BANGOR FLYING CIRCUS SSL5022 1stP Pre Madura Jazz-Rock

	£		30
	$		40

The first of my really rare and obscure USA rock albums to be listed:-

The earliest possible pressing of a rare and musically exceptional LP - "BANGOR FLYING CIRCUS", the first and only LP from the band with the same name on STATESIDE SSL 5022 ~ (Stereo 1969) that later morphed into MADURA, appeared in the film Electra-Glide in Blue then vanished!

This is a EMI issued UK pressing, in stiff, medium weight 133 gram vinyl and has the matrix numbers:-

"SSL 5022 A - 1" on side 1 and
"SSL 5022 B - 1"on side 2
These SSL numbers are repeated twice on the labels; the Mother and Stamper references are "1" and "G" respectively and are the same on both sides, indicating that this is from the VERY FIRST STAMPER taken from THE VERY FIRST MOTHER!!

This then is the earliest possible FIRST PRESSING and has just got to be a very sound investment for those into that aspect, but it's a very playable record for those actually into the music, (like me!).

This auction then is for a rare and highly collectable LP from my own collection, which I have owned from new and which is in very good playing condition; I believe this is one that will increase in value fast as it has been entirely overlooked by collectors outside of the USA and yet is extremely close to the sounds of the UK bands of the day, overlaid with American flourishes - I don’t like making comparisons, but think Vanilla Fudge meets Carlos Santana with Rory Gallagher stepping in occasionally!

The songs are all written by the band except for a great cover of The Beatles song Norwegian Wood and the album was quite successful in the USA, getting into the Billboard chart and is regarded as premium psychedelic jazz/rock.

Please scroll down and see the large images I have put for this record

I stopped selling my records on eBay back in August 2008 because of eBay's stupid free postage rule but now it's been reversed, I am starting again, so please check my bidder's feedback on the records I sold before then - you will see I describe my records 100% truthfully so you can bid in confidence - any questions, just ask!

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The record itself is pressed in medium grade, fairly stiff vinyl and is very clean and shiny on both sides; the labels are very clean and are the correct silver artist and track details print with satin black ground, the small, boxed EMI and STATESIDE logos and circular rim print and ring all being in white, plus a deep red DUNHILL logo, with no stickers, marks or writing on them and no hole wear and it has a tight spindle hole!

There are a few very, very minor, just discernible *sleeve marks on the record surfaces, which has a NO surface noise, NO clicks or jumps, NO crackles or pops and obviously NO scratches!

There is a very slight visible warp of about 2 mm peak to peak at the record’s periphery and a minimal offset to the centre hole, which I estimate to be well under 0.5 mm peak to peak so it runs pretty true and plays beautifully; (there is no audible effect from this but, I am stating these parameters from now on to further improve the accuracy of my estimates of the records I offer on eBay).

*Surface marks are either a sort of matt area marking over the record surface, (usually from the plastic inner liners of some sleeves and probably due to pressure from adjacent records when stored - caused I believe by migration of the plastisizer from the polythene inner sleeve onto the vinyl surface), or they may be faint lines originating from the withdrawal and reinsertion of the record back into it’s sleeve. Such markings will always be present in a record that has been played and are discernible often only by holding the record at an angle under a strong light, but these cosmetic only and are NOT scratches, which are mechanical damage caused by actions such as dropping or knocking the arm so it skates over the record surface, or worse. Such scratches, as I define them, WILL be clearly visible and will definitely be audible at the very least and I shall state if they are there, as well as defining the level of any surface marking.

I will also always provide the best images I can of the actual record surfaces and labels so that bidders can actually SEE the condition of the record in all respects, (any dust specks you may notice on the images are always inside the damn camera lens assembly!)

I have just played this to check it out once more and I cannot detect any audible degradation, it still sounds very original, fresh and sparkling, despite it’s age, which is as it should be because I have genuinely only played it a handful of times, and then only on good kit.

The cover is the original laminated front, Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. UK printed one, in good condition with just one very minor spine crease, a tiny bit of delamination at the bottom edge corner, where it has been bent slightly, and just a really tiny bit of corner wear at the lower leading and trailing edges, minimal record entry edge wear, no shelf wear, no writing, no stickers and just a tiny amount of pressure rubbing visible on the cellophane.

This cover is still very good for one that has actually been used and not box stored!

The sleeve is the original and correct plain paper, radiussed corners one, with no writing or marks and no age browning as it’s in a high chalk, slightly glossy paper.

Using the Record Collector grading system, the vinyl is thus EXCELLENT on both sides, (I would say EXCELLENT PLUS, buy this is not a listed category!), the cover and sleeve are also EXCELLENT.

This is a band that I never saw and I bought the album on sight in a January sale the year it came out at Harrod’s Knightsbridge store simply because I liked the cover artwork! (Harrod’s sales were a great source of low cost progressive rock records at the time as they stocked loads, but never seemed to sell many!)

I have put a couple of links below for those who wish to go into their history, (there is quite a lot on the webbie on this band and it’s successors Madura)

Links:-

Http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:A_C_dWjVkYYJ:www.classicwebs.com/madura.htm+%22bangor+flying+circus%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=uk

So the provenance is excellent for this record, since I bought it new and so can fully vouch for it’s history; generally, all my records were purchased new by me and so are from my own personal collection, built up since the early 1960’s and have genuinely been played very little and then only on quality turntables, (Garrard Zero 100, Lab 80 and Goldring GL75), set up with a low tracking force, using Shure, then Grado then Stanton cartridges over the years. All records have been dry stored, vertically, in the dark in a proper custom made record shelving system and only ever played by myself and NEVER loaned to anyone and especially, never, ever partied!

If you are interested in early British R & B and Progressive Rock Bands and the USA West Coast bands of the time then please add me to your favourites as I do have some rarities that I have never seen on eBay. I generally do not go in for all the b******s about rare first pressings and the excessive detailing of group histories that I see other sellers boring eBay members with, but have put more details in than usual as this band are not well known, and will describe the records honestly, just indicating the basics.

The packed weight of this item is estimated at 490g and signed for postage via 2nd class Recorded Delivery is shown as £2.69 to UK addresses, insured to £41.00, (if the final value goes over this, then I shall send it Special Delivery in the UK, insured to £500.00 at £5.50).
International shipping will be via Airsure or International Signed For small packets rate; International bidders can check for themselves the postal costs at the www.royalmail.co.uk web site; for example, the Airsure Small Packet rate to Germany and most of the EU is £8.75, increasing to £11.25, insured to £500.00 should the final bid go over £41.00. (To the USA & Canada, these prices rise to £11.77 & £14.27 respectively; to Japan, Australia & NZ the record has to go via the International Signed For Small Packets service at £11.12 & £13.62 respectively)
All records are now protected with Jiffy foam and packed into the heaviest grade of mailer I could find with two of the heaviest available stiffener boards and so I do now add a charge at cost of £0.70 to the above prices for the foam and the heavy grade mailer & boards set.
Records are generally sent within their paper sleeves, inserted into a separate bag and over-wrapped with new Jiffy foam for protection, the cover is placed in it’s own plastic protection bag for in-transit water damage protection, then placed with the record between the boards and taped up on all edges for overall shipping protection prior to insertion into the mailer.
This protects the sleeve from record edge cut through as I want my customers to get their records and sleeves undamaged, but if you wish me to use another method of packing, please ask.
No packing charges are added, other than the materials cost; you just pay what I pay to send it!

The small print, but please read it

NB: This item may be picked up in person, or will be despatched securely, on a traceable and insured service only, so it will need to be signed for on delivery; I will not send it to a PO box, or care of a business address without written acceptance of your liability for loss, theft or damage; the delivery address must also tally with the registered address within both eBay and PayPal.

Carriage charges, where indicated, are for UK (zone 1) post codes only. If you are in other zones or are an overseas bidder, you can get an estimate of carriage costs by checking with the www.royalmail.co.uk web site, choosing the International Shipping option, and then entering the estimated shipping weight shown above, tick "packet" and choose Airsure and an insurance value appropriate to the item's final value.

Payment may be by bank transfer, Pay Pal, cash if collecting in person, or cheque, but please note that I am now very reluctant to accept cheques over £100 net and am also advised by the bank that I must wait at least 12 working days for clearance on both cheques and bank transfers before items can be despatched or picked up; this means that items will not be released on average until two weeks have elapsed from a transfer or a cheque's deposit at the bank, so please be patient!
NB: If you wish to pay by postal order(s), you should be aware that these are treated exactly the same as cheques now and so you should contact me first before sending any.

Please confirm your full address and landline telephone number when completing the transaction via the eBay and PayPal notes system to avoid delays on despatch; I now check identifies before sending items because of fraud attempts

I now also reserve the right to cancel your bid if you have zero or very low/bad feedback; if you are in this situation, you must provide me with your full details by e-mail prior to bidding to avoid this action, and please remember that this auction is in £ Sterling (GBP) and not $ US or Euros or whatever! You can also forget it if you think I will fall for money laundering attempts. All attempts at fraud or deception will be reported and the perpetrator blocked at once!

I will immediately cancel the bids of anyone who has only just joined eBay, or is bidding from Cambodia or Nigeria, etc. (including any winning bids at the last second); sorry, but I am fed up with losing fees that eBay will not refund!