CAPTAIN BEEFHEART Strictly Personal RARE Orig 68 EX LP

	£		162
	$		215

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Artist or Band: CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND HIS MAGIC BAND

Album Title: Strictly Personal.

Producer(s): Bob Krasnow.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Ah Feel Like Ahcid; Safe As Milk; Trust Us; Son of Mirror Man—Mere Man.

Side 2: On Tomorrow; Beatle Bones n’ Smokin Stones; Gimme Dat Harp Boy; Kandy Korn.

Label/Format: Liberty – Original blue label format (please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with light+ spindle marks on side one and more moderate on side two. The hole rim on one has chipped a little as can be seen on my scan. Although this has clearly been played several times, I am positive the spindle marks do not tell a correct story. Remember, many owner used the label as a guide to locate the spindle, especially on record players where it remained obscured. Both playing surfaces are very clean and show few marks, any present fine and faint and with no sound. For any record of this type and age, this is an exceptional copy.

Cat Number: LBS 83172.

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: 150 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 135 to 145 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, many 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 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very scarce, I personally think the stereo version is harder to find than the mono. Few but the brave would have paid full price for this album when first issued. It is far easier to find on the budget reissue Sunset label that had different artwork and did not include the gatefold cover and the truly bizarre inner band pictures (please see close-up).

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: LBS 83172 A-1 420 / LBS 83172 B-1 420

Musicians: Don van Vliet - lead vocal and mouthharp; Alex St Claire - guitar; Jeff Cotton - guitar; Jerry Handley - bass; John French - Drums.

Brief Info: After the stunning debut Safe as Milk failed to sell, this second album appeared on a different label – Liberty, again only very briefly. Beefheart was finding it very difficult to find a loyal label that would offer his music. This remains one of the most controversial in the Captain’s early catalogue mainly due due to the production of Bob Krasnow. Vastly divided opinions on its sound and use of phasing has always divided Beefheart fans. This is a strictly personal opinion, I think it sounds fantastic and makes a pretty strange band sound even more weird. But some think is obscured their real sound, including van Vliet himself. This wonderful original album was a great prelude to Beefheart’s classic Trout Mask Replica which again was issued on a new label – Zappa’s newly formed Straight. Here Beefheart’s sound progressed still further from the debut and was now becoming even more obscure and challenging. The Captain was no ordinary artist and his music had few rules, his genius is at last being more and more recognised as time passes. This landmark album was the last not to include those outlandish names for The Magic Band, the members real names were correctly used. Weirdness however was the order of the day – just check out the inside cover pictures. A man fast approaching his creative heights and this stereo record does it great justice. Skillfully blending blues with psychedelia, I have never heard anything quite like this before. Never easy to find playable copies of this original title, this was a real pleasure to hear again. There is no groove-wear or distortion to the mind-bending sound and any surface sounds are minor, light and few. I have in the past, heard a few copies of this (in mono and stereo) that have crackled quite badly, but generally, this is a cleaner pressing and any sound blemishes are gentle and few. This one includes a UK-made cover which cannot be taken for granted, some included imported US-made covers with the Blue Thumb imprint. A title bought by a very few, and ever fewer survive that will be even playable let alone enjoyable. This is a highly important recording, its twisted and at times difficult melodies quickly get into the subconscious and for those unfamiliar, it’s a wonderful experience. Only with Zappa’s total unrestricted artistic freedom did the Captain excel to even greater heights on his next masterpiece. To phase or not to phase? – who really cares, just enjoy this unique album for what it is.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++. This is an unlaminated gatefold format with a single thickness front. Printed and made in England.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: High: prone to creasing, rubbing, grubbiness, tearing and ringwear.

Cover Front: Apart from a tiny few ultra faint surface creases that barely even show, there is barely anything else to fault on this superb front. It rarely escapes so clean and unworn and this retains real freshness. One small cornertip crease (bottom left), but little else, simply superb.

Cover Back: The back is even better if anything with next to nothing to fault. Note the lack of grubbiness or ringwear, the age-long cover protection has more than done a fine job. Try to find this better, it’s unlikely.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Geninely weird and bizarre and worth the price alone as this will not be found elsewhere. Just as wear-prone as the outside faces, possible even more so being black. This has again has little to fault with any handling traces being faint and very few.

Top Edges: Minor burr traces on the thin front but little else.

Bottom Edges: Light rubbing on the back edge, the front remaining incredibly sharp.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The back opening has slightly thickened in places with minor burr traces. The main reason why this is has been slightly downgraded from Mint(-). The front is sharp and neat with no feathering and guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Being single thickness, it will be obvious it will not remain erect all these years and tilt is practically unavoidable. This being minor but the right front will be slightly to the left of the back, but that’s not bad news as the right edge is offered more protection that way and that is the likely reason it’s still so sharp and neat. Solid, quite wide, straight with no crushing, hence no vertical creasing and barely any traces of wear. All text is pristine perfect with no rubbing or erosion at all and the surface remains very clean indeed.

Corners: A little light tip creasing, most bottom front left. Fine to very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A superb all round example of this very fragile late 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find better, this much more frail than the US version which was made with far thicker card. This highly attractive item should please most-all collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX. This is a very fine visual copy that has only a small few fine surface marks that are ignored. A very clean, shiny, intense black and very heavily pressed early-pressed stereo example. A record rarely purchased by hi-fi connoisseurs and those of a certain type, finding a copy this clean is very hard indeed. Beefheart was weird and often too were the buyers of his music. A copy certainly played a few times but has not suffered any major traumas and both playing surfaces are impressively clean and attractive. Many, if not most collectors will enjoy 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 splendid record plays mostly above its high visual grading with little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is high with a wide dynamic range. The controversial use of phasing is highly interesting and I love it. The stereo imagery works well too and the overall sound is very different to the mono version. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed, a little mild crackle was just noted in odd place or two but knowing this album well, it’s one of the best I have heard. Overall a fine pressing for a fairly difficult album, the odd minor sporadic tick or crackle trace on a record over 40-years-old is near impossible to avoid. You can imagine the fate for probably the majority of these, played on goodness knows what, this was still a joy to hear again. I am not saying perfect but this is a very fine copy and hard to find in stereo. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record which remains high in my favourites list from this period. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and merits high recommendation.

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 2M moving magnet 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.

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 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. 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’.