MIGHTY BABY Monster Psych UK 69 Rarity on Head N/M Copy

	£		546
	$		723

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: MIGHTY BABY

Album Title: Mighty Baby.

Producer(s): Guy Stevens & Mighty Baby.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Egyptian Tomb; A Friend you Know But Never See; I’ve Been Down so Long; Same Way From the Sun.

Side 2: House Without Windows; Trials of a City; I’m From the Country; At a Point Between Fate and Destiny.

Label/Format/Conditions: Head - Stunning, practically as new with just one fine spindle mark on side one and none at all on side two. One of the rarest albums I have ever offered on Ebay in the most sublime condition and again from the DJ collection recently acquired. I doubt if the man even played this through and if a better example can be found, I sure would like to see it. As the doormouse said in the greatest single ever made - 'FEED YOUR HEAD'. (Please see my label scan, both are practically identical).

Cat Number: HDLS 6002.

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: 145 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very rare indeed: as stated one of the most elusive, rare and sort-after albums by psych connoisseurs I have ever been privileged to acquire and offer. A near reference standard copy of this classic album on the tiny Head label, few will ever be found like this and an ultra rare opportunity for the specialist collector wanting a copy that will remind those of a certain age what a new one once looked like. Most that surface will be badly marked and likely heavily played. Often subjected to needle abuse from those heady days and sounding terrible when played on modern clinical equipment. This diamond plays to perfection from start to finish and I almost feel honoured just to get to play this. Now my reference copy to play anywhere, this could only ever be matched, never beaten. I doubt if more than a small handful of these were ever pressed and this could conceivably be the best surviving copy that will ever be offered. Up there with the psych classics of the era and even the cover has survived largely unscathed as well as I hope my pictures will confirm. Rare? - this goes beyond rare like this - take another look, it’s fairly unlikely you will ever see one like this again.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: HLLS 6002 A-2 *T / HLLS 6002 B-2 *T

Stamper Codes: E 1 / G 1

Musicians: Alan ‘Bam’ King - vocals, guitar; Martin Stone - guitar; Ian Whiteman - piano; Mike ‘Ace’ Evans - bass guitar; Roger Powell - drums.

Brief Info: The debut release from this short-lived band – they only made two, this was a psych rock album and sounds little like the follow-up on Blue Horizon. Issued on the tiny Head label, this has always been a rare and elusive album and highly regarded by psych fans. They were popular at the festivals of the day appearing at the Isle of Wight festival in 69 and Glastonbury - they feature on the legendary Revelation triple album issued in 1972. They also worked with Keith Christmas and did the back up on his debut album ‘Stimulus’. Also Shelagh McDonald and Sandy Denny and a few others. Selling in only small numbers this is very much sort-after and highly collectable and this is the ultimate keeper-copy, practically reference standard and will prove a major investment. With playing surfaces looking practically as-made - the odd minor surface trace blemish if being ultra critical - and sound with the standard of the master-tape, I simply cannot imagine ever finding this record quite like this again. Being honest, it’s an achievement to find it at all, let alone one that was possibly not even fully played. I doubt if this record has seen light-of-day for decades and possibly the cover the same. A copy time has largely forgotten but no dust to blow-off, it was protected inside a plastic cover and the LP inside a soft anti-static inner. The owner was an audiophile connoisseur with a massively expensive system so NO dangers of this being subjected to primitive record damaging players of the day. This will more than immediately apparent to any lucky winning bidder. This album is one that will remain embedded into my memory long after its gone. The hardest part of being a professional record dealer is letting the ultimately rare and quality items go, and if it stays here too long it surely will stay. This is a very special album and a gem for the specialist collector. Do not lose this one.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High.

Cover Grade and Format: Mint(-), yes true - it’s real beauty. An unlaminated gatefold format. Printed and made in England (no credits).

Cover Front: Superb and a real joy to view and hold such a rare one in such wonderful condition. So little to fault but being critical - a tiny cornertip crease bottom right and an ultra fine pressline near the centre bottom, but look hard to see it under angled light. Any other marks are minuscule and this front is nigh-on reference standard with no creasing, noteworthy rubbing, fading or aged. Aged? hardly, this looks fantastic and will thrill even the connoisseur collector. One thing is for certain, I will never find one quite like this again.

Cover Back: Again in lovely attractive condition, again a tiny corner crease that reciprocates the front one - very mild and minor. This is very clean, fresh and no other noteworthy creases to be seen. A minor ripple top right simply because the inner inside flipback had stuck on the inside, a little mild pressure easily released it, a mere tiny manufacture flaw (if indeed you can call it that). The lack of ringwear must be made apparent, how many soft card covers with a matt black finish will ever ever avoid it with a thick pressed record inside all these years? Just proves how carefully the owner kept this one, any surface marks or blemishes hardly even register. A cover time has forgotten and few will even get close these days.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Tiny corner creases same as above, that apart stunning as new. Practically reference standard again.

Top Edges: Both unworn, fine and delicate but in amazing condition and both little short of dead straight.

Bottom Edges: As above, maybe even better.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record enters on this back edge.

Spine and Text: Again in incredibly condition with barely any traces of wear. Solid but obviously delicate and fragile, straight, minimal compression and square, both right edges are parallel but the top slightly overhangs the bottom. All text is perfect and unworn and I simply cannot believe the lack of wear - their is NO touching-in or enhancements.

Corners: A couple of tiny tip creases but those apart, all in superb condition. Very neat with barely any wear. Even the fragile spine pair are neat and practically unrubbed. Excellent shape and definition are retained.

Cover Summary: A very strong, close on immaculate all round example of this very fragile late 60’s cover, one that will prove almost impossible to find much better. Ask yourself, will I ever find another better than this?, I truly doubt it. This beautiful item should please most-all collectors. Such delicate covers from this vintage era are rarely even seen let alone quite like this.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: I am not going to even contemplate grading this beauty less than Mint(-). If anyone has a better example, well let’s see it! The odd faint transit trace if I really have to be that padantic, but given to what the vast majority of records like this are found like, this is little short of ‘as new’. Possibly not even played right through by the original owner, it would no great surprise as so many in this collection weren’t (as buyers of some have already told me). A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. A rare and small label, the pressing quality could be open for discussion, but have no fears, it plays as good as it looks too. A copy not even ‘run-in’ in vinyl terms and this from a record 40-years-old, will another exist quite like this? well judge for yourselves. Visually a super record that should please all collectors, yes even the purist connoisseur collector can consider this with the greatest of confidence.

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 snippetts 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: This beautiful rare record plays up to its high visual grading with 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. No surface sounds, no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few copies will even approach this nowadays let alone outperform it I feel certain. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has barely made the trip out of the cover and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, within in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, a classic piece of fine art - this can enter the oneaday ‘hall-of-fame’. This copy will prove nigh-on impossible to find better and is unreservedly recommended. With the Net spread wide, do not let this gem slip through.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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 unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. 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 – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. 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 (£39).

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 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. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.