THE KINKS Something Else By… RARER STEREO Orig UK 67 LP

	£		161
	$		213

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 with very light spindle marks on side one and less than moderate on side two, 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.

Cat Number: NSPL 18193.

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: An impressive 151 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: Quite possibly the rarest UK regular issue Kinks album, the stereo original, for me anyway, far harder to locate than the mono. This was not a big seller which must have surprised the band and label alike, especially as it includes one of the greatest singles ever issued in ‘Waterloo Sunset’.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: NSPL 18193 A-1 *F / NSPL 18193 B-2 *M

Stamper Codes: B 1 / F 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.

A Special Note: Hot on the heels of the superb mono original copy I recently sold on Ebay, is the stereo version from the same collection. Now my ‘Special Notes’ are usually positive, but sometimes I do have to highlight a blemish or something noteworthy I want to draw attention too. This is a beautiful record and again with a lovely cover, but this one has a scratch, a likely arm drop at the beginning of side one. A fine arc mark that has some clicks for around half the duration of the first song, ‘David Watts’. The song is loud cut and dynamic, hence the clicks are fairly well masked but can be heard a little. There is also a mark further into the side but that has NO SOUND at all, totally ignored and merely superficial. The first fine arc mark does not show a great deal but can be heard. This being the only noteworthy audio blemish on this very rare record, I have no hesitation whatsoever in offering it. With all the other 12 songs playing beautifully and easily as wonderful as the mono version I sold, this is still a very strong example. If the moderate, reducing to more lighter clicks can be lived with for around half of ‘David Watts’, you will then have a nigh-on perfect playing copy. Being honest, how many records well over 40-years-old will escape a few audio blemishes anyway? I simply make clear what to expect and not let any unsuspecting winning bidder find out with a nasty unwanted surprise, that is something I would never do. This is such a wonderful album and this copy still does it very high justice. If this sounding mark, that tracks easily on the music, is an issue, do not bid, but I will suggest finding a much better one will still prove immensely difficult in stereo as the majority of the few originals that did sell were in the mono format, that was still the mode of choice at this time. I would feel sure, minus this mark, a copy that would soar in value on the Net, so maybe a small compromise needed to pick up a good value-for-money copy – who knows?

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 this stereo version I am certain rarer than the mono, although the guides suggest otherwise, but like most they say, I take with a pinch of salt. Although this has a few marks, one sounding as mentioned above, this is still a superb and modestly played copy. The stereo mix sounding wonderful with lovely imagery. Including a lovely, little worn cover, this is a major bonus too. The covers were dedicated to the more popular mono format and had stereo stickers to cover this up. This stereo sticker is included but it simply dried out over time and feel off. I decided not to re-adhere and left it off for any future owner to decide (please see this original sticker in close up). 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, its likely few will ever be totally pristine and those that are, most will never see the open market for sale. 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 – this is light years from being either. Viewing and hearing this stereo original cut is a privilege not to be taken lightly. Luckily the stylus that marked this one was too heavy or the scratch would have been fatal, but that is not the case at all. Of course I wish it was absent but that is out of my control, what is done is done, but as only such a small percentage of the music has been affected, it could have been a whole lot worse. Any jumps or sticking would have meant a No Sale, but the music tracks easily and should cause no issues to any deck worthy of a name. Importantly, the record that plays with NO distortions or noteworthy surface sound (the clicks apart) 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 vintage records suffer when not treated with due respect. No other noteworthy pops or clicks registered either and how unusual will that be on a record this age? Accidents can, and do happen to any record owner, even the most careful – I’ve had them, and I am sure most all will have too. I still feel most collectors will enjoy this, but not the connoisseur or perfectionist of course. 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: EX or very close too, given its delicate nature, this is a lovely example with blemishes small. 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 as is the case here. As stated above, the stereo sticker dried and fell off, but is included as can be seen on my close up picture.

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 low level rub traces around the edges, a few faint surface marks and a few ultra fine and faint creases. One small chip on the spine edge near the top and slight corner rubs and odd tip crease. The artwork looks fantastic, so nice infact I took the close up pictures to reitterate the fact. No sticker marks or writing and for attractiveness, this front will take a fair amount of beating. Most collectors will know exactly what this delicate one will look like.

Cover Back: The back is even better than the front and that is some achievement. This is almost devoid of rubbing and very clean indeed, the main back panel exceptional. The only blemishing of real note is some light creasing near the bottom right corner area. The flipbacks are very exposed and few will remain this clean. Their ends are still very neat with minimal traces of any end burring. A few fine creases with two or three moderate ones near that corner mentioned already. The lack of rubbing and damage to a back like this is unusual but great news of course. Like the front, this will prove hard to find much better.

Top Edge: Light, patchy rubbing.

Bottom Edge: Less than moderate patchy rubbing, being the resting edge, most all will have some rubbing here. In context, its quite light.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with barely any wear, no feathering, no trimming. Slight burr trace on the back being critical. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: A little mild rubbing on the top fold near the centre but little else. Against the odds, the spine is in overall fine shape and with little other wear bar minor tip rubs. A few small chips or light rubs only and very solid and quite straight with with no compression. Amazingly ALL the text is present, bold and strong and 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.

Corners: All corners have rubbed which I guess is no surprise. All around moderate and nothing excessive. A tip crease bottom left and decent shape is generally retained.

Cover Summary: Being one of the most unforgiving covers of the 1960s where laminate was used on so many, these exposed silver-grey ink surfaces rarely survive like this. When seen this clean and fresh and with only modest wear, it’s a thing of real beauty and this one to hold and admire not hide away waiting for a better one. Most of any notworthy 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. I am confident this will please many collectors needing and reading this piece. Not connoisseur standard but such examples are rarely ever seen or made available.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: VG+ / EX+ side one has a fine arc mark at the beginning that sounds for half the song. The clicks are initially above moderate but then diminish more with the loud cut music helping mute their sound. The other few marks on this side have no sound and the rest of the album plays superbly with imaculate clean sound. Side two has few visual blemishes other than the odd minor faint hairline or two. Kinks albums are simply rarely found so clean and obviously lightly played, but accidents happen, sorry it’s a fact, no-one is perfect or exempt. Hasten to add, this mark was present on purchase and I new about it, but after consideration, I decided to keep and offer it as the rest of the album plays so beautifully. Also the fact the stereo cut is so had to find, this is not one that is seen or offered often. Still a lovely, fresh looking visual copy that is very clean with deep shine and lustre, intense black and heavily pressed. This record has to be seen to be fully appreciated, the audible mark is a shame of course but it something I could easily live with and that is the truth. With a high percentage of 60s Kinks albums in such terrible conditions, early-pressed examples in particular, this is a formidable find. These clean unworn grooves look and sound amazing – 12.5 out of 13 is not bad I feel. Visually a super record that should please many collectors, but stating the obvious, not the more discerning, audiophiles or connoisseurs. If a little give and take is acceptable, you will have a superb record to play and enjoy.

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: If the clicks on ‘David Watts’ were to be ‘ignored – they last around half or less of the song’s duration – this evergreen Kinks classic plays beautifully with nothing else 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 that has supreme stereo imagery. 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 other pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. The obvious jolt a blemish, sure, but with the rest sounding truly superb, is this something that can be lived with? Your choice. What a joy to hear this monumental classic with such clean, sharp sound, this is still a lovely copy and I enjoyed it immensely, the clicks so near the start soon forgotten when the real gems are so wonderful. Few examples these days will outperform this very rare early stereo pressing significantly I feel sure after the mark is passed - and early is the word for this - actually purchased within the year of issue. Nothing, other than the obvious, spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this true classic. A copy that will still prove difficult to find significantly better and (minus the mark) would be unreservedly recommended. If you have any doubts at all, do not bid, I cannot make it clearer and the mark has been highlighted and mentioned more than enough times.

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.

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 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. 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 [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2 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]) = £12. Add £3 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 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. 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 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’.