QUATERMASS - RARE Orig UK 1970 Harvest EX LP and Cover.

	£		161
	$		213

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options.

Artist or Band: QUATERMASS

Album Title: Quatermass.

Producer(s): Anders E. Henriksson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Entropy; Black Sheep of the Family; Post War, Saturday Echo; Good Lord Knows; Up on the Ground.

Side 2: Gemini; Make Up Your Mind; Laughin’ Tackle; Entropy.

Label/Format: Harvest – Original yellow and green format with no EMI box logo and with ‘The Gramophone Co Ltd’ text on the label rims and seldom seen A.I.R. text at the 9 o’clock position. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both look superb: very clean, fresh and highly attractive with only light, few and faint spindle marks.

Cat Number: SHVL 775.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 131 grams. Around the average for this time.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare: and thus far, my best ever copy of this elusive prog-gem. This is now fast becoming one of the most prized and sort-after albums in the whole Harvest catalogue. Hardly a big seller and not available too long in it’s original cover format – this was totally revamped in 1975 when reissued as a budget version on Harvest Heritage. Like Bakerloo, this one-off album is very rarely seen and rarely in anything like fine conditions. This clearly very lightly played example offers superb sound with few audio blemishes and two clean, only modest marked playing surfaces. These few marks are surface types that have no sound and looking impressive for a record this great age. The cover is really nice too.

Original Year of Release: May 1970

Matrix Nos: SHVL 775 A-1 / SHVL 775 B-2

Stamper Codes: 1 A / 1 G [one of the earliest ever made, 1 G the ultimate first]

Musicians: John Gustafson - vocals, bass guitar; Pete Robinson - keyboards; Mick Underwood - drums. The song ‘Laughin’ Tackle’ includes a massed string section.

Brief Info: One of the classic keyboard-driven progressive albums to adorn this famous label and always high on ‘wants-lists’ from Harvest and progressive collectors. More popular in Germany and Italy than in the UK, this album failed to sell at all well, hence the rarity of the original copies. Robinson’s keyboards are dominant and Quatermass have a similar sound to early Deep Purple and even The Nice. The band even tried a low cost tour of the United States to help promote this album but it failed as finances ran out – the band split and left the world this solitary album, now one of the most elusive on this famous progressive label. As stated, this copy looks lightly used with any surface marks, fine and sparse, sound quality is very high and enjoyable. The complex information not spoiled by surface noise and any of the tiny few sporadic one-off clicks, gentle and light. This is a quality example with scant clues of it’s 41-year-old vintage, and no doubts to how early this one was pressed including the prized 1 G matrix on side two.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: a gatefold format with front and back lamination. It was designed and photographed by Hipgnosis and was printed and made in England by Garrod and Lofthouse. The imprint includes the original ‘Patents Pending’ text.

Lamination: Front & Back: Both sides look very nice indeed. The laminate is very clear, fresh and shiny with minimal traces of friction rubs or dulling. Any present, on the back near the top around the record’s rim. All is fully adered also, with no lifting or blisters and any surface marks very fine and faint, seen only critically under light as ultra fine hairlines. A very small few light surface creases, mostly near the edges that few will ever avoid and the artwork will seldom be seen much better. Both sides remain highly impressive.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Little short of as made – that simple.

Top Edges: Practically unworn up to the corner tips, both very straight too.

Bottom Edges: Little wear here either, more unusually so as these two were not covered with laminate that ends short on the bottom of both sides.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering and both guaranteed untrimmed. The very ever-so-slightly bowed being somewhat critical, so mild, it’s not even apparent when stored in it’s supplied brand new protective cover. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Another in similar style to the standard ‘Sgt Pepper’, not that thick and it forms a central crease over time when opened. Hence the laminate tightens, cracks, and then usually peels. This retains more laminate than it’s lost, around 60:40. The loss near the top half with a little mild rubbing to the exposed card. Only minimal and very light, ALL text is still laminate protected and unworn. Solid, straight, a little compression and folded square,the edges are parallel with very slight overhang of the top right edge over bottom.

Corners: All corners have light to moderate rubbing but fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A strong all round example of this famous but rare early 70’s Harvest cover, one that could prove difficult to find much better. This visually pleasing item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: the plain white unlined, solid inner has aged little. Very mild darkening with slight toning on the extreme edges which all remain unsplit with no repairs. A little modest creasing/crinkle but no tears and still neat looking.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: a few, mainly very light surface marks, mostly hairlines with just one a little more noticeable, still under angled light. Nothing sounds and still a very impressive, early-pressed original that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy lightly played on all the evidence and offering very clear, clean, barely blemished sound, it should please most collectors if not quite the perfectionists.

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 early Harvest album plays even above it’s splendid visual grading with practically nothing to fault. This has a very delicate and quiet intro that rarely will ever play ‘silent’, here very little is heard even with highly revealing equipment. The odd sporadic light tick or crackle trace is nigh-on unavoidable. The real business get going with the awesome ‘Black Sheep of the Family’ that fades in after this intro, and this plays superbly as does the rest of the record. This track is arguably the highlight on this album, it was later covered by Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow and features on the double Harvest sampler ‘Picnic’. This album has 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 indeed and just the odd one-off sporadic click or two, and overall, this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly demanding album. Few original copies will match or outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and overall, has been well preserved for it’s considerable number of years. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and the cover is equally fine. It will again please many, if not most collectors and merits strong recommendation.

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 QED Silver 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.

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.

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 stiffners 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 & 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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.