THE KINKS Something Else By… RARE Orig UK 67 Mono EX++

	£		487
	$		645

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: THE KINKS

Album Title: Something Else By The Kinks.

Producer(s): Shel Talmy & Ray Davies.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: David Watts; Death of a Clown; Two Sisters; No Return; Harry Rag; Tin Soldier Man; Situation Vacant.

Side 2: Love Me Till the Sun Shines; Lazy Old Sun; Afternoon Tea; Funny Face; End of the Season; Waterloo Sunset.

Label/Format: Pye – intense pink-magenta and black format with a matt finish. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both are very clean and attractive and although spindle marks are less than moderate in numbe and fine, relatively faint and there is no chipping or wear around the hole. This remains a very snug fit on my LP12 spindle. Old steel spindles in vintage record-players left their marks freely and in real terms these are very modest for such a record. And with ultra clean and little marked playing surfaces, it’s more than clear to me this record has only been played with the utmost care and sound quality confirms has suffered NO abuse from old blunt mono stylus. This is a fantastic classic record with lovely visuals and audio quality even when played on modern revealing stereo equipment. A fabulous example from one of the greatest ever albums from the magnificent 60s.

Cat Number: NPL 18193.

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: An impressive 158 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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The title itself on vinyl is rare enough and considered the rarest ever ‘normal issue’ Kinks album. Personally, I think the stereo is slightly harder to find but that’s debatable. With the record in fantastic condition and sounding as near perfect as any mono record will ever get, this is a major Kinks rarity, it will prove immensely difficult to find better. It looks great and sounds the same, it’s that simple. The cover is also in fantastic, almost supreme condition with any wear minimal and minor. Being an unprotected silvery-grey finished sleeve, its prone to all forms of wear and housing such a heavy record inside for over 42 years, well most are found in simply horrible condition (if indeed you can find one at all). This has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Classic pop-beat records, are so often trashed and unplayable, this gorgeous classic set will prove incredibly difficult to find better, this record gave me immense joy and just holding it gives pleasure. Even the original tracing paper lined inner is lovely and undamaged. An all-round example approaching connoisseur standard.

Original Year of Release: December 1967

Matrix Nos: NPL 18193 A-1 M (this side has a small matrix correction) / NPL 12193 B-1 *M (this side has a major matrix correction) MPL 18193 B-1 M has been struck through.

Stamper Codes: B 1 / C 1 (these are tiny and faint and very difficult to even locate).

Musicians: Ray Davies – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica; Dave Davies – lead guitar, 12 string guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals (on tracks 2, 8, 11); Pete Quaife – bass, backing vocals. Guests: Nicky Hopkins – keyboards, piano, organ, harpsichord; Rasa Davies – backing vocals.

Brief Info: One of the UK’s greatest music treasures, this album is up there with the very best albums of all-time. Brilliant pop music and their sound had now progressed beyond pure RnB. Ray Davies writes most of the thirteen songs on offer with his brother Dave writing two – the classic ‘Death of a Clown’ was co-written by them both. Ray especially in the 60s, wrote some of the most brilliant songs of this famous decade. Catchy tunes with superb lyrics but their albums did not sell in the numbers they should have done. Although the singles still sold well, the albums declined which is mystifying as they simply got better and better and better. This is a very rare record and the mono version commands a very high catalogue price (and as we all know, it usually undervalues everything), it’s near impossible to find unless heavily played. Tired, dull looking vinyl with significant marks, scratches and bad sound is almost the norm for today, finding such a clean and very modestly played examples is getting more and more difficult. This has hardly any marks of real noteworthiness and for any mono record this is light years above the average. The cover, again an impossibly difficult one, is in amazingly clean and little worn condition and truly has to be the ver best I have seen for decades. Any of the light wear this one has is largely confined to the ‘resting’ bottom edge. The main faces look fantastic and the delicate, unprotected flipbacks almost as made. This record is lovely and has very few marks, those few present are only surface blemishes that have no effect on sound. It will take something extraordinary to better it significantly and a very rare opportunity to own one of the genuine classics from a very famous year in music. With ‘Peppermania’ sweeping the country, masterpieces of this type were largely overlooked, in my humble opinion, I consider this album superior to the far more famous title. In terms of rarity, well Pepper would have sold several thousand to just one of these. Hardly any wonder it’s all but disappeared. Baring this in mind, only one in many will ever have a record like this. This did briefly peak at 35 in the UK albums charts, a lowly effort for such a beautiful album and faired even worse in the States with a miserable high of 153. Maybe the change of direction from beat to art-pop was not what their early fans wanted. Only as the years passed have these classic Kinks albums been so cherished and highly sort-after, few survive in top conditions with many trashed or even written-off. Viewing and hearing this mono cut is a privilege not to be taken lightly. No piledriver thick, heavy stylus have ruined this one. Although it has a modest few spindle marks, this in no way reflects the clean playing surfaces and audio quality. A record that plays with NO distortions or noteworthy surface sound with all sound focused and sharp with no clipping to the high frequencies. No single channel noise caused by uneven wear to the grooves which is so common on such records. All traits that mono records suffer when not treated with due respect. No noteworthy pops or clicks registered either and how unusual will that be on a record this age? Remember, one jolt or needle drop from a Dansette or similar single channel record player that tracked at massive weights could have destroyed this or any similar record. Pop nostalgia never gets better than the Kinks and this is one of their very best ever – the timeless ‘Waterloo Sunset’ brings this perfect album to the perfect end - and maybe even a tear to the eye?

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+, rarely seen like this, please check out my pictures again.

Cover Grade and Format: No hesitation in grading this lovely cover as EX++. A single unlaminated format, this being unusual for the time and most of the Kinks 60s albums were laminated. It has three large rear outside flipbacks. This was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd and has the ‘Patents pending’ text. This is a dedicated mono sleeve with the NPL 18193 number on back and spine which was also used on the stereo version, often a sticker was included to denote the record was stereo.

Cover Front: Terribly prone to all forms of wear and rarely seen looking this nice. The silver-grey ink takes no prisoners and most are seen rife with major rubbing, creasing and ringwear. This has very little, just a tiny few ultra fine hairlines on the spine edge. Any traces of rim impression are tiny and faint, the faintest low-level friction rub traces only around the rim are only just about visible, and then only really under light. No sticker marks or tears either, again this affects many. A little corner rubbing encroaches into view but this is very small and minor. What I feel is worthy of mention is the overall freshness of this sleeve. Clearly not stored in a loft or subjected to damp or cold - no traces of toning or mildew staining - all common traits of such old covers. This fragile front will rare be seen much better than this.

Cover Back: The back is even better than the front and that is some achievement. This is almost jaw-drop lovely and will actually remind many of what a new one once looked like, yes this back really is that good. There is barely a rub trace to be seen and the lack of grubbiness to both sides is almost remarkable. Creasing? what creasing?, barely any of note, with the utmost scrutiny, a couple of faint ones just about register (but look very hard). Just one fine hairline on the top flipback. These are particularly fragile and delicate and vulnerable with no laminate protection. But these are in supreme condition with clean ends and NO traces of any burring. All well stuck down and ultra neat with no surface rubbing. Only the very tips of the corners have any tiny blemishes – the odd rub or tiny crease. So many will be torn or damaged from rack stacking where they catch other records but not these. All the copyright text and credits etc are pristine and totally unworn. Overall, a pretty stunning back, the gauntlet is down to find one better.

Top Edge: A very few light and tiny surface chips only, hardly any rubbing for a change.

Bottom Edge: This has light to light+, patchy rubbing, being the storage edge this is hardly uncommon. The good news is it has not spread to the main back and front faces.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with barely any wear, no feathering, no trimming. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: Against the odds, the spine is in overall great shape and with barely any wear bar minor tip rubs. Solid and quite straight with with no compression. Amazingly ALL the text is present, bold and strong and totally undamaged or eroded (please see my close-up pictures to verify). To say this is unusual would be an unstatement. The ends are gently tapered in manufacture, very slight rub traces on the top one, the bottom being unscathed.

Corners: All corners have rubbed which I guess is no surprise. Light to moderate and nothing excessive, far from it. Overall fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A truly superb cover and one of the most unforgiving of the 1960s where laminate was used on so many. When seen this clean and fresh and with so little wear, it’s a thing of real beauty and this one to hold and admire not hide away waiting for a better one. Most all of any light wear that is present on the bottom edge and who wants to look at an edge for too long? The beauty is the front and back (and spine to some degree), all are lovely. This, I feel certain, will delight most collectors needing and reading this piece. Almost, but (maybe) not quite connoisseur standard (but it’s mighty close).

The Inner: The plain white tracing paper lined inner is included in exceptional EX++ condition. The last one I had, a very slightly later copy had a polylined inner. This is a mere whisker off Mint(-) with no damage, clean and hardly aged or darkened. Any creasing minor and light and no edge splits or tears. Both the window rims and lining immaculate. These fragile vintage inners are never easy to find like this either.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++ and I feel most would grade this Mint(-), with close examination under angled light I can see two or three light hairlines and odd minor surface trace mark, but any mono record this age has earned the right to have a few in my opinion. Merely surface blemishes that few records escape, there are NO real scratches in what I deem a ‘scratch’ and nothing effects the beautiful sound of this record as I have already outlined above. Give to what most mono records of this vintage are found like, this exceptional grading hardly does this full justice, Kinks albums are simply rarely found so clean and obviously lightly played. A superb visual copy that is super clean with deep shine and lustre, intense black and heavily pressed. This record has to be seen to be fully appreciated. With a high percentage of 60s Kinks albums in such terrible conditions, mono examples in particular, this is a remarkable find. Any of the faint surface blemishes present have NO sound whatsoever and this tracks effortlessly and plays beautifully – and this on one of the most respected turntables ever made – mono records were not really designed to be played on such equipment. Clearly played, but I suggest modestly and certainly carefully and there’s the difference. These clean unworn grooves look and sound amazing. Visually a super record that should please most-all 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 breathtaking Kinks classic plays up to and even exceeds its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, never, ever take this for granted on any mono record, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed, punchy sound. Barely any surface sounds worthy of note, any minuscule traces hardly even registered - the songs are of such quality, my mind was more focused on enjoyment rather than nit-picking. No noteworthy pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. What a joy to hear this monumental classic with such clean, sharp sound, this is a top copy and I enjoyed it immensely. Few examples these days will outperform this very early mono pressing significantly I feel sure - and early is the word for this - actually purchased within the year of issue. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this true classic. A copy taht will prove very difficult to find significantly better and is unreservedly 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 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 (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).

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’.

PLEASE CHECK OUT MY PICTURE OF THE VERY SUBSTANTIAL BOXED PACKETS I SEND ALL OF MY ITEMS IN.