BONZO DOG DOO-DAH BAND Doughnut… Rare UK 68 MONO + Bo

	£		38
	$		50

Hi, I am Mike, now 48 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 34 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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, 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 (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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 reader – 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. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Album Title: The Doughnut in Granny’s Greenhouse.

Producer(s): Gerry Bron & Gus Dudgeon.

Track Listing: Side 1: We Are Normal; Postcard; Beautiful Zelda; Can Blue Men Sing the Whites; Hello Mabel; Kamasutra. Side 2: Humanoid Boogie; The Trouser Press; My Pink Half of the Drainpipe; Rockaliser Baby; Rhinocratic Oaths; Eleven Mustachiod Daughters.

Label/Format: Liberty – Original Blue format.

Label Condition: Very clean and attractive showing only light spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. Side two has two manufacture surface creases that are clearly visible on my scan.

Cat Number: LBL 83158.

Mode: Mono.

Weight of this Record: 135 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite rare, reissues are far more common on Sunset but this is the real thing. It even includes the original book which is rarer still and in superb condition.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: LBL 83158 A1 420 11 7 / LBL 83158 A1 420 11 6

Musicians: Vivian Stanshall – vocals, trumpet, euphonium, tuba, percussion, violin, congas, musette; Neil Innes – musical direction, piano, harpsichord, guitar, organ, vibes, mellotron, congas; ‘Legs’ Larry Smith – drums, tap-dancing, vocal; Roger Ruskin Spear – Electronics and devices, saxes, guitar, trumpet, clarinet, cornet, guitar, xylophone, accordian, glockenspiel, tam-tam; Rodney Slater – saxes, trumpet, effects cornet, guitar, trombone, oboe.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Originally formed as a 20s-style jazz revivalist band but they soon found their nichè elsewhere. This follow-up to the wonderful Gorilla debut album (also available here), from the British kings of satire is another gem. Another fine mono copy and it includes some absolutely wonderful songs, witty, catchy and a little eccentric and all are priceless. Comedy and satire are blended with zany jazz-rock and strange tales, their appearance and style is not a million miles away from Zappa’s Mothers of Invention that recorded at this time. The ‘Bonzo’s’ became quite popular in the late 60’s and even had regular TV appearances on programmes like ‘Do Not Adjust Your Set’ and even had a hit single with ‘The Urban Spaceman’. The material was often revolutionary and a little risqué but rarely ever as smutty as Zappa or The Fugs and the humour flowed with all its typically British style. A little different from most band at this time: Wacky, zany, inventive and original, this is great entertainment and this is another nice copy – it has blemishes but albums of this type and age are rarely seen much better.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very high. Unlike ‘Gorilla’, this cover was totally unprotected by laminate, not only that, this is a gatefold format with a single thick front. With a heavy record inside all these years, few will be free of ringwear, rubbing and front-side creasing. This one has blemishes, but is way, way above average for this very vulnerable cover.

Cover Grade and Format: EX, and bar a surface scratch mark on the lower back, I would have little hestitation in grading this splendid example at near Mint(-). Maybe I have downgraded to severely for a relatively minor blemish, but I prefer that to ‘overgrading’. This is a gatefold format, and unlaminated. It has the correct ‘Mono’ number and text and it was printed and made in England by MacNeill Press Ltd, London.

Front: Great artwork artwork again, eccentric, strange and weird – they do not make ’em like this anymore do they? An exceptional front that will be very difficult to match or find better. The only really noteworthy blemish is a lightish crease near the top right corner edge area – and this hardly shows. Hardly any marks or other creases and indentation-free. Clean with very rich unfaded artwork, few will compare to this, the lack of creasing and rubbing is highly unusual and this is a real pleasure to view.

Cover Back: Similar to the front except this has no creasing at all. The minus is a surface scuff near the bottom, just left of centre near the ‘Liberty’ logo and left. Nothing major, but present and bar this, an almost unbeatable example for a cover rarely seen even VG. This has no ringwear or even a pressmark and is again in real terms, exceptional.

Cover Inner Gatefold: More strange artwork and lyrics included here. All in superb condition again with little to fault.

Top Edges: The back edge is virtually unworn, the thin front has a trace of mild feathering but even this is being critical.

Bottom Edges: Light rub traces on the back edge, the front is neat and crisp with little wear at all. Tiny white traces viewed front the front only.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear or feathering. Record is stored on this back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, quite straight with little wear and only a little mild compression. Folded a mere fraction off-square so the right edges are not quite flush but within a couple of millimetres only. All text is perfect and unworn which can never be taken for granted on these types.

Corners: Tiny tip rubs and odd mild tip crease, but all are pretty neat and look fine.

Cover Summary: The surface mark on the back is a blemish of course, but as the rest of the cover is in amazing overall condition, this can surely be lived with. A great cover that looks fantastic, the front and middle are truly exceptional. This should please many of collectors.

The Book: EX+++, very near Mint(-), a high quality example that will never be matched or beaten easily. Still held together strongly with the two original staples that have not rusted or aged at all. This amazing book looks little handled but the matt black covers are highly prone to showing any fingermarks readily (as are the pages). That said, this has few traces or marks which tells me again, like the stunning ‘Gorilla’ booklet I am currently offering also, this book has been little handled and looks great. All pages are very clean and look superb. It lies dead flat with no humidity ‘warping’. All 12 pages looking clean, near pristine with clear pointed right-angle corners and sharp edges. No significant creasing or grubbiness either, any marks on the covers are light and faint, only an unhandled one will better significantly. This scarce booklet should please most and when so often missing altogether, this is a real find.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Not that easy to grade as it has ‘inner sleeve rash’ – Liberty, Deram and Decca records I have found the most prone to this. Side one has only light traces with absolutely no sound at all. Side two has more moderate evidence, even moderate+. This surface patterned dulling is caused by the polymers within some inner sleeves. Over time, especially if a record has been left compressed inside, undisturbed for many years, the record can adhere to the polylining or even ‘stick’, it’s almost like ‘sweating’. When removed, the lining leaves a ‘rash’ mottling on the record’s surface. Mostly this is a totally superficial and non-sounding visual blemish and indeed this, from memory, is the only time I have actually ever heard a light sound from ‘inner rash’. Do not be alarmed, this superb record still plays brilliantly and any faint surface sound is only really apparent between about three or four songs and only just on the very quiet pieces on the musical parts – most all is obscured in the powerful mono mix. Exaggerating the sound hugely, this is a very light and very gentle ‘whoosh’, and quite honestly I hardly noticed it with the wonderful entertainment and otherwise near perfect sound. Better this than clicks, crackle or worse-still, distortion or high frequency break up – there is none of that and this mono record is still exceptional in every way. Very clean, still with shine, jet black and heavily pressed. Few other marks at all and I am happy to grade this as EX++ [but with inner sleeve rash, I have NOT taken this into account], more apparent on side two. How to allow for this relatively common age visual, you decide.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This wonderfully unique record plays up to and mostly above its visual grading with little to fault at all – I doubt it’s hardly been played or seen daylight for years (hence the rash). I have mentioned the very light and gentle surface sound on side two already but for most it will not be an issue. I am very fussy about sound, even critical, having in the past owned a Linn-Naim active system which revealed every tiny blemish possible. But this I could ignore easily and had no effect on my enjoyment of what is a superb mono record. The entertainment is far too strong to worry about such minor imperfections and on less revealing decks than my Rega, it would probably hardly be noticed at all. This superb record has strong, distortion-free sound (never take this for granted), all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and rich mono sound that sounds just perfect for its vintage. Any other unwanted sounds are minimal indeed and little registered at all and few copies will play much better than this in real terms – I will wager the vast majority will play far less well. This was a real pleasure to play-grade, I really love this album and it was a delight to hear in mono this clean – not quite as wonderful as Gorilla, but very close and this too has some wonderful songs, few better than ‘Drainpipe’ with that long lingering note that just goes on forever. Little, if anything really spoiled my pleasure when play-grading this fine mono record. If visual perfection and silence is non-negotiable, this will not be the copy for you, but for most collectors, this should delight. It will be a copy that will still prove quite difficult to find better for sound, especially in mono.

End Piece: A band musically more talented than given credit for and their music and satire broke new grounds here at the time – but not to everyone’s taste of course – they were a little crazy and eccentric and with the legendary Viv Stanshall in line-up who could be surprised? A mildly blemished record I still consider exceptional, a supreme book and strong, attractive cover, overall a great all round copy and its one I can still firmly recommend.

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’.

My Terms For Bidding

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions for payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions.

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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I buy quality single items and collections also (I am regularly told I offer the best prices – please Email me if you have items for sale).

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3 or Special Delivery (Next day, fully insured), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured & Signed For: £8.00.

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured & Signed For (where available) = £11.00. Doubles add extra £1. Reductions for multiple items for all.

Any item that sells for over £75 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £100 get the same service Overseas. This gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£30).

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage, in fact I lose money on most packets (my packing standards are very high and the package weighs a little more - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR proper stiffners for extra protection (if space allows). More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new inner, but will include the original inner if available.

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal or IMO’s from overseas bidders.

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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer.