THE TOKENS Lion Sleeps Tonight 61 UK STEREO

	£		40
	$		52

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: THE TOKENS

Album Title: The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Lion Sleeps Tonight; The Wreck of the John B; Michael; Children Go Where I Send Thee; Shenandoah; Water Prayer.

Side 2: Big Boat; Hindi Lullabye; Jamaica Farewell; Tina; The Riddle; Lonesome Traveller.

Label/Format: RCA (pressed by Decca) – First-press format with deep ridge. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both in incredible condition: beautiful time-pieces that are clean and attractive with only ultra light / very light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. Another from the collection of barely played records. The original owner had stereo equipment dating right back to its near inception in the UK. This vintage classic will rarely ever be found like this again.

Cat Number: SF-5128.

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: 141 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 135 to 145 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, many 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 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very rare: make no mistake and possibly one of the rarest albums I have yet offered on Ebay. How many people bought stereo records in 1961? Although the cover has darkened with age, the record has aged little and plays with immaculate sound with exceptional clean playing surfaces. Remember, this record is fast approaching 50, stereo pressings would have been very limited, how often will this ever be offered like this? I have never seen this before as a stereo UK pressing ever, and yet to find anyone else who has either.

Original Year of Release: 1961

Matrix Nos: M5PY-3299-1W / M5PY-3300-1W

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 B / 1 U

Group Members: Jay Siegel - Lead Singer; Mitch Margo; Phil Margo; Hank Medress.

Brief Info: One of the most famous singles of all-time but the album would have sold in much smaller numbers especially in stereo. The Tokens were a doo-wop band, originally formed in the mid-50s, This was their classic line-up. The sound on this vintage record is little short of sensational, beautifully mixed in stereo and the sound is practically flawless. A record never subjected to mono record players of the day, this plays beautifully. The laminated has toned and darkened with age but in terms of real wear, there is barely any. It even includes its pink text polylined inner that in detail explains the ‘latest technical development in recording’ - meaning stereophinc sound. In the early 60s still in its infancy, few records were mixed in stereo and fewer still were issued or sold. Equipment specialised and expensive, this was the age of mono sound and few owned stereos until at least the mid to late 60s. Both record and inner are historically important, such recordings were at the forefront of the new stereo revolution, but it took time to evolve. So a classic album that will delight the audiophile collector, this really will prove hard to find. and better, possibly not.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High.

Cover Grade and Format: I cannot grade this vintage stereo cover less than EX, it has minimal wear at all, just darkening. A single format with front laminate, this wraps around the closed edges and the top and bottom have external flipbacks. Printed and made in England by Robert Stace.

Lamination & Front: Incredibly, the laminate is fully intact and has no lifting and barely any creasing. It even retains a decent shine but has darkened with age. The right edge has some grubbiness on the exposed non-laminated strip. The general lack of ‘drying out’ or peeling is incredible and it has few marks to its ancient surface. Just a little peeling on the bottom edge but his shows little. Some mild dulling around the thick record’s shape but at near 50 years of age, I think I can allow it. With normal viewing, it shows little anyway. A genuine custom-made stereo cover, this is incredibly rare (to say the least), the only ones you may just find in stereo will be US examples where stereo came a couple of years earlier. In terms of UK recording history, this stereo cover is highly significant.

Cover Back: The main panel is superb with little wear or grubbiness and barely even darkened at all. Just the laminate seems affected and this can clearly be seen significantly browned on the flipbacks and spine end. The flipbacks are also very neat and undamaged, a small fragment on the top one is beneath the laminate. Given all the facts, both front and back look lovely.

Top Edge: Age toned, but little real wear.

Bottom Edge: Similar again but less coloured.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Quite sharp with little wear or feathering, slightly thickened when viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Very flat and I am pretty sure it was made that way. Solid, straight with text perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate. This is more viewable via the back

Corners: Minimal traces of wear but darkened again, all retain fine shape.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this original stereo, early 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This immensely rare item should please many collectors.

The Inner: The very early and rare pink text stereo inner has also darkened with age, but again has barely any real wear. The polylining intact with a lovely neat window and no edge splits. One corner has creased which shows the original whiteness against the moderate toning. The text is interesting as it explains the new stereo technology.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: I truly think undergraded at EX+, there is nothing more than a few fine and faint surface marks that have no sound. You can imagine what most early 60s records will look and sound like these days, but the original owner was clearly an audiophile connoisseur. This looks little played and sounds marvellous. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please most 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 early stereo record plays even above its 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 are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few copies will outperform this original pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This will thrill doo-wop fans from this era and it will rarely be heard better than this. 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 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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

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’.