CREAM – Fresh Cream RARE Orig UK 1966 EX++ Reaction LP

	£		426
	$		564

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: CREAM

Album Title: Fresh Cream.

Producer(s): Robert Stigwood.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: NSU; Sleepy Time Time; Dreaming; Sweet Wine; Spoonful.

Side 2: Cat’s Squirrel; Four Until Late; Rollin’ and Tumblin’; I’m So Glad; Toad.

Label/Format: Reaction – Deep violet format with deep double inner ridges (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both look stunning as I hope my pictures show. Ultra clean, fresh and highly attractive with just a tiny few, ultra faint and fine spindle marks. This remarkable piece of rock history has hardly been played which is reitterated by stunning, pristine mono sound. I hardly think it possible to hear a better example of this landmark recording.

Cat Number: 593001.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 151 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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce, and copies in such condition are getting rare and very hard to find. Quality examples such as this are mostly locked away in valuable collections and seldom will gems be located this good.

Original Year of Release: 1966

Matrix Nos: 593001 A 2 420 1 1 1 0 / 593001 B1 1 1 2 0

Musicians: Eric Clapton (ex Yardbirds, John Mayall), guitar, vocals; Jack Bruce (ex Manfred Mann, Graham Bond, John Mayall), Bass guitar, harmonica, vocals; Ginger Baker (ex Graham Bond Organisation), Drums, vocal.

Brief Artist & Album Info: One of many classic debuts from 1960s, Fresh Cream was this British supergroup in their infancy. It features five non-band titles and not a composition credited to Clapton at all - but with the quality of material included did it really matter? Brilliant virtuoso blues-rock, the Cream legend began here. This is a truly breathtaking early-pressed example that sounds immaculate from the very beginning to the very end with nothing whatsoever to fault on sound. I had the pleasure of playing this at high volume, and quite honestly it left me aghast. The first time I had heard an original copy of this title through my relatively new Naim amps. The sheer power and details from this beautful record were astonishingly good - this plays with audiophile sound quality and connoisseur’s of the analogue sound will treasure this. The cover, so highly prone to wear and creasing is also in superb condition and overall, I have yet to see or hear a copy to compare. A truly beautiful piece of popular music history, it hardly gets much better than this.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High, the back rarely escapes significant grubbiness and ringwear. The front, for whatever reason is rarely seen devoid of heavy creases or major laminate lifts.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and a mere whisker from Mint(-). It’s a single, front laminated design, this laminate protects the top and bottom edges but not the spine that clearly makes it highly vulnerable to wear. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day & Co Ltd and includes the ‘Patent pending’ text.

Lamination & Front: A beautiful front with laminate very fresh clear and with tremendous shine. There is just light dulling round the thick record’s rim shape only visible with angled viewing. Few, if any will survive devoid of this and it hardly get much lighter than this. To reinforce the beauty of this front still further is the lack of creasing which is a major factor on this vintage cover. There is just one light surface semi-crease on the bottom edge and it shows little, any others are ultra few and fine edge types that have barely any visual impact. All this laminate is fully adhered with no lifting, blisters or peeling. The left and right edges see the laminate end a little short of full width but these fine exposed strips are clean and unworn with no chipping. Even with critical viewing to the laminate surface, there are hardly any traces of surface marks or even fine hairlines. This front really does look superb and will take a huge amount of beating.

Cover Back: A back that never ages well and is massively prone to all forms of wear time, handling and mistreatment can subject it too. There is minimal evidence of such abuse on this one and this is really exceptional and looks great to the eye. It does have a vintage 1960s original shop sticker attached – Harvey Records Ltd (please see my close-up picture). It’s similar in style to the familiar ‘Harlequin’ records tape sticker that most collectors will know well – once applied, they are near impossible to remove and I strongly suggest it’s best left alone. Anyway why worry about it? it’s been there ever since first purchased and it’s part of the cover’s history, it adds to the authencity of age and era – note the four figure telephone number used at this time. The back is clean and that makes a very rare change and shows little traces of wear or ageing. Ultra faint traces of grubbiness around the edges if being critical – ‘grubbiness’ being far too strong a word here. A tiny burr trace to the top edge near the left corner, this being somewhat critical. No rubbing, creasing and few marks, this most delicate and unforgiving of backs will prove immensely difficult to find better.

Top Edge: Unworn.

Bottom Edge: Unworn.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no burring, chipping or feathering. Record entered on this right outside edge.

Spine and Text: Solid but quite thin. This has rubbed little and most of the delicate text is present and very readable indeed. Just tiny erosion to a tiny segment of the ‘H’ in ‘FRESH’ but little else. Most of the spines I have seen for this cover have little to no text left at all and this really is exceptional with minimal traces of wear. Slightly faded possibly but at 43-years-of-age, maybe it’s earned the right too.

Corners: All exceptional with barely any traces of wear, the odd tiny tip rub is the very least anyone could expect. All retain superb shape with lovely neat definition.

Cover Summary: A fantastic example and one that can be held and enjoyed to the near maximum. Few available examples will get close to this and I feel most collectors will treasure it.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading & Sound: EX++ and plays practically Mint. I simply cannot undergrade this wonderful record, it has a couple of very fine hairlines on each side but these apart, it looks immaculate with ultra clean and shiny playing surfaces. Incredible lustre and freshness for a record this age, it looks beautiful and clearly has hardly been played which is reitterated by pristine immaculate mono sound. These fine surface marks have NO sound whatsoever and there is not a single unwanted sound or blemish on this remarkable record. Fully focused, distortion-free sound with no even a hint of crackle and devoid of any pops or clicks, this is the audiophile’s dream copy and it was a privilege to hear this. I have an original mono Disraeli Gears on offer as well from the same collection and these two are now my definitive copies that I can now listen-too anywhere. Clearly barely played and lightly handled and well looked after for its long existence. We all know what these mono classics can and usually do look and sound like these days – I have it so many times before. I can categorically state, this album has not been subjected to worn out pile-driver mono stylii that destroyed such gems. This record was not really designed to be played on modern stereo equipment but the sound on this via my LP12 simply blew-me away. A mono record time has forgotten and a gateway into the recording studio itself when played on suitable and worthy equipment. A copy that may be matched (by a small minority) but never beaten. This deserves a good home and I hope any winning bidder enjoys it as much as I did. Not even easy to let this one go, but the decision is made. The highest possible recommendation is mandatory for such a beautiful piece. The famous-three themselves would surely approve.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets out ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is no bad thing. Also: any item with a value over £40 will have to be insured as well, but for any item that sells for over £150, I will pay the extra insurance (then the lower shipping price applies).

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course of multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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. (Only for items under £40)

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (Compulsory for items over £40).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, [£500 Maximum]) = £11.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500 Maximum) = £15.

For items that sell over £150, I will pay the insurance, so the lower shipping price will apply.

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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.