DON RENDELL Meet Don Rendell incredibly rare '55 UK 10"

	£		426
	$		564

This is an original, UK 1st pressing of the incredibly rare and highly sought after 1955 10inch LP "Meet Don Rendell" by Don Rendell

UK 1955 Microgroove 33rpm on the TEMPO record label catalogue number LAP 1

MATRIX NUMBERS : Side 1 - VMG 147 - 1B, Side 2 - VMG 148 - 1B

The front side of the outer sleeve is in very good condition with just some very light scuffing on the corners. The top edge is perfectly intact with no creasing and the bottom edge is the same except for one very, very small scuff towards the middle. The spine also has no creasing but there are two small scuffs about halfway along right on the edge (not visible from a front view). There is some laminate deterioration towards the front opening side but this is not obvious and the photo itself of Don Rendell standing by a doorway is in brilliant, unblemished condition. The grey, blue, and yellow colouring remains superb. The reverse side of the outer sleeve is in good condition and does show it's age (remember, this LP was released 56 years ago!). The flipbacks are sound but there is age discolouration, as clearly shown by the photo, and some staining towards the top across the print "meet Don Rendell" - see photo. All of the writing is perfectly legible and there are no annotated notes or unwanted handwriting. Finally there is some very mild ringwear, barely in evidence on the front side but a little more so on the reverse side.

The original inner polythene protective sleeve is in excellent condition and remains fully functional.

 The condition of the vinyl (which is beautifully thick and heavy - why don't they make them like this anymore?!) is very good : much of the original sheen has been retained and on first appearance the vinyl comes across as being in truly excellent condition. Holding it up to a bright light does inevitably reveal some hairlines and a few surface scuffs, however, but no scratches of any significance and certainly nothing to stop you wanting to immediately place it onto your turntable. 

 The record labels are both excellent  with just some minor, barely visible spindle wear around the centre on each side. Again there is no unwanted writing. Lovely!

The quality of the audio ranges from good to excellent : there is some mild background crackle throughout most (but not all) of the tracks. The worst crackle (and even this is tolerable) is at the start of each side of the record, but quickly the crackle fades and by the time you get to the end of the second track on each side the crackle  becomes barely noticeable and does not negatively impede upon the audio quality. There are four noticeable "clicks" towards the end of the track "Top Hat" but having inspected the vinyl it is not obvious to me what is causing the clicks...perhaps it just needs a professional clean. The audio quality is not perfect but nowhere is it sufficient to diminish the absolute joy of listening to the fabulous Don Rendell on this piece of vinyl...again, having just listened to this great record I am reminded of just how far ahead of his time Don Rendell was. Play this music in any nightclub today and it would not be out of place! 

TRACK LISTINGS :

Side 1

1. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
2. Sometimes I'm Happy
3. On A Slow Boat To China
4. Yesterdays

Side 2

1. Top Hat, White Tie and Tails
2. That Old Feeling
3. New Orleans
4. From This Moment On

In summary I have no hesitation as grading the overall condition of this package as "VERY GOOD". It would serve any serious record collector/collection proud and just the very sight of the vinyl, and especially the outer sleeve, is impressive. No wonder this is such a prized and highly valued piece. It will, of course, only increase in rarity and value.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS PIECE OF HIGHLY COLLECTABLE DON RENDELL VINYL THEN YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THE EQUALLY INCREDIBLY RARE Don Rendell "Shades Of Blue" ORIGINAL UK VINYL THAT I AM ALSO CURRENTLY AUCTIONING ON EBAY!

A bit about myself : I have been collecting UK vinyl for over 40 years and have a huge collection. A combination of space requirements and a need to help fund my imminent retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my collection and sell some of my much loved gems. My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no questions asked" refund policy. If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'l do my best to oblige. Richard

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint

Description: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint. Excellent Description: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packag­ing might have slight wear and/or creasing. Very Good Description: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable sur­face marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable. Good Description: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.   Fair Description: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for prop­erly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced. Poor Description: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing. Bad Description: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.