Hokus Poke "Earth Harmony" die-cut g/f Vertigo LP

	£		124
	$		164

ARTISTE, RECORD TITLE  AND LABEL 

HOKUS POKE "Earth Harmony"

Vertigo 6360 064 (see below for country of pressing)

Though housed in a UK Howards gatefold sleeve with the gimmicky die-cut front, the label is of the type where the spiral is at the 12 o'clock position on both sides.  I have put up a few of this in the past and would like to reproduce what I wrote in those instances for the benefit of those who have not read it(regular bidders please bear with me)

 For several years, we here in Singapore, used to be puzzled over its origins. It is definitely not Singapore as the matrix numbers are machine stamped whereas Singapore ones were scratched in. We used to think it was German in origin with a UK cover. However, towards the later part of 2007 ie November or in December, a UK seller put up a number of such Vertigos and indicated that he found it in their UK warehouse and that they were UK presed but for distribution to Singapore and the Far East. Perhaps in hindsight I should have made a copy of those listings. I am of the view that he is right as the sonics are pretty good. Besides, Singapore neither had the expertise nor was it cost effective to print such die-cut covers here during .

GRADING RESULTS:

 The jacket is generally graded as VG++. There are no tears or  writings or seam splits , though there are some flaking at the sides which is more pronounced at the top of the spine. The lettering on the spine is largely legible. There is also a signature at the top right hand corner as well as at the "H" of Hokus.

 The vinyl looks Excellent with a couple of very light lines which did not affect play or cause skips. It maintains its lustre and is brilliantly brilliant. There is also a signature on the label.Tracking  at 1.7g on a LP12 mounted with an ARO arm and a Lyra Helikon SL cartridge, there are a some very occasional light extraneous surface noise at the start of each side as well as at the start of the last track on side 2. These  were not  intrusive and the playing is graded as Excellent in view of this.

How I Clean and  Grade my Records

Cleaning: Cleaning is usually done on a Loricraft PRC 4 cleaning machine  using the US made Walker Audio 3 stage cleaning solution.

Playback Equipment: Playback is through a Linn LP12 turntable/Armeggedon/Naim Aro tonearm/Lyra Helikon SL cartridge and through a brace of active Naim 250s/135s into Naim DBL speakers. For 45s I use a second Linn/Lingo/Aro/Linn Troika though I change them occasionally as the arm tubes can be easily transferred from one deck to another.

I use both Goldmine and Rare Record Price Guide grading system as a guide and came up with the following:

·       Mint  I only use this for sealed items. The record is virtually unplayed and is in a brand new condition. Cover is pristine. Up till now, I have never used this grading and, chances are, never will, due to my conservative nature in matters of record grading.

·       Near Mint  Very little or negligible flaws. Faint lines or very faint creasing  on laminated covers visible under a strong light is acceptable but nothing serious. Records which show some signs of having been played such as very faint spindle marks are allowed but there should be no lessening in sound quality. .

·       Excellent   Item obviously played, though not often,and enjoyed with some slight noise. The record should be nice and shiny but may have a few light marks which should not intrude on play. Slight wear on cover is acceptable. 

·         Very Good Many more imperfections which are noticeable but not obtrusive. The record has been played several times but there should be no major deterioration in sound quality despite some noticeable surface marks and light scratches. Normal wear and tear or writings on the cover  is acceptable but there should not be any major tears.

I do not offer any records below Very Good  unless its extremely rare. 

Shipping costs

I  use brand new custom made  plastic sleeves  for both the vinyl and for the sleeve. Shipping from Singapore is always by Airmail and by registered post as it allows one to track items in case of delays. I usually post within 2 working days from date of payment. From experience, I know that it generally takes about 10 days to arrive at the destination though there might be variations of plus/minus 3 days. Shipping costs in pounds are:

UK/USA/Europe Australia Japan  10 GBP

Each additional LP                       3GBP

Postage is via Airmail, "signed for" delivery. I prefer signed for delivery as it allows me to "chase" on my side if buyers do not get their items within 2 weeks though so far this has only happened with Italy.

 I will  inform buyers of the registration details through Email on posting.

Forms of payment that I accept include:

·       PAYPAL (preferred choice)