DON HARPER Homo Electronicus RARE ORIG UK 1974 COLUMBIA EX+ LP & COVER.

	£		36
	$		48

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 arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to 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.

Artist or Band: DON HARPER

Album Title: Homo Electronicus.

Producer(s): Don Harper.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Dr Who Theme; Cold Worlds; Fiddle Chop.

Side 2: The Blue Book; Nightmare; World of Sport.

Label/Format: Columbia - two box format with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with very light and light(+) spindle marks that are fine and faint.

Cat Number: SCX 6559.

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: 112 grams. exactly the same weight as the one other copy I had around five years ago.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite rare: a somewhat ‘lost’ progressive album that will rarely be seen or offered and this too one of the earliest ever manufactured.

Original Year of Release: 1974

Matrix Nos: YAX 4729-1U / YAX 4730-1U

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 R / 1 G [a prized first ‘G’ stamper, with the ‘R’ the second in the sequence]

Musicians: Don Harper - Electric violin, viola; Dick Abel - guitar; Alan Branscombe - piano, electric piano, synthesiser operator, vibraphone, alto and soprano saxophones; Norma Winstone - vocals; Harold Fisher - drums, percussion; Brian Steadman - Synthesiser [Programmer].

Brief Info: Don Harper, a jazz violinist excursion into electronic progressive music that includes the classic ‘Dr Who’ theme and vintage ITV’s ‘World of Sport’ theme – these the two more commercial tracks. These two are shorter intros and outros – the main tracks are very different and quite magnificent too. ‘Cold Worlds’ clocking in at nearly 16 minutes is spacy with eerie vocals by Norma Winstone. This blends synths with jazzy elements and the whole album can be pigeon-holed under ‘progressive’ music and will certainly appeal to fans of the genre. The 10 minute plus songs ‘Blue Book’ and ‘Nightmare’ are equally compelling and this is a must-have for experimental music fans. I guess few will have even heard of this one and being honest, I was one of them but this is now stored on disc for my future listening pleasure - I was instantly addicted to this brilliant album, the first I have seen for five years. ‘Homo Electronicus’ is another carefully guarded secret that demands to be given another spin soon. The back cover details the inspirations for the compositions which adds to the atmosphere of this magnificent work.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a single format with front laminate that wraps around the spine edge on to the back. Both the traditional left spine, and the top edges have text as seen in my pictures. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Lamination & Front: Very clear, shiny, fresh and attractive and fully adhered with no lifting. Barely any marks, friction rubs or dulling. Any of the few creases are very fine and faint, most near the edges has hairline types. This superb cover front looks lovely.

Cover Back: This back has retained it’s yellow colour superbly, such covers (including my last one) tend to fade. It has minimal grubbiness with only gentle traces on a very revealing surface. Only very light rim impression near the top edge, this is made with very thin card. Barely any creases or rubbing at all, this back will prove immensely difficult to find better.

Top Edge: Hardly any wear but a little natural bowing as the laminate tightens over the years, better this an lifting for me. The unprotected text has barely worn at all, being unprotected, this is a considerable bonus.

Bottom Edge: Any rubbing to this white edge very light and shows little.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with very little wear. Any thickening or burring minimal and light as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on thgis edge and is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Solid, and still quite straight with any compression light, all text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate. This the only edge laminate protected.

Corners: A small tip rub on the bottom right, little else bar the odd tiny tip crease. Excellent shape mostly retained.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this elusive and seldom-seen 1970’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): the original plain white unlined inner is included in clean and very little aged condition. No splits, any creases or darkening minimal.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very impressive visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and quite solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface blemishes being very few, fine and faint as seen under bright angled light. Complex playing surfaces for challenging content, finding this better will prove very difficult and it should please 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This superb record plays up to its high visual gradin, and most above with little 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. A genuine high fidelity recording that will delight the audiophile connoisseur. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed – it does have some very quiet passages and no pops or clicks were noted, but a little gentle surface sound is nigh-on impossible to avoid, overall a very clean pressing. Complex sounds and music on very clean playing surfaces that have no penetrating scratches, few copies will outperform this prized ‘1R/1G’ incredibly early pressing significantly I feel sure. Worthy of note I feel: the brilliant track ‘Cold World’ has a strange repetitive sound that starts quietly and lightly intensifies as the song progresses. This is totally correct and is NOT an unwanted sound, it is heard more on its own near the track’s end. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, with content like this, I expect a little minor surface traces at the very least, the format barely allows it not to have. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. If this title is unfamilar, I promise few will be disappointed.

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 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’.