DON HARPER Homo Electronicus RARE Orig UK 1974 N/M LP

	£		50
	$		66

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

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 and including a genuine Factory Sample ‘Not For Sale’ sticker. (Please see my label picture).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with just a small spindle mark on side one. Again from the collection of barely played records.

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. [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: Quite rare: never seen or heard this before and what a stunning album it is. 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

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 - Synthesizer [Programmer].

Brief Info: Don Harper, a jazz violinist excursion into electronic progressive music that includes the ‘Dr Who’ theme and vintage ITV’s ‘World of Sport’ theme. 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 spacy synths with jazzy elements and the whole album is 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 ever seen or heard. ‘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.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Quite High.

Cover Grade and Format: EX, a single format with front laminate that wraps around the spine edge on to the back. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Lamination & Front: Very clear, shiny and attractive and fully adhered with no lifting. Barely any marks or noteworthy creases and no friction rubs or dulling. This superb cover front looks lovely.

Cover Back: The entire back is a consistent pale yellow colour, if this was ever white I cannot say as I have ever seen this one before. The laminate end near the spine edge has yellowed for sure. Actual real wear is minimal with just one small and mild corner crease. The faintest trace of a ring arc near the top edge and a few small minor marks. The top right corner states ‘File under POPULAR: Miscellaneous’, true, this is less-than-easy to classify, but for me experimental progressive will do fine.

Top Edge: Barely any wear and the laminate was extended over this edge which includes text the same as the spine, this is perfect and unworn.

Bottom Edge: Again this was protected by laminate but shows barely any traces of wear.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear or feathering. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, fairly straight with minimal compressions, all text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate.

Corners: Tiny tip creases on the spine, the others retain superb shape and these remain neat.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this elusive and seldom-seen 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This beautiful item should please many collectors.

The Inner: The original plain white unlined inner is included in excellent condition. No splits or creases, just mildly darkened with age.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), A superb visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and quite solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence, two or three only as most all were from this collection. Visually a super record that should please 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 superb record plays up to its high visual grading with practically 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. A genuine high fidelity recording that will delight the audiophile connoisseur. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, even though this does have some very quiet passages and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. So-much-so, I had no hesitation in downloading this disc for my own future pleasure to be enjoyed anywhere. Few copies will outperform this ultra early pressing significantly I feel sure - pressed within the first 600 made and with a genuine factory sticker. 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, I was not entirely sure at first, but watching the rotation of the record label proves this recorded sound is heard at different locations on the stylus contact - I had few doubts anyway, just part of the intricate sound information on this superbly produced record. 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 spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record - I can hardly wait to hear this again… and again. 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 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.

POSTING & 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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. (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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.