The Rising Storm Original 1966 LP 'A Calm Before the'

$

1,275

About This Auction.  Hi there.  Please see the details about this and a dozen or so other very special vinyl LPs that I am offering here on E-bay.  As my vinyl friends know, I do not like to waste my time or your time auctioning items that are common. Please read on and make sure you check out my other LPs and the detailed scans of my offerings.

About This Record:  At auction here is a nice VG original copy of the much (deservedly) hyped LP by The Rising Storm from 1966 entitled A Calm Before the . . . on Remnant Records (Remnant BBA-3571).  This is a guaranteed original monster super rare LP by those boys at Phillips Academy which is a must have for your garage psych collection and is in pretty hard to upgrade condition.  The vinyl weighs 161 grams, much more than the 110 gram Stanton Park reissue, although the Stanton Park recording cleaned up some of the background noise/cymbals I mention below.  Hans Pokora gives this special LP his coveted 6 star rating as well as his personal seal of approval thingie!  I agree with Hans here by all means!  I have a reasonable starting bid plus a reserve on this LP given my cost and fondness for this LP (sorry).  Get it while you can and remember that my VG records are a real deal (VG+ by most people's standards or EX- for those that use the dreaded EX grade.  CHECK my feedback.

The Cover:  The cover is a strong VG.  See my detailed scans at the end of this ad.  Nobody has attempted to alter or fix the cover (e.g., the slight seam split noted below) or the vinyl.  The cover would be a strong VG+ except that (i) someone wrote their name on the front cover (top right—see scans), and (ii) there is a slight top seam split of about one inch in top right of the cover, a seam split of two inches in the middle top of the LP, and two inches lower left of LP, and (iii) there is a corner crink top left corner of the cover, and very slight corner dings on other corners.  Otherwise, this is a very nice cover.  Importantly, for those of you lucky enough to have handled one of these LPs, you know there is writing on the spine of the record in yellow print that states the bands name (middle), title of LP (top), and catalogue number (bottom of spine) .  On most copies I have seen, the writing is not legible because it has been rubbed off the top of the spine and bottom of the spine.  Also, usually the vinyl has been dropped into the cover and the center spine where the writing exists has been split by the vinyl making it impossible to read the spine (and difficult to find this in your record collection).  This copy has only minor wear to the middle of the spine, which has not yet split—and the writing is easy to read alhough there is minor seam wear over the writing).The spine writing at the top (LP title) and the bottom (LP cat #) is in close to near mint condition except that the ‘R’ in Records of Remnant Records at the bottom of the spine is dinged and is hard to read.   See scan.

The Vinyl:  The vinyl is VG.  There is slight background noise on the record that is particularly evident in some of the slower songs, and significantly much less so in the faster songs (see detailed description below).  The drummer’s use of his cymbals makes a similar sound at times as the slight background noise.  The Stanton Park reissue does a better job separating the drumming effect from the music.  From a visual perspective, the record retains most of its original gloss, and there are no scratches/marks that are feelable with you finger, and importantly there are no marks on the record that make you want to touch them to see if you can feel them.  The vinyl looks as if the record has just minor wear from careful playing, and a few light scuffs from handling.  It looks nicer than my New Colony Six ‘Breakthrough’ LP But, UNFORTUNATELY, there is slight background noise as noted above throughout some of the record which you would not expect from looking at the record.  Part is because Remnant Records was not the best recording studio, the drumming, and part is due to age and some careful play.  As an example, I have owned about a dozen copies of the Litter's Distortions LP, and none of them look as nice as this copy of the Rising Storm's LP, although most play as well!  Anyway, the faster songs on this copy play VG+ with a few pops and slight background noise barely noticeable in a couple of places (Don't Look Back, I'm Coming Home, She Loved Me, and Baby Please don't Go) or VG (Big Boss Man and Midnight Hour).  The most disappointing parts of the record are the slower songs Message to Pretty and Frozen Laughter which play a VG- but have light noise throughout most of the song, although the vocals and instrumentation are clear; however, the intro to Frozen Laughter (thumb popping from mouth) and the weird guitar reverb at the end of the song sound awesome, but you can notice some light background noise (static) throughout most of the rest of the song.  The other slower songs play at VG (To LN/Who Doesn't Know and Bright Lit Blue, Mr. Wind and Rain Falls Down).  The dead wax between the tracks is very quiet with a few pops between some songs.  The only nice copy of this LP I have heard had some of these same issues, although less pronounced than on the above noted songs.  It's still a nice listen.  The next best thing to a $5000 VG+ to M- copy!

Remember, this record is fully guaranteed and returnable for a full refund if for some strange reason you are not satisfied.  The detailed scans help ensure that you know what you are buying (and that I know you are returning the same item, if necessary for some strange reason).

The Labels.  The labels of the record are in VG+ condition.  They show slight wear, but have no writing or other type of damage on them.  The labels are pressed on center and have no factory defects (off-center or cc'ed label).

*My Grading Policy:  I do NOT use the grade EX (or EX+, or EX-).  I use G/G+/VG-/VG/VG+/M-/sealed.  To elaborate, while I use VG+ (which seems to be EX to EX+ for those who use EX), I do not use the grade VG+(+) or VG+(-).  As my feedback reflects, I am a conservative grader and I offer a full refund if you are not satisfied.  When play-grading my records, I use my vintage Rockport Sirius turntable with a new Benz Ruby 3 cartridge or my Oracle turntable with a Dorian 'Argo' cartridge (depending on which is working at the timne).

Postage:  I strongly prefer to send priority mail.  I insist upon return receipt and insurance for this Rising Storm LP; registered mail for overseas buyers (add $7.50 on to my estimates below for registered mail).  That means postage for you is $6.55 on the East Cost and Canada, and comparably less on the West Coast and everywhere else inbetween.  Greece is $12, U.K. $10, Sweden $11, Italy $13; similar rates for other countries.  U.S. registered mail is $7.50 extra and required for every LP over $100 if sent abroad.  For items purchased over $100, I insist upon insurance when sent to U.S./Canada.  Overseas buyers, contact me re postage (registered mail is the best bet).  I strongly prefer PAYPAL and I do not pass on the cost of Paypal to you like some sellers.