ZAPPA/MOTHERS Weasels Ripped My Flesh RARER ORIG LATE UK 1970, DUAL MATRIXES EX+

	£		42
	$		56

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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 – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for 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.

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: 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 deeper orange-tan finish and smooth matt surfaces. This album was not issued on the tri-coloured format, Burnt Weeny Sandwich was the last ‘Mothers’ album on that label.

Label Conditions: Two very attractive examples: very clean, fresh with deep colour, any of the tiny few spindle marks are mostly very fine and faint – this final RSLP pressing plays beautifully.

Cat Number: RSLP 2028

Country of Manufacture: England

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 120 grams. around average.

Rarity: Only available for a relatively brief time with the RSLP number making it a scarce album with the original prefix. This copy is the final one made prior to the full Kinney changeover. The cover and labels are exactly the same, however this rarer ‘hybrid’ pressing now includes the original RSLP matrixes alongside the brand new Kinney K 44019 ones. These would have been pressed in tiny numbers with the original labels – most of these will include the new full Kinney number on the labels to replace the the RSLP ones. Also this is never an easy one to find in really fine condition, this record appears hardly played and offers superb sound with a very fine cover as well.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: RSLP 2028 A2 (K.44019.A2) / RSLP 2028 B1 (K.44019.B1)

Musicians: Frank Zappa – lead guitar, vocals; Jimmy Carl Black – drums; Ray Collins – vocals; Roy Estrada – bass, vocals; Bunk Gardner – tenor saxophone; Lowell George – rhythm guitar, vocals; Don ‘Sugarcane’ Harris – vocals, electric violin; Don Preston – organ, electronic effects; Buzz Gardner – trumpet and flugel horn; Motorhead Sherwood – baritone saxophone, snorks; Art Tripp – drums; Ian Underwood – alto saxophone.

Brief Artist & Album Info: ‘Weasels Ripped My Flesh’ was originally designed as a sampler for a 12-record set, ‘The History and Collected Improvisations of the Mothers of Invention’. It includes all new live and studio recordings (all superbly recorded). In more recent times, this is regarded as one of Zappa’s finest works and remains a fascinating collection. 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. The album also featured another notorious sleeve – for me one of the greatest ever - a hilariously gruesome painting by Neon Park (Martin Muller from San Francisco). He found more fame with his covers for Little Feat. 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 very loud 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 – in UK chart terms, it was his third highest entry. My regular Ebay readers and buyers will know of my love of Zappa’s music and I am always delighted to offer any of his items if the conditions are right. This is a fantastic record - never so easily found as a RSLP version in better grading conditions, and this transition pressing will seldom be seen, it being the final copy to include the RSLP prefix on the labels. The record is in superb condition and plays accordingly, the cover attractive with any wear or ageing modest – a very fine and scarce example to please many fans and collectors.

Cover Condition and Details: EXCELLENT: or very close to. A single unlaminated format with matt, smooth surfaces, it has RSLP on the front, back and spine. Printed and made by Garrod and Lofthouse, includes the plain white inner sleeve.

Cover Front: Although not one of rock’s biggest selling albums, most rock and prog fans will know this sleeve well. The first RSLP matt printings are notoriously wear-prone and seldom seen without. This famous Neon Park graphic has only gentle rub traces near the top and bottom and bottom corner tips. A fine surface crease that hardly shows above ‘RZZZZZ!’ with any marks few, gentle and faint. It retains strong colour and has aged little. At 45-years-old, this unforgiving surface has fared well overall.

Cover Back: Mainly gentle traces of grubbiness or set-off which is rarely avoided on a back that is no less forgiving than the front. The very fold of the spine has darkened and the odd fine tip crease. The lack of ringwear and creasing are major pluses. Few available ones will better this significantly I feel sure, knowing this cover well since my teenage years, it has always been a very difficult one to find high absolute top grading conditions.

Top Edge: Very straight, with patchy light rubbing, at the ends this is more moderate.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear at all, any thickening or burring little and very light as viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression, this being quite thin in manufacture. The white surface a little discoloured but the really good news, practically all the text is present with barely any wear – the odd tiny letter clip only. With a lot of text on this spine, that is quite unusual to see.

Corners: Moderate corner rubbing, a little less on the left pair. Very fine shape is retained with no knocks or major dinks.

Cover Summary: One of rock’s most recognisable covers, this RSLP original in very fine overall condition, edge wear will rarely be avoided as a bare minimum. Unforgiving and prone to all forms of wear, this splendid example will please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): a plain solid unlined inner that has aged little with far less darkening or toning that most. Hardly even creased and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): arguably better. A very fine 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. Both playing surfaces are impressive with any surface marks ultra fine and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. Very clean with excellent shine and quite solidly pressed on pure quality vinyl. And it plays as good as it looks and all evidence suggest very little usage. This should please many, if not most collectors.

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: This fantastic record plays even above its visual grading with lovely clean focused sound and no tracking issues*. With such sound intensity and complicated music included, that can never be taken for granted. This a lovely clean pressing with hardly anything unwanted. A loud and dynamic recording and brilliantly produced by Frank, this intricate and compelling music still pleases every time I hear it on a very clean, early-made record. It gives a wonderful account of itself and offers mastertape quality – and of course with the original sound that has not been messed around with like the CD versions. 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 focu sound with no traces of clipping, crackle or distortion, this instrument is amongst the hardest to track and often suffers the most. This vintage record is special for Zappa enthusiasts, it should please many, if not most collectors.

End Piece: Far too weird and musically advanced for many when first issued, the RSLP issues are scarce. Few but Zappa and this superb band could produce a piece so varied – covering rock, jazz, classical, blues and avant garde electronic music all on one brilliant album. The cover alone I would have thought would have promoted more sales, but only moderately successful in that respect. This record is intricate and challenging, it has to be enjoyed loud, it’s the final album featuring most of the early Mothers. As stated this includes live cuts but all the songs here are new and the sound quality is of studio quality. 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 blending rock, jazz, classical, blues and avant garde. Groundbreakingly compelling, original and entertaining – a Five Star album in most reference books and deservedly so. This is a copy I can strongly recommend, the record especially so, not one to lose lightly.

* 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.

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 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. 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 - 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 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 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, 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 14 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 – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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’.