SOFT MACHINE Volume 2 RARER ORIG UK 1969 BLACK PROBE EX+ LP, LOVELY EXAMPLE.

	£		85
	$		113

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

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 SOFT MACHINE

Album Title: The Soft Machine – Volume Two

Producer(s): The Soft Machine

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Rivmic Melodies: Pataphysical Introduction – Pt. 1, A Concise British Alphabet – Pt. 1, Hibou, Anemone and Bear, A Concise British Alphabet – Pt. 2, Hulloder, Dada Was Here, Thank You Pierrot Lunaire, Have You Ever Bean Green?, Pataphysical Introduction – Pt. 2, Out of Tunes.

Side 2: As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still; Dedicated to You But You Weren’t Listening; Esther’s Nose Job: Fire Engine Passing with Bells Clanging, Pig, Orange Skin Food, A Door Opens and Closes, 10.30 Returns to the Bedroom.

Label/Format: Probe – first issue black and silver format with matt, smooth surfaces and Gramophone rim text.

Label Conditions: Both in clean, still fresh and attractive with moderate spindle marks seen with angled viewing. The record itself lovely and offering impressive clean sound throughout.

Cat Number: SPB 1002

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: 122 grams. Average.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Scarce: the very first Soft Machine album to be issued in the UK, the debut was an American release initially. First issues of this album were on the black and silver label, quickly changed to the more familiar pink Probe format. Black copies are considerably harder to find, especially in clean condition.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: SPB 1002 A-1G / SPB 1002 B-1G

Mothers / Stampers: 1 M / 1 0

Musicians: Robert Wyatt – drums, lead and backing vocals; Mike Ratledge – piano, Lowrey Holiday De Luxe organ, Hammond organ, harpsichord, flute; Hugh Hopper – bass guitar, acoustic guitar, alto saxophone. With Brian Hopper – soprano and tenor saxophone.

Brief Info: The first British release album, but second overall as the title clearly suggests. Now without Kevin Ayers who left due to musical differences, and now including Hugh Hopper. This now added some jazz elements to the psychedelic rock and is a superb follow-up to the American issued debut. Acting on advice from Frank Zappa, the long tracks are divided into shorter songs. After this, the band’s sound changed considerably into full-on jazz-rock and their first albums can be considered psych-prog classics. This a very impressive first press original with a neat, but not perfect cover with a little minor wear and a name on the back, written in black on a black surface, it shows little. The rarer black label record plays impressively as well. Even by the end of the end of the 1960s, the use of very basic and heavy tracking mono record players were still very much in use and records like this were hugely susceptible to wear and damage. This 1969 issue has survived that difficult era almost unscathed and looks and plays well. I am a very big fan of Soft Machine and have always found this one of the most difficult to find as a first issue. One to please many collectors.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: (or close to), not taking into account of the name on back, any opinion on that is purely subjective. A single format with front lamination. This covers all the closed folded edges and ends on the back on three large external flipbacks. The main back panel is unprotected with a smooth matt finish. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. A plain white inner sleeve is included.

Lamination & Front: A surface crease to the top left of ‘THE’ apart, this front has little else to fault. The laminate retains superb shine, freshness and clarity with no lifting, minimal dulling and few other creases, any others being fine and faint. A faint pressing of a name near the top right, but the ink now gone and any traces only seen under light. A little light rubbing on the corner tips that few will avoid at best. The bizarre graphic looks fantastic.

Cover Back: Very dark and unprotected, and clearly prone to all forms of wear, especially ringwear nd finger marks – both of which have been largely avoided. Very gentle traces of surface rubbing around the rim only that shows little. A name towards the bottom right edge in black shows little. The three flipbacks are generally neat and solid, a little burring to the end of the bottom one with a little thickening of the right bottom corner end. Hardly any creasing to the main panel with only a small few hairlines on the flipback laminate. Overall, a very fine back which will always prove a difficult one.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both very straight and unworn (apart from bottom left and right corners) with super-smooth surfaces devoid of scuffs or chips.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mainly sharp with little wear, any thickening or burring very little and light as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way. The fine exposed laminate end area present with hardly any trace of wear or grubbiness.

Spine and Text: Solid, quite thin, but straight with only light, patchy compression, all text present and perfect and unworn under the solid and unpeeled laminate. Also the text is perfectly centred for maximum neatness, these fine details make the difference. The very ends have rubbed.

Corners: Moderate tip rubs except the top right, that has little at all. The most on the bottom right, the leading edge that seldom escapes. Very fine or better shape still retained without any major knocks or dinks.

Cover Summary: A strong and visually striking all-round example of this clearly wear-prone late 1960’s cover, even with smallish issues, it will prove difficult to find a great deal better. The front is lovely, close to exceptional, this should please many collectors, but not for perfectionists.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: a plain white solid unlined inner that has moderately aged. A little creasing, mildish discolouration and all edges solidly intact. It has ‘PATENTS APPLIED FOR’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): side one even better, this hardly does this impressive looking original record full justice. Black label copies are rare enough in their own right, let alone this clean. An impressive visual copy that is very clean with lovely shine and solidly pressed. Under my bright grading lamp, a few very fine hairlines are seen and any surface marks gentle and faint. No penetrating stylus marks at all. A very complex album musically and with intricate grooves which tells any vinyl ‘reader’ what to expect in terms of quality when played. So many written-off by basic, almost crude record players of the time, this has more than survived. It should please many collectors again.

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 groundbreaking album plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. 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 this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. The spindle marks may indicate some usage, but I suggest they do tell a true story, some used the labels for alignment, and if so, several can appear on just a couple of plays. All other evidence suggests more of modest plays with the complex information impressive and clean. Few true originals will outperform this very early pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. It could prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* 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 programmes. 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’.