PENTANGLE Basket of Light – RARER ORIG UK 1969 LP with GIMMICK COVER, EMI PRESS.

	£		40
	$		53

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Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: THE PENTANGLE

Album Title: Basket of Light

Producer: Shel Talmy

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Light Flight; Once I Had a Sweetheart; Springtime; Lyke-Wake Dirge; Train Song.

Side 2: Hunting Song; Sally Go Round the Roses; The Cuckoo; House Carpenter.

Label/Format: Transatlantic – Original purple and white format, pressed by EMI – later ones were CBS. This issue appears different with subtle differences to text and position. The most noticeable difference is the shade of purple of the rim text and logo which is considerable darker.

Label Conditions: Both clean, fresh and attractive with any spindle marks being very few, fine and faint. A small gentle tone spot is seen on side two.

Catalogue Number: TRA 205

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: 130 grams. A very good weight for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity & Info: Moderate in terms of copies around. But this is the first issue EMI-pressed copy that includes the ‘Sound Packaging Partnership’ gimmick cover, these are somewhat rare compared to the standard ‘basic’ cover. Only a very small number of albums included this somewhat ill-conceived method of storing the record. Ones that spring immediately to mind are: Colosseum ‘Live’, Mr Fox ‘The Gipsy’, Unicorn ‘Uphill all the Way’ and the sampler double set ‘El Pea’ (as well as a very small number of this album). Most-all copies of this have a standard gatefold cover. When this ‘innovative’ plastic inner sleeve was invented around 1970-1971, this title was briefly given the treatment. Quite honestly, it proved to be a disaster – but being so idiosyncratic and not putting too fine a point on it – plain stupid – it has become collectable for specialist collectors, many of which enjoy collecting all the albums that included it. The idea was to include a plastic wallet inside to store the record, the right edge included a strip of foam – the idea being to clean the record when it was insert or withdrawn. But this idea proved to be fraught with problems. The main issue became more apparent after time: any contact with the record on this foam strip reacted very badly with it’s surface. Any area became dulled with an acid like affect – and in practically all cases, any mark will have sound. Avoid this reaction is immensely difficult, bordering on near impossible. Secondly, the plastic wallet’s adhesive browned, dried and so often became unstuck. Also the plastic became brittle and split, often from end-to-end. The record was never easily insert or removed either, and clearly it was better never to do so at all. Well in terms of this copy, the wallet is in very fine condition and is still quite solidly adhered, the adhesive darkened, but that is nigh-on impossible to avoid. The bottom edge has only a neat, small and fine edge spilt, but this is largely inconspicuous. But the very best news of all is any contact with the foam on the record is small with only very modest, very brief sound heard on side two (around half-a-dozen revs or so), and none on side one. This a light hiss which fades as the music level increases, before quickly disappearing. Originals must have the darker text EMI-pressed A-1/B-1 matrix record, so beware of this cover including a swapped record, barely any will ever show without some dulling to the rim areas, so check any inside this gimmick sleeve without any. This cover version was made using only single thickness card, hence more fragile and prone to wear, It also includes the ‘Sound Packaging Partnership’ logo. The think that sets this album apart from most the rest that initially included this bizarre sleeve, this quickly went on to be repackaged inside a standard gatefold, most of the others didn’t and were quickly deleted due to lack of popularity. As far as these go, this is a nice example for those who insist on having the first issue and importantly, the first issue record to match – even if, like most all, it will not be perfect.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: TRA 205 A-1 / TRA 205 B-1

Stamper Codes: 1 M / 1 M

Musicians: Terry Cox – drums, glockenspiel, hand drum, lead and backing vocals; Bert Jansch – lead and backing vocals, guitar, banjo; Jacqui McShee – lead and backing vocals; John Renbourn – lead and backing vocals, guitar, sitar; Danny Thompson – double bass.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Classic jazz-tinged folk-rock from one of the greatest UK bands within this genre. Basket of Light was their third album of the six initial albums they made – five were issued on this label. Another folk classic from a band who could do no wrong for me. Featuring the famous quintet of Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Danny Thompson (the greatest acoustic bass player ever?), Terry Cox and the fabulous Jacqui McShee on vocals. This album is arguably their very best and it even featured a hit single in ‘Light Flight’ which was used as the theme for the TV series ‘Take Three Girls’ – I can just about remember this as my parents watched it. Even in my youth I was immediately attracted to his beautiful song and bought the album when funds allowed. All instrumentation on this set is acoustic. First issues were pressed by EMI, this has a little dulling on the run-ins in places, but only a tiny fraction encroaches on to the music area of side two with only brief, mild sound as mentioned further up. This is possibly the least you will encounter from the genuine record that came with the gimmick cover. The cover itself also has fared well, and so few do, a little ageing is near impossible to avoid, especially the plastic inside part and area. A very fine all-round example, but again, barely any true originals with the cover will ever play ‘silent’.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: this being very conservative for a cover that is usually seen in tatters. An unlaminated gatefold format made with single thickness card, this having a smooth matt surface. The inside with the gimmick plastic sleeve inner as described further up. Printed and made in England by MacNeill and including the ‘Sound Packaging Partnership’ logo inside.

Cover Front: A dark unprotected surface and prone to rubbing and creasing. Any rubbing to this front is very little and light, still clean and quite fresh. The only crease is seen near the top right corner.

Cover Back: Very slight rim rubbing and a very fine hint of fading on the spine fold, another trait this cover suffers from natural light. Little else to fault.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The card is clean and attractively fresh with only the same crease near the left top corner. These covers have to be opened and such minor issues seldom avoided. The gimmick inner is in very fine condition and are rarely seen better these days. I have already described it in some detail further up. But briefly: the plastic is clear and fresh with any dulling very light. The foam strip fully intact and undamaged. Some darkening to the wallet’s hinge adhesive, but is still quite firmly attached to the cover and as neat as they get. Also these can be affected with mildew which this has largely avoided. One fine and neat bottom edge split hardly even registers. I have seen several of these gimmick inner covers, mostly on other albums, I have seen few a great deal better than this. But it-is-what-it-is, and these will always age a little, inside especially.

Top Edges: Single thickness, thin card with any thickening or burring only light.

Bottom Edges: Pretty much the same as above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The back edge sharp with little wear at all, the front has slight, patchy thickening here-and-there. The record enters on the right inside the gimmick inner (but this is NOT recommended). As usual, I have supplied a brand new lined inner, best kept outside of the cover at all times for safety.

Spine and Text: Some rubbing near the bottom, also a little flat. With the adhered plastic insert inside, I do not think this spine would have ever been upright, as the hinge fold lies beneath the plastic edge, hardly making it possible. This thin spine is solid, but quite thin with minimal compression, also folded close to square, so the top and bottom edges are neatly flush and parallel. There is natural overhang to the right. Any other rubbing light with most of the text intact and present.

Corners: All the corners are neat with little rubbing, very fine shape is retained without bashes.

Cover Summary: It is really nice to see this bizarre and badly designed gimmick cover looking so neat. Almost laughable and naive in design, but such items are always of interest for collectors and if one is wanted, they hardly get a great deal better than this. The idea was not around for long and dropped quickly (thank goodness), hence albums including it are fairly hard to find, this one especially so with most not including it. With all considered, this ‘curio’ original copy will please many collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: never easy to grade on this one, any opinion is purely subjective as it has the mandatory patchy dull spots on the run-in grooves, but coming pretty close to missing the music area. So only a small few revs of mildish hiss heard briefly on side two which quickly fades and lost in the music. The record is clean with overall fine shine and solidly pressed. It only has a few fine surface marks seen under bright light, but none sound. The gimmick inner does the surfaces no favours, these always being tight, hard and having to negotiate the foam strip. So overall, this copy has survived well. Remember – this IS the genuine dark labelled, EMI-pressed original – beware of standard, usually CBS pressed copies being substituted (these have different matrixes and a bevel on the label). Overall the record plays well and is beautifully recorded. Clearly not for those who want ‘perfection’, but will any first issue ever be?

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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This magnificent album plays mostly above it’s fine visual grading with little to fault bar the brief hiss at the very beginning of side two – this will rarely be avoided with the gimmick cover copies. Here it’s almost as light and brief as it gets. The rest mainly offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal and light (bar the beginning, only very briefly), overall a clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Few genuine originals will outperform this significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. It could prove difficult to find significantly better and can be highly recommended with all the considerations of what it actually is.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14­ 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 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]) = £16.50 (£17.50 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’.