BLACK CAT BONES ? BARBED WIRE SANDWICH ? clean orig 69 UK Decca Nova ? LEAFHOUND

$

400

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This is the original first press of the sole release by the precursor to Leafhound.  Originally based around Paul Kossoff and also featuring Simon Kirke, after their departure to form Free the band brought in lead guitarist Rod Price (who would soon go on to form Foghat with the remaining members of Savoy Brown) and drummer Phil Lenoir, and the result is a heavy blues-infused monster with a proto-metal attitude not far removed from Led Zeppelin and (of course) Free.  The album didn't sell at all and was quickly deleted, making it one of the rarest and most expensive on the coveted Decca Nova imprint.  Soon after its release vocalist Brian Short was replaced with Pete French, who brought his cousin Mick Halls in to replace the departing Price, and with Keith Young replacing Lenoir the band was renamed Leafhound, and the rest is history.  This album has a very similar sound, while sticking a little more closely to their blues roots. Steve Milliner (Aardvark) contributes a little piano to this David Hitchcock production (as he did on Tons Of Sobs the year before), bringing it all full circle.

This album was purchased from the original owner, whose name is written in small pen on the back.  He was living in the UK at the time and bought nearly every cool release from every country that one could ever possibly imagine (we got to see a few boxes and were simply blown away).  When we asked him about the day-glo psychedelic painting on the back (which greatly improves the black and white drawing in our opinion) he informed us that it was undertaken in his apartment in London one night soon after the album's release, while tripping on some particularly potent acid.  Makes sense.  Since the paint is water-based it could probably be (at least mostly) removed, but that really isn't necessary as he did a great job, especially considering the circumstances!

Artist: BLACK CAT BONES

Title: BARBED WIRE SANDWICH

Label: Decca Nova Series

Catalog Number: SDN 15

Country: England

Dead Wax Numbers:  ZAL-9431.P-2W  //  ZAL-9432.P-1W  stamped

Weight: 140 grams

Cover Format: standard, laminated Clarifoil front continuing along back edge, stereo/mono hole in back to display blue or red inner, Senol Printing Limited

Inner Sleeve: original blue stereo poly-lined Playing Speed 33 1/3 r.p.m., British Patent No. 800513 Foreign Patents Pending, Made In England R.S., 10-69

Cover Condition: VG (sharp, crisp, vivid and tight, the faintest corner bumps and some small creases, a touch of lamination peeling along the spine and mild ring wear, borderline EX if not for small name on back and the psychedelic day-glo painting on the back which actually looks better than it did before)

Vinyl Condition: EX (crystal clear with perfect gloss, just the standard inner-sleeve marks which are completely inaudible and are on every single piece of UK Decca product from those days thanks to their factory sleeves - which otherwise keep these beauties in fantastic condition as shown here - and some faint surface hairlines which likewise don't affect play in any way, stunningly clean, it plays flawlessly throughout and really couldn't be much nicer overall)

We clean every record on a VPI HW-17F using Audio Intelligent fluids.

Everything is strictly graded using the classic Goldmine Standards that we have been applying since 1983: 

M / M- / EX / VG+ / VG / VG- / G+ / G  (please see bottom of auction for specific grading information).

UNITED STATES MEDIA MAIL :  $4 for the first LP, 50 cents for each thereafter.  PRIORITY MAIL :  $8 for the first LP, $2 for each thereafter.

If you would like insurance (including Signature Confirmation) please add $1.65 for a package valued up to $50, $2.30 up to $100, $2.45 up to $200, $4.60 up to $300, and 90 cents for each $100 after that.

CANADA and MEXICO FIRST CLASS AIRMAIL :  $9 for the first LP, $3 each for the next three.  PRIORITY AIRMAIL :  $23 for the first LP, $2 for each thereafter.

THE REST OF THE WORLD - FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL (2-4 weeks) :  $16 for the first LP, $6 more for the next three.  Registration is available for an additional $12.  PRIORITY AIRMAIL (5-14 days) :  $30 for the first LP, $5 for each thereafter.  Registration is also available for an additional $12.

DUE TO THE INABILITY TO TRACK FIRST CLASS MAIL, ALL INTERNATIONAL PACKAGES WORTH $200 OR MORE MUST BE SHIPPED PRIORITY AIRMAIL.  NO EXCEPTIONS!  PLEASE WAIT FOR YOUR INVOICE IF THIS APPLIES TO YOU.  THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING.

 For all locations, double LPs count as 2 records, triple sets count as 3 and so on.  We are always happy to combine shipping, but regardless of how many LPs you hope to acquire, please complete your payment no later than 7 days after your last winning auction ends (of course exceptions can always be made, please contact us anytime).  If you are combining items please wait for us to send our personal invoice with the combined shipping amount.

Each (non-sealed) record is removed from its cover before shipping, and both are inserted into a new 3 mm sleeve before they are secured, with bubble wrap if need be, in the highest-quality cruciform LP mailer.  No time or effort is spared to insure that your disc, cover and inner sleeve / inserts all arrive in exactly the same condition as they were listed.

We aim to ship every item within 24 hours of payment, but this is not a physical store and a lot of time is needed for procuring and preparing these scarce items, so we ask you to please understand if we take an extra day or two to ship your package every now and then.  We cannot be held accountable for lost or stolen items (please use Signature Confirmation if this is an issue), arrival times, or for anything shipped overseas without registration.  We use eBay shipping so you will have records and tracking numbers for everything, but we have no control whatsoever once the item is handed over the USPS counter unless you use registration, so if you choose to forgo this extra service please do not file a claim if your package takes forever or fails to be delivered.  We highly recommend registration to all customers in Eastern Europe, Italy, and France from our experiences over the past few years.

We will always work with you no matter what the circumstance.  We make ourselves readily available to all of our customers, and look forward to any and all questions or concerns you may have.  We have satisfied thousands of online customers alone over the years, so don’t let our new shop feedback presence influence your perception of us.

We visually grade all records using the classic Goldmine Standard, to which we have added EX (as have many others), but we do not use any other variant from the classic scale.  No NM- or EX+ (which are both EX), EX- VG+++ or Near Excellent (which are all VG+), or any such other nebulous grades here!  We feel that nearly every collector will be more than pleased with anything listed EX or above in our auctions; they will all be top-shelf, archive quality items which will play M- throughout.  A VG+ record will truly satisfy all but the most critical curator.  On the very rare occasion we actually grade an opened LP as straight MINT, we can guarantee you’ll never find a nicer copy anywhere!

We will play-grade any LP if there is any reason to do so; any questionable mark, scuff or noteworthy artifact of any kind will be sampled to determine its true significance (which may obviously impact the grade).  We will also gladly play-grade anything upon request; if you are curious about the actual pressing characteristics or any have other questions about its actual performance please feel free to ask.

MINT :  Absolutely perfect.

This record looks like it has just left the plant, with no flaws whatsoever.  It appears unhandled and unplayed, with no marks of any sort.  Usually only sealed or (sometimes) unplayed LPs will warrant this grade.

The cover does not appear to have had a record inside it; there is no wear or distraction of any kind.

 M- : Virtually flawless, top copy.

The record is virtually identical to the moment it was opened, but may have a few faint paper, packaging or pressing scuffs which will produce no sound whatsoever and are very hard to see without critical inspection.  It was very carefully handled and played, likely only once or twice.

The cover is as close to perfect as can be expected given its age.  There may be minor impressions due to the outer edge of the vinyl (no ring wear), the lightest possible corner bumps, or a few tiny laminate creases (mainly on imports), but no wear or whitening of any kind whatsoever.

EX : A beautiful specimen, which will please most critical collectors and not need to be upgraded.

The record has no scratches or significant blemishes, and will play M- throughout.  It retains 100% of the gloss, sheen and luster, but may have a handful of faint superficial scuffs, hairlines or light spindle marks which will not produce any sound whatsoever.

The cover is nearly perfect.  There may be the absolute faintest suggestion of ring wear or possibly a light touch of dulling on the corners (nothing wrinkled or obtrusive in any way), but no notable seam or spine wear, writing or sign of tape anywhere.

 VG+ : Plays perfectly nearly all of the time, with only a few minor distractions.

The record still retains nearly all of the gloss, sheen and luster, but there may be a handful of inaudible superficial marks or scuffs, a mild scattering of light hairlines (which would only be faintly audible between tracks or in some very quiet passages), or a few stray marks which may mildly sound for a few revolutions. Each flaw is very minor, barely noticeable to the naked eye, and will not detract from the enjoyment in any way.

The cover is still very clean and crisp, but may look slightly more aged and have a few minor flaws such as small unobtrusive writing, minor wear to the seams and spine (no splits), slightly worn corners, very light ring wear or minor creasing.  No flaw is at all distracting in and of itself.

 VG : A nice play copy, which will perform without much significant distraction.

The record appears well played, but still has the majority of the luster.  It will not have been abused, though there will be some audible sound defects which will not overpower the dynamics of the music, such as mild surface noise in the quietest sections, a handful of stray isolated pops and clicks (which are brief and occasional), or possibly some very mild groove wear; still no skips, repeats, or anything deep or seriously pronounced.  It will play through quite nicely most of the time, with very minimal distraction.

The cover looks somewhat used and shows some mild wear.  There may be some minor seam splitting, ring wear (which still doesn’t overwhelm the cover), discreet writing (not large magic marker), or mild yellowing due to air contaminants. It is still nice, just a few notable flaws away from VG+.

We will never sell anything less than VG, so the rest of the scale is unnecessary.  And for what it’s worth, we absolutely detest groove wear, so we will almost never list anything lacking the overwhelming majority of the luster, sheen and gloss.  Anything of significance will always be noted.

THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING!