Vinyl: THE KINKS - Something Else by The Kinks - SUPERB ORIG UK 1967 MONO EX+ EXAMPLE.

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all. More details on this nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

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, smooth finish. (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both are in beautiful condition given the vintage and mode. They are very clean, fresh and attractive with only a small few spindle marks that are mainly fine and light as seen under angled light. A rare mono copy that appears very modestly played, and with considerable care on a very worthy record player, and so few are found like that. It offers fantastic nigh-on pristine sound quality, more on that further down. The odd tiny surface chip or two as seen on my label scans, but try finding these a great deal better.

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: 170 grams. Even by Pye standards of this era, this is a super-heavyweight with real thickness and mass. This company did not skimp in the 60s, but seldom make this incredible weight.

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 very impressive condition and sounding fantastic with practically nothing unwanted, this is a major Kinks rarity –both record, cover, and even the inner sleeve will prove very difficult to find better. The record has minimal surface traces and has avoided all the perils of what the 1960s and the equipment available at the time to play it one, it plays simply BEAUTIFULLY, with NO distortion or groove wear and barely even any hint of surface sound – simply remarkable for a record like this. The cover is fragile with no laminate protection and flip-backed, hence most are seen badly rubbed and ring worn, often with major damage to the flip backs. With such a massive record inside for 45 years, it could be no surprise. This beauty has little to fault and is the cleanest, least-worn I have yet seen. Available mono copies so little played with a super-fresh and attractive cover are at a real premium and it will take a remarkable example to better this. So a rare album in-itself and one in such condition are very rare indeed – and a true masterpiece of popular music, and this one does it nigh-on maximum justice.

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: D 1 / E 1 (incredibly early and rarely seen as such).

Musicians: Ray Davies – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica; Dave Davies – lead guitar, 12 string guitar, backing vocals, some lead vocals; 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 did 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 now commands a realistic high catalogue price, it’s very difficult to find lightly played. Tired, dull looking vinyl with significant marks, scratches and bad sound is almost the norm for such pieces. 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 and cover 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 with minimal blemishing of either playing surface. Both surfaces are fresh, clean and shiny and the labels impressively clean with any hints of usage only light. A record that plays with NO distortion, pressing noises or surface sound worthy of mention, the music all focused and sharp with no clipping to the high frequencies. Even between songs, still barely anything noticed, this too being played on very revealing stereo equipment, for which this record was not really designed. 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. Remember, one jolt or needle drop from a Dansette or similar mono record player that tracked at massive weights could have destroyed this or any similar record. This has NO penetrating marks or scratches and I noted NO pops or clicks at all. 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 could prove the ultimate upgrade for any serious collector or fan.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): arguably even better for a cover that is immensely prone to all forms of wear. A single unlaminated format with matt, smooth surfaces, this being more unusual for the time and most of the Kinks 1960s albums were laminated. It has three large rear external flipbacks. 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. The original heavy-duty polylined inner sleeve is also included in equally superb condition.

Cover Front: Magnificent, and for those who know this cover well, most will it does not age or tolerate bad storage or heavy handling well. The silver-grey surface rubs very easily and will rarely be found anything like this. Clearly, this has been carefully cover-protected and probably not seen light-of-day for decades. Blemishes?, well very few and very minor indeed. The faintest of faint price sticker outline shadow trace seen (just) under angled light with NO disturbance of the surface at all. And the bottom two corner tips have tiny creases, but, the odd tiny surface crease trace apart, this has nothing else really to fault. The colour and freshness has to be seen for real to be fully appreciated, this has NO rubbing at all. Check out the close-ups of the band graphics – how many could withstand such close-ups and still looking new? No ring wear or even rim impression with crisp edges and appearing hardly even handled. This unforgiving, but truly beautiful front when seen like this, will prove beyond difficult to match or ever find better.

Cover Back: The back is even more perilous, with three large flipbacks that are all near perfect bar the odd tiny tip crease on the bottom. The main back panel has just a fine surface semi-crease near the bottom right corner, that minor blemish apart, this panel is little short of Mint as made. Simply stunning with no rubbing, surface marks or handling traces whatsoever. Back to the flipbacks: being unprotected with laminate, these are incredibly vulnerable, but these are so crisp and neat, the ends in particular stand out, being ultra crisp, clean and sharp.Totally devoid of burring or thickening, clearly avoiding any catching to covers or other items when stored. The lack of friction rubs or marks to immensely delicate surfaces is amazing. The tiny tip creases apart, I would have certainly graded Mint(-) and it is so close to deserving it anyway.

Top Edge: Pristine: dead straight and totally unworn.

Bottom Edge: Very close again, the odd minute friction trace being ultra critical.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely any wear at all. The lack of thickening, burring and softening is near remarkable. Record enters on this edge that (like indeed every element and aspect of this cover) has no enhancements or trimming.

Spine and Text: Against the odds, the spine is also in fantastic condition as I hope my pictures show. Solid and again dead straight with barely any hint of compression. The ends are very lightly tapered in manufacture and maybe one tiny super-fine and faint hairline. The best news of all, the text is FULLY 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. Equally unusual, both folds show no rubbing or wear at all, I reitterate again, this has NO enhancements or tipping-in whatsoever.

Corners: Even with tiny tip creases to the bottom pair, all retain superb excellent to near mint shape with barely any tip rubbing at all.

Cover Summary: Those who know this cover well will know it is a fragile one. With pale silver-grey ink with no protection means they rub and wear very badly. Such is the condition of this one, it truly does come close to reminding of what most once would have looked like when they left the shops in this month 46 years ago. Not quite perfect, but possibly as ‘perfect’ as an unprotected, fragile cover will ever get – this has genuine uncommon beauty and should please most-all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(–): a plain white polylined inner is included in equally superb condition. Clean, fresh with two immaculate window circles and the lining still very clear and fresh. No creasing and barely aged at all, still being a nice real white colour and lacking the browning or toning most acquire over the years. Even the seam adhesive has darkened little and all the edges are unsplit with no repairs. This is UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text as seen in close-up.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and this being somewhat critical on what appears to be a very lightly used copy with two very clean and shiny playing surfaces. If I could find all classic mono records like this, I would be a very happy man – alas so rarely the case, making this an exceptional example. A wonderful and very heavily pressed record that is very clean with superb shine and lustre, intense black and massively pressed on incredibly thick, heavyweight vinyl. These vintage Pye pressings were usually of vast weight, but this is exceptional even by their standards. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence, any surface traces are tiny, few and very fine and faint, as seen with utmost scrutiny under bright angled light. I use a 150 Watt bulb for viewing all my records, maybe a little drastic, but normal ceiling lighting does not show all blemishes clearly enough for my liking. The most important factor, there are NO penetrating scratches, so NO arm drops or jolts, thus, SUPERB sound on ALL songs with any minor visuale blemishes bordering on minuscule. How many 46-year-old mono record survive like this?, the bigger sellers will be a little more abundant in high grading conditions, but this did not sell in the quantities the wonderful music merited. To put in context: how many ‘Sgt Peppers’ are described as ‘Rare’? – plenty, and that is a joke – it sold in massive numbers – this one did NOT. This now legendary album will prove immensely difficult to find better, and again I remind I play all my record on a critically revealing Linn LP12 with Naim amplification which leaves little to chance. This 1967 masterpiece will prove immensely difficult to find better and for looks (and sound), this deserves unreserved recommendation.

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 Kinks classic plays even above it’s very impressive visual grading with barely anything to fault at all. It offers strong, distortion-free sound, never, ever take this for granted on any mono record, all frequencies are sharp, clear, focused and crystal clear. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed, punchy sound – all the lovely traits and benefits of the mono mode when heard at it’s very best. Barely any surface sounds worthy of mention, even between songs, the music is sublime and pop and click-free. I agin remind I play all my records on very revealing equipment which can be deemed almost unfair on records this vintage and mode, but the music simply excelled. A very clean pressing with no pressing issues, deep grooves and all the detail and warmth only original vinyl truly has to offer. What a joy to hear this monumental classic so clean, this was a real pleasure from start to finish. Has any album ended with a better or more beautiful song than the sublime ‘Waterloo Sunset’? – even the more difficult innermost tracks play as cleanly as the early ones. Few examples these days will match or outperform this very early mono pressing I feel sure - and early is the word for this - actually purchased within the year of issue, check out above those incredibly early first mothers and stamper codes. Nothing whatsoever spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this true classic. A copy that will prove beyond difficult to find better and the music and my highest possible recommendation is fully merited. Since 2001 when I first started selling on Ebay, many top quality, ‘special’ albums have remained embedded in my memory – this will certainly be another.

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.

Equipment Used for Play-Grading: I now play-grade ALL the records I offer (unless clearly stated to the contrary) on the following equipment:

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 Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

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 new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. 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. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: 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’.