JOHN MAYALL BLUESBREAKERS Bare Wires Orig Unboxed EX++
  £   122
  $   146

 


£ 122 Sold For
Feb 8, 2010 Sold Date
Feb 1, 2010 Start Date
£   14 Start price
4   Number Of Bids
  Great Britain Country Of Seller
eBay Auctioned at
 
save auction  

Description

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: JOHN MAYALL’S BLUESBREAKERS

Album Title: Bare Wires.

Producer(s): Mike Vernon and John Mayall.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Bare Wires; Where Did I Belong; Start Walking; Open a New Door; Fire; I Know You; Look in the Mirror.

Side 2: I’m a Stranger; No Reply; Hartley Quits; Killing Times; She’s Too Young; Sandy.

Label/Format: Decca – Large original unboxed blue label format.

Label Conditions: Beautiful examples, they rarely get better than this. Deep rich blue and super clean, these look hardly handled with almost the freshness of a new record. Just ultra light and very light spindle marks and no wear around the hole at all. This supreme record has clearly been little handled or likely played – confirmed by outstanding clean sound which will please most collectors and even the most discerning fans of this great bluesman.

Cat Number: SKL.4945.

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: A very substantial 151 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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce as a very first issue, blues albums sold in more limited numbers than rock or pop. A very first pressed copy of this record, in this condition will never be easy to find and this stereo example is exceptional.

Original Year of Release: 1968, the first pressed copies came in a gatefold format cover as this one does and has no mono/stereo peep-hole on the back cover, those followed the following year.

Matrix Nos: ZAL 8340-1W / ZAL 8341-1W.

Musicians: John Mayall - vocals, harmonica, piano, harpsichord, organ, harmonium, assorted guitars; Chris Mercer - tenor, baritone saxes; Dick Heckstall-Smith - tenor, soprano saxes; John Hiseman - drums, percussion; Henry Lowther - cornet, violin; Mick Tyalor - guitar, Hawaiian guitar; Tony Reeves - string bass, bass guitar.

Brief Artist & Album Info: One of John Mayall’s finest ever albums which is more experimental than previously. Electric blues with a strong blend of jazz fusion - the man rarely sounded more inspired - even non-blues fans loved this one. For me the greatest ever bluesman, his Decca catalogue is consistently brilliant with the Polydor years little short either. Featuring a host of top musicians (listed above) including two reed players, this is a thrilling recording. This scarce unboxed stereo record is in lovely, little-played condition and plays with little unwanted with very clean, focused sound. The cover is strong too with few blemishes. For a record now over forty, this will prove very difficult to beat and my play-grade was a thrill. This is a class album and it should please all electric blues fans.

Cover Grade and Format: Probably undergraded at EX+, few will better this significantly. This is the original gatefold format with the front being only single thickness card which is very delicate and damage prone. It’s laminated with Clarifoil front and back and has NO peep-hole mono/stereo indicator. This has its own unique Stereo sleeve as printed on the spine and back. This was printed and made by Robert Stace in England. This fine looking cover sets the bar high.

Lamination: Front & Back: Both sides look very attractive with ageing or blemishes minor. The laminate is fresh, clean and clear, the artwork bright and vibrant. The front sees the laminate fully adhered with just a ligt on the back spine edge – few escape this – Clarifoil particularly vulnerable. Under the light, there is some mild friction rubs or faint dulling but normal viewing reveals little to none. A few light marks also seen under light but emphasis on few. Creasing is a major factor on this prone cover: the back has barely any at all and the front just a couple of fine surface ones and the usual tiny few hairline types on the spine. So often the front is shabby and tired looking or damaged as this is so thin, but this one is very nice indeed, as are both sides of this fine vintage cover.

Cover Inner Gatefold: A very few light handling traces and odd faint surface crease apart, little else to fault inside. This is dark and matt finished, so the odd fingermark is near unavoidable. Sorry, but covers this tremendous age actually do get handled sometimes.

Top Edges: Very minor thickening and ultra mild burr traces on the thin front edge. This only really visible when viewed edge-on.

Bottom Edges: A little light rubbing on this ‘resting’ edge and slight weight thickening on the back panel end. The front again has largely escaped any wear. Any 40-year-old cover with a heavyweight record inside will have light wear on this most vulnerable of edges as the absolute bare minimum.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and no feathering, both guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: A fantastic spine, little short of as-made. Strong, very straight, uncompressed with fantastic shape and definition, all text is pristine under solid uncracked laminate.

Corners: The spine pair are immaculate. There is minor tip wear to the top right pair and the bottom right front. The bottom back has rubbed a little more but still relatively minor. Shape for all remains neat and quite sharp.

Cover Summary: A lovely example of this genuine original 1968 format cover, those with peep-holes on the back are 1969 second printings and formats. It will please many, if not most collectors wanting this title.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) / EX+, side one is immaculate, the odd minuscule faint surface trace if scrutinised closely, forty+ years old?, it looks like it was pressed yesterday. Side two little short either, one ultra fine hairline has no sound but one tiny mark (and I do mean tiny) on the final song ‘Sandy’ has a very few ultra faint ticks, just about audable. Just think of all the use and abuse this gem could have been subjected to all those years ago. This incredible Decca record is audiophile quality and will take an immense of beating for looks and sound. A superb visual copy that’s super clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. This has the lustre of a brand new record. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence. Visually a gorgeous record that should please most collectors, yes even the discerning fans can consider this one.

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 fantastic record plays up to its high visual grading with little else to fault other than the aforementioned minor, faint ticks on ‘Sandy’, these very brief. Sound is crystal clear and perfectly focused and totally distortion-free. All frequencies are sharp and precise and sound quality is astonishing with a very detailed and very rich sound. Practically devoid of surface sounds, few copies will ever play much better than this - the lack is distortion is always a massive bonus on vintage 60s classics that were so often overplayed, scratched and noisy. This album has moments of quietness but plays supremely well and quiet. The track ‘No Reply’ is a notoriously difficult song, it most often has some clipping or crackle, often moderate or worse. Any overplayed or worn example will find this song sounding poor with noise and high frequency clipping, but here it plays beautifully – even exceptional. Both channels are clean and sharp and the stereo mix and imagery is immaculate. A fantastic test for any quality hi-fi system: how long can your system reveal that gong resonance on the final seconds of ‘Look in the Mirror’? It should go on for several seconds just before the run-out grooves, it fades very slowly into the background, but only the most revealing of systems will make it audable. Also listen to those dual saxophones also on this song, they image with precise clarity with in-the-room depth and power – totally believable sound that only an original first pressed analogue record can give. I feel very sure this record has been hardly played and has been clearly lightly and carefully handled. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this landmark and exhilerating John Mayall album. This unboxed stereo copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and is strongly recommended – do NOT lose this electrifying album.

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.

Equipment Used for Play-Grading: I now play-grade ALL the records I offer (unless clearly stated to the contrary) on the following equipment:

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: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). 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 VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. 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 as well as a 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 ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not 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. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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 & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

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

1 LP (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

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 ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

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’.




price rating
( 1 vote)