CAN Future Days RARER Orig UK United Artists 73 EX+ LP

	£		79
	$		105

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: CAN

Album Title: Future Days.

Producer(s): Can.

Engineer(s): Holger Czukay, Chris Sladdin, Volker Liedtke.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Future Days; Spray; Moonshake.

Side 2: Bel Air (the label lists side two as ‘Spare a Light’, an alternative title for the same song).

Label/Format: United Artists – Deep rich cream and deep brown format with matt finish. Note from my label scan, this includes the alternative ‘Spare a Light’ song title which of course is better known as ‘Bel Air’. This was later changed.

Label Conditions: Both very clean and highly attractive with just a couple of very fine spindle marks. Apart from a totally superficial one-off scuff on side one (no sound whatsoever), this copy has all the hallmarks of a barely even played record and sounds absolutely fantastic.

Cat Number: UAS 29505.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 143 grams and significantly heavier than most found, proving this is one of the earliest pressings made. [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. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: No Can album is common and this is no exception. Krautrock was only bought by a minority of prog fans during the early 70s. Most were too challenging and difficult for many collectors – I was not one of them – I adore German progressive music and Can were the creme-de-la-creme – a unique and wonderful band with few equals. This album is very rarely found with a decent cover and for a change this one has little wear and it’s way better than than ‘average’ – some found are a real mess of rubbing and deep ringwear. The record is always a challenge too but this one plays with supreme clean sound and must rank as the best UK pressed example I have ever heard.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: UAS 29505 A-1 / UAS 29505 B-1

Mother & Stamper Codes: 1 C / 1 R

Musicians: Michael Karoli - guitars; Kenji ‘Damo’ Suzuki - vocals; Jaki Liebezeit - percussion; Irmin Schmidt - keyboards; Holger Czukay - bass.

Brief Info: Brief Artist & Album Info: Arguably the definitive and most important of the German progressive bands of the late 60s and early 70s. Known affectionally as ‘Krautrock’ these types broke new barriers in rock and underground music. Can took this art to new levels of creativity, spawning a host of immitators - few came close. The album features their classic five member line-up as listed above. The four instrumentalists were all amazing and having a style all of their own. Schmidt’s karate chopping keyboard style was possibly unique, Czukay’s basslines had a throbbing twanging sound that resonate so clearly on a vinyl record, Leipzeit’s percussion was almost metronomic at times and is without doubt one of the finest and most influential drummers ever and the late, great Michael Karoli’s guitar had a splintering tone that complimented the sound perfectly. Legendary vocalist, Damo Suzuki, was highly inventive with great improvisation, he replaced the original singer, Malcolm Moony after their debut album, Monster Movie. The same can be said of Can in general really. Live they were never the same and their early 70s gigs are legendary. This album, their fifth, is a little easier on the ear than some of the earlier titles. Hypnotic, atmospheric with great rhythms, almost at times ‘laid back’ – well for a Can album anyway. Many regard this as their best album, that’s debatable, but it’s a classic album by anyone’s standards and sadly it was to be the last Damo appeared on before leaving the band. This is probably the best place to start for those unfamiliar with Can’s unique music and sound. This is a very strong copy with early stampers and much heavier pressed than even slightly later pressings and this is not an easy one on vinyl. Very clean sound and easily one of the best copies I have ever heard, the light scuff on side one has NO sound whatsoever. A very fine cover too – that is harder still. This brilliant ‘out there’ album never dates and just gets better with age – one of the best by one of the greatest progressive bands ever.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: All the ingredients present for heavy rubbing and ringwear and few ever escape.

Cover Grade and Format: A very solid EX and possibly worthy of a (+) considering just how intolerant of wear this is as outlined above. A single format with deep rich colour, unlaminated. It was printed and made in England with no printer’s credits, the earliest manufactured. Later ones that looked very similar were printed by Robert Stace.

Cover Front: The earliest issued and only rarely will they be found better. Most are seen very shabby and well worn. This front hs only mild traces of handling and only slight traces of rubbing. Hardly any creases and none significant and the lack of ringwear is a massive bonus as most of these really can look ugly. The deep blue ink is unforgiving and does not wear well. Given just how difficult this deep matt blue cover is, it will not be too easy to find much better.

Cover Back: Very similar again and again avoiding ringwear which is unusual to say the very least. A tiny glue residue spot and only very light surface marks or rub traces. Few of the uncredited printing credit originals will ever be found much better these (or future) days.

Top Edge: Very light rub traces only, the majority shows barely any.

Bottom Edge: Tiny, faint rub traces only - superb given this is the resting edge.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear or feathering. Record entered on this right edge.

Spine and Text: A superb spine too: Solid, straight, uncompressed and square. All text is perfect and unworn and there is hardly any rubbing at all right up to the cornertips. Never seen this spine on such an early pressing look this good.

Corners: All have tiny tip rubs but little else and all retain very fine neat shape.

Cover Summary: Given just how uncompromising and difficult this cover is, I consider it an exceptional fine example, one that will prove very difficult to find significantly better. This attractive example should please many collectors if not quite the perfectionists.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Better than EX / N/M. Side one has a fine scuff line with little else to fault – NOTHING sounds whatsoever. Side two is superb with barely anything noteworthy. This is a lovely visual copy that is super clean, with fine shine and lustre, intense black and far more solidly pressed that even slightly later copies. I have had several A-1 / B-1 examples that are flimsy and light, this is a robust pressing. I would rank this as one of the very best pressed Future Days I have yet heard and maximum enjoyment was gained from it’s lovely clean sound quality.

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 snippetts 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 brilliant record even exceeds its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Even devoid of significant surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly challenging album. I have heard several copies of this title with constant crackle but this is NOT one of them and it will be difficult to match or find better, it was a joy from start to finish with hardly anything unwanted. Brilliantly produced, Can excel on this album and its popularity within its field is fully justified. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been played very lightly and generally well looked after. Odd scuffs happen, sometimes even present from new with manufacture handling. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, it has stunning detail and dynamics, it has pace and rhythm and again is a gateway into the recording studio. Atmospheric trance-rock and hypnotic, Can had a unique sound and this experience will leave you transfixed and wanting more quickly. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better – both record and cover. I Can hardly recommend this one highly enough – brilliant is too small a word for this excellent 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.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

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

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. 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 (£39).

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. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.