WISHBONE ASH Pilgrimage SCARCE UK MCA-Decca Black EX LP

	£		36
	$		48

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Artist or Band: WISHBONE ASH

Album Title: Pilgrimage.

Producer(s): Derek Lawrence.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Vas Dis; The Pilgrim; Jail Bait; Alone.

Side 2: Lullaby; Valediction; Where Were You Tomorrow.

Label/Format: MCA – Matt black format and pressed by Decca. This is not a very first pressing but at this time, MCA were changing their label designs even more frequently than Island and this is one of the more elusive formats.

Label Conditions: Ultra clean, fresh and attractive labels with any spindle traces barely even visible. Never an easy album to find this little played and this gem plays practically to perfection.

Cat Number: MDKS 8004.

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: 144 grams. Above average.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: No less scarce than any of the early formats. A top quality Decca-pressed record with superb sound, even the ultra critical ‘The Pilgrim’ plays beautifully and I have heard so many of these with that delicate introduction with clicks that ruin it. Copies in this hardly played condition with an attractive cover are much harder to find.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 7-LNMG-244-3L / 7-LNMG-245-1L

Stamper Codes: 1 CC / 1 CC

Brief Artist & Album Info: Second album from this legendary guitar-based rock band, famed for their third classic release Argus. That is taking nothing away from this title, an excellent record in its own right and the title song is one of the very best songs they ever made. The line-up here again was: Andy Powell - guitar, vocals; Ted Turner - guitar, vocals; Martin Turner - bass, vocals and Steve Upton - drums. Never a stunning band vocally but, if guitar-driven rock was your thing, early Wishbone Ash rarely failed to deliver and this title has some stunning guitar interplay that truly thrills. With an early pressed MCA black label record, pressed up to the highest standard by Decca and hardly played, this example delivers in every respect.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and easily one of the best I have ever seen. An unlaminated gatefold format. Printed in England by Robert Stace.

Cover Front: Magnificent and attractive with very fresh rich colour and hardly any real wear at all. Rarely does this front show up much better.

Cover Back: Pretty much the same as the front, with just the faintest of faint rim arc rubs near the very top and bottom (but look hard). The lack of creasing to either side is very unusual too.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Virtually perfect.

Top Edges: Virtually unworn, this being even more unusual.

Bottom Edges: Faint rubbing only, possibly the least you will ever see on this one.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and no feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. Very slight burr traces viewed end-on. Record enters on either edge as both are naturally open, no glue marks inside the front.

Spine and Text: The spine is pale grey colour, now even with exposure to direct sunlight over the years it’s pretty unlikely this would fade to a uniform pale colour like this, but that is an educated guess and not definitive. This unusual looking spine looks may have been printed this way either by accident or design (or indeed it could be faded). I have never seen a spine on this cover this colour (or lack of) before. Whatever, I have mentioned it and the white text is still fully present and be seen (just). Solid, reasonably straight with a little mildish compression but folded square, both right edges meeting up quite closely together and very parallel.

Corners: Small tip rubs only and very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: The spine is unusual and any reason for the pale grey colour is pure spectulation, natural fading is possible but it is so very different, a flaw in the printing plate is possible too I suppose. With the all the main faces looking so clean and unworn, I consider that far more important and this strong item should please many, if not most collectors. With the spine being the only noteworthy ‘oddity’ on this cover, if it is an issue, do not bid.

The Inner Sleeve: The Decca-style polylined inner as aged very slightly with mild toning around the edges but the window is immaculate with solid clear lining. The original owner wrote the title and band name on the top of one side. All edges secure and any creasing minimal and light.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Strong Excellent with just ultra fine and faint surface traces seen under bright angled light. A very fine visual copy and most records this great age would be happy to look as nice. Clean, shiny, jet black and heavily pressed, a copy very lightly played on all the evidence. Visually a quality record that should please most 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 super record plays plays even above it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, clear and focused sound and all the quality you would expect from a Decca-pressed record. The lack of surface noise, pops and clicks is always the best news and even the delicate intro to ‘The Pilgrim’ plays beautifully. So often these ultra fine grooves on this passage attracts scratches, hence often ruined by tedious clicks, but not this one. Great guitarwork as you would expect from this band at their best. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this great rock album. This copy will prove difficult to find better and merits my highest recommendation.

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 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’.