JOHN MAYALL Blues From Laurel Canyon RARE UK N/M 68 LP

	£		190
	$		252

Artist or Band: JOHN MAYALL

Album Title: Blues from Laurel Canyon.

Producer(s): Mike Vernon & John Mayall.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Vacation; Walking On Sunset; Laurel Canyon Home; 2401; Ready To Ride; Medicine Man; Somebody’s Acting Like A Child.

Side 2: The Bear; Miss James; First Time Alone; Long Gone Midnight; Fly Tomorrow.

Label/Format: Decca – original unboxed deep blue stereo format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both Mint immaculate: truly stunning conditions and if there is one tiny spindle trace, you will need exceptional eye-sight to see it (get out those magnifiers). I know for a fact this incredible copy has only been played twice and that’s including my sound check, if a better playing and visual copy of this album, as an original, can be found, well I sure would like to see and hear it.

Cat Number: SKL 4972.

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: 146 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: A scarce record and it will prove near impossible to find much better. This 40-year-old Decca album has been played just twice and it will remind those around at the times what a brand new record once looked and sounded like. The cover is almost the same and looks jaw-drop fantastic. The record has immaculate clean playing surfaces - just one tiny mark at the very start of side two has four low-level ticks but little else to fault and from beginning to end has quiet, focused and wonderful clean sound. One in a thousand will ever compare to this and a copy for the serious audiophile listener or blues connoisseur. Few of the earliest copies made will compare to this.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: ZAL-8532-1W / ZAL-8533-1W

Stamper Codes: 1 A / 1 BC

Musicians: John Mayall – harmonica, organ and guitar; Mick Taylor - guitar, Hawaiian guitar; Colin Allen - drums, tablas; Stephen Thompson- bass. Guest guitarist Peter Green, formerly of Fleetwood Mac.

Brief Info: A brilliant album inspired by his visit to the US where he eventually ended up living. This was his first album after the breakup of the Bluesbreakers and also was his final release on Decca before signing to Polydor. The playing surfaces of the record are unbanded as the songs blend into each other to form a musical suite based on his experiences of his visit and the people he met. One such meeting was with Frank and Gail Zappa and his his daughter Moon Unit, then a baby. The song ‘2401’ where Mayall describes Zappa as his hero has references to The Mothers and even the GTO’s, Miss Christine specifically. The album is something of a recording triumph and sounds stunning in real stereo. It starts with a jet aircraft blasting from speaker to speaker and then blends into the music, a very dramatic and effective opening and the quality never lets up. With, or without The Bluesbreakers, Mayall has rarely sounded better or more inspired than this. An album that will delight even non-blues fans, this is a documentary tour de force and still sounds as fresh and vibrant as when first issued. In terms of condition, well I have outlined already in my ‘rarity’ paragraph just what this is like. But I reitterate again, this record is simply in breathtaking condition and is practically reference standard - a tiny few low-level ticks are almos the least you can expect from a record this great age. With such clean unworn sound with no crackle whatsoever, this is a copy has forgotten and owned by the most particular and caring owners who protected from new, played once and put to tape. Stored with the utmost care, I doubt this record has seen daylight for decades. The fact it’s been inside the polylined inner undisturbed all these years means a very faint trace of ‘inner-ras From the silent run-ins to the same run-outs, this is perfection with all music pin-sharp, focused and crystal clear with no surface sounds or distortions. This blues masterpiece will never be heard better from the original stereo format and that is a promise and guarantee.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High: Although laminated, this cover has a single thickness front and is very prone laminate problems and creasing. Well this practically nothing to fault and simply looks factory-fresh.

Cover Grade and Format: I have rarely been more tempted to grade a 40-year-old cover as full Mint, but there are a couple of minuscule blemishes so I will say undergraded at Mint(-). Blemishes? well it’s pure crazy to even use the word on a cover that could practically pass as new. It’s a gatefold format with a single thickness front. Both front and back are Clarifoil laminated and there is NO peep-hole on the back, this mono/stereo indicator came slightly later in 1969 making this one of the earliest pressings made confirmed by the matrix numbers. Printed and made in England by Robert Stace. Even the original polylined inner is near mint.

Lamination – Front & Back: Both sides have superb laminate that retains a beautiful semi-gloss shine, clarity and freshness. Importantly, most is fully adhered with just a neat fine ‘lift-line’ along the spine edge on the front. This blends into the artwork colour and remains hardly even visible unless angled viewed. Also a similarly faint one on the back top left corner. The lack of significant creasing is also great news, there is just one faint half moon on the front and one edge hairline on the back - try finding one with fewer than that. What is amazing is the total lack or friction rubs or dulling. Even under angled light I can see none at all and the same goes for surface marks or even hairlines and the superb artwork can still be enjoyed to practically maximum advantage. I have rarely such such pristine laminate on any cover, this has to be seen to be fully appreciated and even believed. There is no peeling, mottling or cracking to this very solid laminate, it ends just short of full distance on all ‘open’ edges and these exposed strips have no grime-line formation, chipping or even burring. Even the vulnerable bottom edges are in incredible condition with barely even any thickening from resting all these years with a heavy record inside. By some distance, this is the very best stereo Laurel Canyon original cover I have ever seen and it will take something extraordinary to better it.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Both faces in great condition also, clean and fresh with no creasing. Incredibly, and well noteworthy is the fact the front edge still lies dead-flat with no curl or bending, given its thickness, this is little short of remarkable but absolutely true.

Top Edges: Barely any wear to either, both in supreme condition.

Bottom Edges: Barely any wear but a slight trace of thickening on the fragile front right corner. This is being ultra critical and so light indeed, I feel sure it would be unmentioned by most.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record enters on this back edge. Again these vulnerable edges have to be seen.

Spine and Text: The spine is Mint and perfect and even this retains a lovely shine. Solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate. My finger test finds the surface totally smooth with no scuffs or grazes whatsoever.

Corners: All crisp and sharp and very neat looking. Factory fresh corners on a cover this age? - well yes, simply incredible. Obviously, this has been cover protected from new.

Cover Summary: When vintage classic covers are found like this they are a thing of real beauty and they rarely get offered much better than this. An incredibly preserved all round example of this very fragile 1960’s dedicated stereo cover, one that will prove nigh-on impossible find better. This beautiful item should please just about all collectors.

The Inner: The Decca-style blue text on white polylined inner is in EX++ condition with only mild natural ageing. Slightly darkened with only the lightest of gum darkening around the seams. The window is very clean and clear with no damage to the rim. No splits or tears or significant creases. Maybe slightly faded but at this age, maybe it’s earned the right too, this complements the rest of the set well.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Bar the tiny mark at the very start of side two that has three or four very light ticks, I would have been quite tempted to grade this beauty Mint. With very light traces of inner-sleeve rash on side two that has NO effect on sound whatsoever this is the very best stereo original I have yet seen, and certainly the earliest pressing with the -1W/-1W matrixes. I must emphasise quickly, the pattern from the polymer inner is ultra light and as mild as it gets. Patchy and not even that easy to see. Decca lined inners were the biggest culprits for this reaction to vinyl surface - simply a trait of not being removed for many, many years, in this case probably forty! Totally harmless (unless severe), this on a scale One to Ten is is barely even two. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed on pristine high-quality Decca vinyl. An ultra faint press-bubble was just about dectectable with close inspection with a few mega-faint traces on listening, but it’s almost ear-to-speaker faint and brief. A near connoisseur and audiophile’s copy, this will rarely ever be matched or beaten. A copy barely even run-in in vinyl terms and with supreme sound values with barely any hints of surface crackle for its entire duration. Visually a sensational record that will please most-all collectors.

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 immaculate record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault bar the ultra brief light ticks mentioned twice already – a bold claim yes, but this is almost as new. You may ask, how can a 40-year-old record really be that good, well simply because the original owner looked after it with the respect it deserved and put it to tape shortly after purchase. It looks and sounds like a just bought copy and few will ever be seen quite like it. This has immensely powerful, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. If the stereo format is your choice, few will ever better this one. No other sound blemishes other than what’s been mentioned and those are as light, brief and minimal as they everget and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly challenging album. Even the quiet passages are almost CD silent, yes true. Few copies will even match this let alone outperform this earliest pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, a copy the legendary bluesman himself would be thrilled to hear himself. This copy will prove near impossible to find better and is very strongly recommended. A rare opportunity for the serious blues and Mayall collector.

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: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. 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 thick stiffners for even extra protection. 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 and well as 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 NOT surface mail abroad. I never make 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, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

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 (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£39).

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’.