ZAPPA/MOI Weasel's Ripped My Flesh SCARCE RSLP 70 UK LP

	£		71
	$		94

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION

Album Title: Weasels Ripped My Flesh

Producer(s): Frank Zappa.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Didja Get Any Onya; Directly From My Heart to You; Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mask; Toads of the Short Forest; Get a Little.

Side 2: Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue; Dwarf Nebula Processional March & Dwarf Nebula; My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama; Oh No; The Orange County Lumber Truck; Weasels Ripped My Flesh.

Label/Format: Reprise – RSLP original with the very dark orange-tan finish, this album was NOT issued on the tri-coloured format, Burnt Weeny Sandwich was the last Mothers album on that format.

Label Conditions: Two very clean original examples, the obvious small blemish on side one with a lightish scuff at the 7 o’clock position, that apart, very nice indeed. With a darker colour than later pressings, these have light to light+ but fine spindle marks that show little.

Cat Number: RSLP 2028.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 156 grams. A real heavyweight very first issue with the earlirest matrixes as seen further down.

Rarity: Early pressings of this with the original RSLP number are scarce, the next pressings had the number changed to K 44019 - beware of these being sold as ‘originals’. Both cover, labels and matrixes should have RSLP references. Only available for a relatively short time before the new Kinney pressings came along. Also many RSLP copies are seen with the second A2 / B2 matrixes, this ultimate first have the prized A1 / B1.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: RSLP 2028 A1 / RSLP 2028 B1

Brief Artist & Album Info: ‘Weasels’ was originally designed as a sampler for a 12-record set, ‘The History and Collected Improvisations of the Mothers of Invention’. It includes live and studio recordings (all superbly recorded). Sugarcane Harris’s performance of Little Richard’s ‘Directly From My Heart to You’ is perfect - it was part of the same sonic universe as the avant garde orchestral music of Varèse and the free-form jazz of Eric Dolphy. The latter was given his own ‘Memorial Barbecue’, a stunning encounter between bizarre harmonies and electronic distortion. Weasels also featured another notorious sleeve - for me one of the greatest ever - a hilariously gruesome painting by Neon Park (Martin Muller from San Francisco). When guitarist Lowell George - who can be heard imitating a Gestapo officer on ‘Didja Get Any Onya’ - broke away to form Little Feat, he insisted on using Neon Park for all their covers. The title of ‘Prelude to the Afternoon of a Sexually Aroused Gas Mark’ nodded to Debussy’s ballet about the skipping faun, but the heavy-rock sounds were totally ‘Mothers’. ‘My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama’ (a Zappa classic) is an icon of teenage rebellion and was issued as a single that failed to sell (of course). The title track was simply two minutes and seven seconds of feedback and distortion – amazing electrical mayhem. It would be many years later - with the advent of lo-fi and ‘noise’ bands like Sonic Youth - that such strategies would become familiar to rock listeners. As it was, Zappa was happy to be known as the King of Weird, it gave him carte blanche to employ any musical texture or style that took his fancy and here it’s very varied. This album is essential and remains one of his most popular for his even growing audience and fans. My regular Ebay readers and buyers will know of my fondness of Zappa’s music and I am always delighted to offer any of his items if the conditions are right. This is a very fine copy of this classic - never so easily found as a RSLP version in better grading conditions. That marvellous cover is so often seen (on either pressing) in very poor shape. The repressings were slightly tougher with a more shiny varnished finish but were never laminated. This is flat matt ink and is very prone to rubbing and ringwear and the early ones with the thicker records inside are heavily prone to all forms of wear. The record itself looks modestly played and has ultra clean playing surfaces and it plays absolutely beautifully throughout with incredibly sound. Stating the obvious, it has the original mix and sound that was slightly altered on the CD reissues. The vinyl remains definitive and nothing will ever beat the sound of this classic on first-pressed vinyl.

Cover Condition and Details: EXCELLENT(-), this being quite harsh but it does have some edge rubbing. A single unlaminated format with a matt finish, it has RSLP on the front and back (again beware of substituted covers), Printed and made by Garrod and Lofthouse Ltd. Stunning artwork, and even though hardly a big seller, one of the most famous covers in rock history.

Cover Front: This looks superb with little to fault. A little very fine edge rubbing just encroaches but this again is being critical. Clean with barely any real wear with very bright and vivid artwork that is still fresh and unfaded. Any marks are very light and small and the lack of ring marks from the thick record’s rim is a huge bonus and quite unusual.

Cover Back: This cover’s back just seems to attract grubbiness and discolours very easily. Any here is very light and this has aged better than most around. A thumb type crease on the spine edge just below centre and one opposite even lighter but barely any others and again no ringwear or rubbing. A highly respectable back for a difficult 40-year-old cover.

Top Edge: Some patchy rubbing, and some near moderate discolour.

Bottom Edge: Consistent moderate rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering and guaranteed, untrimmed. Record entered on right outside edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression but quite thin in manufacture. Some slight clipping to a few letters of the text, but the vast majority is present and still very reasonable.

Corners: All corners have rubbed in respect to their particular edge but fine to near very fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: At 40-years-old, this is a tough ask to look like this, many are rife with deep ringwear, rubbing and faded ink – simply looking tired and tatty. With most of any real wear on the top and bottom edges, this still a nice looker on the main areas and on that basis, it should please many collectors, but not for the perfectionists this time. The plain white unlined inner is included in near excellent condition. One small tear on one window circle and mild discolouration.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++). A superb copy of a record that more often gets seen very marked and heavily played. For those who did buy this title, it was popular and few survive this clean. This is very attractive with two very clean looking playing surfaces. Intense black and shiny and a heavyweight first pressing – the K- reissues average 30 to 40 grams lighter than this and even the second matrix RSLP copies lose weight too. Holding the thick first pressings give that ultimate satisifaction compared to bendy later issues. Any surface marks are few and ultra fine and are only seen with critical viewing under angled light. This one sets the bar high and will take a lot of beating.

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: This genuine first pressing plays beautifully and even above its high visual grading with astonishing sound, a lovely clean pressing with nothing unwanted. A loud and dynamic recording and brilliantly produced by Frank, this complex music still astounds every time I hear it on top grade early vinyl. This record looks modestly played and gives a wonderful account of itself. Few, if any, records like this will play CD quiet, but this is as close as it gets and with such a difficult program too. The really difficult song is ‘Directly From My Heart to You’, with Sugarcane Harris’s electric violin. But this plays beautifully with sharp and totally focused sound with no traces of clipping, crackle or distortion, this instrument is amongst the hardest to track well and often suffers the most. This vintage copy is special - very special for Zappa enthusiasts, it should please most collectors. One final note, this vinyl copy – stating the obvious – has the original mix, the CD remastered, reissues vary again. I have put these two recordings head-to-head, and even though the CD versions sound fine, the vinyl sounds way better, and that’s the honest truth.

End Piece: Far too weird and musically advanced for many again, this album did not chart in the UK, genuine first issues originals are scarce. The cover alone I would have thought would have promoted more sales, but sadly not the case. This record is intricate and challenging, it has to be enjoyed loud, it’s the final album featuring most of the early Mothers. The players on this set were: Zappa; Ian Underwood; Bunk and Buzz Gardner; Roy Estrada; Motorhead Sherwood; Jimmy Carl Black; Art Tripp, Don Preston; Ray Collins; Don (Sugarcane) Harris and Lowell George. As stated this includes live cuts but all the songs here are new and the sound quality is awesome, get this on to your deck, sit back and be entertained - this is the genius that was Frank Zappa. Musically this album is as fresh and timeless as the day it was issued, it’s the man and his band at their experimental best with very varied material. Groundbreaking, original and astonishing – a Five Star album in most reference books and deservedly so. This is a copy I can strongly recommend, the record especially, do not lose this one.

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 QED Silver terminated cable). 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 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 stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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 (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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (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. 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 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’.