Mike Absalom -s/t, orig UK 1st, poster,spiral,Vertigo

	£		104
	$		138

Mike Absalom - self titled 3rd LP

ORIGINAL COPY. FIRST UK PRESSING. Released 1971 . Stereo. Vertigo Records, catalogue number; 6360053, Matrix numbers; 6360053 1/2Y//1 420.

Very scarce original first UK pressing with the original poster sleeve and spiral inner . One of the most sought after Vertigo swirls.

Full review and track listing below.

This record is deleted and not available new on vinyl.

Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide value is £125.

The last comparable condition copies sold on eBay for £172, £226, £260.

Not currently for sale anywhere else worldwide.

99p start.

Sleeve Condition : VERY GOOD.

The poster sleeve has edge rubs and scuffs, and there is noticable damage to parts. No splits along the multiple folds. Original inner sleeve in EXCELLENT condition

Vinyl Condition, Visual: VERY GOOD.

The record has signs of play and surface marks but no serious damage is visible.

Vinyl Condition, Audible: EXCELLENT

Slight surface noise on the intros to S1T1 and S2T2, otherwise plays extremely well with no jumps or skips, just light surface noise in a few isolated places,generally between tracks.

Label Condition : EXCELLENT (NEAR MINT).

Original spiral with label groove

This item is offered with a money back guarantee, please see below.

A one-off this. With the intimate, basic accompaniment of acoustic guitar, piano and simple percussion, Absalom breezes through his four humorous, satirical 'Sagas' and a mixture of jaunty and beautiful songs. He comes across as a blend of Ray Davies, Bonzo Dog Band and Mike Harding (in style, not accent). The 'Sagas' involve a regular cast of characters, such as John The Bog and Pusher Joe, all of them harassed by PC McLagan, who is not averse to a bribe, being paid 'in kind' and who upholds police procedure by beating up a student. You'll guess from this that Absalom really has it in for the boys in blue. There's a strong element of music hall and Absalom flits between singing and talking his way through songs in an eccentric manner. But this is no novelty record. Absalom's voice is engaging, his lyrics articulate and his tunes attractive. Among the humour, 'Old Woman In The Moon' and 'It Must Be Spring' provide lovely interludes. A marvellous album of its type (if there is such a thing) unless you work for the police.

Mike Absalom was a genuine oddity on the late-'60s/early-'70s U.K. scene, a singer/songwriter with a bent sense of humor that seemed to be driven as much by a heavy load of illicit pharmaceuticals as by a skewed worldview. Unlike the contemporary Syd Barrett, however, Absalom did not become an acid casualty. He recorded one album for Saydisc in 1969, a disc that escaped under the title of Save the Last Gherkin for Me, and he set out on a career of busking and living hand to mouth. Producer/A&R man Patrick Lyons (of Nirvana [U.K.] fame) found his attention engaged by Absalom's music when the singer/songwriter was playing for small change in a London Underground station, subsequently signing him to Vertigo Records.

Absalom toured throughout the U.K., playing the college circuit and small clubs throughout the early '70s. The Vertigo contract yielded a pair of albums, of which Mike Absalom (1971) seems hardly to have been noticed, despite a Roger Dean sleeve that doubled as a poster guide to Notting Hill Gate.
 

Our accurate condition gradings are based on those used in the UK 2008 Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide. Please see below for a complete explanation.

International bidders welcome – Internationales Bewerber Willkommen – Bienvenue Internationale De Soumissionnaires – Recepcion Internacional De los Licitadores

Please read the description and terms of sale carefully and contact me with any questions or further information you may need before you place a bid.

Google the Rat Records website for anything else you want to know about Rat Records.

Please see our other items currently offered. We will be uploading more items every Thursday evening. Thank you for looking. I wish you very good luck bidding. Regards, Tom Fisher.

Why you should buy from Rat Records:

I GUARANTEE this item to be in the condition as described above. If it is not as described, I offer you a full refund of the sale price and sale postage.

Please check my 1800 plus 100% positive feedbacks, from over 2100 separate transactions accrued over 8 years on eBay. That's a lot of record listing and satisfied customers.

I provide a professional, swift and honest service. I value your custom, aim to treat you well and hope we can do more business in the future.

I have been trading in records and CDs for over 20 years in London and have owned 4 shops before the current one.

I never describe our records as Mint unless they really are superb. Correspondingly my Excellent (Near Mint) is a very high standard. All my records are play graded. As part of my gradings I listen to each item. I will contact you by the next business day after the auction has finished. Items are despatched the next working day after payment clears. I will keep you informed by email throughout the sale.

I do not set reserve prices. I start all my auctions at 99 pence. I do not end my auctions early.

My packaging is excellent, will protect your purchase, and is at cost. Items are sent in a PVC sleeve with the vinyl placed in a separate card sleeve. The package is then wrapped in bubble wrap and sent in a heavy grade cardboard mailer.

If you buy more than 1 item from me at a time, I make a postage discount, please see postage terms above.

Please see our other items and add me to your favourite sellers. I list new items once a week on Thursday evenings finishing 10 days later on Sunday nights.

Please mail me with any specific wants you have as I am always buying and processing fresh stock. If you are passing, drop into the shop – Rat Records, 348 Camberwell New Road (Denmark Hill end), London, SE5 0RW, open 6 days 10.30 -18.30 - where I have thousands of records and CDs on sale.

If you do not reply within 3 days to arrange payment, or payment does not reach me within 7 days without explanation I will relist the item or offer it to the second highest bidder.

If you have a problem with your item, please get in contact before leaving any feedback, and I will try to remedy the situation.

Returns. The item must be safely returned to us in the original condition using an insured, traceable delivery method. The item must be returned to us within 7 days of your receiving it. Return postage costs are your responsibility.

Payment & Postage terms

Acceptable payment forms are; Pay Pal in £ Sterling or cheques from a UK bank. It takes 5 working days to clear cheques so please allow for this when waiting for delivery.

We make no charge for PayPal payments, and offer you the reassurance of PayPal’s Buyer Protection Plan £500 cover, subject to their T & C.

Currency conversion by the xe.com site at end of auction.

Postage Options:

UK, First Class Recorded Delivery: Costs: £3.00, Delivery time: 1-2 working days, Online tracking, Signature required, Insured up to £30. Multiple Purchase Discount: 2 LPs: you pay £1 less.

UK, Special Delivery: Costs: £5.00, Delivery time: next working day, Online tracking, Signature required, Insured up to £250. Multiple Purchase Discount: 2-3 LPs: you pay £8.50.

Europe, airmail, Costs: £3.50, Delivery time: 3 working days. Multiple Purchase Discount: 2 LPs: you pay £1 less.

Japan, USA, rest of world, airmail, Costs: £5.50, Delivery time: 5 working days. Multiple Purchase Discount: 2 LPs: you pay £1 less.

For airmail items worth over £30, we strongly recommend buyers pay an additional £5.00 for the International Signed For service which insures the item up to £500 and prioritises delivery.

UK Record Collector Grading System:

MINT: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in the sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition.

EXCELLENT (US version of this term: Near Mint): The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in the sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.

VERY GOOD (US version of this term: VG++): The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover, or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

GOOD (US version of this term: VG): The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits etc.