CREAM Wheels of Fire 68 UK Double N/M LPs

	£		68
	$		90

Hi, I am Mike, I am 46 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 33 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 ellusive 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 entirity, 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. 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.

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 if you have quality items for sale).

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 of their intended 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. NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM UNREGISTERED USERS, I will cancel them immediately, and sorry, I cannot give valuations on people’s personal items just for their own curiosity, no item can be accurately valued blindly.

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 - Thankyou.

Artist or Band: CREAM

Album Title: Wheels of Fire (the double set)

Cat Number: 583032 Stereo. (This was pressed in mono also)

Label and Condition: Polydor, full deep red format Beautiful clean examples that show only light/light+ spindle traces. This stunning double set looks hardly played, all fours sides look stunning. (Please see label scans for all information needed).

Country of Manufacture: England, UK

Rarity: Scarce now, finding a copy in this superb condition will never easy.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: 583031 A2 / B1 and 583032 A1 / B2

Brief Artist & Album Info: Also available as two single albums but this is the full double set with the gatefold cover. This classic issue captures all what was great about Cream. nine brilliant studio cuts featuring lyrics by Pete Brown and some versatile instrumentation from Bruce, bass of course, cello, trumpet and viola are also used. The live album was recorded at the Fillmore and demonstrates the virtuosity of the three members. The brilliant long guitar driven blues of the ‘Spoonful’ and the stunning Baker finale ‘Toad’ - the improvisation demonstrated on the live set is quite phenomenal. Wheels of Fire captures this stunning band at their creative peak and with Brown’s psychy lyrics the blend worked perfectly. This album peaked at number three in the UK and made it to the very top in the US. Now without any doubt this double EJD cover has to be one of the very hardest to find any anything like attractive condition, the silver and black finish without laminate is almost impossible to find nice. We I am not saying this copy is absolutely perfect but for sure its one of the very best I have seen for ages, and this one really does look attractive. All four sides of the record set are quite magnificent and if anyone can find them better, well good luck to them. A set that looks great and plays just the same. One for the 60s rock connoisseur, this set could still last another 35 years if well looked after.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+, I think this if very fair taking into account of what most look like. Its a gatefold format with stunning centrefold artwork. This is unlaminated and was Printed by Ernest J. Day & Co, London. A cover probably two grades above average, believe me I have seen this one literally eroded away and falling apart.

Cover Lamination: None.

Cover Front: This really does look terrific, a classic psych cover and so prone to wear. This front has only the faintest hint of any rubbing and most only even begins to show when viewed under angled light. The vast majority of the surface is undisturbed or blemished. There is a very small pressmark at the very top and a few very light surface marks but little spoils this delicate cover (I use the word delicate with full conviction, this is collector’s nightmare to find nice). It shows no creasing or indentations and is very clean. I hope the pictures do this one justice.

Cover Back: Similar to the front, just a slightly heavier press mark near the top. Double sets with very heavy records inside nearly always caused pressmarks and most more often heavy, deep ringwear. So again putting this into context, this back is terrific really.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Stunning and little to fault, check out that artwork, this is what made the later 60s so special - where as all the quality artwork gone these days?

Top Edge: Very light rub traces.

Bottom Edge: Very little wear, light rubs towards each corner only.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear, minor feathering trace on back, but as light as it gets, again you can imagine how frail these edges were, their sharpness tells me the records came out little. Records entered on right outside edges.

Spine and Text: Solid and square with little wear, text is near perfect and unworn but of course a fine fold line which happens on all of these (unless you can find out thats been unopened, pretty likely eh!).

Corners: All four show a little minor wear, mostly on the very tips. All still quite nicely shaped.

Cover Summary: A lovely all round example of this fragile late 60’s cover, one that could prove hard to find much better. This strong item should please most collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++/Mint(-) A superb set with just the odd faint surface trace, but look hard - anything is superficial and nothing sounds. Super clean and shiny, and jet black and pressed on very solid vinyl. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually magnificent and a very nice pair of records that should please all collectors.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This super pair play up to their high visual grading with little to fault. Strong, undistorted sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear. No pops or ticks from memory and a fine pressing, any surface sounds are minimal indeed, if any at all. The power and detail embedded in these vintage unworn grooves will astonish you. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure these records have been played little and has been well stored and looked after - just imagine what this cover could have looked like with any minor abuse, that alone should tell you how nice the records are too. Little, if anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this pair. A copy that will prove near impossible to find significantly better.

Mono vs Stereo, an overview: Always a matter of opinion which is better or more important. 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 they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records. As a general guide to rarity, mono was the far more common format from 61–65; Around 66–67 the balance was roughly equal, then from 68-69 the balance swung more to stereo, making monos from these dates far scarcer, even rare - this guide is important and effects values greatly.

Track Listing: (In the Sutdio) White Room, Sitting on the Top of the world; Passing the Time; As you Said; Pressed rat and Warthog; Politician; Those were the days; Born under a bad Sign; Deserted cities of the heart. (Live at the Fillmore) Crossroads; Spoonful; Train Time; Toad.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: The UK’s definitive power trio and without doubt one of the greatest bands of all time. Clapton, Bruce and Baker were all masters of their instruments and proved on this stunning set they were amongst the best ever. These were exciting times and this double set is up there with the very best. A wonderful early pressed copy this should appeal to most collectors of fine quality, it could be a while before you fine this one significantly better, dont lose it – Mike.

Payment Details please read carefully:

UK First Class: = £2.50; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £4.00 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £6.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Doubles add extra £1, triples add extra £2. Box sets add extra £3 (£4 overseas and Europe)

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is 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 (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do not profit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken out of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. 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 lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be given.

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)

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.

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 interesting 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.