MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER Fresh Aire 1972-82 Limited Edition Collector Series 4LP Box

$

85

 • Artist: Mannheim Steamroller
 • Album Title: Fresh Aire 1972-1982 Limited Edition Collectors Series
 • Format: 4-LP Box Set
 • Label: American Gramaphone
 • Country and Year of Release: USA, 1983
 • Box/Booklet/Covers/Records Grade: M-/M/1st 2: VG++; last 2: M---/All Records Probably Unplayed (See Other Info below for more details)
 • Other Info: What an amazing package this is.  This box set contains the first four albums by Mannheim Steamroller, Fresh Aire Volumes 1-4 (each based on one of the four seasons).  The beautiful blue velvet box features an embossed silver/foil logo on the front.  This was a limited edition, so it also has a number in gold print on the inside.  Inside the box is a gorgeous 40-page full-color booklet, giving full credits, pictures, and details of the artists and the making of the albums.  The LPs are housed in simple silver covers with the album title of each one embossed at the top.  (The booklet contains full-color reproductions of the original cover art.)  About the condition: The box is virtually perfect, and the same goes for the booklet.  For some reason, the covers for volumes 1 and 2 have some creases (see pictures) so I gave them a lower grade, but volumes 3 and 4 are very nice and fall into the Mint range.  I don’t understand how this happened, because I am the original owner.  I bought this set directly from American Gramaphone shortly after it came out.  I don’t believe I played the LPs at all (I also owned the original four albums and played those instead), and I unsealed it mainly so I could see what all was inside.  This copy comes with the original custom oversized plastic outer sleeve that houses the box.  I did spot check all four LPs for this listing and everything played Mint.  So, this is essentially a like-new set, but with two of the covers that aren’t in like-new condition.

About the music: some dyed in the wool prog heads may balk at my categorizing these albums as prog rock, but I call it that without reservation.  The music here has been called all kinds of things (electronic, modern classical, New Age, etc.), but overall I think it comes closer to the spirit of progressive rock than any other style.

Payment and Shipping Information

U.S. Customers: Click on the Shipping and Payments tab above to find the correct price.  Package insured upon request.  Yes, I do combine shipping so if you purchase more than one item, you WILL save on postage!  I do not gouge on postage and packaging costs.  I send your records to you carefully packaged in a strong, OVERSIZED LP mailer (to avoid damage to the LP cover) with sturdy cardboard squares (to protect the record and the cover), but I make sure to only charge the amount needed to cover my actual costs.  If you have any questions about this item, feel free to contact me. 

International Customers: Please do not use the Checkout (Pay Now) option if you are paying for more than one item, or you may end up paying more for postage than is necessary, as eBay tends to calculate shipping and handling on the high side. Instead, wait for me to send you an invoice with the correct total amount due. I will do my best to contact you within one day of the auction’s end.  To find the price for shipping/handling to your country for this item, go to the Shipping and Payments tab above and select your country from the list.  Yes, I do combine shipping so if you purchase more than one item, you WILL save on postage!  I do not gouge on postage and packaging costs.  I send your records to you carefully packaged in a strong, OVERSIZED LP mailer (to avoid damage to the LP cover) with sturdy cardboard squares (to protect the record and the cover), but I make sure to only charge the amount needed to cover my actual costs.  If you have any questions about this item, feel free to contact me.

Grading Information

With very few exceptions, I play grade the records that I list.  (This means that I don't go by the way a record looks, only by how it plays.)  Sometimes when I have a group (or a “lot”) of LPs within a single listing, I will not play all the records, but this is fairly rare.

I use Mint (M), Excellent (Ex), Very Good (VG), Good (G), Fair (F), and (heaven help us) Poor (P), and I take each of these words at their literal meaning.  In other words, if I assign an LP a grade of “G,” that means to me that it really is in good playing condition, not fair or worse—for many dealers, a G (or even VG) grade is often really nothing more than a euphemism for a record that is in fair or poor condition.

I also use up to three plus signs (+) and up to three minus signs (-) to indicate varying degrees within a specific grade.  So, a grade letter followed by a “+” means the condition is slightly better than the grade letter by itself, and a grade letter followed by “++” indicates that the condition is yet another small step higher.  For example, a grade of Ex+++ means that the record is very close to being in the Mint range, but still just shy of it.

This may seem like a strange system at first glance but I use it because I feel that the standard grading systems are inadequate, as they simply don't allow for enough grades or degrees within those grades.  Many don't use Excellent, for example, which means that there is a jump from Mint down to Very Good—and there are a whole lot of grading possibilities in between those two, the way I see it.