SPOOKY TOOTH Spooky Two RARER ORIG UK 68 Island Pink LP

	£		124
	$		164

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down with Picture & All Shipping Rates.

Artist or Band: SPOOKY TOOTH

Album Title: Spooky Two.

Producer(s): Jimmy Miller.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Waitin’ for the Wind; Feelin’ Bad; I’ve Got Enough Heartaches; Evil Woman.

Side 2: Lost in My Dream; That Was Only Yesterday; Better By You, Better Than Me; Hangman Hang My Shell on a Tree.

Label/Format: Island – original orange eyeball format with deep inner ridge and heavily textured surfaces. Side one is quite pale which I consider an unusual variant. This is not faded as the logo and black text are identical to side one where the pink is darker and more the standard pastel pink shade normally associated with the early pressed issue. A single colour cannot fade without the rest of the label doing the same, it’s almost certainly the case of the pink coloured printing plate running low on ink which is far from unknown, but quite rare (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Slight friction rub and very mild grubbiness on side two and the two labels have distinctly different colour, a fairly unsual occurence on this label. Some evidence of spine marks, but these robust textured labels tend to resist and not show them as marks like most smooth labels. The superbly clean playing surfaces and sound give strong evidence of light and careful plays and this is rare first issue is very nice indeed.

Cat Number: ILPS 9098.

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: A very impressive 156 grams. Above average for records even for the late 60s.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Much rarer as a first issue and this includes a rare very deeply coloured purple cover which looks absolutely gorgeous. Indeed this record came in a few different shades including black and lilac, but few will look better for colour than this. Immediately eye-catching and even though there is a little light wear, this lovely cover will be hard to find much better. The same goes for the record that plays with little short of perfect sound throughout and that is never easy. A copy that has not been affected by any old worn-out stylus from yester-year.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: ILPS + 9098 + A / ILPS + 9098 + B (deeply punched roman lettering, visible on my label scans).

Musicians: Luther Grosvenor Guitar; Mike Harrison Keyboards, Vocals; Mike Kellie Drums; Greg Ridley Bass, Guitar; Gary Wright Keyboards, Vocals.

Brief Info: With a clue in the title, this was Spooky Tooth’s second album. Regarded by many as their best ever, ‘Two’ is a heavy blues-rock album with elements of prog. A band that changed their line-up frequently, this early incarnation was also regarded as their finest. First-pressed copies of this one are hard to find, and this actual record is a beauty and plays little short of perfectly. Heavily pressed with unusally varied pink shade labels, clean playing surfaces and sound. The original gatefold, intensely purple coloured cover has some edge rubbing and a few blemishes, but overall remains very attractive. As stated, this came in different shades ranging from black to lilac, lighter purple and this one being the most intense rich purple I have seen and easily the most attractive colour. Another vintage Island classic that will please many collectors.

Cover Grade and Format: Near Excellent, as all the main faces are in superb condition, this is a very fair grading I feel. An unlaminated gatefold format with the much richer deep purple artwork on the front and back. Some were more black coloured or grey with green hue or lilac, but this is the most attractive one I have ever seen for colour. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day.

Cover Front: The front shows barely any traces of wear and retains a lovely deep rich colour. Any rub traces are on the very edges that have rubbed but barely any encroach into view. Fresh, clean and crease-free, this front looks superb and is almost eye-candy for Island collectors, the lack of grubbiness and sticker marks is a real bonus too.

Cover Back: Almost as good again and the lack of ringwear unusual but always good news. Any creases are ultra fine, few and faint.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Again in superb condition and devoid of grubbiness or any wear of any note.

Top Edges: Moderate rubbing to both, but on this cover, this has minimal visual impact.

Bottom Edges: As above and a little more noticeable with more colour being present.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, fairly sharp with little wear and no feathering and guaranteed, untrimmed. Mild thickening viewed end-on but any burring minimal. Record enters on this back edge, the front being closed.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with some compression tilt to right, hence the right edges are note quite flush but still parallel. Some patchy rubbing on the top fold and more near the corners, hence the slightly lower grade. If this has little worn edges, this would have been graded a fair degree higher as the main faces will prove immensely difficult to find better. This spine did not have any text printed and the majority of the artwork is still present and intact.

Corners: All corners have rubbed with some mildish softening, not unusual on these early types. All retain reasonably fine shape.

Cover Summary: With the main faces having barely any traces of wear and looking super attractive this will please many collectors. Not seen one before in this highly pleasing deep purple colour and unlikely to find one much better being honest. A cover that does not wear at all well and although the edges are rubbed, they detract little from what is an exceptional example for the areas of most interest.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX to EX+ with any marks few and faint and totally superficial with no sounds. A very fine 42-year-old record which is very clean, shiny, intense black and very heavily pressed in the typical early Island style. A copy modestly played I feel and for the most part, carefully on all the evidence. Collectors will know the state many of these early albums are seen in, often played on less than wonderful early record players that left marks and inflicted terrible damage to the grooves. This has clearly avoided such mistreatment and abuse and plays with super sound. Visually a super record that should please many 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 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 wonderful vintage Island record plays even above it’s high visual grading with nothing 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 barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Not all early Island albums were and pressing quality could often prove variable, but this one impressed immediately and was an immensely enjoyable listen. Few copies will outperform this earliest pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played modestly and has been carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This record will prove very difficult to find significantly better as a very first issue 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 QED Silver terminated cable). 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners 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 FOUR 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); 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’.