ALICE COOPER Love it to Death V. RARE Orig UK Straight

	£		90
	$		119

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Artist or Band: ALICE COOPER

Album Title: Love it to Death.

Producer(s): Jack Richardson and Bob Ezrin.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Caught in a Dream; I’m Eighteen; Long Way to Go; Black Juju.

Side 2: Is It My Body; Hallowed Be My Name; Second Coming; Ballad of Dwight Fry; Sun Arise.

Label/Format: Straight (please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and highly attractive with light+ spindle marks on side two and barely any at all on side one. Both retain lovely rich colour and freshness, those few spindle marks present are very fine and barely even show. These labels have a slightly rustic patchy textured surfaces, seen better under light – all normal for this label at this time.

Cat Number: STS 1065.

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: 120 grams. About average for its era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: This album was originally issued on Frank Zappa’s Straight label and is very difficult to find as an original (as per this). I have seen so few of these, even my own personal collection from way back in the early 70s did not include it, only a mere handful made or sold on the initial Straight runs. Many Alice Cooper websites do not even acknowledge its existence – but it clearly does. Most seen are on the Warner Bros green labels and indeed some of these still include the dual Straight/Warner hybrid matrixes.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: STS 1065 A1 / STS 1065 B1

Musicians: Alice Cooper - Vocals; Glen Buxton - Lead Guitar; Michael Bruce - Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards; Dennis Dunaway - Bass Guitar; Neal Smith - Drums. Guest: ‘Toronto Bob’ - organ.

Brief Info: Vincent Damon Furnier, better known to the world as Alice Cooper, a name initially given to just the band but adopted quickly for the band’s leader and vocalist. Initially known as The Earwigs and then The Spiders and changed again briefly to The Nazz, a name also used by Todd Rundgren’s band so another name was chosen – Alice Cooper – a name chosen as a gimmic for their often outrageous stage shows and dress. The early band were really going nowhere, often gigs were short as audiences walked out. This hugely negative reaction was spotted by Shep Gordon, a music manager who introduced the act to Frank Zappa. By this time, Zappa had formed his own label, Straight Records, and he was looking for suitable acts to promote it. Zappa and Straight specialised in acts there were a little ‘different’, bands and artists that had little commercial potential and were far too ‘out there’ for most listener’s tastes. Specialisting in the strange and bizarre with infamous acts like The GTO’s (Girls Together Outrageously), Tim Buckley, Rosebud, Jeff Simmons, Junier Mintz, Tim Dawe and Lord Buckley. Only a tiny few on this label ever went on to any commercial success including Captain Beefheart and Alice Cooper themselves. Zappa himself chose the acts that were to appear on Straight and this has now become a highly collectable and sort-after label. It was interesting listening to Cooper himself on ‘Planet Rock’s’ breakfast show awhile ago talking about the early days and his indebtness to Zappa for signing his band. ‘No-one else would touch us’ he said. It was great to hear him acknowledge his success to the chance and faith Zappa gave him. Clearly Frank saw something no-one else could and the rest is history. Both the first two Straight albums were a commercial flops, just scraping into the US charts briefly and selling a mere handful in the UK where few were even made and quickly deleted. This third and final Straight album is equally as rare as the first two, possibly even more so. Only when the band became popular did sales rise, but by then, it had been repressed on the Warner Bros label, Straight copies almost lost in the mist of time.

‘Love it to Death’ marked a change in direction and is a brilliant album, it eventually got the band noticed but long after the Straight label had gone. This is a real dark set with real menace and eeriness. The psych sound now gone as per the first two Straight albums ('Pretties For You' and 'Easy Action'), this was the start of the classic Cooper sound that eventually made him popular. This was a genuinely dark, sinister and macabre album that must have been a huge shock to those few who actually owned it from issue day. Including the classic anthem ‘I’m Eighteen’ his first single success, this album was not for the faint hearted, even the cover’s inner artwork must have caused a flutter when first opened. What gives this title its special sound and sinister edge is ‘Toronto Bob’s’ eerie organ sounds. Two incredible tracks stand out: the lengthy ‘Black Juju’ that concludes side one. A very dark, graveyard type track that starts with muted percussion that gradually builds up with the spooky organ slowly accompanying. ‘The Ballad of Dwight Fry’ is pure scary with one of the most chilling beginnings I have ever heard to any song. The story of a madman in a sanitarium - his four-year-old infant daughter’s voice is heard at the start saying, “Mommy, where’s daddy? He’s been gone for so long, Do you think he’ll ever some home?’’ Then Cooper sings of his self-destruction in confinement until his head and sanity explodes with a massive bomb-blast– and then he escapes... truly scary stuff. If any reader has not taken this man and his early band too seriously in the past, think again, this album, and all of them up to Billion Dollar Babies are superb – but for me, this and Killer are the very best. This very rare Straight copy is not to be missed.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+ – Black, unlaminated with a single thickness front and a record stored via the inside that puts even more pressure on the spine and fold. Rarely seen even Excellent, this is prone to just all forms for wear and damage, time, handling and bad storage has to offer. The front surface rarely seen devoid of rubbing.

Cover Grade and Format: Very Good, this has always been a very difficult cover for obvious reasons. It’s a gatefold, unlaminated format with the front made with single card and the heavy record enters via the centrefold. It was made in England by Shorewood and includes the prized Straight logo and text with ‘Patents pending. This cover, like all the UK versions, is the censored version. A few US uncensored versions exist but are rare. Cooper’s right arm and offending ‘digit’ was airbrushed off as this apparently was deemed offensive at the time. I am as sure as I can be, no uncensored UK-made cover exists for this album where Cooper has his thumb sticking out of his pants.

Cover Front: This UK-censored cover which omits Cooper’s right arm has some lightish rubbing, in terms of this cover, it’s very modest indeed. The rubbing is mostly confined to the edges. Marks are few and unusually, hardly any creasing, a correctly graded very good, this looks better than most I have seen (whether Straight or Warner versions, which initially were nigh-on identical).

Cover Back: The back has little wear and any grubbiness only mild. A faint rim arc near the top edge and a very faint stain trace on bottom edge is only small. A shop ID code is seen above the Straight logo (D 753) in pen.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The small stain on the back extends inside, but is not very big and being at the foot of the right face bottom edge, it does not even draw the eye’s attention to any degree. This small mark apart, there is little else to fault. The record enters inside here via the spine fold which is solid and untorn or even weakened. So many of these split and crease badly, this remains in great shape with no repairs.

Top Edges: Light rubbing and slightly darkened on the back, the single thickness front is very neat. The back is made a little higher than the front.

Bottom Edges: Both very neat and showing little wear at all.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both edges in excellent shape. The back is closed and barely worn. Again the front is neat, sharp with no burring or thickening, and guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: The spine is in fine shape but is very thin and fragile and hardly up to the job of supporting this flimsy cover. Solid, quite straight with some small compressions and slight tilt, but folded square, both right edges meet up perfectly together. All text is present and unworn. The black foldlines only show mainly light traces or rubbing.

Corners: These again are highly delicate but show far less rubbing than I would have expected. In fact any corner wear is light and modest and fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A strong all round example of this very fragile early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. Very Good by definition means what is says, this is a very good cover, not damaged or worn-out, it has always been a difficult one and this example should please many collectors, if not the perfectionists.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Visually an EX++ record that has been played very lightly. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface blemishes or marks, few and faint. Visually a super record that should please most collectors again.

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 snippets 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: Firstly can I make it clear, Straight records do have a slightly variable reputation for sound quality and are not always the most reliable for clean pressings and sound quality. I am not making any excuses for this record as it does have a little mild surface sound in one or two places, I am simply stating the truth. I have heard several albums on this label that have been almost unlistenable, the most noticeable are the Tim Buckley titles that are immensely difficult to find in playable conditions on Straight and some examples of Beefheart’s ‘Lick My Decals Off, Baby’ are similar. With few sales expected for most of the titles on this collectable label, maybe pressing quality was sometimes less than stringent. Overall, this is a very pleasing and fine sounding record. Most plays up to its high visual grading with little to fault. But a very little minor surface sound was just noted ultra briefly on a couple of the shorter songs. And some gentle crackle towards the end of ‘Black Juju’, again this is minor and little spoilt my pleasure hearing this Cooper classic on its original label. With such clean playing surfaces and devoid of any really noteworthy marks and clearly little played, any minor sounds lie within the pressing and has nothing to do with static. The music is so good, any minor sound blemishes washed over me anyway, my LP12 hides nothing and less critical systems will mean little unwanted being heard (I feel sure). Strong sound quality and a super production to give these dark songs real impact with a good dynamic range and the majority have clean sound. No pops or clicks were noted and overall, a very decent Straight pressing for what, at times, is a difficult album. The very delicate long intro to ‘Black Juju’ plays very quietly indeed and this is always a severe test, similarly for ‘Dwight Fry’. Few copies will outperform this very rare original pressing significantly I feel sure. With so few of these ever issued or pressing on Straight, most examples will probably play just the same (or with more issues if played more). I have heard copies of this title with some very strange sounds included in the past, but this copy is enjoyable for most of its entirety. I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly carefully handled. Nothing of real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful album, one you will not see offered often as a genuine original. This copy will prove very difficult to find better, if you have doubts, do not bid, but it’s a copy I can highly recommend – I think the ayes have it.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW 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. 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. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 6,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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’.