CREAM Disraeli Gears UK Early 70s Reaction Stereo EX++ LP.

	£		39
	$		52

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all. More details on this nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: CREAM

Album Title: Disraeli Gears

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Strange Brew; Sunshine of Your Love; World of Pain; Dance the Night Away; Blue Condition.

Side 2: Tales of Brave Ulysses; SWLABR [She Was Like a Bearded Rainbow]; We’re Going Wrong; Outside Woman Blues; Take it Easy; Mother’s Lament.

Label/Format: Reaction – very dark, matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Side one has a small friction mark just to the right of the hole. In terms of spindle marks only very few, fine and light and I am certainly this quality record has been played very little.

Cat Number: 594003.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 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: 125 grams. Around average for a second press.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: The actual title itself is moderate, but finding any Reaction copy in such clean visual and playing conditions with very clean sound is far harder. This is a second press copy with the single sided laminated cover, these are a little easier to find but so many so seen with badly worn covers and heavily played records. This one bucks-the-trend on both accounts.

Original Year of Release: 1967. Going on the date-coded inner sleeve which has 0872 on it, it verifies this was manufactured in August 1972.

Matrix Nos: 594003 A-2 [184105 A] / 594003 B // 3 420 (the bracketed ones on side one are crossed through error corrected). The stamper digits are quite indistinct and I see little point in guessing.

Musicians: Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals; Jack Bruce - bass guitar, harmonica, vocals; Ginger Baker - drums, vocal.

Album Information: Arguably, the world’s most famous blues-rock power trio’s greatest album - a massive issue which still sounds wonderfully fresh, even today. Clapton, Bruce and Baker’s most consistently perfect studio album. The Reaction copies are something to treasure, with it’s superb psychedelic cover artwork (by Martin Sharpe) and wonderful dynamic mix. When found in such clean condition, they are a thing to treasure. The stereo mix is superb and very different from the mono version – both are essential. ‘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 brilliantly surreal lyrics by Pete Brown suited Jack Bruce’s finest vocals. The words ‘classic’ and ‘essential’ are definitely not over-used on this album. Early copies of this record, when found in either mono or stereo are so often trashed, simply played to destruction, with unlistenable distortion, groove wear and scratches, what a joy to find and offer a copy that looks hardly even played and sounds fantastic. This has a cover in equally pleasing visual condition – the colour so bright, intense and vivid, you almost need ‘shades’. Early 70s versions had laminate on the front only and this one has the edges protected which is good news as the spine survives with all it’s fragile text fully intact.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a single format and laminated on the front, this covers all the closed edges, hence the fragile spine and it’s text are protected, not all were. It ends on the back edge with nearly an inch appearing. The back is matt and smooth. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day and includes it’s original lined inner sleeve.

Lamination & Front: Supreme artwork and one of the landmark covers of it’s era. So famous and desirable, only strong, little worn examples will do for discerning collectors. The laminate retains a supreme shine, freshness and clarity so the intensity of the cover’s artwork is seen to absolute maximum advantage and shows barely any marks or dulling at all. Even under light there are no traces of any friction rubs and any record impression is minuscule. Another crucial factor is the lack of lifting or blistering, any slivers on the spine edge are incredibly fine and barely show, practically all is fully adhered. Being made with thin card makes creasing another factor, this has only a few light ones that again show little with normal viewing. A classic front cover of genuine beauty and it blows-away it’s years and will prove difficult to find much better.

Cover Back: The important factor is the laminate wraps around the spine edge and ends on the back, so the spine remains fully protected. Some were tucked inside leaving the spine exposed, hence so many are badly rubbed and the text eroded – NOT this one. This back is equally as impresisve as the front and possibly even more so, it has barely any wear at all. The lack of grubbiness and ring wear or rubbing makes this exceptional and so few will be found this clean. Any creases are very few, tiny and faint and the laminate end clean and even this retains a deep shine.

Top Edge: Ultra smooth laminate and super-clean panel end that is totally pristine and unthickened. Dead straight and totally unworn as new.

Bottom Edge: Largely as above, and impressive for the traditional storage edge.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and very sharp with barely any wear, the lack of thickening or burr traces are another major bonus and this entrance edge is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: Practically pristine: the inclusion of laminate protection on this thin spine is very significant as it helps protect the surface and it’s important text which is fully present and unworn. Solid and straight with no compression. All the laminate fully intact and unpeeled and mainly very smooth to the fingertip.

Corners: Barely any rubbing or wear at all. All retain very sharp near mint shape with no creasing or dinks.

Cover Summary: An exceptional and age-defying example of this beautiful and quite early-made cover, one that will prove very difficult to find better with the single-sided laminate. This vintage item should please many collectors and do not underestimate how difficult this is to find with a fine spine and general lack of wear.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a Polydor-style lined inner with no creasing and hardly aged at all. The polylining clear as seen through two pristine window circles and all edges unsplit with no repairs. As stated further up, this is date-coded 0872 which means an August 1972 issue.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and looks hardly even played, a mere whisker off my maximum Mint(-) grading. A super visual copy that I am certain had only been played very little and never exposed to any damaging old stylus from the distant past. A one-owner copy from new and very clean, fresh and solidly pressed with a lovely shine and lustre. This record usually gets well played and why not?, it’s a classic, so a refreshing change to find one that has not been. Any surface traces are bordering on minuscule, even viewed critically under bright angled light, this should please many, if not most collectors.

Record 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 snippets 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 psych-rock classic plays with wonderful clean sound and play-grading was a 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 a very different sound which is solid and punchy. The stereo images better and many prefer the psych albums in the two channel mode, it has incredible detail, power 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 distortion-free as are all the vocals with no high frequency clipping whatsoever. Disraeli Gears is sublime blues-rock with a real psych edge. A copy I enjoyed immensely, that lack of any groove-wear distortion is always a bonus for any album this considerable age. No worn-out or chipped stylus have been let loose on the one, that will be immediately apparent as soon as yours makes contact with these totally unworn grooves. So many still used mono record players even into the 1970s and often beyond. A copy that has survived totally unscathed musically and will offer quality sound almost indefintely if treated with the respect it deserves. Little unwanted was heard at all and this is a very strong overall copy and with that attractive cover too, this merits strong recommendation.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. 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. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand+ based on over 10,000+ items sold in over 12 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

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

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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 necessarily 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’.