: A tiny chip to the top right, little else with no knocks or dinks. Excellent shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A strong all-round example of this deceptively fragile 1970’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find much better. This one should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): only gently aged with some minor edge toning. A plain white unlined inner with minimal creasing and all edges solidly intact with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface trace marks few, very light and faint as seen mostly under bright angled light. There are no stylus scratches and visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors.

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 quality avant garde prog gem plays up to, and most-all even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound and has no tracking issues*. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, but total silence is nigh-on impossible with material like this. Like most progressive, experimental and ‘arty’ albums, there are some very quiet passages that will test out any vintage vinyl record, so the odd faint crackle trace or sporadic click has to be realistically expected. But overall, this is a near exceptional clean pressing for what I can confirm, is a challenging recording and complex record. Few copies will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played lightly and appears generally well stored and carefully handled. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this impressive record that is really to my own personal taste. One that has to be heard a few times to fully appreciate, but well worth the effort – I always prefer the more challenging bands and music. This will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* 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 programmes. 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’.