CREAM Disraeli Gears SCARCE 69 Reaction UK MONO EX++ LP

	£		27
	$		35

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering the Psych-Rock Classics to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down and All Shipping Rates.

Artist or Band: CREAM

Album Title: Disraeli Gears

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Strange Brew; Sunshine of Your Love; World of Pain; Dance the Night Away; Blue Condition.

Side 2: Tales of Brave Ulysses; SWLABR [She Was Like a Bearded Rainbow]; We’re Going Wrong; Outside Woman Blues; Take it Easy; Mother’s Lament.

Label/Format: Reaction – Early deep mauve and silver format.

Label Conditions: Both very clean with few spindle marks, those present fine and light with zero ink loss. A very attractive pair for a mono record.

Cat Number: 593003.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 135 grams. Around average for this second pressing.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Mono second pressings with the single laminated cover are far less easy to find than the stereo version. Especially so with a record that plays to near perfection with an attractive cover.

Original Year of Release: 1967. This one was pressed in 1969 as confirmed by the inner date code.

Matrix Nos: 593003 A 1 1 5 and 593003 B // 2 420 1 2. These have no error corrections.

Musicians: Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals; Jack Bruce - bass guitar, harmonica, vocals; Ginger Baker - drums, vocal.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: More wear-prone on the back due to the lack of protection and the spine is beyond fragile being thin and vulnerable.

Album Information: Arguably, the world’s most famous blues-rock power trio’s greatest album - a massive issue which still sounds wonderfully fresh, even today. Clapton, Bruce and Baker’s most consistently perfect studio album. The Reaction copies are something to treasure, with its superb psychedelic cover artwork (by Martin Sharpe) and wonderful dynamic mix – the mono version even more so. When found in clean condition, they are a thing to behold. The mono mix is incredible and very different from the stereo version – both are essential. The record’s surfaces are very clean indeed retaining a lovely sheen and shine, just one tiny pressing bubble that emits three mild pops, two of which are on the joining groove. ‘Disraeli Gears’ peaked at 5 and 4 respectively in the UK and US, very commendable in a year that saw the issue of so many truely wonderful records - still for me the greatest ever year in music. The stunning dayglo cover matched the feel for the times perfectly for a psychedelic London. The blues feel of the band was slowly slipping away and the brilliantly surreal lyrics by Pete Brown suited Jack Bruce’s finest vocals. The words ‘classic’ and ‘essential’ are definitely not over-used on this album. Early copies of this record, when found in either mono or stereo are so often trashed, simply played to destruction, with unlistenable distortion, groove wear and scratches, what a joy to find and offer a copy that looks and plays beautifully and a cover in very eye-pleasing condition – the colour so bright, intense and vivid, you almost need ‘shades’.

Cover Grade and Format: I will grade this Excellent(-), but in true terms it looks much better, simply down-graded a little because of the usual spine rubbing and loss of text, few avoid it being honest. The front and back faces look superb. It’s a single format and laminated on the front. This covers just the top and bottom edges, thus the thin, vulnerable spine is exposed. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day & Co Ltd and this one still includes the ‘Patents pending’ text. A very attractive example of this very famous cover that shows it’s stunning artwork to a very high standard.

Lamination and Front: Supreme artwork and one of the landmark covers of its era. So famous and desirable, this one does it very fine justice. The laminate retains a lovely rich shine and clarity and is devoid of friction rubs or dulling. The intensity of the cover’s artwork is seen to near maximum advantage with no lifting or areas of non-adhesion. Being made with very thin card makes creasing another factor, This does have a few mostly light surface creases, but such is the complexity of the artwork and colour, they are practically lost, only just visible under angled light. The spine appears to have been practically made flat, thus the white ‘edge’ is seen via the front of the cover and the text has virtually be eroded. No flattening could have caused this and I am sure this ‘spine’ edge was like this from new (with the text present then of course). This edge retains ‘natural’ shape and no compression could make this cover look like this. Overall, a very attractive front, the lack of even surface marks is great news, it will prove hard to find much better.

Cover Back: The back is almost equally as good, this being unprotected is clearly vulnerable to all forms of wear, but this has little. A few ultra fine surface creases, again seen under light and no rubbing or grubbiness. The lack of ringwear good news also and this sets a very high standard too.

Top Edge: Unworn up to the left corner which has a moderate rub (or chip).

Bottom Edge: Practically unworn, minor tip rub to corners only.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and no feathering or trimming. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: I have mentioned the spine above, now a fine white line with moderate rubbing. Very thin indeed and the text has mostly gone.

Corners: A moderate chip or rub top left, the others have only tiny rubs and most retain very fine shape.

Cover Summary: Few would expect an EX(-) graded cover to look so wonderful, I think I have been a little too harsh being honest, but the impossibly fragile spine is a factor with the text largely gone. Being honest, it has little chance of long-term survival unless kept in cottonwool. As the rest of the cover is so lovely, clearly it has suffered little rough handling or abuse which just reitterates how delicate this skinny spine is. This very attractive vintage item should please many collectors but not the connoisseurs who demand all things near perfect.

The Inner Sleeve: The Polydor-style polylined inner is around excellent. Some mild creasing to one corner and equally mild age darkening. The window is pristine with a clear neat lining and no edge splits. Any toning or glue browning is very light indeed and little of. The date code on this one is 109 which is (October 1969), so an early second press.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: A fantastic EX++, no mean grading for any mono record, let alone a very popular one. A fantastic copy that truly looks modestly played or handled, any surface blemishes or ultra fine hairlines are minuscule and I regard a popular record this great age like this to be almost exceptional. Intensely black and very clean indeed with a fine shine. This record usually gets well played and why not?, it’s a classic, so a refreshing change to find such a clean example that plays equally as good as it looks.

Record 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 lovely copy plays with immaculate sound - play-grading was a pleasure. Mono or stereo best? - always one for debate. I could not be asked to choose for this album - both are truly essential, the mono mix has a very different sound which is more solid and punchy. It has incredible detail, power and dynamics: listen to the real slam on ‘Tales of Brave Ulysses’ at the start of side two. Bruce’s bass really pounds out of the speakers as does Baker’s drums. Clapton’s guitar is clear and distortion-free as are all the vocals with no high frequency clipping whatsoever. As stated above, just three light pops from the tiny pressing ‘pimple’, two of which are on the joining groove between tracks 3 and 4 on side one. ‘Disraeli Gears’ is sublime blues-rock with a real psych edge. A copy I enjoyed immensely, that lack of any groove-wear distortion is always a massive bonus for any album this great age of course and essential for the classics. No worn-out mono stylus stubs have been let loose on the one, that will be immediately apparent as soon as your pick-up makes contact with these totally unworn grooves that have no hidden mono noises. So many still used mono record players at the back-end of the 60s and often well into the 70s. A copy that has survived totally unscathed musically and visually, this will play for countless years with the full dynamic range and clear sound given the full care and respect it deserves. This is a very strong overall copy and with that attractive cover too, the highest possible recommendation is mandatory – one more than worthy of high consideration.

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’.