CREAM Disraeli Gears EX+ Mono Laminated Both

	£		120
	$		159

Hi, I am Mike, I have been a music collector for over 30 years now. I always still try to offer 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 interested collector. You may notice I only submit one or two items a day for Ebay; time rarely allows more as I Play-Grade every record I offer (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 collector. 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. A ten pounds record that plays close to new is as important to the collector as a 250 pound record that plays less well. 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. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. Good luck.

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. 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 by quality single items and collections also (Email me please).

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Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert.

Artist or Band: CREAM

Album Title: Disraeli Gears

Cat Number: 593003 Mono.

Label and Condition: Reaction. Attractive examples of this famous 60s label. Both have deep rich colour with few marks. Boths sides show moderate spindle marks. (Please see label scans for all information needed).

Country of Manufacture: England, UK

Rarity Factor: Very early pressings of this album in mono with the cover laminated BOTH sides are never easy to find, especially in very near top playing condition.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: 594 003 A1 and B1. All the stamping codes all appear to be 1 - this indeed could be a very first pressings

Genre Type: Blues/Rock

Album Information: The world’s most famous blues/rock power trio’s greatest album - a massive issue which still sounds wonderfully awesome and fresh, even today. Clapton, Bruce and Baker’s most consistently perfect studio album. Early Reaction copies are something to treasure, with its superb psychedelic cover artwork (by Martin Sharpe) and wonderful dynamic mono mix. The cover on this copy on offer is laminated front and back, and is far harder to find than the laminated front only (its finding the unlaminated back in super condition that’s hard). The record looks and plays really well - a really beautiful package that should please all serious collectors. (Please note I am offering the stereo version also at the moment from the same collection).

Cover Condition and Details: Excellent+, single format, laminated front and back, Mono printed on cover back and printed and made by Ernest J. Day & Co Ltd, London. Patent Pending. A truly lovely example of this very famous cover that shows little wear - stunning artwork.

Cover Lamination: Both sides have very strong lamination with no peeling or dry areas, both retain a stunning rich shine. Some light creases that show little atop the very dense coloured artwork. Very few marks, no dull areas, scratches or indents. Classic lamination.

Cover Front: Without doubt one of the greatest ever 60s psych covers with stunning artwork and use of colour - so bright and fresh you will almost need sunglasses. Very clean and lustrous, just a tiny ‘chip’ on the very bottom right corner, that’s just about as bad as it gets - this is how good this cover really is.

Cover Back: Similar to front in every way, not even a hint of any ringwear.

Cover Edges/Corners: Top: unworn. Bottom: unworn. Record entry edge (right): virtually unworn, clean and sharp. Spine: Solid and square and unworn, all text is pristine under the uncracked laminate. Corners: All four show a little wear but retain fine shape. The wear is light rubbing on the corner tips, all pretty light really, fraction more on the top right. Bar this small corner wear this would be in the Mint(-) class. Summary: A superb all round example of this scarce original 60’s cover, one that would prove hard to find much better. This super item should please most collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX, very clean and shiny, pressed on very heavy thick vinyl. Little more than a few light and pretty faint hairline type marks. A copy that has been played several times for sure, but this has been well looked after and finding a much cleaner looking mono will proved difficult.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This gorgeous mono copy plays beautifully - play-grading was a true pleasure. Mono or stereo best? - always one for debate. I could not be asked to choose for this album - both are truly essential. The mono mix has incredible detail and dynamics: listen to the real slam on ‘Tales of Brave Ulysses’ at the start of side two. Bruce’s bass really pounds out of the speakers as does Baker’s drums. Clapton’s guitar is clear and distortionless as are all the vocals. Disraeli Gears is sublime blues rock with added psych. This copy plays really well with few unwanted sounds and the music is totally free of any wear or distortion - always a massive bonus for 60s mono classics. There are a few minor light surface sounds maybe between a couple of tracks, but just about all the music plays quiet with terrific sound and is virtually free of pops or ticks. A copy that has more than survived those vintage vinyl wrecking decks of the 60s, this will play for many more years with full dynamic range and clear quality sound - that for a mono classic is truly something.

Mono vs Stereo: Always a matter of opinion. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure thery are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records.

Track Listing: Strange brew; Sunshine of your love; World of pain; Dance the night away; Blue condition; Tales of brave Ulysses; SWLABR; We’re going wrong; Outside woman blues; Take it easy; Mother’s lament.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: Disraeli Gears peaked at 5 and 4 respectively in the UK and US, very commendable in a year that saw the issue of so many truely wonderful records - still for me the greatest ever year in music. The stunning dayglo cover matched the feel for the times perfectly for a psychedelic London. The blues feel of the band was slowly slipping away and the brilliant strange lyrics by Pete Brown suited Jack Bruce’s finest vocals. The words ‘classic’ and ‘essential’ are definitely not overused on this album. This album, when found in mono is often trashed, simply played to destruction, with unlistenable distortion and groove wear and scratches, what a joy to find and offer a copy that truly plays very well, not quite absolutely perfect, but as close as I dare suggest your likely to find. – Mike.

Payment Details please read carefully:

Buyer pays: (UK) £2.50 P&P , for first-class delivery with standard £28 insurance. Items that sell over £80 will be sent via Special Delivery as standard at no extra cost which are insured for £250.

Europe: £4. This is covered up to £28 insurance and would be sent 1st-class airmail. A recorded airmail service is now in place for Europe too: this means any item will be fully insured to its true value, No customs sticker is needed for Europe, so this is a worthwhile investment. This costs extra £5, the item is tracked and the item has to be signed for - I will use this service to Europe as standard for very expensive rare items e.g. records over £125 at no extra cost.

USA, Canada, Australia, Japan and other Far Eastern countries etc: £5.50. This is covered up to £28 insurance and would be sent 1st-class airmail. Please note I do not profit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more).

Extra insurance with recorded delivery is available too for non-Europe countries but will cost an extra £5 also, the item will be covered for up to £250 or even £500 insurance for some detinations - customs label prices will be kept low.

I accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders own risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above) PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Mailing Details: All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken out of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR 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.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other intesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear 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. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.