CREAM - Fresh Cream SUPERB Scarce UK 1966 Mono EX++ LP

	£		115
	$		152

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options.

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, smooth finish (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both look lovely: ultra clean, fresh and highly attractive light and very light spindle marks seen under light. An age defying mono record that looks little played reitterated by wonderful clean sound.

Cat Number: 593001.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 135 grams. Around the average for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: This classic in mono is hard to find in such clean condition.

Original Year of Release: 1966

Matrix Nos: 593001 A 2 420 1 1 2 9 / 593001 B // 1 1 5 2 1

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

Brief Artist & Album Info: One of many classic debuts from 1960s, Fresh Cream were a 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 mono example that sounds immaculate from the very beginning to the very end with practially nothing to fault. I had the pleasure of playing this at high volume, and quite honestly it left me aghast. It has been some time since I experienced a mono copy of this album on vinyl in such ultra clean condition. The sheer power and details from this beautful record were astonishingly good - this plays with audiophile sound quality and connoisseur’s of the analogue single channel sound will treasure this. The cover, so highly prone to wear and creasing is in strong condition too, but like most, the spine has rubbed, but the positives outweigh the negatives and this is a super all-round example. A truly beautiful piece of popular music history, it hardly gets much better than this. Classics of this era so rarely show in such lightly played condition.

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, heavy rubbing and dulling or major laminate lifts.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: marked down slightly due to the spine rubbing. 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 and includes the ‘Patent Pending’ text.

Lamination & Front: Being a dark cover, this will show all forms of blemishing more than many, hence this is often seen tired and scruffy looking. This front looks very nice indeed and has no lifting or blistering and very few creases at all. Of those present, they are very small and faint, most all being ultra fine edge types that few covers ever avoid. The exposed fine strips left and right where the laminate ends slightly short of full width, are clean and show barely any wear or rubbing with unusual neatness. Under light very light traces of friction rubs, mainly around the record’s rim shape, but few will ever avoid this and here is almost as light as it ever gets. Overall, the laminate retains great shine, freshness and clarity and the early Cream members artwork will seldom be seen a great deal better.

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 looks attractive to the eye compared to many. Any grubbiness is mild and mostly light with few marks and no ring marks or creasing worthy of note. This is the correct 593001 Mono cover too, beware of substitutions.

Top Edge: Little short of as made.

Bottom Edge: Almost the same with just a trace of mild thickening to the back panel towards the right corner.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with minimal burring or thickening with no chipping or feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: Like so many, this has rubbed, consistent and moderate, hence the text has gone. I have seldom seen this cover with no spine protection, ever unworn and most all have the sparse text eroded. Still solid, but quite thin, the spine is white so any surface rubbing shows less. Still with both front and back looking strongly attractive, this more than compensates for some surface spine wear.

Corners: All are very neat indeed with any tip rubs small. All retain super shape with very fine definition.

Cover Summary: An attractive example and one that can be held and enjoyed to the near maximum, sure, the spine rubbing detracts for the very discerning collector, but this mono cover sets it’s standards high overall. I feel many, if not most collectors will like it – if the spine rubbing is an issue however, do not bid.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(-): a plain white polylined inner that is date coded 067. The lining very clear indeed as seen through two very neat and crisp circle windows. Minimal creasing and secure edges but some glue darkening on the seams which appear as ‘stains’ on a couple of area smallish areas. A circle shop stamp is present on the top right corner.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading & Sound: EXCELLENT(++): a superb mono record, very clean with fresh shiny playing surfaces with any surface trace marks few, ultra fine and faint. For a record that appears pressed in 1967, this retains incredible lustre and ‘newness’ that few mono records of this popularity ever will. Highlly impressive visually and clearly played very little which is reitterated by the highest quality audio quality. Fully focused, crisp and distortion-free sound with no crackle and devoid of any pops, this is the audiophile’s dream copy and it was a privilege to hear this. A very brief few mega-faint ticks (almost head up against the speaker-cloth faint) were (just) noticed on the final track. Clearly little played and lightly handled and well looked after for it’s long existence. We all know what these vintage 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 old stylus that reeked havoc to so many gems from the past. A record time has forgotten and a gateway into the recording studio itself when played on suitable and worthy equipment. This has a very loud and powerful mix, a harmonica blown at times to destruction and almost saturating the sound with intense volume and intensity. Beautifully produced with that classic mono dynamic delivery of the music, this the connoisseur’s mode of the day. A copy that may be matched (by a small minority) but near impossible to better. This deserves a good home and I hope any winning bidder enjoys it as much as I did. The record is outstandingly good and the cover very pleasing too. 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/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 VPI-17 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.

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 new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. 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. The 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 stiffeners 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 FIVE 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); 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 [£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 time-wasters. 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 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, 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’.