DUSTER BENNETT Smiling Like I’m Happy SCARCE ORIG UK 1968 BLUE HORIZON EX++ LP.

	£		48
	$		64

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 arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for 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.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: DUSTER BENNETT

Album Title: Smiling Like I’m Happy

Producer(s): Mike Vernon

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Worried Mind; Life Is a Dirty Deal; Country Jam; Trying to Paint It in the Sky; Times Like These; My Lucky Day.

Side 2: Got a Tongue in Your Head; Jumping at Shadows; 40 Minutes from Town; Shame Shame of Shame; My Love Is Your Love; Shady Little Baby.

Label/Format: Blue Horizon with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both in supreme conditions with only two or three fine and faint spindle marks.

Cat Number: S 7-63208

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: 186 grams. YES, you read right – this is a super-heavyweight record, and one of the heaviest ever original vinyl records I have ever held. A real platter cruncher, this took my LP12 an extra two or three seconds to get up to speed (almost with a groan). Few standard records at any time (bar the very modern era), ever manufactured records of this astonishing weight, and CBS records especially rarely did so. So an almost freak pressing being honest, as soon as you hold this, you will know it is very different.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Like so many on this highly collectable blues label, a scarce album – and this super-heavy, hardly played copy will rarely be found like it as such again.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: S7-63208 A1 / S7-63208 B1

Musicians: Duster Bennett - vocals, harmonica, guitar, bass-drum, high-hat cymbal; Stella Sutton - vocal; Peter Green - guitar; John McVie - bass; Mick Fleetwood - drums; Ham Richmond - piano.

Brief Info: Born Anthony Bennett in 1942 he was a British blues singer and instrumentalist. This was his first album and one of the earliest on Blue Horizon. Backed by Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac on three tracks, this will certainly appeal to fans of them as well. Bennett’s girlfriend Stella Sutton contributes some vocals. Very popular on the local blues club scene this album is magnificent and beautifully recorded with dynamic and powerful sound and in this case clean too. Tragically he was lost to a fatal car crash in 1976 but his music and energetic sound lives on forever within this superb record – certainly a piece of the blues connoisseur.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a single format with front laminate that wraps around the top and bottom edge but not the spine. Hence finding this cover with a near perfect spine is all the more difficult. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day & Co Ltd with the early ‘Patents pending’ text. Includes the heavy-duty polylined inner sleeve.

Lamination & Front: A few light, and mainly fine edge hairline type creases apart (that few can hope to avoid), t his has little to fault. The laminate retains superb shine, freshness and clarity with no lifting or dulling, even viewed under light. Quite how this has avoided rim impression or rubbing (or rear ringwear), with a 180 gram plus record inside all these years, I do not know. But it has and this front will take a lot beating.

Cover Back: The back is in super condition as well – one small mark near the right edge and little else to fault bar it. Indeed, not even sure if it a mark as such, it could even be a minor printing or manufacture blemish. Either way, this back is largely as-made and as clean as they get, it will take an enormous amount of beating.

Top Edge: Totally smooth and unworn, gently bowed as laminate tries to contract over time, but this is very gentle and minor indeed.

Bottom Edge: Same again but straight with hardly any bowing at all.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with little wear. Any thickening or burring minimal and light as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced, these edges not quite flush in manufacture to emphasise the fact.

Spine and Text: Exceptional, and practically as-made, especially given how dark and prone to wear these are. Some Blue Horizon and CBS spines were laminated, some were not, this is not. Hence rarely seen with all the text fully unworn. As seen in close-up, the construction has slightly covered the top of the text, but that is purely natural. Solid, straight with any compression traces light. Yes, as can be seen on my close-up areas of the spine, all text is as made, and that is really is a considerable plus on covers like this.

Corners: Any tip rubbing is minuscule and light, with just the odd tiny very end tip crease. Most have even better than excellent shape retained.

Cover Summary: An impressive all-round example of this quite elusive Blue Horizon cover. Not seen that often, and seldom better, this is my very first copy of this album for some considerable time. One to please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: a heavy-duty polylined plain white inner that is UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text. A little aged with the usual seam adhesive darkening. Two ultra crisp and undamaged window circles and clear lining. One corner crease and light crinkle and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a superb visual copy that is very clean with lovely shine, intense black and massive pressed with a pressing mass rarely experienced. In from the 1960s, the golden-era of records, few were pressed in incredible weight – 186 grams for a standard issue is around 50 grams above average for most labels. Any surface traces are very light, fine and faint as seen critically under bright angled light, no penetrating stylus scratches at all. This should 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 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This classic blues album that features Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac as the ‘House Band’, plays up to, and most-all even above it’s visual grading with barely anything to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Excellent production and impressive clean sound makes for the most pleasurable experience, it delivers the music beautifully with an in-the-room quality with no tracking issues*. Any surface sounds barely even registered on this quality Blue Horizon original is outstanding. Played very modestly and without doubt, with due care on a quality record player. This copy will seldom be seen or heard better and merits my highest recommendation.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.