CAPTAIN BEEFHEART Trout Mask Replica UK 69 Straight N/M

	£		247
	$		327

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Album Title: Trout Mask Replica.

Producer(s): Frank Zappa.

Engineer(s): Dick Kunc.

Cat Number: STS 1053.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Frownland; The Dust Blows Forward ’n’ the Dust Blows Back; Dachau Blues; Ella Guru; Hair Pie: Bake 1; Moonlight on Vermont.

Side 2: Pachuco Cadaver; Bill’s Corpse; Sweet Sweet Bulbs; Neon Meate Dream of a Octafish; China Pig; My Human Gets Me Blues; Dali’s Car.

Side 3: Hair Pie: Bake 2; Pena; Well; When Big Joan Sets Up; Fallin’ Ditch; Sugar ’n’ Spikes; Ant Man Bee.

Side 4: Orange Claw Hammer; Wild Life; She’s to Much For My Mirror; Hobo Chang Ba; The Blimp; Steal Softly Thru Snow; Old Fart at Play; Veteran’s Day Poppy.

Label/Format/Information: Straight – original (please see label scan, all are of the same immaculate standard).

Label Conditions: All four look brand new and that’s no exaggeration. I am struggling to see a single spindle mark and this is either unplayed or the original owner played it (carefully) once and stored it away.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of these Records: 145 / 145 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: First-pressed UK Straight originals are scarce and elusive. In this kind of condition, they are quite rare. Particular mention must be made to the cover. UK ‘TMR’s’ did not wear well. They were not laminated and barely any will ever be found devoid of ringwear which is often severe. This is the only one I have ever seen that had avoided it. But life is never perfect is it? This one was constructed slightly off-square, but its pretty much the only blemish on a copy time has forgotten and the owner overlooked. Manufacture issues I can do nothing about, this album is little short of ‘as made’ and few will even get within a grade of it. The records are simply stunning and will remind anyone of a certain age what they once looked like when first purchased back in 1969. Only the most adventurous of record collectors would have bought this album - I guess the cover would have attracted a few curious buyers and the Zappa linked may have helped. But this record was far too advanced and weird for most and even today it still causes divided opinion. The relatively mild cover folding issue apart, this is little short of sensational and such surviving copies are rare, make no mistake.

Matrix Nos: STS 1053 A1 / STS 1053 B1 / STS 1053 C1 / STS 1053 D1.

The Band: Bizarre by name – bizarre by nature: even the Magic Band members were given outlandish names: Zoot Horn Rollo: glass finger guitar, flute; Antennae Jimmy Semens: Steel-appendage guitar, flesh guitar; Captain Beefheart: bass clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax, simran horn, musette, vocals; The Mascara Snake: bass clarinet, vocal; Rockette Morton: bass and narration. Frank Zappa produces and can be heard on dialogue. All songs written by Beefheart.

Brief Artist & Album Info: I am always delighted to offer quite possibly the most brilliantly bizarre album ever made, light years ahead of anything else loosely within its field – that said there has never been another album quite like Trout Mask Replica and never will be – this is true one-off. When I find ‘worthy’ copies to offer, I don’t mind where they were made or their pressing years – I simply want to offer near pristine copies of one of the most famous records ever issued. To offer a once or twice-played original first-pressed UK Straight is little short of a privilege, most are seen with worn out, ring-worn covers and record in terrible conditions. Produced by Frank Zappa this extravaganza features the best ever Magic Band and actually charted in the UK at 21 but did not enter the American charts at all. This is an album of myth and legend: The Captain, Zappa and his band entered a rented house, which acted as a studio with a few song ideas and what came out was nothing short of remarkable, even up to this very day. A blend of rock, delta blues, free-form jazz and even three totally unaccompanied songs. Up until then, van Vliet has never been given the freedom of expression in his songs he wanted. Zappa put that right and let the man perform his music and ideas exactly the way he wanted, and no stone was left unturned. Guitars thrash, barely in tune and totally off key – all quite deliberate – saxes and winds wail, blowing notes that hardly even exist and Beefheart sings at times almost like a wild animal, allegedly he ‘sang’ in a different room altogether. Musically this is as challenging as ‘rock’ music ever gets and van Vliet’s lyrical genius and crazed disjointed tunes never ever quite sounded this wonderful again. Amongst the playful mayhem there is catchiness and beauty. For those prepared to listen and give it a try, it’s possibly one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever imagine. Matt Groening creator of ‘The Simpsons’ explained in a TV Beefheart documentary some time ago, about his experience of this album, which exactly replicated my own (and I guess others too). He bought this album simply because it was produced by Zappa and thought ‘it must have something going for it’. First play: what the earth was that all about?, ‘the band aren’t even trying’. Undaunted, Second play: Still very difficult, but a chink of light. Third Play: things are becoming a little clearer. After around six plays, the genius of Trout Mask Replica kicks in and gets embedded into the mind. This remains easily in my top five albums ever, I never tire playing it and hearing a super clean vinyl copy is always extra special. The sounds pressed in these pristine Straight grooves carry incredible detail and information along with excellent sound quality. Straight pressing quality was, to say the least, variable. Few example will ever play ‘silent’, but this one gives it a real good go. The only very light surface sound noted was on ‘Pachuco Cadaver’ at the start of side two. It’s very low-level and brief and is the only small blemish on what is a perfect copy. The stereo imagery and wildness is incredible, remember, this is how Zappa wanted this album to sound and nothing beats a vinyl experience and this pair have without doubt, hardly been played. I have to conclude this preamble about this landmark, groundbreaking issue by mentioning the late, great, John Peel. It’s now been some time since this great man’s untimely death but his memory will never fade. The greatest DJ ever introduced me to a vast array of varied music over the years and I know for certain this album had a special place in his own collection – he adored van Vliet and his music, Trout Mask Replica in particular, he often featured tracks on his radio shows. And even though the Captain has long since left the music business, they remained great friends.

It’s long been a matter of debate between collectors and music critics about this album – 28 songs of genius or the greatest musical joke of all time. Well I cannot end the debate – it’s simply a matter of opinion of course, but for me its the former. I adore this album (and like Groening, it took me 8 to 10 plays to fully appreciate it). Pop music is often instantly likeable and often instantly disposable too – sometimes too easy to like a record on first play and get bored with it very quickly, but Trout Mask Replica is NOT pop music, it’s challenging, inventive, daring and at times difficult, but ultimately rewarding and original - you cannot be bored with this. An album of legendary status, it always features highly in any list of all time greats, and so it should, but that statistic is made even more remarkable given the fact its so weird and off-the-wall. When an album like this can actually claim a full page re-review in an English Sunday Newspaper some 37 years after issue, that has to tell it’s own story. Rock music has its eccentric and strange characters, often manufactured for appeal, but van Vliet was genuinely weird, a unique and bizarre character. Most listeners would run a mile or simply switch off on hearing ‘Pena’, ‘Ella Guru’, ‘Neon Meate Dream…’ or ‘Hair Pie’ and most of the others come to that but they are wrong and you are right. Arguably too one of Zappa’s finest productions, this earliest cut proves that beyond doubt. This UK Straight original pressing encaptures all the fine details, all the weirdness, all the sounds that make this masterpiece special. If your collection is still missing Trout Mask Replica, put it right at last and be prepared to be mesmerised – ‘Fast ’n bulbous, got me’!

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: Most of the unlaminated US and UK versions have deep ringwear, fading and rubbing and few survive devoid of it. Classics covers are far more enjoyable when they look nice and this one really looks exceptional. As stated, slightly constructed off-square but better this than worn and shabby. In a perfect world, it would be made millimetre perfect and with this little wear – but life is far from perfect is it? If this is an issue, please do not bid.

Cover Grade and Format: NOT taking into account of the slightly off-square construction, I grade this superb cover EX++ and considering just how intolerant of rubbing and ringwear this cover is, its arguably better still. I have had this album several times in my time as an Ebay seller, but never a UK one in better condition than this. The main faces look almost as made and most of any minor wear is on the bottom edges. Double sets with large colour areas fair badly over time but this one remarkably looks fantastic. An unlaminated gatefold format that was printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group. It obviously has the Straight logo and original Cat. No.

Cover Front: Like the contents inside, a truly unique item: note the deliberate mistake, not a trout but a carp head. A notoriously difficult cover to find even in decent VG on the ‘standard’ unlaminated versions. This front is almost factory-fresh and looks stunning. Blemishes? Wear? – Well, a tiny chip above the ‘R’ in TROUT, possibly even a tiny printing flaw and the merest hint of a faint rub near the four-o’clock position, but so fine and faint, it’s almost an insult to even mention it. There is barely a record pressmark at all, let alone any ringwear. The deep magenta ink is near flawless and ultra clean and fresh. I am struggling to find even a tiny crease worthy of mention. I have taken a few close-up pictures to show just how clean and unworn this cover is, few will ever get close to this – ‘that’s right the Mascara Snake’.

Cover Back: The odd faint edge rub only, no creasing, ringwear or marks. Just look at the Magic Band in close-up, possibly the weirdess group in the history of ‘rock’. The top left corner is slightly out-of-square as mentioned already.

Cover Inner Gatefold: This is easy, it’s perfect with no wear at all. The folding issue is seen top left and top right. Personally, it’s of little consequence as far as I am concerned. I would rather have a barely worn cover that looks fantastic than a dead straight worn one. But that’s only my opinion, again, if this is an issue, do not bid - simple.

Top Edges: Unworn but not parallel.

Bottom Edges: Light rubbing on the front only, these two edges are perfectly straight and in line.

Right Edges, and Type: Clean and super sharp with no wear or feathering. Records entered on these right outside edges. Again a little off-square when viewed from the back.

Spine and Text: Solid, thick and robust, straight with little compression. Practically unworn surfaces with all text pristine, present and undamaged. The odd tiny chip to the magenta ink but barely any rubbing at all - clean too.

Corners: These also have suffered little with hardly any rubbing at all. Excellent shape is retained.

Cover Summary: One of the best overall examples I have ever seen for this groundbreaking album cover – it will beat the majority found, this is just so hard to find devoid of wear. A pleasure to view and own, a title that deserves to be seen in top conditions. At the risk of repeating myself, how many unlaminated examples of this cover will look like this?, Most are badly worn, even trashed and look tatty and rarely ‘attractive’. This one can be held and enjoyed, within a protective cover (supplied of course), the fold alignment is practically forgotten.

The Inners: Both practically Mint as new. Plain white unlined inners and guaranteed the originals.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Tempted to grade Mint, quite honestly, if they are not, no other pair of records should ever be graded as such. A superb visual pair that will be hard to match or ever find better. Super clean, shiny, intense black, and solidly pressed. Barely a mark to be seen with even fine surface traces or hairlines being conspicuous by their absence. This truly does look ‘just-pressed’ with no hint of exaggeration, if a better UK original Straight exists today, I sure would like to see it. A copy possibly played once before my play-grade, but not certain. There is no evidence whatsoever this has even been out of the inners. The holes are ultra tight on my Linn spindle, it was a real job getting these on at all – probably a curiosity purchase, played once and abandoned. Visually a stunning pair 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: “It’s the Blimp Frank, It’s the Blimp!!!” This outstandingly preserved and unused pair play up to their high visual grading with nothing to fault bar very faint surface sound traces at the start of side two as mentioned above. That apart, and it’s as minor as it get, its practically perfection from beginning to end, and how many 1969 albums on Straight could honestly state that? These play with super clean sound that’s strong and distortion-free, all frequencies are sharp and clear. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound, the simultaneously played saxes on ‘Ant Man Bee’ can be heard with this stunning clarity and lovely channel separation, they have an in-the-room feel about them that lacks from the CD version. Musically as complex and difficult as music gets, the skill of this Magic Band is almost without equal. They played Beefheart’s mind-blowing tunes just the way the man wanted. Special mention must go to John French, the unsung musical genius within the Beefheart legend. Few others could have beat the skins to keep the pace and rhythm of the mayhem better and his brilliant percussion is evident throughout these compositions. Obscure fractured guitar riffs blend with crazed wailing saxes and winds that rasp and tear at the speaker-cloth – when the Captain bellows nothing holds back. His backing vocals on ‘Pena’ are little short of scary and remarkable. On a previous play-grade for a different copy for a past listing, my son (who rarely passes any comments on the music I play) entered the room to say: ‘Dad what the heck is that’? – ‘It’s the worst record you have ever played, who on earth would want to buy that?’ How can I begin to explain? – he just looked me with a blank stare – I quickly gave up. This is devoid of pops or clicks and all songs track and play perfectly, and why not on such pristine playing surfaces? A difficult album with some very quiet passages of bizarre dialogue, but all plays as near perfect as vinyl ever will, this has exceptional clean sound for practically all its duration. Both channels are clear and sharp, I am as certain as I ever can be, these records have hardly been played and clearly little handled and well looked after. Hearing this set again is still an amazing experience, I never tire hearing a worthy vinyl copy of this one and nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this classic. Records are still the definitive way to experience this mind-bending album, still for me the most ‘Out There’ album of all time – “What do you run on Rocket Morton?” [say beans] – “I run on lazer-beams”. Heady crazed brilliance, few albums entertain like this one. Produced by Zappa – he gave Beefheart poetic licence to make music just as he wanted to make it without any constraints or worries about commercial potential – that was what Straight Records were all about. What a combination of the two brilliant minds – nothing quite like this had ever been heard before, or since – it’s totally unique. These two records, will prove nigh-on impossible to find better. Nothing beats a Straight copy wherever it’s pressed, but the UK pressings are very special indeed. ‘Just dig 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 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: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

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

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’.