JOHN MAYALL Bare Wires RARER ORIG UK 68 1st Press STEREO
  £   77
  $   92

 


£ 77 Sold For
Sep 23, 2012 Sold Date
Sep 16, 2012 Start Date
£   14 Start price
11   Number Of Bids
  Great Britain Country Of Seller
eBay Auctioned at
 
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Description

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases and will never compromise on solid, safe packing.

Artist/Band: JOHN MAYALL’S BLUESBREAKERS.

Album Title: Bare Wires.

Producer(s): Mike Vernon and John Mayall.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Bare Wires; Where Did I Belong; Start Walking; Open a New Door; Fire; I Know You; Look in the Mirror.

Side 2: I’m a Stranger; No Reply; Hartley Quits; Killing Times; She’s Too Young; Sandy.

Label/Format: Decca – Large original unboxed blue label format.

Label Conditions / Info: STUNNING!, MAGNIFICENT, PRISTINE MINT PERFECT – Yes True. I would even go as far to say, these two original Decca labels are the best I have ever seen bar none. Both look out of the factory brand new with the look of never even seeing daylight, I would go that far. The pure freshness of those very dark blue surfaces and the total lack of spindle marks has to be seen for real to be believed. Remember, this is a 1968 record with ultimate first ‘1’ mother and very early stamper codes. I have even checked these labels out under a magnifier and NOT a single spindle trace or mark is seen to any area of either label – they have no hints of handling or blemishes whatsoever. The playing surfaces are also very fine with any surface traces mostly ultra fine and faint as seen under bright angled light. I doubt if this record has made the trip out the cover or inner for decades. The faintest of faint inner bag dulling is seen (only just and being very critical) barely being a ‘1’ on a 1 to 10 scale. -1W / -1W matrixes and these surfaces defy there incredible age. Sound is breathtaking and this is quite a challenging record with several quiet passages. The joy of hearing a first issue in glorious stereo, it will remind those of a certain age what a new copy once sounded like. This a record for the audiophile and label purist. The cover is impressive as well and includes it’s original 6-68 inner sleeve, the exact month and year of issue – it hardly gets better. One that will remain in my memory for some considerable time after it leaves.

Cat Number: SKL.4945.

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: 157 grams. A very impressive weight for this ultimate first issue record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarcer in stereo and in this condition it will never be easy to find and this example is exceptional and offers pristine audio quality.

Original Year of Release: 1968. This being the ultimate first issue with the solid back cover and all the criteria met as outlined above.

Matrix Nos: ZAL-8340-1W / ZAL-8341-1W.

Mothers / Stampers: 1 I / 1 G

Musicians: John Mayall - vocals, harmonica, piano, harpsichord, organ, harmonium, assorted guitars; Chris Mercer - tenor, baritone saxes; Dick Heckstall-Smith - tenor, soprano saxes; John Hiseman - drums, percussion; Henry Lowther - cornet, violin; Mick Tyalor - guitar, Hawaiian guitar; Tony Reeves - string bass, bass guitar.

Brief Artist & Album Info: One of John Mayall’s greatest ever albums which is more experimental than previously. Electric blues with a strong blend of jazz fusion - the man rarely sounded more inspired - even non-blues fans loved this one. For me the greatest ever bluesman, his Decca catalogue is consistently brilliant with the Polydor years little short either. Featuring a host of top musicians (listed above) including two reed players, this is a thrilling recording and you are unlikely to ever hear a better example. This scarce unboxed stereo record is one of the earliest ever made and offers very impressive sound. Hardly played for sure, any faint surface traces are only seen with scrutiny under light, and I am certain only present from a dry cloth clean. Clearly the one and only owner was hugely particular in looking after his records. An lovely vintage record and for looks and sound. The cover is strong too with few blemishes. For a record now over 44-years-old, this will prove immensely difficult to even match let alone better and my play-grade was a genuine thrill. This is a class album and it should please all electric blues fans.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): laminated with Clarifoil front and back and WITHOUT the peep-hole mono/stereo indicator that followed in 1969. This was printed and made by Robert Stace in England. The original June 1968 date-coded inner sleeve is also included.

Lamination: Front & Back: Fresh, clear and with a lovely shiny sheen, this laminate is the more semi-gloss type rather than the deep gloss some Decca covers had. The single thickness front has little to fault at all with barely a crease or mark to be seen and all edges crisp. Also this side has nigh-on full laminate adhesion. The back is practically the same in all respects except the spine edge has lifted. But this in a neat way and totally natural as Clarifoil does tighten and contract over time. This area has modest detraction with normal viewing and has not cracked. Both sides show barely any hint of friction rubs or dulling and they are exceptionally attractive.

Cover Inner Gatefold: One small light and faint mark near the top centre and a minor crease. Any burring to the edges very slight and this centrefold is almost as good as you will ever see.

Top Edges: A little very light, patchy gentle rubbing to the folded edge. One tiny burr to the fragile thin front that will take some beating.

Bottom Edges: These storage edges have thicked a little with a little burring that barely registers from the inside or outside viewing. Only really seen viewed end-on and in terms of this cover and format, only modestly light.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely any wear and no thickening, burring or feathering, both guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on the back edge.

Spine and Text: An impressive spine. Strong, straight with only gentle and light compression, all text is pristine under solid unpeeled laminate that retains silky smoothness to the touch.

Corners: Any tip rubbing is light and the fragile front ones solid and unsoftened or feathered. Excellent or better shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A highly attractive example of this genuine original 1968 printed cover. It will please most collectors wanting this one.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: guaranteed original and hugely important with it’s 6-68 date code, the exact month and year of issue (please see this detail on my close-up picture). Only marked down a little for one corner crease with any general ageing very light. The lining very clean indeed as seen through two crisp and undamaged window circles. The edges all unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+) to EXCELLENT(++): and this hardly tells the real story. A super visual copy that’s very clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. Without any doubt, a copy hardly even played and clearly from a quality collection. With any surface marks very small, few and light with nothing sounding. Under bright angled light ultra fine and faint surface traces, but who wants to spend time glaring for minor superficial trace blemishes? Get this beauty on to the turntable and enjoy the quite magnificent music and sound quality. As stated ultra faint traces of inner sleeve dulling but as faint as it ever gets. Records left inside Decca or Polydor inners for decades undisturbed can sometimes get moderate or even severe ‘bag rash’, but this is light years from that and any tiny traces only seen with scrutiny under angled light. Visually a gorgeous record that should please most collectors, yes even the discerning fans can consider 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 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This fantastic record plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Sound is crystal clear and perfectly focused and totally distortion-free. All frequencies are sharp and precise and sound quality is astonishing with a very detailed and very rich sound. Practically devoid of surface sounds, few copies will ever play better than this - the lack is distortion is always a massive bonus on vintage 60s classics that were so often overplayed, scratched and noisy. This album has moments of quietness but plays supremely well and quiet. The track ‘No Reply’ is a notoriously difficult song, it most often has some clipping or crackle, often moderate or worse. Any overplayed or worn example will find this song sounding poor with noise and high frequency clipping, but here it plays beautifully – even exceptional. Both channels are clean and sharp and the stereo mix and imagery is immaculate. A fantastic test for any quality hi-fi system: how long can your system reveal that gong resonance on the final seconds of ‘Look in the Mirror’? It should go on for several seconds just before the run-out grooves, it fades very slowly into the background, but only the most revealing of systems will make it audable. Also listen to those dual saxophones also on this song, they image with precise clarity with in-the-room depth and power – totally believable sound that only an original analogue record can give. I have no doubts this record has been hardly played and has been clearly lightly and carefully handled. Just look at those amazing labels that both look new. Nothing whatsoever spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this landmark and exhilerating John Mayall album. One many rock fans enjoy as much, this for me is one of his very best recordings. This unboxed stereo copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and is strongly recommended – do NOT lose this electrifying album.

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.

Equipment Used for Play-Grading: I now play-grade ALL the records I offer (unless clearly stated to the contrary) on the following equipment:

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] = £4.25

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 (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 (£17 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’.




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