IF Rare Orig Island Pink i logo. UK 1970. STUNNING COPY

	£		52
	$		69

Hi, I am Mike, I am 46 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 33 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and ellusive items now. 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, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirity, not just bits to guess a grade (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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 reader – 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. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I by quality single items and collections also (Email me please if you have quality items for sale).

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions of their intended payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions. NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM UNREGISTERED USERS, I will cancel them immediately, and sorry, I cannot give valuations on people’s personal items just for their own curiosity, no item can be accurately valued blindly.

Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert - Thankyou.

Artist or Band: IF

Album Title: If.

Track Listing: I’m Reaching Out on all Sides; What Did I Say About the Box, Jack?; What Can a Friend Say?; Woman, Can you See (What this big thing is all about)?; Raise the Level of Your Conscious Mind; Dockland; The Promised Land.

Label/Format: Island (Full pink with i logo format).

Label Condition: Wow, look at this pair. Another set of those hugely attractive deep pink labels that look almost brand new. The prettiest pinks with deep rich colour and only the lightest and faintest spindle traces to be just seen. This stunning album has clearly and without a doubt hardly ever been played. (Please see label scans for all information needed, just look at the colours, all natural, I guarantee no enhancement or digital improvement whatsoever - stunning!).

Cat Number: ILPS 9129.

Mono or Stereo: Stereo.

Country of Manufacture: England, UK

Rarity: One of the more ellusive Island pink albums and in such condition as this I would consider this very scarce. A special mention for the cover on this one too: it’s a collector’s nightmare item to find in anything like decent condition. As fragile and delicate as Rory Gallagher’s Irish Tour and Alex Harvey’s Next - yes this cover has a silver ink finish and it NEVER wears well, if and only if these cover types are kept hidden away with heavy protection is there any chance of finding these types looking decent. Well I am not saying this one is perfect, but it sure is the best one I have yet seen for this one. I would grade this as EX and taking into consideration what most will look like these days its a grade that’s worth a whole notch more than a standard EX cover - I would say this album overall is a pretty rare find looking and sounding this fine.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: ILPS 9129 A1 11 and ILPS 9129 B1 11 2

Brief Artist & Album Info: If were a seven piece progressive band blending rock with jazz - not too distant from the likes of Nucleus and mid-period Trafficet al. This was their only album to feature on this most famous label format and is never an easy one to find in any condition let alone like this. The record itself is in astonishing condition and could pass for new, the labels alone with impress as soon as they are taken out of the sleeve and the record gleams like new. The infamous cover is 2 grades above what is normally found or even expected now and as this is almost impossible to find looking attractive most collectors will almost certainly be pleased to have this one. This silver cover simply cannot withstand any friction or rubbing in any form, the silver ink just rubs off leaving a messy dulled appearance even going black eventually. Ringwear is almost standard on these types and only very rarely do silver covers show without any. Well as stated this one is not perfect, but will challenge most, its at least does still look nice and ringwear has largely been avoided and that’s no mean statement.

Cover Grade and Format: EX, I think this is very fair really. Its a single format with a silver ‘metallic’ look and feel - no laminate of course. It was printed and made by the E.J. Day Group, London and Bedford.

Cover Front: As stated this really is a collector’s nightmare, but this front is looks really quite nice and very acceptable. Rubbing is only light and marks are the same. Such is the finish on this one it takes no prisoners when it comes to showing marks, even surface marks, but again there are not too many to worry about, a few small light blemishes sure but in context very few at all. Ringwear and creasing, apart from the bottom right corner, which has a small dink crease on the tip area, has largely been avoided - creasing and silver covers do not blend well, again they look ugly and destroy these types. This is generally clean and satisfying and most pink Island collector’s will enjoy this front.

Cover Back: Even more challenging, just look at this huge area of silver ink, but also notice how relatively unworn it is too. This again has avoided major creases and any traces of ringwear is as light as can reasonably be expected, remember this early Island record is very heavy and thick and the odds of zero ring marks will be slight. Rubbing is only very slender and overall marks are the same, even indentations are escaped. Viewing this under normal conditions reveals nothing serious and should again please most collectors.

Top Edge: Virtually unworn.

Bottom Edge: Faint rub trace and a chip on the right approaching the corner tip.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear. Record entered on right outside edge.

Spine and Text: Solid and square with little wear, a couple of small chips but erosion again has been largely avoided and this retains (against all odds) fine shape and definition. The text is perfect and unworn, ILPS 9129 is all that was printed on this one.

Corners: All four show wear to the tips the bottom right which looks to have taken a small knock has a little more but not too serious - this infact represents the most actual real wear to this delicate cover, it will show on the picture I hope because I want to hide nothing. All corners have solid shape.

Cover Summary: Most collectors will know its a hiding to nothing for this cover, a day at a record fair with collectors thumbing through alone could destroy this one - this simply will rarely show up looking much better than this these days - a silver finished cover at 34 years old looking EX with minimal overall wear - this has to be rare. If a much better example can be found, take it, because I feel sure I wont find a much better cover for this ever and that’s being totally honest.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-). A superb visual copy that again will challenge all others. Super clean, shiny, jet black and a very robust pressing. Barely a mark to be seen, very light and faint surface traces if viewed critically under angled light but this looks really amazing. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence and it gleams and looks almost like new. Visually a super record that will not be beaten, it will please all collectors I feel sure.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super record plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault. Strong, undistorted sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very full sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and I remember nothing untoward at all, few copies will play better than this, its almost vinyl perfection. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment - nothing less would have left this album looking and played like this. Little, if anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this gem. This copy could prove near impossible to find significantly better.

Mono vs Stereo, an overview: Always a matter of opinion which is better or more important. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records. As a general guide to rarity, mono was the far more common format from 61–65; Around 66–67 the balance was roughly equal, then from 68-69 the balance swung more to stereo, making monos from these dates far scarcer, even rare - this guide is important and effects values greatly.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: A pretty rare Island album anyway, showing up like this should please Island connoisseurs even more. I would feel very sure this would have sold in pretty small numbers for a major label band, jazzier rock had more of a limited appeal than pure prog or rock - even folk. The Vertigo Spiral jazzy bands are amongst the hardest to track down, again they sold far less than some others. If your collection is missing this important Pink album, well you could search a long time seeking out a much better all-round copy - the record is unlikely to ever be matched, the cover could be the same, the gauntlet is thrown down, try to find this Pink gem better. If you can, if and only if - Grab It!! – Mike.

Having the Powerseller Logo: This is recognition from Ebay for the highest possible customer services, satisfaction and quality, it should reassure any potential bidder that all items are described, graded and shipped to the highest standards possible. Customer care of the highest order is a standard feature here and I am proud to have achieved this recognised standard of excellence from Ebay with help from collectors and buyers from all over the World - I thank you all.

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3.00; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £5.50 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Doubles add extra £1, triples add extra £2. Box sets add extra £3 (£4 overseas and Europe)

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOTprofit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more and I often actually lose money on this part of service - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be worthwhile.

I can accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders OWN risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above)

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other interesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear if any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.