CAPTAIN BEEFHEART Strictly Personal RARE Orig 68 EX LP

	£		91
	$		121

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Artist or Band: CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND HIS MAGIC BAND

Album Title: Strictly Personal.

Producer(s): Bob Krasnow.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Ah Feel Like Ahcid; Safe As Milk; Trust Us; Son of Mirror Man—Mere Man.

Side 2: On Tomorrow; Beatle Bones n’ Smokin Stones; Gimme Dat Harp Boy; Kandy Korn.

Label/Format: Liberty – Original blue label format with Philips credits. Side one has a huge ‘Sample Record’ sticker which is immaculate. This is 100 per cent genuine and factory applied, it’s semi-transparent so the label beneath can be seen and its hiding nothing but pure, fresh, undamaged label. The fine detail of its application is definitive as the sticker has adhered within the inner ridge, the circle is embedded into the sticker itself and this something that cannot ever be faked. (please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Occasionally something comes along of such beauty, it has to be labelled, ‘very special’. Both these labels look incredible, especially side one which looks factory-fresh. Both little short of immaculate, this too on a record that when purchased was often ground into the dirt by less-than-careful buyers of the time. Rarely ever seen decent, these labels and record are almost beyond belief. The one and only owner gave little away where this came from, but what I do know is the record looks hardly even played, indeed I am struggling to find a single spindle trace on two breathtaking labels. Side one is definitive and looks barely even handled. Side two is almost the same with a freshness of rare beauty. Early Beefheart was rarely purchased by hi-fi connoisseurs, but usually by certain types (you all know what I mean), often his audience was as weird as the man himself. Although the cover has aged a little less well, the record is stunning and plays with pristine, flawless sound from beginning to end. Also the original stereos are rarer than the monos. This Sample Record looks like the very first off the pressing line and offers the most detailed trip into this man’s alternative blues world.

Cat Number: LBS 83172.

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: 136 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 scarce, I personally think the stereo version is harder to find than the mono. Few but the brave would have paid full price for this album when first issued. It is far easier to find on the budget reissue Sunset label that had different artwork and did not include the gatefold cover and the truly bizarre inner band pictures. How many genuine Sample copies circulate I would imagine would be few also. And how many will survive in such beautiful playing conditions?

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: LBS 83172 A // 1 420 & LBS 83172 B // 1 420

Musicians: Don van Vliet - lead vocal and mouthharp; Alex St Claire - guitar; Jeff Cotton - guitar; Jerry Handley - bass; John French - Drums.

Brief Info: After the stunning debut Safe as Milk failed to sell, this second album appeared on a different label – Liberty, again only very briefly. Beefheart was finding it very difficult to find a loyal label that would offer his music. This remains one of the most controversial in the Captain’s early catalogue mainly due to the production of Bob Krasnow. Vastly divided opinions on its sound and use of phasing has always divided Beefheart fans. This is a strictly personal opinion, I think it sounds fantastic and makes a pretty strange band sound even more weird. But some think is obscured their real sound, including van Vliet himself. This wonderful original album was a great prelude to Beefheart’s classic Trout Mask Replica which again was issued on a new label – Zappa’s newly formed Straight. Here Beefheart’s sound progressed still further from the debut and was now becoming even more obscure and challenging. The Captain was no ordinary artist and his music had few rules, his genius is at last being more and more recognised as time passes. This landmark album was the last not to include those outlandish names for The Magic Band, the members real names were correctly used. Weirdness however was the order of the day – just check out the inside cover pictures. A man fast approaching his creative heights and this stereo record does it great justice. Skillfully blending blues with psychedelia, I have never heard anything quite like this before. Never easy to find playable copies of this original title, this was a real pleasure to hear again, and without doubt, this ‘sample’ copy is my best ever yet. There is no groove-wear or distortion to the mind-bending sound and the cleanest of clean pressings. I have in the past, heard a few copies of this (in mono and stereo) that have crackled quite badly, but generally, this one is outstanding. This one includes a UK-made cover which cannot be taken for granted, some included imported US-made covers with the Blue Thumb imprint, this has a some wear and mostly minor marks but the record is beyond exceptional. Special mention of the inner sleeve as well: Like the record, this has a ‘Sample Record’ stamp on the top right corner. Please see this on my inner close-up. A title bought by a very few, and ever fewer survive that will be even playable let alone enjoyable. This is a highly important recording, it’s twisted and at times difficult melodies quickly get into the subconscious and for those unfamiliar, it’s a wonderful experience. Only with Zappa’s total unrestricted artistic freedom did the Captain excel to even greater heights on his next masterpiece. To phase or not to phase? – who really cares, just enjoy this unique album for what it is.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: High: prone to creasing, rubbing, grubbiness, tearing and ringwear.

Cover Grade and Format: Correctly graded Very Good which does not mean badly damaged or with massive sticker tears or falling apart. Very Good by definition means what it says, a mildly worn cover with a few visual blemishes, not major damage. This is an unlaminated gatefold format with a single thickness front. Printed and made in England, uncredited.

Cover Front: This front has some marks and mild grubbiness, nothing major, it simply shows it’s great age a little. Other blemishes are a crease near the right edge, fairly long but fine and also a thumb crease (but NO tear) also on teh right edge near the bottom. The word ‘stereo’ below the top left stamp has been lightly penned, why?, I have no idea as this is a stereo copy. All still attractive with very good colour, the marks are all small, the lack of sticker damage and ink loss is a major plus.

Cover Back: Th back is better still, again a few marks and handling traces but barely any creasing and no ringwear. The most noticeable mark is a fine line on the top ‘flap’ area.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Geninely weird and bizarre and worth the price alone as this will not be found elsewhere. Just as wear-prone as the outside faces, possible even more so being black. This has little to fault, just mild semi-creases no the left side that mirror the front ones mentioned.

Top Edges: The centre of the back has rubbed as has the right corner area. The fragile fine front has little wear and has not thickened or burred which makes a fine change.

Bottom Edges: Light rubbing and considering these are the resting edges, they have remained only lightly scathed.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both in fine condition: the front has that thumb crease but has not split or torn. The back opening is also neat and quite sharp with no feathering and any burring tiny and faint. These edges have not been trimmed.

Spine and Text: Being single thickness, it will be obvious it will not remain erect all these years and tilt is practically unavoidable. This being minor as the right edges are still almost flush and parallel. Solid, quite wide, straight with no crushing, hence no vertical creasing and any wear is mild and light. All text is present and unworn, but again the ‘S’ in ‘LBS’ has a line through it. Whether there is any clues to this coming from the factory I do no know, but this I suppose could have been a ‘proof’ cover where changes were to be made in the future – this is pure speculation of course. The mono version obviously had a different catalogue number and had mono on the front rather than stereo.

Corners: The fragile corners have rubbed but not excessively and decent neatness is retained.

Cover Summary: A cover that does show its great age a little but the lack of real damage is good news. It’s a near impossibility to offer these older more fragile unprotected covers in the highest grades all the time. In fact some buyers tell me they like to see a little ‘ageing’ on covers to remind them what they actually are. This has always been a hard one, the lack of protection and thinness of the card dictates that. As stated, more often bought originally by listeners of a certain type and age. Few were cover protected and carefully stored, often loaned out and ‘used’. What I would say, the record more than compensates for any mild cover wear. Sound quality is always my priority and this record excels. If relatively minor cover issues are indeed an issue, do not bid – easy.

The Inner: Only a plain white polylined inner, but I consider it significant. The left corner has a stamp stating ‘SAMPLE RECORD NOT FOR SALE’, which matches the text on the record label sticker. This polylined and patented, the window neat and clear with no edge splits (or repairs). Plain white and only lightly aged with barely any creasing.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: I cannot grade this beautiful original record less than Excellent. It has only very fine surface marks mostly seen under light. Merely whispy surface blemishes and odd fine hairline or two that have NO sound whatsoever. Truly, this record looks little played but being a Sample Record, it may have had more handling within the factory, again the is pure speculation. What is NOT speculation however is the superb sound quality this record offers from start to finish. A very clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed early-pressed stereo example, probably one of the very first off the pressing line. A record rarely purchased by hi-fi connoisseurs and those of a certain type, finding a copy this clean is very hard indeed. Beefheart was weird and often too were the buyers of his music. This has not suffered any traumas from old record players and both playing surfaces are impressively clean and attractive. Most collectors will surely treasure this one?

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 wonderful original old record plays even above its high visual grading with nothing to fault and rarely, if ever have I been able to state that. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range. The controversial use of phasing is highly interesting and I love it. The stereo imagery works well too and the overall sound is very different to the mono version. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted, this even surpasses the wonderful copy I sold earlier this year (although the cover is a little down). Overall a supreme pressing for a fairly difficult album, the odd minor sporadic tick or crackle trace on a record over 40-years-old is near impossible to avoid but this one sure gives it a good go. You can imagine the fate for probably the majority of these, played on goodness knows what, this was an immense joy to hear again. It will take an extraordinary example to even match this Sample Pressing, this gives definitive sound and the way Krasnow wanted to be heard, even if the Captain was not so sure. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record which remains high in my favourites list from this period. This copy will prove nigh-on impossible to find better for practically audiophile sound quality and the actual record merits my highest recommendation. The record is a keep-copy for certain.

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’.