BADFINGER Straight Up SCARCE Orig UK 1972 N/M Apple LP

	£		74
	$		98

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Artist or Band: BADFINGER

Album Title: Straight Up.

Producer(s): Todd Rundgren and George Harrison.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Take it All; Baby Blue; Name of the Game; Day After Day; Sometimes; It’s Over.

Side 2: Money; Flying; Suitcase; Sweet Tuesday Morning; Perfection; I’d Die, Babe.

Label/Format: Apple – Original dark format (please see label scan).

Label Conditions: Beautiful examples of this most famous Beatles label, they dont come much better than this. Clean, fresh and clearly hardly even handled, just a couple of the faintest spindle traces you could imagine.

Cat Number: SAPCOR 19.

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: 145 grams. Somewhat above average for its era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce, arguably the hardest Badfinger album to find at all, none of their titles are easy anyway and to find a copy hardly even played is very difficult.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: SAPCOR 19 A-1U / SAPCOR 19 B-1U

Stamper Codes: 1 P / 1 GD

Other Etchings: ‘PORKY’ / ‘PECKO’

Musicians: Pete Ham – Guitar, Piano, Vocals; Tom Evans – Bass, Vocals; Joey Molland – Guitar, Vocals; Mike Gibbins – Drums. Guests: George Harrison – Slide Guitar; Leon Russell – Piano, Guitar; Klaus Voorman - Electric Piano.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Third and arguably the rarest and best album this famous and somewhat tragic band made on the Beatles Apple label. Although it received mixed reviews on issue, fans generally appreciated it well. Badfinger and The Beatles are always link-related and fully endorsed by them, not just because of the label. McCartney wrote them an early song, a move to help get them ‘noticed’, but this was probably unnecessary as they were a fine band in their own right. They appeared in a movie/soundtrack with the ex-Beatles, and also on solo albums too. George Harrison produced four songs on this album and the sound has obvious Beatles characteristics. However production credits have always been a little controversial. Todd Rundgren took over duties when Harrison’s interest fell and the final sound was probably more to do with him. Badfinger played a delightful style of power-pop with a few hit singles, many considered them strong contenders to continue The Beatles sound. But they did not go on to flourish after internal disagreements led to the suicide of founding member Peter Ham in 1975, they then folded. Clearly upset by his friend’s death, Tom Evans who witness Ham’s hanging body, also killed himself in 1983.

This copy on offer is very early indeed as the Matrixes and stampers will confirm, the record is a very thick heavy pressing, hardly the norm for 1972, and in the most incredible, practically mint condition. The cover is highly impressive too and looks gorgeous, worthy of a second look I feel. The only blemish of note is a crease near the top edge on both sides. Looking closely at them, I am not even convinced these are not manufacture adherance wrinkles rather than real creasing. Certainly questionable anyway, these apart, a cover that has little else to fault and still looking gorgeous with a shine that has to be seen to be believed, this will seldom be found like this. An astonishing copy of a genuinely scarce album, its one for connoisseur collectors and it should certainly appeal the serious Beatles and related collectors also. I can hardly imagine finding a much better copy of this elusive Apple album.

Cover Grade and Format: I simply cannot grade this below Excellent(+), again I state is has a crease near the top edge of both sides, but I still think it’s a manufacture blemish in laminate adhesion. This reitterated as there is ultra faint traces of ‘heat crinkle’ on the edges, a sure sign there were issues in application. A single format, laminated both sides and was printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd in England. This includes its original plain white, unlined Apple text inner.

Cover Front, Back & Lamination: This is a lovely cover with the most stunning of band pictures. The shine intensity of the surfaces has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Deep and mirror-like, but being so dark, it can show friction rubs or scuffs so easily. Not too many of those here, with normal viewing little show at all. Under light, the heavy record’s rim shape can be seen, light and faint on the front, more apparent on the back. I have mentioned twice already the creases near the top edge, so refer to my comments above on those. The really good news is the full adhesion, there are no lifts or blisters at all, even on the spine edge. Very fine surface marks can be seen under light but few other creases at all bar the aforementioned, one lesser one on the back spine edge. Still fresh and very clear, that lovely artwork, especially the front will not be easy to find much better. The lack of text here clearly did not promote this album enough and sales were modest. This cover has four edges where the laminate ends short, hence fine exposed strips, three on the back. The one on the front (opening right edge), is pristine, the ones on the back show very little wear or grubbiness. The light crinkle I mentioned above, I refer to it as ‘heat crinkle’ – faint rippling to the laminate surface – is only seen under light near the opening edge, totally invisible with normal viewing, thus raising my suspicions the laminate application was slightly short of perfect, so maybe the top creasing. This is theory, not a definitive statement. Anyway, a superb looking cover that will never prove easy to find much better.

Top Edge: Ultra tiny traces of laminate scuffs (but look very hard indeed).

Bottom Edge: Practically unworn.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely a trace of any wear and no feathering or trimming. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Near perfect: Solid, but thin in construction, but the text is practically perfectly centred. Still straight, uncompressed with manufacturers ‘nipped’ ends have clean definition too. All text is perfect, bold, clear and unworn under the very solid and uncracked laminate. These ‘skinny’ type spines rarely stand up well to years of storage and possible handling.

Corners: All four show little wear at all, one very small tip rub if being critical. All retain fantastic pointed shape.

Cover Summary: Even with a few relatively minor laminate issues, still a truly beautiful all round example of this scarce early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find significantly better. This wonderful sleeve should please most all collectors.

The Apple Inner Sleeve: This Apple ‘copyright text’ inner is in superb EX++ condition. Unlined and only very slighty aged with very faint and consistent darkening of the white surfaces. Uncreased with all edges unsplit with no repairs, this makes this elusive Apple album complete.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), I cannot imagine finding a copy better than this, if I had just purchased this new from a shop today, I certainly would not complain. This one is beautiful with barely a noteworthy surface mark or blemish, its a privilege to view any record this clean, an Apple record is extra special of course. With ultra scrutiny under light, just the odd mega-faint surface hairline (or even finer) can just be detected. But such minuscule traces are almost nit-picking for a 38-year-old record that clearly has barely been played. Super clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed on thick vinyl. Simply a pleasure to view a scarce album in such fresh and lovely condition, very much the exception rather than the rule.

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 mini-classic Apple record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing 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, an exceptional production from Rungdren (and to a lesser degree, Harrison). Barely any surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted, few copies will even match this let alone better it. I am positive this record has barely been out of the cover and has been very well stored and caringly looked after. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this very scarce Apple album. This record will prove very difficult to find better.

End Piece: Original Apple, Beatles related albums are pretty scarce and seldom offered in such clean conditions, most who did buy them around issue time, played them considerably, hence they are pretty special when so clean. Badfinger items are in demand, their relationship within The Beatles market is strong, more than clearly all four members had a high respect and regard for them. If this scarce, now getting quite rare record has eluded you all these years, its one I can almost unreservedly recommend. If the cover creasing is an issue however, do not bid, but the cover is still very strong too in it’s own right.

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 QED Silver terminated cable). 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (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. 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 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’.