BOB CALVERT Hawkwind Captain Lochheed RARER 1974 N/M LP

	£		27
	$		36

Artist or Band: ROBERT CALVERT

Album Title: Captain Lochheed and the Starfighters.

Producer(s): Roy Baker.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Franz Josef Strau, Defence Minister, reviews the Luftwaffe in 1958" - ; The Aerospace Inferno; Aircraft Salesman (A Door in the Foot); The Widow Maker; Two test pilots discuss the Starfighter's performance; The Right Stuff; Board meeting (seen through a contract lense); The Song of the Gremlin (part one).

Side 2: Ground Crew (last minute reassembly before take off); Hero with a Wing; Ground Control to Pilot; Ejection; Interview; I Resign; The Song of the Gremlin (part two); Bier Garten; Catch a Falling Starfighter.

Label/Format: United Artists – Far rarer UA cream format. Most all of these had a customised ‘Eagle’ format and this indeed is the only copy I have ever seen with the traditional cream and brown label. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both superb, very clean and attractive with only ultra light and faint spindle traces and no wear around the hole area. Finding this title on the highly elusive cream labels in better condition will prove near impossible.

Cat Number: UAG 29507.

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: 124 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 or even rare on this label, very few were issued on the cream format. Most ‘originals’ are seen with the Eagle custom format label and even more are seen as BGO reissues. Top condition originals are very elusive and most found have worn or damaged covers or insert and the records wrecked by over-use or abuse. This is a beauty and will prove very difficult to ever find better.

Original Year of Release: 1974

Matrix Nos: UAG 29507 A-1U / UAG 29507 B-1U

Stamper Codes: 2 RG / 1 RM

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘RTP-KIP’ on both run-out grooves.

Musicians: Robert Calvert - vocals; Arthur Brown - vocals on ‘The Song of the Gremlin’ parts 1 and 2; Paul Rudolph - lead and rhythm guitar, bass guitar; Dave Brock - lead guitar on ‘The Widow Maker’; Lemmy - bass guitar; Nik Turner - saxophone; Brian Peter George St John La Baptiste De La Salle - Synthesiser; Del Dettmar - synthesiser; Adrian Wagner - keyboards on ‘The Song of the Gremlin’ parts 1 and 2; Simon King - drums; Twink Alder - Funeral drum on ‘Catch a Falling Starfighter’; The Ladbroke Grove Hermaphroditic Voice Ensemble - back up vocals

Actor Parts: Vivian Stanshall - most leads (Ground Control, Clever Mechanic); Jim Capaldi - American Salesman, Recruiting Officer, Dodgy Mechanic; Robert Calvert - Pilot.

The Plot: This is basically Hawkwind plus guests performing a concept album loosely based on fact. An ageing German airforce needs upgrading. Herr Franz Joseph Strauss, German Defence Minister at the time meets the Americans who offer to help by supplying the F104 Starfighter. Not content with a ‘fair-weather fighter’ they upgrade it to the F104G (‘G’ for Germany) and things don’t quite go to plan. The Starfighter was a difficult and somewhat unstable aircraft to fly and losses prove high and very costly and the aircraft gained a poor reputation and an unenviable nicknames ‘The Flying Coffin’, the ‘Jinx Jet’ and ‘The Widowmaker’. The record has aircraft sounds taking and off… and also crashing with spectacular explosions. The Starfighter was only suitable for flying by experienced pilots and those used to its difficult handling and at the time of this album being issued in 1974 some 162 F104’s have crashed. The album has typical Hawkwind sounding songs with dialogue inbetween – the album ends with a funeral drum beat by Twink.

Brief Info: Musically a typical period-piece Hawkwind album and including Lemmy. This is a very tongue-in-cheek version of the story with some bizarre and humerous dialogue and a superb guest spot for Arthur Brown who is the Gremlin. The original album is much classier than the reissues and the cover includes a stapled-in libretto booklet inside the gatefold. The front and back cover are embossed and include the German Eagle inner. The elaborate packaging is very hard to find in top conditions and overall this must be one the very best copy of this elusive title I have yet had and the only example on the cream labels. The record looks immaculate and has super clean sound with very little unwanted. For me, one of the best and original prog-concept albums ever and this vintage copy does it more than high justice. A must for early Hawkwind fans, this album is totally unique.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High.

Cover Grade and Format: Near EX, but this close examination it does have some pressmarks on the front. A very delicate and wear-prone cover in fine and attractive condition. An unlaminated gatefold format with the three wall mounted Starfighters on the front embossed as is the silver Gothic text. The back has the Starfighter pieces, now symbolically smashed on the floor embossed as well. The gatefold inner has a four-page libretto twin stapled into the spine. Printed and made in England and including the German Eagle inner.

Cover Front: With normal viewing this delicate front looks fantastic but with angled viewing it has pressmarks where someone has used it for leaning on to write. These have removed NO ink and visibility is very modest. Barely any traces of rubbing or wear at all and the delicate silver Gothic title text is pristine and totally untarnished. The three embossed F104G’s are immaculate with no rubbing to their raised surfaces. Clean, uncreased and very fresh indeed, it has just a couple of small edge blemishes but little else to spoil what is a delicate front.

Cover Back: The back has no pressmarks and only a faint ring arc near the top with just a couple of mild surface creases. What makes this original cover really stand-out is the embossing. Most all of the fragments of the shattered Starfighter pieces are also embossed, no detail was spared on this wonderfully designed cover and again they are all pristine with no wear. All the embossed parts are very pronounced and can be felt very easily by the fingertip. Again the artwork is in fine condition with no grubbiness and little wear.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside is in fantastic condition, the book is still intact with the original staples. So many are badly pulled and torn, sometimes even detached or missing altogether. This has remained very secure and solid and there is no damage to the pages. The two staples are rock solid, clean and untarnished. Inside cover inners are very clean as are the four pages of the booklet that includes all the words to the songs and dialogue.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four show hardly any wear.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering. Record enters on this back edge.

Spine and Text: The spine solid with only mild surface ‘crinkle’ and little real wear or compression. A mild crease from opening and folded squarely with any tilt minimal. All text is present and unworn.

Corners: All are neat with minimal tip wear or creasing.

Cover Summary: A fine and quite intricate cover, this will please many Hawkwind and prog fans alike. A few mild visual blemishes but most are less than obvious or apparent. It will still prove quite difficult to find much better.

The Inner: Mint(-) and never easy to find like this. Thin card and unlined with silver ink, few will ever match this. Heavily prone to ringwear and discolour, this shows no ink removal and minimal record impression. Rarely it has no edge splits or tears and is possibly the first I have seen as such. The deeply recessed ad shaped top opening is pristine and totally undamaged or creased as is the rest of the sleeve. The bottom right shaped corner is vented in manufacture. Try finding this one better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence and hardly a noteworthy mark or blemish to be seen. Visually a super record that should please all collectors.

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 superb concept prog album plays up to its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no significant pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly challenging album. Few examples will match or outperform this vintage UA pressing significantly I feel sure. Again I reitterate I have never seen this album with the cream labels are few were made or exist. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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 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: I usually post on Fridays, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. 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 thick stiffners for even extra protection. 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 and well as 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 NOT surface mail abroad. I never make 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, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

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

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

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 Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

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’.