FAMILY A Song For Me SCARCE ORIG UK 70 EX+ LP + INSERT.

	£		47
	$		63

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe (including Russia) £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

PLEASE NOTE: Overseas packets that go through the customs system, can take up to 4 to 6 weeks to process and deliver, this IS normal. For Russia, this can take even longer and is out of my control, so please be patient.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: FAMILY

Album Title: A Song For Me.

Producer(s): Family.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Drowned in Wine; Some Poor Soul; Love is a Sleeper; Stop for the Traffic (Through the Heart of Me); Wheels.

Side 2: Song for Sinking Lovers; Hey - Let It Rock; The Cat and the Rat; 93’s O.K. J; A Song for Me.

Label/Format: Reprise – original three colour format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only few, light and quite faint spindle marks. A copy played very modestly, this reitterated by very impressive, clean sound. This too on a very challenging album that has complex and intense sound.

Cat Number: RSLP 9001.

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: 155 grams. A typical heavyweight thick pressing from this label and it’s respective year.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce on the original label, especially in top playing conditions and including the elusive insert. Although this sold well in the UK, it failed to even chart in the US. Most seen have horribly worn covers and records played into submission. This is a very fine all-round example with a highly respectable cover, fine insert and lovely record that offers fantastic sound. The cover does have a name on the inside but the most important factor for me is always sound quality, this one really delivers. A record not available long on this format, most seen are repressings on the tan label, by 1970, the tri-colour labels were nearing their end.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: RSLP 9001 A-2 / RSLP 9001 B-2

Mother & Stamper Codes: AH 1 / AJ 1

Musicians: Roger Chapman – vocals, percussion; John Whitney – guitars, banjo, organ; Robert Townsend – drums, percussion, harp; John Weider – guitars, violin, dobro; John ‘Poli’ Palmer – vibes, piano, flute.

Brief Info: The third Family album and last to feature on the tri-colour Reprise label format. Now with two new band members: John Weider on bass and ‘Poli’ Palmer on keyboards, flute and vibraphone, these replaced Ric Grech who went to Blind Faith and Jim King left for personal reasons. This album offered a variety of sounds and styles and proved very successful in the UK, but failed to attract attention within the US. A complex recording with intricate sounds and this vintage early-pressed copy plays superbly well with practically nothing unwanted. Even Weider’s, at times wild sounding violin remains focused, precise and sharp, and there are few greater tests than this. This was a hugely enjoyable play-grade and most listeners will enjoy it.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: very dark, gatefold, matt-finished covers with very thick and heavy records inside 40+ years has all the ingredients for rubbing (to all areas), fading, ringwear and creasing. Few grade much above very good these days.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: and a more than respectable example of a totally unforgiving sleeve. As stated above, this has a date and name on the inside (on the drum to the left of the centre fold), my grading does NOT take this into account. To what degree any writing on a cover degrades is purely subjective, so any interested collector must decide themself. A matt-finished, unlaminated gatefold format. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press. This has the correct RSLP 9001 number and includes the original insert.

Cover Front: In terms of rubbing, this has little and any marks are few and very light. A gentle crease near the bottom right corner and a few of the usual hairline types on the spine edge. Little else really to fault – a difficult front looking very nice indeed.

Cover Back: The back is similar again, even better if anything, the lack of penetrating ring wear is a great news as so few will avoid it on the originals. A little very light rubbing around the rim impression is near impossible to avoid with a 150 gram record inside all these years, but here very light indeed. Even less creasing than the front with a mild trace on the bottom left.

Cover Inner Gatefold: There is writing on the drum as already mentioned a couple of times. It is very neat indeed and I personally think it detracts little. The fact it has the date of purchase actually confirms beyond any doubt this copy was purchased within less than three weeks of issue – 17/2/70 – the Net says this was actually in the shops on 23rd January 1970. The inside artwork has little wear at all and any marks or creasing few and light.

Top Edges: Very little rubbing at all and both straight.

Bottom Edges: The front has a little rubbing near the ends. The back has moderate and consistent rubbing. Again both are still straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, reasonably sharp with any wear modestly light. The front closed edge is the sharpest with little to fault. The back opening edges are a little more thickened but with very little burring. Both are guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Although the bottom edge has taken some rubbing, which is hardly unusual being the ‘resting’ edge, the spine has remained in mnostly very fine condition and shows little wear bar a small rub to a couple of letters of the text. The ‘Y’ in FAMILY and the ‘A’ in ‘A SONG…’ etc are both gone. Practically all else present nigh-on fully intact. Solid, straight, uncompressed and folded square, the edges meet up very closely together and parallel.

Corners: All corners have some rubbing which ranges from quite light to moderate. Fine to near very fine shape is retained with a little tip creasing on some.

Cover Summary: All considered, a more than highly respectable all-round example of this very fragile early 70’s cover, one that could prove very difficult to find significantly better. This still eye-pleasing item with most of any wear on the bottom edge, and of course, the writing inside. But the dating of the issue I consider actually quite important and simply part of it’s history, so personally I have few issues with it. But that purely a subjective view and this is not for the highly discerning, but many collectors will enjoy it for sure.

The Lyric Insert: EXCELLENT: this original matt-finished insert is in very fine condition with just a fine surface crease near the top left edge and a trace on the opposite bottom. A near microscopic nick trace on the bottom edge and some quite light handling traces. Matt black surfaces are ruthlessly revealing, but this reveals relatively little and this thin and quite fragile insert is still very nice. This often missing altogether – this guaranteed original.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: this being quite critical as in terms of wear or damage, it has practically none. Only marked down for moderate discolouration and toning. This original heavy-duty polylined white inner has barely any creasing at all and all edges are unsplit with no repairs. Both the window circles are practically as made and the lining incredibly clear and unfogged. This is British patented.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is clean with a nice shine, intense black and heavily pressed. A copy with very modest plays on all the evidence with any surface marks, few and fine with no penetrating scratches at all. Visually a really nice record that should please many, if not 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This more progressive sounding album plays even above it’s 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. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Just one milli-second pressing sound noted on the whole album, blink and you will miss it, this is what critical play-grading is about. Few copies will match or outperform this original label pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been only lightly and has been generally carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This record will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. The cover may have a few mildish issues, but the record has little and offers wonderful audio quality and for me, nothing is more important.

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 8,000+ items sold in over 10 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] = £4.25

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 (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 (£17 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’.