JOHN MAYALL Back to the Roots SCARCE ORIG UK 1971 EX+ LPs, LOVELY COVER + BOOK.

	£		42
	$		50

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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, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and traceable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: JOHN MAYALL

Album Title: Back to the Roots

Producer(s): John Mayall

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Prisons on the Road; My Children; Accidental Suicide; Groupie Girl; Blue Fox.

Side 2: Home Again; Television Eye; Marriage Madness; Looking at Tomorrow.

Side 3: Dream With Me; Full Speed Ahead; Mr Censor Man; Force of Nature; Boogie Albert.

Side 4: Goodbye December; Unanswered Questions; Devil’s Tricks; Travelling.

Label/Format: Polydor with matt, gently textured surfaces.

Label Conditions: All four very clean, fresh and attractive with minimal spindle traces. This superb first issue pair play beautifully as well, this another from a collection of hardly played records.

Catalogue Number: 2657005 (this is the set number, the label numbers are 2425062/63.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Records: 128 / 139 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Scarce and this copy includes the superb large format book which is one of the best ‘inserts’ or ‘extras’ I have seen with any album (I have photographed several sample pages). ‘The Record Collector’ guide still makes no reference to this book and it’s one I have not seen many times. I actually wonder if this 24-page book was withdrawn by the fact it includes a very risqué cartoon picture inside that certainly would have been frowned upon by many at the time – sorry but it would not be sensible to show it as it would likely be removed – it lies next to the lyrics of ‘Mr Censor Man’. This cartoon has it’s reference to that track where Mayall asks why is sex censored and war and violence allowed. It includes colour pictures of the musicians that play on this album including: Harvey Mandel, Jerry McGee, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, Johnny Almond, Larry Taylor, Steve Thompson, Keef Hartley, Paul Lagos and the brilliant Don ‘Sugarcane’ Harris on violin as featured on the Frank Zappa masterpiece Hot Rats. For those familiar with the aforementioned Zappa album, this set has many moments in a similar style and this features several impressive solos by Harris. The fact this book gets no mention in the guides remains a mystery to me, and this one in fantastic condition. Also worthy of mention, is the very delicate soft main cover to this double set. It has to be one of the most wear-prone covers of its era, they are seldom found without heavy rubbing, ring wear, creasing and even tears – this one, as seen, is hugely impressive as well and rarely seen as such. Also, the hardly played records offer fantastic sound throughout, and lastly, even the May 1971 date-coded inner sleeves are impressive. A genuine complete copy like this is getting harder to find.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 2483009 A//1 420 1 1 8 & 2483009 B//1 420 1 1 6 & 2483010 A//1 420 1 1 8 & 2483010 B//1 420 1 1 5 (the figures pre-A or B are struck thru with ‘error’ corrections) The label numbers are included in ‘script’ type.

Brief Info: John Mayall at his very best and is here joined by some top quality musicians. Brilliant instrumentals and vocal songs too that tackle more sensitive subjects including sex, censorship, TV advertising, traffic congestion and groupies, not too dissimilar to the subject matter Frank Zappa was often noted for. Mayall and Frank were great friends after he visited him in the late 1960s, his ‘Blues from Laural Canyon’ featured a tribute song to the man and clearly his influence is strong on this superb double set that features all new material. Talking of Zappa, some songs included on this album would not be out of place on his Hot Rats album, with Sugarcane Harris’s blistering violin present. Although pigeon-holed as ‘Blues’ this Mayall double set will please rock fans as well and is truly an essential album – it’s one of my personal favourites in his catalogue. The inclusion of the book which is only a little smaller than the album cover (with an almost identical front cover) is a massive bonus for Mayall fans. It includes his family tree of musicians that have recorded with him since 1963 to 1971, an acknowledgement of appreciation by John and all the pictures of the musicians included on this set and blurb all about them. A wonderful book and no copy is ever complete without it. Again, special mention must be made to the album cover, I truly regard it as one of the most fragile and wear-prone ever. Made with ultra soft and textured card, which feels more like thick paper being honest, this is rarely seen devoid of heavy rubbing, ring wear, creasing and damage. This one is a lovely example with most wear confined to the upper and lower edges – the main faces, including the spine have fared very well indeed with little. All four sides play superbly and this was a joy to hear again after what had been too long.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: I think this is actually undergraded for one of rock’s most intolerant and fragile covers. Few will be found a great deal better. An unlaminated gatefold format with matt surfaces, made with very soft, thin card and all parts quite heavily textured. A gorgeous cover seen near it’s best, but few ever survive as such, this only marked down for almost mandatory edge rubbing. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group, this includes the scarce original large format book and both original 1971 inner sleeves.

Cover Front: To be clear: if I was just grading the main front, back and inside – and even the spine – I would grade this cover more Excellent(++), simply on merit, and for the fact it is rarely seen like this. Even with the usual edge and small corner tip rubbing, this is one of the finest I have ever seen. The front is superb as seen with minimal encroachment of edge rubbing to the main surface – a mere trace near the top left fold – and a rub to the lower right corner, There is little else to really fault on this unforgiving surface, and gatefolds usually fare even worse than single cover. This has hardly even creased and retaining rich deep colour with no fading or sticker issues. This front will prove immensely difficult to find better.

Cover Back: The back is very similar – the lack of ring wear to either side is almost remarkable. Any rub traces are very little and faint, even the corner tips seldom escape with much less.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Just as fragile again and also heavily textured, again, his has little to fault and does come very close to reminding of as-issued. The general lack of creasing, grubbiness or set-off is seldom seen on this area.

Top Edges: Both straight, flush and flat with light to moderate rubbing, which is very patchy and light on the front. Both are unsplit and have no repairs – this the same for all edges – worthy of note for such delicate thin, soft card.

Bottom Edges: Moderate and plus in places rubbing on these storage edges, they have scant chance of avoiding wear. This is mainly seen viewed end-on with hardly any trace of encroachment to the front or back main surfaces.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and actually quite sharp in terms of this ultra soft card with little overall wear. Both these storage edges are guaranteed untrimmed, few again will be neater.

Spine and Text: A supreme spine and to date, the very best I have seen on this cover. It remains solid, straight with any compression minimal. The main surface avoiding wear, even the ends have very little. The perilous folds have escaped as well with barely any traces of ink loss. The entire text is fully present, unworn and strong, also nicely centred, I consider this area almost remarkable.

Corners: Even with a little tip rubbing – the most, as usual on the bottom right leading one – these have fared very well indeed. With most seen badly softened and threadbare, these mostly retain excellent shape and have suffered no knocks or rounding with hardly a crease to be seen.

Cover Summary: A beautifully designed cover but unfortunately not designed for longevity and few survive even respectable. This is way, way better than ‘respectable’, this still looks fantastic and highly attractive, and who wants to view edges when the rest is far more interesting? ‘Difficult’ and ‘challenging’ hardly explains this unforgiving cover, this could and is indeed likely to prove immensely difficult to find much better and should please many, if not most collectors – especially those familiar and know what it is like.

The Inner Sleeves: Both EXCELLENT(+): arguably better still. A near matching pair, one has grey ink, the other a dark blue, exactly as per the last one of these I offered, so this I feel is the norm. Both are date-coded 0571 (May 1971). Gently aged only with a little toning of the seam adhesive but both barely even creased and two very clear, fresh linings as seen through four crisp window circles. No splits, no repairs, all edges naturally intact and strong, the paper only giving the lightest polite clues of age.

The Book: Practically MINT: again printed by E J Day Group and a magnificent item that looks practically as-issued. A 24-page full colour book held together with two staples, still strong and fully intact with no tarnishing. Ultra clean with barely even a trace of handling or creasing to the matt, revealing surfaces. Crisp edges with no folding and appearing hardly even touched. So why do price guides fail to mention it’s existence? The cartoon inside leaves nothing to the imagination and somewhat took me by surprise when I first saw it – was this book actually withdrawn and if so, was it because of this cartoon?, or maybe copyright or cost – who knows? This book makes this original album complete and what a great example – the detail and quality of pictures inside are superb – this book is worthy of the price alone and Mayall fans and collectors should treasure it. A very important piece of blues history with so many major names inside – indispensable for discerning fans and collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): arguably better. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed. A copy appearing little used with four beautiful hardly marked Polydor labels. Any surface traces few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, litte even registers. The odd faint trace of inner sleeve dulling on one side under light, but almost as light as it gets and simply a trait that the records have not been removed for many years. Even this being critical, it’s common and purely superficial and non-sounding anyway. In fact, all four sides plays superbly with barely anything unwanted at all. Visually lovely records that should please many 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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This high-quality double set plays even above it’s high visual grading with barely anything to fault. Offering 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 barely even registered and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Few available copies will match, let alone outperform this very early pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain these records have 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 set. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie 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 Nessie 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 17­ 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. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.