MOONDOG Scarce ORIG UK 1969 A/B1 1st Press EX++ LP

	£		33
	$		44

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.

NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases and will never compromise on solid, safe packing.

Artist or Band: MOONDOG

Album Title: Moondog.

Producer(s): James William Guercio.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: These; Stamping Ground; Symphonique #3; Symphonique #6.

Side 2: Minisym #1 (parts 1 to 3); Lament I (bird’s lament); Witch of Ender (a to c); Symphonique #1 (Portrait of a Monarch).

Label/Format: CBS - original orange format (Please see my label picture).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only a tiny few very light, find and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. Another scarce gem in super condition.

Cat Number: S 63906.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 150 grams. A very impressive heavy record and somewhat above the average for this label.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite rare: one of the most obscure albums on CBS that enters the ‘rock-world’ market. Rarely seen for real, but often featured on the CBS inner promotional sleeves (as on the one included here). This is barely rock music at all and why it’s promoted with more mainstream albums is somewhat strange, it would have been far too experimental for most listeners and will seldom be seen or offered as an original. This would have only sold to a few more adventurous and curious collectors.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: S 63906 A1 / S 63906 B1

Musicians: A whole host of musicians play winds and reeds with strings and percussion.

Brief Info: Moondog – real name Louis Thomas Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999), was an American composer, musician and poet, who also invented musical instruments. Blinded at an early age, and, for three decades, homeless. He worked on avant garde music and this album is probably his most famous. Everyone would have seen this promoted on the CBS inners but few ever show up for sale. This is complex music and one to listen too, it had little commercial potential and at times pieces remind me of ‘Uncle Meat’ era Zappa blending jazz and classical with elements of avant garde rock – just like Frank. An unlikely artist to find his way on to a major label. One for the serious collector of ‘grown-up’ music that is rewarding with patience, this sure is not pop music.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): an unlaminated gatefold format with a single thickness front face. Matt finished with smooth finish. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Group and the record is stored via the centre of the gatefold making it very prone to wear and damage.

Cover Front: With minimal traces of any rubbing and hardly any marks or creases, this fragile single thickness front will prove hard to find better.

Cover Back: The back looks as good as the front and the lack of ringwear is a huge bonus. Barely any hint of wear at all but a little dulling is seen from adhesive smears (from manufacture) near the bottom, these only seen with angled viewing and are hardly uncommon. This is not wear and present from new, so I do not degrade this minor visual blemish.

Cover Inner Gatefold: This is a centre loader making the inner spine area vulnerable to wear and damage so glad to state there is barely a hint here. Minor burring of the top left edge being critical, but little else. There is comprehensive information on the man, album and personel inside.

Top Edges: Little wear, minimal thickening or burring of the thin front edge card.

Bottom Edges: Even better with little to fault.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The back is edge is closed as the record is stored from within the cent and this has little wear again with just the odd rub trace here and there. The fragile front edge is crisp and sharp being protected by being pulled slightly to the left over time. This is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: A delicate single thickness spine, and these seldom escape splits and rubbing especially near the ends. This one has NO splits (or repairs) and only very light rubbing to the ends. Very light rub traces on the top fold are fine and faint. The surface has little wear at all and remains quite solid with only gentle tilt to the left, but not crushed. All text is present and unworn.

Corners: Any tip rubbing is mainly light with fine to very fine shape retained.

Cover Summary: A delicate and scarce cover and still in splendid condition, it will take an exceptional example to better this and most collectors will pleased with it I feel sure.

The Inner sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): an unlined CBS promotional inner sleeve with no edge splits or repairs. One mild corner crease but with minimal ageing or darkening.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and the merest whisker off my top Mint(-) grading. Nothing more than ultra fine and faint surface traces when scrutinised under bright angled light. It has quiet passages hence a difficult album that demands a top pressing and careful (or little) usage. This offers exactly that: a very attractive visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. Not commercial and not seen often, especially in this very clean, hardly played condition. Visually a beautiful record that should please mos-all 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: This somewhat obscure and challenging record plays up to its 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 detailed sound. This has some quiet passages but this lovely copy excels for most all and there is little unwanted at all. This is a title for the serious collector of more ‘out-there’ and experimental music – not quite ‘avant garde’, well it wasn’t for me anyway – but hardly commercial and certainly not ‘popular music’, but I love offering different kinds of records that keeps what I , more interesting. Do not underestimate the rarity of this title, a perfect opportunity for label completists or bold collectors, I have heard few albums quite like this before on a mainstream label. This copy will prove immensely difficult to find significantly better, if indeed you find another original at all. For the right collector, it’s a rare album I can strongly recommend.

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’.