Prefab Sprout Lions In My Own Garden 1984 UK 12" 45 rpm Maxi-Single Play Tested

$

20

• Prefab Sprout.
• Lions In My Own Garden
• Twelve Inch 45 RPM Max-Single (audiophile performance - see below).
• Original 1984 UK Pressing .
• A "Porky Prime Cut."
• Two Tracks Per Side.

Item Details
Manufactured in: United Kingdom
Recorded: 1983
Lacquer Cut By: George Peckham "Porky"
Pressing By: MPO International, Villaines-la-Juhel, France
Original Issue: 1984
This Issue: 1984
Label: Kitchenware Records SK8
Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
Side 1: (etch:) MPO SK8 A-1 A PORKY PRIME CUT.
Side 2: (etch:) MPO SK8 B1 THE MILITIA HAVE ARRIVED

Twelve inch 45 RPM vinyl has sonic advantages over 33 RPM versions. There is more audio information in the groove per linear distance of stylus travel. If each side is not too long the curvature of the groove never equals or exceeds the diameter of the playback stylus. Therefore, on the innermost grooves there is more high frequency extension and less distortion. 45 RPM mastering also allows a cutting level about 5 dB higher than 33 RPM so this can increase the signal to noise ratio greatly reducing occurrences of audible vinyl pressing noise. The higher peak levels also means wider dynamic range for superior audio quality.
Was bought new by this seller many years ago and now offered from his private collection (you have absolutely known provenance). Has had just a few plays only on an expertly setup high-end audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. Has never been exposed to heat or tobacco smoke and always stored vertically in a specially designed record cabinet (Rackit brand) to prevent warpage.
All vinyl sides are cleaned on a VPI HW-16.5 record cleaner. I use the Audio Intelligent "One-Step" formula that requires no rinsing and leaves no residue. It is alcohol free and uses enzyme agents to remove pressing mold-release compounds, fungi & bacteria, finger oils, and many other environmental contaminants. Made with laboratory-grade pure water(50X purer than distilled water). I neutralize residual static charge from both vinyl and new inner sleeve with a Milty Zerostat. I wear nitrile surgical gloves while cleaning and play testing to avoid any chance of transferring finger oils to the vinyl.

Very sensitive play testing was performed straight off my Ayre P-5xe fully balanced phono preamp over Sennheiser HD 600 headphones using a Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 tube headphone amp fitted with NOS Soviet Voskhod matched tubes (see last photo).

Track list
For track listings, please see my attached record label photographs.

I never post "distant" photos nor the so-prevalent type with the LP sticking halfway out of the jacket in my listings. I take close-ups under photo lamps so you can see nearly everything I describe in the jacket grading. It is virtually impossible to show the true vinyl condition/grade from any photograph. After cleaning I use very bright light and close visual inspection on each side to assign "visual-only" grades. However, I always perform play testing with thorough coverage on high resolution equipment to assign play grades.
Grading Details
Note: Grading LPs by text characters is subjective and at best are only a guide as no two used records are of exactly the same quality. I do not use "EX" grades as my VG+ is right below "NM-." I never sell a "G" play grade and very rarely ever sell a "VG" play grade. Please, refer to both my photo evidence and detailed descriptions to judge by YOUR OWN grading standards. Questions are always welcome. Play quality is personally most important to me so vinyl visual qualities are separately graded and described in detail for your complete assessment.

Outer Jacket Inspection/grading:
NM-/NM-
Both faces of the jacket still retain all their satiny smooth finish and visually look NM. On closer inspection, I was able to see that the only flaws are in the form of short creases that don't break color. The front face has more of them (6) than the rear face (4). Somewhere between NM and VG++, but I think over all when viewed in-person it looks closer to NM so I'm going with NM-

Vinyl Visual Inspection/Grading:
NM-/VG+
S1 has two very fine reflective hairline traces going through T1 but otherwise looks perfect on the rest of the side. Will check T1 thoroughly on play test for that. S2 also looks NM except for a very strange and obvious "white spot" sitting about 1/4" from the end of T2. I have seen these kinds of spots rarely from time to time and they are not caused by handling damage. I find them to be impurities in the vinyl "puck" that goes into the stamper, like a large chunk of white vinyl chloride. The heat of the stamper heat presses grooves into them, but not necessarily all the audio modulation. Most of the time the white "bump" at worst creates a LF "thump" sound as the stylus goes through it for a couple of revolutions. I will check this first in my play testing for S2 before anything else.

Play Testing/Grading:
(Side 1/Side 2)
NM/VG
Extensive play testing was performed after visual inspection (continuous written notes were taken). I listen to the beginning, middle, and end of each track for a few minutes on each needle drop. When the track width is noticeably greater I take more play samples to get good coverage. I also listen to all lead-in, lead-out and transition grooves between each track. Some tracks get played all the way through if I digitize my favorites to 96k/24-bit WAV files for archiving. That allows me to go back and re-check some of my notes on digital playback in ProTools. Here is rundown of each side from those notes.

Side 1 Play
First off, the record sides laid very flat on my TT (I do use a record clamp). This track was cut really hot (-0.1dBFS on my input meters). There was a total lack of hardness and a very open sense of ease to the music. Just as smooth and clear as can be. No vinyl noise on any play sample and I found myself letting them play for a long time. T2 was equally hot but had an "unconstrained" quality to it with superb bass. Totally quiet up to the last few seconds of the fade to zero volume when two LF tiny ticks showed up. This whole side played near perfect so I call it an NM grade.

Side 2 Play
T1 only had 2 insignificant LF ticks in the first few seconds and zero noise after that. T2 is the track I described above in visual checking to have a strange "white spot" pressed into the grooves near the end. I actually play tested that area first before any other samples because I did not know what effect it might have. It did not cause any skipping like a big scratch but as expected there were 5 mid-frequency clicks in a row as my stylus tracked through it. Absolutely confirms a pressing defect that creates distracting noise. The rest of the track played perfectly but to me any repeating ticks on a record even if they were there from the factory brand new must lower the grade to no higher than VG for this side.

A very high percentage of this record plays perfectly but the "white spot" pressing defect at the end of S2T2 has to lower the grade for Side 2. I also lowered the minimum bid to much less than I first guessed at before vinyl inspection. There is still good music in a great format so I hope it may still attract a collector, as these are hard to find from US sellers.

Packaging

• Records are placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting.
• Original inner sleeves (if still present) are included separately.
• All records will be placed into new MFSL-style "rice paper" plastic sleeves. Any original sleeves may be holding onto some dust and if paper lined could even be abrasive. This will keep vinyl surfaces clean and well protected during shipping and ultimately during buyer usage.
• Outer jacket is contained in a new clear polyethylene protective sleeve.
• Sent in high quality record mailer with cardboard stiffeners and all corners double-taped.

Shipping

• Shipping will be via USPS Media Mail for a flat charge of $4.75 per single album sale. eBay keeps raising the rates for Media Mail but I still don't pass all of that or any costs for shipping materials on to the buyer. I do try to reduce additional costs for my customers.
• A combined shipping discount is available on multiple sales completed on the same day ($4.75 plus $0.50 for each additional LP).
• If you do buy more than one LP on the same daydo not pay immediately but wait for my all-combined with the discount applied to your total.eBay does give you the option to "Request an invoice from the buyer," but this option is not available on the eBay mobile app. A discount for the combined items will show on that invoice. Then, once payment is received, the items will ship.