FIFTY FOOT HOSE Cauldron ORIG UK 1969 MERCURY N/M LP. RARELY OFFERED

	£		337
	$		447

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

Artist or Band: FIFTY FOOT HOSE

Album Title: Cauldron.

Producer(s): Dan Healy.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: And After; If Not This Time; Opus 777; The Things That Concern You; Opus 11; Red The Sign Post; For Paula; Rose.

Side 2: Fantasy; God Bless The Child; Cauldron.

Label/Format: Mercury – matt smooth surfaces with intense black finish. America originals were issued on Limelight, a subsidiary of Mercury.

Label Conditions: Both in superb condition: ultra clean, fresh and attractive with only a couple of fine and light spindle marks on side two and hardly even a trace on one. This is a truly stunning example of possibly one of the rarest albums I have put on Ebay.

Cat Number: SLML 4030.

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: 127 grams. Around average.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very Rare: in terms of sales in the UK, barely any with hardly any even pressed here. Even in their native US, this attracted little interest, but merely a small cult following in San Francisco where they played the clubs. UK copies form 1969 on Mercury probably as rare, if not rarer than Bowie’s original ‘Man Who Sold the World’ on the same label. In fact I am surprised this was even issued here, Mercury Records must have known it would be a ‘loss leader’ and this classic album totally sunk without trace. Too out-there and experimental for most, this was years ahead of it’s time and remains a legendary one-off album. This has a high catalogue value, but even this hardly tells the real truth, a near impossible one to find – AND – this is a sensational copy in superb Near Mint condition (a word I do not use loosely of often, even if merited). A groundbreaking classic that could conceivably be the best surviving UK copy in existence. Played just once prior to my mandatory play-grade, this could be the ultimate upgrade archive copy for anyone lucky enough to own one already. Just about all that surface will be American – the UK Mercury copy with a FULLY laminated cover and beautifully pressed. I can hardly recommend this one highly enough and letting this go is proving one of the most difficult in my 13+ years of Ebay selling.

Original Year of Release: US: 1967. UK: 1969

Matrix Nos: 220040 1Y//2 420 1 1 6 & 220040 2Y//1 420 1 2 5

Musicians: Nancy Blossom - vocals solos and vocals; David Blossom - guitar, electronically prepared guitar, eletronically prepared piano, thumb piano; Louis ‘Cork’ Marcheschi - audio generators, echolette, squeaky box, siren, ringing oscillator circuits, microphone, thereman, speakers; Larry Evans - guitar, vocals; Kim Kimsey - drums, percussion; Terry Hansley - electric bass.

Brief Info: This is the very first copy of this album I have had or seen. One of the earliest American bands to combine electronics with psychedelic rock to form an early ‘progressive’ sound. More familiar early pioneering bands like Pink Floyd used such electronics for effect, but Fifty Foot Hose actually used such electronics to play and use live. Very similar, but even more ‘out-there’ and experimental than The United States of America (USA), who also made a superb one-off album on CBS, few others made music like this at the time. Whereas USA used eletric violin, Fifty Foot Hose used guitars, their sound groundbreaking and went someway to pave the way for industrial music of the late 1970s and beyond. Much of their sound derived from self-built electrics, some incorporated into the guitars. Founded by husband and wife Nancy and David Blossom with Louis ‘Cork’ Marcheschi, their music was influenced by avant garde classical musicians like Edgard Varèse, John Cage and Terry Riley – experimental electronic psych-rock and historically very important. Nancy’s vocals powerful and expressive, at times reminding of Jefferson Airplane’s Grace Slick, but never destined to sell like other west coast bands. The music at times dark and fairly uncommercial, but mesmerising and highly original, after a few plays it becomes addictive. But like so many pioneering acts of the time, lost in the vaults of time selling in tiny numbers. Lack of promotion and failing to gain any audience, this album now a major rarity. The band split towards the end of the decade, some band members joined the musical ‘Hair’, and Nancy Blossom sang the lead in the San Francisco version of ‘Godspell’. Interest in ‘Cauldron’ and the band emerged with the rise in popularity of electronic music in the 1980s and beyond, they actually ‘reformed’ but only Marcheschi being the original member. If Fifty Foot Hose bypassed you at the time – and I guess it did most, myself very much included – do not miss out on this sensational UK Mercury example. It could be the best copy you are ever likely to see or hear. – unreservedly recommended. Over my time selling on Ebay, I have sold several diamonds I have regretted, I fear this could be another. But being a professional record dealer, keeping every gem that surfaces is not an option. I hope it gets the good home and love it deserves.

Cover Grade and Format: MINT(–): a single fully laminated format. Printed and made in England and includes its original Polydor-style inner sleeve.

Lamination – Front & Back: A near reference quality 1969 cover: both sides retain superb shine, freshness and clarity with minimal traces of any dulling, even angled viewed under light. Mere traces around the rim shape that barely any cover can totally escape. No lifting, barely any noteworthy creasing – fine hairline traces around the edges pretty much all. This beauty truly does defy it’s great age and will rarely be seen like it again – of that, I am certain.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both unworn, unscuffed, smooth and straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Absolutely superb: clean, very sharp with no wear, thickening or burring, even viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Again little short of immaculate: solid, fairly thin, straight with any compression traces tiny. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate.

Corners: All corners are again in beautiful condition with no dinks or creases. All retain perfect 90 degree shape with fantastic crisp definition.

Cover Summary: A super-rare near achieve-quality cover, one that will prove near impossible to find better, finding a UK Mercury one at all is hard enough in it’s own right. This beautiful item should please all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): only marked down a little for two corner creases. These often made deliberately by more careful owners to stop the risk of the record sliding out. The only traces of ageing being the usual mild darkening of the seam adhesive. Two pristine window circles and clear polylining, all edges unsplit with no repairs. This is date-coded 069, but the ‘9’ large gone, but logic tells me it was a 9 (as the album was issued that year and would not be earlier).

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(–): or as close as any 1969 record really gets. A beautiful visual copy that is very clean with very fine shine and very solidly pressed. A copy hardly even played with any surface traces ultra light and faint as seen with utmost scrutiny under bright angled light. No inner bag dulling either, that a real bonus for a record that has probably not seen light-of-day for decades. Such records were rarely purchased by hi-fi connoisseurs, but younger more curious or adventurous music fans at the time. Hence finding such a piece like this, incredibly unusual. Clearly an exception to the rule, this has been expertly and carefully stored, and appearing hardly even handled or played. Visually a beautiful rare record that should please most-all 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: My first experience of this on vinyl and it sounded magnificent – a genuine piece of rock history from a band I feel sure many will not even have heard of. This pioneering, even groundbreaking psych-rock album plays even above it’s 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 this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few copies will match, let alone outperform this genuine 1969 pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – again I ask myself, “why am I letting this one go”? A ‘lost’ experimental classic, this copy will prove again near impossible to find better and merits my highest possible recommendation. You want almost as new – you got 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 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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 ask 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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced 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’.