1.MOURNING PHASE - (PRIVATE/EDEN STUDIOS,1971) ORIGINAL, ONLY 4 KNOWN TO EXIST

	£		3,000
	$		3,581

MOURNING PHASE - Original UK Private Pressing, 1971, Eden Studios, London, LP, 33rpm, Matrix - EDEN LP 45 A and B. Indented circle to label 1-side, only on the original pressing.

Provenance - purchased from the co-lead singer of Mourning Phase, Joy.

EX-/VG++ plays great, a few light surface marks, clear audio, dynamic live studio recording. Tested on Linn/Leak/Neat system.

One of the rarest LPs ever to be listed on Ebay.

Fewer copies known to exist than of Dark, Forever Amber or Complex.

The absolute peak of uk underground folk rock rarities.
 
FOUR KNOWN GENUINE EXAMPLES EXIST, PLUS AN UNCONFIRMED FIFTH IN POKORAS BOOK. Tricky to value, Dark is at least 10K, this is probably 5K or thereabouts.

HISTORY OF MOURNING PHASE-

1971: the LP was recorded at Eden Studios in London in a single take by the 4 piece band. White Label Test Pressings made in Plain Flipback covers.

1988: the first rediscovered example is purchased from Folk N Things, a dealer in Scotland, along with the first rediscovered examples of Caedmon and Left Handed Marriage. ( Purchaser, moi, 600 quid the lot )

1992: that 1st example sold to Dubravko Pusek, Switzerland, for 1500GBP (the hand drawn felt pen colour cover, copying a detail from Suerats Bathers, was made by a friend of the band)

2003: Mike Conn located, he has only a tape and no lps, but his sister does have 1 in plain flipback cover. Purchased and sold to Walter Geertsen, Belgium.

2015: Joy, the co-singer located, she owns 2 examples, both bought, one is in my collection, heres the other on Ebay.

Details-

Stamped Eden 45 matrix, orig heavy vinyl, Recorded in Eden Studios, London, 1971 (it was not made in Spaceward Studios, Cambridge) white demo flipback sleeve, white slightly textured labels,  band member names on cover handwritten in 1971 by Joy the female singer who previously owned this example, her ex husbands name in biro one corner, written in 1971. I own 2 examples, and would be interested in selling or exchanging/part exchanging  this spare.

all examples were placed in white flipback sleeves in 1971 similar to sixties UK sleeves, old stock from Eden Studios.

The original labels have a unique circular indentation on one side, paper is slightly textured and the correct matrix Eden 45 also has 2 letters in the machine stamped code. The matrix as written in Record Collector Price Guide etc is incorrect/incomplete.

It is quite possibly the rarest documented progressive folk lp made in the UK.

Dual Male/Female vocal thoughout, 4 band members, acoustic, subdued muted electric, some cello.

PHOTO- this is shown to put a face to Mourning Phase, who up to this listing have remained the most mysterious Private band in the UK, the photo was printed from an orig neg by Joy and is shown for illustration only, its not included,  i can make a copy photo for a new owner of the LP. Photo was taken circa 1971 in a Liverpool club where the band were playing.

I have shown both my LPs in the pics for reference, obviously only one is for offer.

NAME OF BAND- Mourning Phase was a provisional title and band name for the concept LP, they had no real band name, although Mike Conn was in a band called ZERO ZERO (named after a strong Cannabis variant)

The LP is a near masterpiece of  melancholic progressive folk rock, written by a devestated Mike Conn in 1971 after the breakdown of his relationship with his then wife, it was recorded in one 30-ish minute take by the 4 piece band in Londons defunct Eden studios, the band told me they think 50-80 were pressed,i beleive it may be less given that none have ever turned up other than those 3 i found from the band, and the first ever rediscovered example which i bought as a teenager in the late 80s That example was obtained from a Scottish dealer who traded as "Folk N Things",( at the time i asked him if he had gathered any really unusual lps in his years trading, a week later i received a package containing the first located copies of Caedmon, Left Handed Marriage, and Mourning Phase, i recall paying circa 600GBP the lot. It took 1 day to find the members of Caedmon, i passed Left Handed Marriage to another dealer as i thought it was pretty appalling, and Mourning Phase i kept, finally selling that 1st legendary copy to Dubravko Pusek in Switzerland for 1500GBP circa 1992. It was nearly impossible to locate the band members) Mike Conn only has a cassette copy, Joy, the co-singer had 2 examples, both of which i bought, one stays in a private collection, the other is this one, now up for grabs.

Lyrics are highly literate, guitar strumming vitriolic, and its one of the rarest lps ever offered on Ebay.

As a teenager, playing the first copy i discovered, i could never understand how an apparent couple could sing such vicious lyrics together in the same band, the explanation is simply that Joy, the co-singer, was not the subject of Mike Conns lyrics, his ex wife was.

"Given the chance i wouldnt damn your eyes,
 There are too many other flies around,
 Settling on the dirt you leave abounding,
 Cast your sighs - I despise you"

Smile Song, which seems to interrupt the LPs mood, is the only track not written by Mike Conn.


When dealers write "Monster Rare" about a Pink Floyd, Stones, Led Zep, Cressida, Affinity et al LP its pure nonsense. Thousands were pressed of nearly every major label LP. The reality is that Private Pressings and Acetates are the true rarities in Record Collecting. At least a thousand people can own an original UK Cressida LP, at the moment only 4 people can own Mourning Phase. As museums and institutions begin to create Archive collections, most can never own this record, or Dark, or Sindelfingen. (Anyone who writes "try finding another one!" on ebay about a Rolling Stones 1st press is either a cynical liar or a bonafide idiot...)

It is musically idiosyncratic and uniquely acerbic, the short studio time allowed means it has a vital, immediate sound as the band keep playing despite obvious mistakes, there is nothing like it lyrically, and the individuality and creativity of Mourning Phase blows away a more polished LP like Tickawinda, which is a by-the-numbers folk LP with little merit. Very few lps are as intelligent as this, Robin Scott- Woman From The Warm Grass comes close in archness, Al Stewart is a more romantic troubadour with similar depth, Mourning Phase is the product of a screwed up mind groping for meaning and hope after emotional destruction and betrayal...the lyrics are lost between bitterness and final acceptance of the end of a first love. The entire LP is a cathartic abreaction and a statement of survival. Its raw and imperfect.

In context, and amongst many other Private Pressings, in the nineties I bought 10 copies of Dark from the band and their circle, 6 Axe acetates, 5 Forever Amber, and 1 Jessie Harper LP (from John du Cann via Hugo Chavez).

The Eric Clapton and Sandy Denny comment on that 1st example was a witticism by the artist who decorated the cover in 1971. This is pretty obvious...except to all the music critics who have written about the lp...

The LP can be hand-delivered en route Prague-Germany-Holland-UK by a driver who sometimes works for me, or sent using any priority postal service.

If any further info is required pls ask using Ebay Messages, discussion by telephone is poss, so if you include a number and best time i can call back.

Im looking for the following LPs, if anyone is interested in part exchanges pls get in contact, i have about 60 other duplicated lps also for swaps-

WANTS LIST-

a-austr
aardvark
abacus

amm.music
accolade - accolade + 2
agnes strange
amalgam
ambrose slade
andromeda
anno domini
apple a day
arcadium
p.p.arnold 1st lady
artwoods
ashkan
astral navigations
audience audience
aubrey small
back alley choir
bedlam
birds of a feather
blossom toes - we are ever so clean
duster bennett bright lights
blue phantom
don bradshaw-leather
chris britton
bram stoker
marc brierly
duncan browne - give me, take you
roger bunn
brian byrne
byzantium live/studio
jimmy campbell – album +  son of anastasia
catapilla catapilla + changes
keith christmas - any
chillum
patrick campbell lyons
calinaan + flynn
circus
shirley collins sweetengland
cosmic eye

lol coxhill – ear of the beholder , toverballsweet

julie covington – beautiful changes
czar
daddy longlegs any
dando shaft -  lantaloon +  kingdom
dark – round the edges (s.i.s)
davey + morris
dead sea fruit
dear mr time
pete dello – into your ears
demon fuzz
dogfeet
the dog that bit people
barry dransfield
driftwood
aynsley  dnbar - to aynsely and..+  all that remains + blue whale
earth+fire (nepentha)
allan james eastwood
egg -  civil surface
ellis - am i?
the end  - introspection
eyes of blue –fields of ardath
gary farr: strange fruit, take something
mick farren: mona
bill fay -  time of the last persecution
simon finn
fire-magic shoemaker
flying circus
fourmost
fox -  for fox sake
jackson c.frank
fungus
fuzzy duck
galliard - new dawn
gass - juju
ghost
g.f. fizgerald
giles, giles + fripp
dana gillespie -  box of surprises
grindrolog - lady lake
gods - to samuel a son
goliath
gothic horizon- both
davey graham: guitar player, hat, goddington, holly kaleidoscope
ernie graham
grannys intentions
gravy  train: second birth
nicholas greenwood: cold cuts
gullivers travels
norman haines band
harsh reality
alex harvey: soul band, the blues, roman wall blues
christine harwood
hard stuff - bolex
hate kills
rick hayward
head machine
heavy jelly
hemlock
dorris henderson + john renbourne  +there you go
colin hare
tim hollier - tim hollier
the honeydew
catherine howe -  what a beautiful place
marsha hunt
hungry wolf
icarus
igginbottoms wrench
jaklin
jasper
jawbone
j.j.savarin
gordon jackson
jellybread any
joe soap
wizz jones - wizz jones
allan ashworth-jones
july
jumble lane
junction 32
juncos partners
kaledioscope – faintly blowing
dave kelly any
cindy kent
kestrel
john killigrew
knocker jungle
the koobas
alexis korner -  redhot, i wonder who
juliette lawson - boo
leafhound
andrew leigh
les flambeaux
lighthouse – thoughts of
locomotive
trevor lucas
luv machine
jackie macauley
will malone
mary-anne - me
maple oak
megaton
mc gough + mc gear
mc murrough any
mighty baby - jug of love
zoot money - any
moonkyte
mandy more
mother light
mouse
billy nicholls
neptunes empire
9:30 fly
nite people pm
number nine bread street
odin (germany)
oliver - standing stone
one
one  two and three
open mind
ora
orange bicycle
out of darkness
parlour band
christine perfect
philwit and Pegasus
picadilly line

pinnacle
plastic penny - currency
pussy plays JUST COVER OK!!!
raw material – time is
red dirt
renia
rockin’ horse
room
roulettes
running man
samson
sam  apple pie
scruffy duffy
don shinn
siren 1st
skybird
smokey circles
someones band
stackwaddy - bugger off
stained glass
steel mill
strange days
sundae times
synanthesia
teargas - both
tenant + morrison
32nd turnoff
andreas thompoulous both
time (buk)
toad
top topham
tractor
tramp
trio - conflagration
twice as much own up
uncle dog
vernon haddocks jubilee lovelies
wake 22:59
walrus
web theraphosa
deena webster
whichwhat
whistler
wooden horse
woody kern
chris youIden - city child
zakarrias
tucker zimmerman

covers only wanted for-

pussy plays
sweet slag
masters apprentices - toast
barry dransfield -  dransfield

discs only wanted for-

rainbow ffolly
kathe greene
famous jug band - sunshine
junction 32
ancient grease
d.graham+s.collins folkroutes
spring
juicy lucy - pieces
simon dupree big sound
j.d.freeman
andyfernbach
move -  shazam+ 1st
reality from dream

common lps wanted-

most lps by- mick abrahams/harvey andrews/back door/long john baldry/jeff-beck/bonzo dog doo-dah band/andy bown/ducks deluxe/easy beats//fat mattress/fields/foghat/hookfoot/jigsaw/paul jones/kayak/kingdom come/alvin lee/jackie lomax/jon lord/dave mason/mc guiness flint/rab noakes/rabbit/ross/shoot/splinter/stretch/string driven thing/starry eyed+laughing/taste/tucky buzzard/unicorn/upp/clifford t.ward .....and a lot more.