CHICKEN SHACK 40 Blue Fingers… Scarce Orig UK 1968 MONO

	£		48
	$		64

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: CHICKEN SHACK

Album Title: Forty Blue Fingers Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve.

Producer(s): Mike Vernon.

Engineer(s): Mike Ross.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Letter; Lonesome Whistle Blues; When the Train Comes Back; San-Ho-Zay; King of the World.

Side 2: See See Baby; First Time I Met the Blues; Webbed Feet; You Ain’t No Good; What You Did Last Night.

Label/Format: Blue Horizon.

Label Conditions: Two lovely examples with the inner ridge area textured. Both very clean and attractive with only light spindle marks with low visibility. (Please see label scan for all information.

Cat Number: 7-63203.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 113 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 135 to 145 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, many 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 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite scarce, like most blues albums, not a massive seller. Now regarded as a classic within its genre, this album is very heavily sort-after.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: 7-63203 - A 1 / 7-63203 - B 1

Brief Artist & Album Info: Classic title, classic cover and a true blues classic debut featuring the slightly eccentric Stan Webb and equally famous, a young Christine (later McVie) Perfect, arguably the most talented member of this fine band. Chicken Shack were the second most successful group on this prestigious specialist blues label after Fleetwood Mac and this album is arguably one of the best ever to adorne the famous blue label. The full line-up here were: Stan Webb, vocal, guitar; Christine Perfect: vocal, piano, organ; Andy Sylvester, bass and Dave Bidwell on drums. Dick Heckstall-Smith guests on tenor saxophone; Johnny Almond on alto and Alan Ellis on trumpet. Ten marvellous blues numbers packed away in the famous tin can cover, ready to be opened and enjoyed. This copy has an attractive cover with minimal visual blemishes. The mono record is visually strong with just a few very light surface marks or hairlines and plays beautifully. This record was a real joy from beginning to end and most blues fans will enjoy this one.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+. Its a single format with laminated front. Made in England by Ernest J. Day Ltd, London. This still has the ‘Patent Pending’ text. An attractive example with any visual blemishing minor and particularly noteworthy, it has a near perfect spine which is a huge bonus as explained further down.

Lamination & Front: Attractive with a fine shine with minimal traces of friction rubs or dulling, any present only really seen under angled light. All fully adhered with no lifting or blisters and no heavy creases. A few light edge hairlines as per usual and a small series of light half moons near the opening edge along with a thumb crease. These are one the lighter part of the artwork so show little with normal viewing. A few light surface marks and odd small press mark but no peeling and retaining a silky-smooth finish. A lovely front with a high attractiveness factor and the famous blue-fingered tin can will be hard to find much better these days.

Cover Back: The back is exceptional, unprotected and dark, most have rubbing and sometimes ringwear, often moderate or heavier still. This has avoided any major rubbing and has barely any creases and certainly no ring marks. Fresh and very dark and barely aged at all. Certainly one way above average and nice to hold and view.

Top Edge: Unworn and very straight too.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with minimal wear and no feathering. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: The cover has a highly vulnerable spine simply because the laminate ends on the front face on both left and right edges. Meaning the thin spine is fully exposed and unprotected. So many end up rubbed with the text eroded, often fully with nothing left (as per the last one of these I offered). The great news here is this spine is close to perfect. Dead straight and almost entirely unrubbed or worn. There is the odd tiny (and I do mean tiny) surface chip which has just glanced the odd letter or two but if a much better spine on this cover can be found, I would like to see it. Immesely difficult to find this good.

Corners: Largely devoid of any significant cornerwear, the odd tiny tip rub and crease if being critical. All retain very fine and neat shape with good definition.

Cover Summary: A splendid example of this famous, but delicate late 60’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find signficantly better. With front, back and all edges in very fine conditions, this is one that can be enjoyed. Minus those few light front half moons I would have graded Mint(-). This attractive item should please many, if not most collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Strong EX to EX+. A very fine visual copy that only shows very light surface marks or faint hairlines, all totally superficial blemishes with no sounds at all. Now over 40-years-old, how many mono examples of this classic will not have a few minor surface marks? Super clean and with a lovely shine, jet black and fairly solidly pressed. There is nothing on these clean playing surfaces I deem as a proper scratch, simply natural surface blemishes that will happen on any vintage album that has clearly been carefully played. As I have stated so many times before, all collectors will know what a typical mono record will look like these days mainly due to what they were played on at the time. A swathe of heavy spindle marks, badly marked, grubby playing surfaces and difficulty hearing the music through constant surface noise, crackles, pops and clicks. Often rife with groovewear and distortion too. This is totally on the other side of the spectrum and I will never offer such rubbish. Visually a fine excellent (argubly better) record that should please many collectors again.

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 quality record plays above its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, totally distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound with a solid mono mix. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or clicks of note were noticed, and few copies will play better than this. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has been modestly and carefully played. Certainly avoiding any potential blunt stylus abuse from its early days. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this blues classic. This copy will prove challenging to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

End Piece: Although I don’t claim to be a major blues buff, I do like John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac and Chicken Shack and this album is amongst my favourites of this type. The early Christine Perfect era was the vintage period before she left to join Fleetwood Mac, on this title she writes two songs. A blues album that many non-blues fans want in their collection, and rightly so. This is now getting quite an elusive title and never easy to find in mono especially that plays well – this does. With Christine McVie in the band, it had to be Perfect didn’t it?

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’.