CREAM Fresh Cream RARER Orig UK Stereo. SUPERB SOUND.

	£		42
	$		56

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £11.75. Rest of World £15.75. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P as low as possible after the Royal Mail price increases.

Artist or Band: CREAM

Album Title: Fresh Cream.

Producer(s): Robert Stigwood.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: NSU; Sleepy Time Time; Dreaming; Sweet Wine; Spoonful.

Side 2: Cat’s Squirrel; Four Until Late; Rollin’ and Tumblin’; I’m So Glad; Toad.

Label/Format: Reaction – Deep violet format, smooth finish (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both look lovely: very clean, still fresh and attractive. Although spindle marks are moderate, they are pretty fine and show modestly with normal viewing. Clearly this record has been played several times but I it appears with utmost care on quality equipment. The sound is superb and I feel even a barely played example with not better this.

Cat Number: 594001.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 139 grams. Around the average for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: I have always found the stereo pressing to be harder to find as an original.

Original Year of Release: 1966

Matrix Nos: 594001 A // 1 1 1 2 1 & 594001 B // 1 1 1 1 4

Musicians: Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals; Jack Bruce - bass guitar, harmonica, vocals; Ginger Baker - Drums, vocal.

Brief Artist & Album Info: One of many classic debuts from 1960s, Cream were a British supergroup in their infancy. It features five non-band titles and not a composition credited to Clapton at all - but with the quality of material included did it really matter? Brilliant virtuoso blues-rock, the Cream legend began here. This is a top quality early-pressed stereo example that sounds fantastic from the very beginning to the very end with practially nothing to fault. I had the pleasure of playing this at high volume, and quite honestly it left me aghast. It has been some time since I experienced a stereo copy of this album on vinyl in such fine visual and playing condition. The sheer power and details from this beautful record were astonishingly good - this plays with little short of audiophile sound quality and connoisseur’s of analogue sound will treasure this. Although the spindle marks on the labels may indicate some moderate usage, the sound within these unworn grooves and shiny, clean playing surfaces, is immense – fully focused, precise and detailed – a very loud and dynamic recording that simply delivers. The cover has aged a little – the back seems very prone especially, but the record more than compensates, the front cover is still strong and attractive..

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: marked down for some mildish grubbiness on the back that rarely seems to avoid it. A single, front laminated format, this only protects the top and bottom edges but not the spine that clearly makes it highly vulnerable to wear. Printed and made in England by E. J. Day and includes the ‘Patent Pending’ text.

Lamination & Front: Being a dark cover, this will show all forms of blemishing more than many, hence this is often seen tired and scruffy looking. Overall, this retains a very fine shine with more than reasonable freshness and clarity. It also retains nigh-on total adhesion with no ugly lifts or blisters that ruins so many. Creasing is another factor: this has very few with any present being mostly fine and light with very modest visibility. Under light, some light dulling but again, rarely seen without and here only very modest. Hardly any surface marks and no press marks or indentations, this has stood the test-of-time well.

Cover Back: A back that never ages well and is massively prone to all forms of wear time, handling and mistreatment can subject it too. This has some traces of grubbiness but in context of a cover this great age, only modestly so. Most of any present confined to the edges. The right edge shows the spine text – most I see has it totally eroded – the spine has compressed but this has acted quite positively in-as-much, it has saved a high percentage of this vulnerable detail. This spine has ‘THE FRESH CREAM’ text which is around 70 per cent present with the top area clipped or rubbed, that being better than none as seen more often than not. The back has barely any creasing with any rim impression very light indeed. So just enough to remind of the age, and no shame in that for me anyway.

Top Edge: Barely any wear and still nicely straight for a thin constructed cover.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with minimal burring or thickening with no chipping or feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. The unprotected narrow strip where the laminate ends short still quite wide and little wear or ageing. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: Such a difficult spine and area of this fairly delicate cover. This unprotected area is solid with some compression. It has darkened with age and the text now low with some rubbing to the top third as mentioned within the ‘Cover Back’ paragraph above.

Corners: All are very neat indeed with any tip rubs small. All retain very fine shape.

Cover Summary: A very respectable example with a much better than average front and only the back reminding of it’s age a little. Not for the perfectionist but many collectors will enjoy it.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(-): a Polydor-style lined inner that has darkened with age, but that apart little real wear as such. The very clear lining is seen through two very neat and crisp window circles and barely any creasing and no edge splits. This one is date-coded 109 (October 1969).

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading & Sound: EXCELLENT(++): a superb stereo record, very clean with fresh shiny playing surfaces with any surface trace marks tiny, ultra fine and faint. Highly impressive visually and clearly played with utmost care which is reitterated by the highest quality audio quality. Fully focused, crisp and distortion-free sound with no crackle and devoid of any pops or clicks, this is nigh-on audiophile territory and it was a privilege to hear this. The labels do have a few more marks than I normally like, but this in no way reflects in the quality sound this record offers. We all know what these vintage classics can and so often do look and sound like these days – I have it so many times before. I can categorically state, this album has not been subjected to worn out old stylus that reeked havoc to so many gems from the past. A record time has forgotten and a gateway into the recording studio itself when played on suitable and worthy equipment. This has a very loud and powerful mix, a harmonica blown at times to destruction and almost saturating the sound with intense volume and intensity. Beautifully produced with impressive separation and imagery that only the stereo version offers. An early copy that delivers the sound in a different way to the mono version – both are essential. This deserves a good home and I hope any winning bidder enjoys it as much as I did. Strong recommendation is mandatory.

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 Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

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 new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. 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. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 8,000+ items sold in over 10 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 stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; 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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (Royal Mail insurance is an 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: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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 necessarily 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’.