BLONDIE - SCARCER UK Original 1977 Private Stock N/M LP

	£		37
	$		49

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Artist or Band: BLONDIE

Album Title: Blondie.

Producer(s): Richard Gottehrer.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: X Offender; Little Girl Lies; In The Flesh; Look Good in Blue; In the Sun; A Shark in Jets Clothing.

Side 2: Man Overboard; Rip Her to Shreds; Rifle Range; Kung Fu Girls; The Attack of the Giant Ants.

Label: Private Stock.

Label Conditions: Both ultra clean and attractive with only just a couple of long faint spindle marks on side two.

Cat Number: PVLP 1017.

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: 130 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Much scarcer on the original UK Private Stock label. Only after the hit single ‘Denis’ from their second album did the whole Blondie hit machine phenomenon take off and most copies of t his are seen on the later blue Chrysalis label.

Original Year of Release: 1977

Matrix Nos: PVLP 1017 A-1U / PVLP 1017 B-1U

Stampers: 1 RR / 1 GH

Other Etchings: MELYS (both sides)

Brief Artist & Album Info: Issued at the time of punk rock, but Blondie were never really that. I went see them on their first UK tour in London before most people had ever even heard of them, and from the very beginning I knew they were going to be BIG. Debbie’s on stage charisma, charm and stunning looks won over the audience immediately. Her band too were exceptional, far too talented to ever be labelled ‘punk rock’, this was almost ‘bubble-gum’-power pop and what an amazing evening it was – the drummer, Clement Burke, had definite ‘Keith Moon’ qualities and style. This vintage debut album captures the mood perfectly, and for me anyway, remains their best album. Brilliant, vibrant, exhilarating, pop music with infectious riffs and great songs, the new Blonde bombshell had arrived. Play-grading this scarce Private Stock copy – most are found on the reissued Chrysalis label – brought all those mid-70s memories flooding back, this album has always had a special place in my affections. It’s always rewarding to discover a new band that later go on to be huge before anyone else even knew they existed. My favourite record shop, a small independent called Parrot Records, had one import copy which they let me hear – it had a price tag of £6 which for an apprentice printer represented nearly a week’s wages at the time, I reluctantly had to decline it. I bought the first UK copy that arrived shortly afterwards, the only one too, as they did not stock up on new virtually unknown bands, US ones especially. When friends heard it and wanted their own copy, the Private Stock version had gone. This one on offer is the first Private Stock copy I have seen for some time and is in fantastic condition. The record looks hardly played and visually close to Mint, it plays tghe same. It’s a lovely overall copy that should delight collectors of this great pop band in their infancy.

Musicians: Deborah Harry - vocals; Chris Stein - Guitar, bass; Gary Valentine - bass guitar, guitar; Clement Burke - drums; James Destri - Farfisa organ, grand piano, RMI piano, Roland synthesiser.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+, a single format, unlaminated, printed by Robert Stace in England. This has the Private Stock Records Ltd logo printed on the back and has a small Downtown Records sticker near the bottom right corner of the back.

Cover Front: Clean fresh with just a faint rim rub and a small few ultra fine surface marks seen under light. Barely a crease to be seen and the artwork looks fantastic, the first picture of Debbie on an album cover simply sublime.

Cover Back: Very similar again with barely any record rubbing but a fine surface crease near the top right edge, it hardly even shows. I have mentioned the Downtown Records sticker above already, I am sure ths will remove if deemed necessary.

Top Edge: Very faint rub traces only.

Bottom Edge: Even fewer than above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear. A few ultra tiny very edge ‘flecks’ on the back but no feathering, and guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on right edge.

Spine and Text: A great spine that again states Private Stock. It’s very straight, minimal compression and square, with hardly any traces of rubbing or wear. All text is perfect and unworn.

Corners: All four show just small or tiny tip rubs, all retain excellent shape.

Cover Summary: A lovely original cover, never easy to find this clean and unworn with the Private Stock imprint. It will please most collectors.

The Inner: EX++ with just a hint of light toning and odd small mark. This EMI unlined inner is uncreased with no edge splits. Guaranteed original with the 8/77 date code. The bottom corners are vented in manufacture and the top recessed opening almost as made.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), a superb visual copy, clearly hardly played. Super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. Barely a mark of significance to be seen, this looks fantastic and could practically pass for new. Visually a super record that will please most-all 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 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 super record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, clean sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Sound quality is superb with a full dynamic range and a very lively, detailed sound, Debbie sounds wonderful with real vigour and charm. Any surface sounds are minimal and no pops or clicks were noted. On the track ‘In the Flesh’, there may appear a mini-skip, but this is not the case. I think this possible ‘blemish’ was on the on the edit on the master-tape and has been present on every example I have ever heard. This record has clearly been very well stored and caringly looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Very little spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this new-wave pop classic. This original UK copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and is strongly recommended. This Blondie at their raw brilliant best with the catchiest songs they ever recorded.

End Piece: Almost the perfect pop record – an album of inherent catchiness and still ‘fun’ to listen too. Great ‘new wave’ pop songs that immediately stick in the mind, but no major hit singles on this one. The first song ‘X Offender’ was a controversial single, originally called ‘Sex Offender’, the nervous label insisted on a less offensive and safer title before it was issued. A mixture of slow, fast and very fast songs, swirling synths and pulsating drums, Blondie had it all. The cover too is a gem, one of the best pictures of Debbie ever. This Private Stock original will be hard to find much better, it really is a tricky one to find anyway. Even today, I consider Blondie’s music to be some of the finest ever pop music ever made from the 1970s and onwards - it was near perfect (as was the lady herself), if you need this one, look no further, its here.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

THERE IS PACKING – AND THERE IS ONEADAYRECORDS PACKING.

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 heavy duty 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 VERY THICK stiffners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords (please see my picture of these stiffners and compare to the wafer-thin commercially available ones that offer pretty much zero protection). Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffner ‘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 [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2 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]) = £12. Add £3 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’.