ROY HARPER Stormcock RARER Orig UK Harvest 1970 EX++ LP

	£		109
	$		144

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: ROY HARPER

Album Title: Stormcock.

Producer(s): Peter Jenner.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Hors d’Oeuvres; The Same Old Rock.

Side 2: One Man Rock and Roll Band; Me and My Woman.

Label/Format: Harvest - rarer original format with no EMI logo and Gramophone Co Ltd text on the rims. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with the modest few spindle marks very light and faint.

Cat Number: SHVL 789.

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: 134 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 135 to 145 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, many records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce: the original pressings without the small EMI box logo at the none o’clock position of the label are much rarer than the second pressings that do have it. This album was issued near the very end of the pre-EMI run before the label changed. Not a major seller and few originals were available very long, this being very early indeed and including the ultimate first mother/stamp on side one (1 G). A tiny few included an insert, this one alas does not, I have not seen this elusive insert many times at all and most seen or offered do not include it. Conditionwise, never an easy album, the black unprotected, textured soft card cover is hugely wear-prone and the record acoustic, hence not so much volume to hide blemishes. This is a fantastic copy with beautiful cover and record. Sound quality is practically flawless and clearly little played. Such early copies in this condition can be considered pretty rare.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: SHVL 789 A-4U / SHVL 789 B-4U

Stamper Codes: 1 G / 1 M

Musicians: Roy Harper – guitar and vocals; S. Flavius Mercurius – guitar.

Brief Info: For many fans of this great folk-rock artist, his best ever album, this title covers all aspects of what makes this man great – superb songs, expressive vocals and great guitar playing. Talking of guitars, the strange-named ‘guest’ guitarist on this work is no less than Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. The pseudonym had to be used for contractual reasons hence a well-kept secret for some time. This has some sublime moments, none better than the finale on side one with some truly astonishing acoustic guitar work by Harper, no small wonder Zeppelin were such fans of this man. This is a fairly rare record as an original, make no mistake. Issued very late prior to the EMI logo being included on the labels, most seen have it. The cover is one of Harvest’s most difficult: predominately black, unlaminated, a gatefold and textured, they hardly get more wear-prone than that. This was defied the odds and has clearly been cover protected since made, hence it looks fantastic and it will never prove easy to find much better. Even the fragile spine looks new and totally unworn. This one came with a plain white polylined inner sleeve, the slightly later ones had the Harvest promotional type – sorry, no insert – that really is a tough one to find. For those wanting a clean, attractive and great sounding copy of this mini-classic, look no further, it’s here.

Cover Grade and Format: Critically graded EX++ but Mint(-) would hardly be inappropriate. An unlaminated gatefold with textured finish and made with quite soft card. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Cover Front: Very nice indeed and finding this so attractive is highly unusual. Still intensely black with barely any rubbing or marks, a very fine surface scuff trace just above Harper’s head if being critical, only really just visible with angled viewing. The only creasing are fine edge types and only on the spine edge. Few will ever escape this as the bare minimum. The texturing has avoided speckle (white dotting to the raised surfaces), again this is difficult to avoid but has. A really outstanding front for one of Harvest’s most challenging ever.

Cover Back: The back is little short of the front’s super quality, made more remarkable with a heavy pressed record resting against it for near 40 years. The lack is ringwear is remarkable and again unusual, but always the best news possible for those wanting a truly attractive cover. Again any rubbing or creasing is fwe and faint. There is a fine line trace of glue near the top edge, clearly a manufacture blemish but look very, very hard to see it. I will mention all I see even it’s nothing to do with ‘wear’ and even being so minor.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside is smooth finished and has nothing of note to fault - both faces look marvellous with some fantastic artwork (please see my close-up pictures).

Top Edges: As unworn as they get and very straight too.

Bottom Edges: As above with a tiny faint rub trace near the right back corner (this also being very critical).

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and no feathering, guaranteed, untrimmed. Record enters on this back edge. Faint and small burr traces if viewed end-on, yes again, being somewhat critical.

Spine and Text: Almost as made: Solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up very close together and parallel. All text is pristine perfect and unworn, any super-fine surface creases barely even registering.

Corners: Minimal tip rubs, all neat and retaining very fine shape.

Cover Summary: A very strong and truly exceptional all round example of this very fragile early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult indeed to find much better. This super-attractive example should please most-all collectors.

The Inner: Near Mint, almost as made, any ageing minimal.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++ with just the odd small surface mark that has NO sound at all. Ultra fine surface traces that many call removal marks can be seen under angled light, but few records of this considerable vintage will ever avoid them totally. Over-time dry-cleaning can leave these mega-fine surface blemishes, again they are no sound whatsoever and this remains a superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. Certainly with a more substantial weight than the later pressings, this is a gorgeous original record. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please most 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 snippetts 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 Roy Harper classic plays even above its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is fantastic with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds barely even register and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing that really does convince the man himself in the room performing. A copy so good and well-produced, it’s a gateway into the recording studio itself. Few copies will match or outperform this very early original pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and merits my strongest 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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth 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.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

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

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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]) = £12. (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 timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.