SOPWITH CAMEL (1st) VERY RARE Orig US 67 MONO PSYCH LP

	£		21
	$		28

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £11.75. Rest of World £15.75. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment – returns within 14 days only. I try to keep my P&P as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases.

Artist or Band: THE SOPWITH CAMEL

Album Title: The Sopwith Camel.

Producer(s): Erik Jacobsen.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Hello, Hello; Frantic Desolation; Saga of the Low Down Let Down; Little Orphan Annie; you Always Tell Me Baby; Maybe in a Dream.

Side 2: Cellophane Woman; The Things That I Could Do With You; Walk in the Park; The Great Morpheum; Postcard from Jamaica.

Label/Format: Kama Sutra – superb originals (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with just faint friction traces around the hole on side one. Neither side shows any significant spindle marks, any of the tiny few present are ultra fine and faint.

Cat Number: KLP 8060.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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: 136 grams. About average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: United States: this album was not issued in the UK.

Rarity: Quite rare as an original especially in mono. Within the States, the mono format was abandoned far quicker than elsewhere and the majority of albums from mid-60s onwards are seen in stereo. Few mono originals will also survive in this splendid condition. This album was briefly issued in both modes.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: KLP 8060 MG 896 A REV2 / KLP 8060 MG 897-B Rev-2

Musicians: Peter Kraemer - vocals, saxophone; Terry MacNeil - guitar; William Sievers - guitar; Martin Beard - bass; Norman Mayell - drums.

Brief Info: One of the earliest of the US psych bands that are often compared to The Lovin’ Spoonful due the same producer, Erik Jacobsen. They band formed in 1965 but did not issue this debut album until 1967, it was their only album of the 60s. They had the distinction of being the first West Coast psych band to achieve a hit single with the opening track ‘Hello Hello’. A moderately successful album but any further success was elusive and they split soon after. A brief reforming in the early 70s proved even less fruitful and outside the US they are a fairly well-kept secret. This debut was not issued in the UK, hence finding originals is rare. For fans of the San Francisco psych scene, this is well worth checking out.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a thick card single format with matt surfaces with a slight surface sheen. The back has the typical US paste-on panel, the front has the original promotional sticker. A dedicated mono cover with the KLP prefix number on the front. Printed and made in the USA.

Cover Front: As most will know, US covers do not wear well unless carefully stored. This one bucks-the-trend well and looks very impressive. So many US covers that made there way to the UK are seen with ugly drill holes, saw cuts or severed corners – what a joy to be able to offer a gem like this FULLY infact. The front has little to fault at all with any rub traces tiny, few and very faint indeed. Any small creases confined to a couple of corner tips and hardly any marks worthy of mention. The rare promotional sticker for the single ‘Hello, Hello! has little wear either with just a small rub at the 7 o’clock position (but look hard). An elusive mono Kama Sutra cover that will seldom be seen in the UK or anywhere outside the US.

Cover Back: The back as faired almost equally well with just a small scuff mark on the knee area of the front left band member and a minor scuff on the left edge near the top. Not a great deal else to fault and the lack of ringwear on such a cover is almost remarkable. An impressive time-piece of psych-pop history.

Top Edge: Barely any wear up to the right corner tip that has scuffed and rubbed.

Bottom Edge: Almost the same again, just light rubbing towards the right corner area. No closed edges have split or been repaired, that again is significant and quite unusual.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with barely any wear, this has avoided thickening or burring, the thicker card used has resisted any wear of this type well. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Amazingly unworn: very solid, straight with no compression. Natural crinkle is mild and totally normal in construction of these types. What is hardly ‘normal’ is the lack or rubbing or surface wear or splits, that is fantastic news of course. All text is perfect and unworn and any rubbing is only to the very tip of the ends – even the folds themselves are unscuffed and retain full ink cover (with NO tip-ins).

Corners: Mainly very light tip rubs except the top right that has a moderate one that exposes the card for 7 mm. But even this retains very fine shape, the others excellent.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this very fragile 60’s US cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This beautiful item should please many collectors, and given the natural fragility, probably most. This came to me within a plain white open, unlined inner sleeve in excellent(++) condition. I cannot say with any certainty this if this is original or not, but it is included anyway.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: or very close to. A very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface marks light and faint as seen critically under angled light. American records always seem ‘softer’ than European versions and surfaces tend to mark more easily. Hence many imports are seen scuffed and marked in most cases with no audio consequence. Any marks on this are not scuffs but merely ultra fine hairlines types with no penetrating scratches. A fresh and impressive vintage mono record and appears little played 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 scarce record, my first and only one ever, plays even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. 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 any sporadic clicks or pops few and far between – the odd minor blemish on such an old record is almost inevitable but little here spoilt the experience of this early psych record. Few copies will outperform this early mono pressing 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. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this historically important record. Although the band found little fame, especially outside the United States, their name is still fondly remembered there within this genre. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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 Terrarium 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 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 stiffeners 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 8,000+ items sold in over 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 2 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). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, 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 and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). 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] = £4.25

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £11.75 (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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 [£46 maximum]) = £15.75 Add £3 per extra LP. (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’.