ELP Works SUPERB, HARDLY PLAYED UK 1977 Double LP, Great Sound & Embossed Cover.

	£		45
	$		60

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, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible.

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.

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: EMERSON LAKE & PALMER

Album Title: Works

Producer(s): Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Carl Palmer.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Piano Concerto No. 1.

Side 2: Lend Your Love to Me Tonight; C’est La Vie; Hallowed Be Thy Name; Nobody Loves You Like I Do; Closer to Believing.

Side 3: The Enemy God; LA Nights; New Orleans; Bach Two Part Invention in D Minor; Food For Your Soul; Tank.

Side 4: Fanfare For The Common Man; Pirates.

Label/Format: Atlantic with matt, smooth surfaces, these have the distinctive CBS ridges.

Label Conditions: All four very clean, fresh and attractive with any spindle traces minuscule and faint, both records look hardly played. Another from the one owner from new collection.

Catalogue Number: K 80009

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of Records: 111 / 107 grams. Quite light, but these are superbly pressed with sound to match.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Moderate: but finding a really attractive little worn cover is never easy, in fact it’s difficult. With two records hardly played as well, this is harder to find than you may think. Pressing quality is always an issue as well. I have heard a number of these that crackle or have inherent pressing noises – I will not offer such copies. This example is superbly pressed and offers fantastic sound with little unwanted, even the most difficult first ‘classical’ side.

Original Year of Release: 1977

Matrix Nos: K-80009-A- / K-80009-B-2 / K-80009-C- (2) / K-80009 D (2)

Run-Out Text: All four sides have ‘ATLANTIC STUDIOS D.K.’ [machine punched]

Brief Info: After considerable time after Brain Salad Surgery, with just the live album inbetween, this ambitious double album was unleashed to the prog world in 1977. An album with the first three sides dedicated to each individual member and side ‘combined’. Emerson’s piece is self-explanatory, a classical composition and totally instrumental. Lakes songs are impressive and includes the sublime ‘C’est la Vie’. Palmer’s side is quite varied and includes a blistering version of ‘Tank’ that featured on their debut album. Side four is the album’s piece de resistance, with just two tracks but monumental they are. First is the full version of ‘Fanfare For The Common Man’ which was made popular when used as the anthem for the Montreal Olympic Games. Pulsating rhythm and percussion with awesome use of heavy percussion and even timpanies, Emerson contributes an extended electric keyboard improvisation solo and this is simply breathtaking. Then the finale: the thirteen minute ‘Pirates’ co-written by former King Crimson lyricist Peter Sinfield, this again a full-on track. A brilliant double album with few fillers and this set very well manufactured. Pressed close to classical record standards with sound quality to match. Packaged also in a triple gatefold cover that has embossing too, very prone to wear, but very little on this one. Beautifully recorded and produced with the usual flawless performances from three prog-rock stars.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a triple unlaminated gatefold format with a gentle surface sheen. The front has embossed lettering and logo. Printed and made in England by Robor, includes the two soft-lined inner sleeves.

Cover Front: In terms of wear, creasing and rubbing, this cover has very little at all. A half moon type surface crease towards the right has not broken the black ink, so has lower visibility, any marks few and light with no sticker issues. All the embossed matter is immaculate. Never easy to find such covers in this fine, fresh condition and this one of the finest I have seen for some time.

Cover Back: Even better for a back that seldom escapes often heavy ring wear which this has almost totally avoided. In fact any rim impression is ultra faint, the lack of creasing and rubbing also the best news possible.

Cover Inner Gatefold: All the inside four faces have avoided any real wear but have gentle hint of discolouration to politely remind of age. Just one or two fine surface creases again.

Top Edges: Being a double gatefold, the folding becomes more crucial for ultimate neatness, and this one is little short of perfectly manufactured with the edges all flush, parallel and flat. Any rub traces to the black surfaces are few and very light indeed making them quite impressive.

Bottom Edges: Almost as above, which for storage edges especially, is unusual minimal hint of wear.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and straight with barely any wear to the black closed edge, the one opening edge still sharp with minimal thickening (and guaranteed untrimmed).

Spine and Text: Solid, straight, uncompressed and folded square, so the edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. All text unworn which on a spine like this can never be taken for granted. A very fine central line simply from opening cannot really be avoided.

Corners: All corners are neat and crisp with any rubbing small and light, all have avoided knocks or dinks.

Cover Summary: Double gatefolds with no protection in black will always be a challenge to find with little wear, but this has survived impressively due to cover-protection from the one owner. This well preserved item should please many collectors. The two soft-lined inner sleeves are included. Both excellent with only the usual darkening of the paper, mostly near the adhesive edge areas. Hardly creased with all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR MINT: and clearly hardly played. A superb visual set that are very clean with lovely shine and quite solidly pressed. Any surface traces are minuscule and faint even as seen with scrutiny under bright light, barely anything at all. Visually super records that 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: Both records play up to their high visual grading with little to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and great detail. This is a high fidelity gem and one to prove the worth of any system. Any surface sounds registered little, the odd gentle trace on the odd quiet passage nigh-on impossible to avoid on such a recording. An exceptional clean pressing for a hugely demanding and challenging album that has extremes in volume and gentle parts. This set very well stored and carefully handled, with nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading these impressive records. This set could prove difficult to find better and is strongly recommended.

* 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. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. 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. 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 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. 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 17­ 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. 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’.