Frank Zappa / Mothers Cruisin with Ruben & the Jets UK Vinyl MONO VLP9237

	£		62
	$		82

Up for sale today is a genuinely rare UK MONO vinyl pressing of Cruisin with Ruben and the Jets by Frank Zappa and an early incarnation of his band the Mothers of Invention.  Frank was trying to recreate the do wop music he loved from his youth but with a Zappa twist.  This is one of the first UK pressings issued in 1967 - Verve VLP 9237 on nice heavy vinyl.  The matrix numbers on this LP - V5051 A & B. Their are differences between the UK and American covers; firstly the UK version is a non gatefold flip back and I cant imagine this far out album, beloved by long haired hippies only would have sold terribly well at the time, even with legendary DJ John Peels endorsement and also take into the account the exorbitant price long playing records cost in those far off days.  Just like my other Zappa LP Absolutely Free I put on ebay yesterday Ruben and the Jets absolutely did not take the UK LP charts by storm and was probably deleted even more quickly and didn't reappear until it was re-issued on more light weight vinyl in the early 1970s.  What would have made this copy of the Ruben LP even harder to track down was the fact that it is one of only a handful MONO copies.  MONO was defininitely on the way out by the late 1960s in the UK - it took longer to disappear here than in the States.  So I reckon this is an extremely rare album if you care about these things.  More important than the rarity value though, at least in my book is the sound quality and once again I cannot emphasise that if you want to get the best sound of these early recordings then you have to get hold of these vinyl releases which in my opinion sound best on the original 1960s heavy vinyl (mono or stereo).  By the time these early Mothers LPs were reissued in the early 1970s the pressings were on much lighter vinyl and even though they still sound great you should get the first pressings for maximum enjoyment!  The first issues in the 1960s and later early 1970s vinyl's are unbeatable but my advice is don't risk buying the CD re-issues or even possibly the 180 gram vinyl re-issues (which have been taken from the same re mastered source) because as you may know Frank got hold of the master tapes to his early albums in the 1980s and proceeded to not only re master them but to edit out and replace various instrumentations and in particular percussion he subsequently felt to be sub standard, which a lot of FZ fans (me included) think ruined the recordings.  Franks editing is even more apparent on Ruben than on Absolutely Free - take a listen to the original if you can and then compare with the CD (and 180 gram vinyl) re-issue from the 1980s - Frank has tried to replace most of Jimmy Carl Black and Art Tripp's drumming with a 1980s Jazz rock beat - which doesn't sound right if you are familiar with the original (I guess you haven't heard the original then you will be none the wiser).  Its one thing to clean up old master tapes but another to vandalise them like this!!
The front laminated cover still has a lovely sheen to it but it has shows some signs of wear around the side opening and a little creasing.  The vinyls are in lovely almost pristine condition except for a mark (not a scratch) on track 5; Anyway the Wind Blows' on side two which causes it to pop slightly for a few seconds. Matrix Numbers are hard to read but I have scanned them anyway and as I said I cant believe there would have been any re pressings of this Mono LP in 1967!  Please check the scans and ask questions first before bidding if you are not sure.  I am not claiming this LP is in absolutely mint condition and I have down graded Vinyl and Cover to a Very Good from excellent to take into account its flaws.  I will happily refund and accept returns as long as you pay for post and packing.  Please pay me promptly and I will send out LP in a proper mailer with stiff card protection.  2nd class signed for in UK.  Overseas buyers welcome.