CAN Tago Mago RARER ORIG UK 1971 EX+ LPs. EXCELLENT TEXTURED ENVELOPE COVER.

	£		144
	$		191

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Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £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, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take longer 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

ANY ITEM or ITEMS TO BE PAID WITHIN A MAXIMUM OF 6 DAYS or they will be cancelled – NO EXCEPTIONS.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion, as will any bidder who cancels a bid. Please only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: CAN

Album Title: Tago Mago

Producer(s): Can

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Paperhouse; Mushroom; Oh Yeah.

Side 2: Hallelujah.

Side 3: Aumgn.

Side 4: Peking O; Bring Me Coffee or Tea.

Label/Format: United Artists – original cream format with matt, fairly smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: All four generally clean, still quite fresh and attractive with minimal few light, fine and faint spindle marks. A few mild and light handling traces, these probably occured during manufacture after printed. This Krautrock classic double plays sueprbly.

Catalogue Number: UAD 60009/10

Mode/Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Up and Down Movement: A minimal trace. Few vintage records will ever be perfectly flat, any issues with significant movement or tracking will be mentioned in detail if applicable.

Lateral Movement (Side-to-Side): Barely a Trace.

Weight of Records: 146 / 127 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Scarce. Also finding this first UK issue with its very fragile and damage-prone ‘envelope’ cover in better condition is very difficult.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: UAD 60009 A-1 [C 29211 A-1] / UAD 60009 B-1 [C 29211 B-1] / UAD 60010 A-3U / UAD 60010 B-1 [C 29212 B-1]

Stamper Codes: GH / GP / 1 A / RL

Musicians: Michael Karoli – guitars; Irmin Schmidt – keyboards; Jaki Leipzeit – drums, percussion; Holgar Czukay – bass; Kenji ‘Damo’ Suzuki – vocals.

Brief Artist & Album Info: It’s always a pleasure just to offer any early Can album. Arguably the definitive and most important of the German progressive bands of the early 1970s. Known affectionally as ‘Krautrock’ these types broke new barriers in rock music. Can took this art to new levels of creativity and excellence, spawning a host of immitators – only a handful for me came close. This album features their classic line-up as listed above. The four instrumentalists were all unique and having a style all of their own. Schmidt, a classically trained keyboard player, had a karate chopping style, Czukay’s basslines had a distinctive powerful twang, Leipzeit’s percussion was almost metronomic and was without doubt one of the finest and most influential drummers ever. And Michael Karoli’s guitar had a splintering sound that complemented the Can style perfectly. That leaves Damo, not so much a singer but a vocalist who at times just breathes down the mike – inventive, abstract and sometimes scary – at times he often broke into free-form improvisation. The same can be said of Can in general really. Live they were never the same and their early 1970s gigs are legendary, often lasting through to the early hours of the morning. Karoli and Damo, a mass of long hair and faces almost invisible, Czukay stark featured with his customary drooping moustache, a bundle of manic intensity, Schmidt sometimes climbing on his keyboards keeping control, almost as a conductor with nods and gestures. Jaki pounding the skins like a man possessed – what an awesome band Can were – check them out on-line. This seminal record, their third proper, including the Soundtracks album is truly amazing. This is my personal favourite Can album – it’s stunning sound visions and breathtaking, innovative creativity is beyond words. Can were simply one of the most influential and original bands of all time – daring, inventive and highly entertaining – premier Krautrock and should be included any serious record collection. A definitive album, a work of genius spread over four sides. Sides two and three are full length pieces that occupy the entire sides. ‘Hallelujah’ is sublime – it’s the Can track that even non-fans like, the first of the long pieces. It has beautiful rhythm and pace and slowly builds up to a keyboard and drumming frenzy which is totally out there with the very best – this has to be Leipzeit’s finest moment. ‘Aumgn’, side three’s 17.22 minute gem is one of the eeriest tracks I have ever heard. Damo’s vocals on this are unearthly. Play this one in a darkened room alone and the shivers are guaranteed aplenty, this is the ‘difficult’ side for sound, as it has longer quiet passages, but here plays superbly. Then on side four, ‘Peking O’ seems quite a melodic and easy going track at first, but don’t be fooled… Damo’s burst of freeform improvisation blended with Schmidt’s manic keyboard pyrotechnics will blow you away. This is experimental rock at its very best – every track is stunning – Can hit the real heights of their creative peak on this amazing album. This a very early example with the rarer textured cover variant – some were made smoth – this in very fine condition with any wear light, but the small tab has a neat repair as seen in close-up. Great sound from two little-used records as well. The finest all-round copy I have seen or heard in ages.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: based purely on its visual and lack of actual wear. This not taking into account of the tab repair, any opinion on this purely subjective. This a massively fragile, wear and damage-prone complex format that opens out fully as a single piece of card. The back has three tabs and retaining slots and are very delicate indeed. The printed side is matt with textured surfaces – some were printed smooth – obviously, the rarer and more sort-after textured ones are far more prone to rubbing and general wear as the card is softer. The underside is bare biscuit-coloured card. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group. The owner of this album put the record inside soft-lined inner sleeves, those the only ones included.

Cover Front: Firstly, the UK original of this album has unique graphics and design. The band’s native German version with a very different design, and later repressings used that version, this unique ‘envelope’ style cover was not used again. Again, this is the textured version and this front is very impressive with little to fault. Hardly any rubbing or creasing with deep colour retained. Any marks of blemishes tiny, light and faint, the odd tiny trace of toning and rim dulling seen under light. All the texturing superb with barely a trace of spotting or rubbing of the raised tiny multi-dot pattern. This one of the finest fronts I have seen on this cover for years.

Cover Back: The back is massively delicate with the top being hinged to form a flap that opens for record storage. Its tap that slots into one central recess clearly got torn and has been quite neatly repaired. So the front now appears as a relatively mild crease, The plain back does show the tear and repair more, but how wants to view the back? The actual flap again has only light wear overall with any creasing equally fine and light, the top hinge totally unsplit and strong. Below this, the cover has two more small tabs which are fully and naturally intact with only a crease that few will ever avoid as barest minimum. This surface again in lovely clean condition with little to fault. The central retaining slot crisp and neat with no tears. The bottom of this large face again folds and opens. Then underneath this is a pair of inside flaps that form the sides and holds the entire cover together. These have a single slot retainer each and again both clean and undamaged, as indeed are the surfaces of these side flaps. The entire format of this complex cover is seen on my fully open picture.

The Inside: This area as stated is bare card, this has darkened in places, mostly towards the top with a little mild patchy set-off from the black card of the printed side where it touches when closed.

Top Edge (Spine): Straight with minimal patchy rubbing of the dark surface. This a fold which is still strong without splits or any repairs. This acts as the spine edge which has the text. This printed low, which was possibly deliberate to stop the fold eroding this detail. If so, this was an inspired choice as the text which is seen via the front remains totally unworn and fully present. That is something rarely seen on this cover.

Bottom Edge: Similar in all respects to above, but even better if anything.

Right Edge: Again similar to the top edge.

Left Edge: Again simlar to above with just a little mild rubbing towards the top.

Corners: Only fairly small tip rubs, and in context, these have fared very well indeed. Very fine shape generally retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: The flap tab repair apart, which is as neat as possible, this is a very fine example of this uncompromising fragile single thickness card cover. Very dark textured surfaces with recesses, tabs and folds, this is rarely seen a great deal better these days and many would have been wrecked within weeks of purchase. Still a very strong all-round example that should please many collector – but clearly not for perfectionists. One a ‘perfect’ one will prove beyond difficult.

The Inner Sleeves: EXCELLENT: the previous owner of this put the records in soft-lined Decca inner sleeves for protection of the record’s surfaces. These are the only inners I have for this set. Both in very fine neat condition witih little to fault.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): arguably better for most sides. A very fine visual pair that are very clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed, one very solidly. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface marks few, mostly light and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, few even register. Visually impressive records with complex groove which indicate intricate and varied sound levels. These should please many 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 snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This Krautrock classic double album plays even above it’s high visual grading with hardly anything to fault. Offering 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 this an album with some very quiet passages, particularly side three, but even this plays impressively. A very clean pressed set with no tracking issues* or inherent pressing noises. Few available copies will outperform this early first UK pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain thee records have been played very lightly and has been generally carefully handled. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this brilliant groundbreaking album. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

I am one of the most established sellers on Ebay, trading since 2001 and offering the finest 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 all elements of the items I offer for sale. You may notice I only submit records quite sparingly on Ebay as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – not just bits to guess a grade – visuals alone do not always tell a true story. I will try to 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 it’s good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. I hope the item below is to your liking – any questions can be emailed and I will do my best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, major 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie 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 D7500 DSLR 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.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid bid retractions. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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 only 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 2 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive – if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund if the item is returned in the same condition is was sent e.g. as per the listing pictures.

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, 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.