CREAM Wheels of Fire RARE UK Polydor 1968 N/M Studio LP

	£		84
	$		111

Hi, I am Mike, now 50 – yes the big FIVE-O! Old enough to remember the golden era of original, high quality music, bands, artists.

Also records from the 1960s and 70s bought from the shops from new, I have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 37 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 elusive 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, 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 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 and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. 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 Ortophon 520 Mk II cartridge (tracks at 1.75 grams). Amps: Arcam 2 x 125W Pre-Power. 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 post all my UK items on FRIDAY every week, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. 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 massively thick stiffners for even extra protection and bubble wrap if deemed necessary. These stiffners are the thickest possible and custom supplied for ‘Oneadayrecords’ – these are NOT commercially available and you will not have seen thicker protection anywhere. 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 as well as ‘Fragile’ tape for that extra professional touch for the packet. 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 cheapest 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 3,500+ items sold in over 5 years of Ebay trading (I am now one of most established sellers via Ebay) 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.

Album Title: Wheels of Fire.

Producer(s): Felix Pappalardi.

Engineer(s): Tom Dowd, Adrian Barber and Bill Halverson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: White Room; Sitting on Top of the World; Passing Time; As you Said.

Side 2: Pressed Rat and Warthog; Politician; Those Were the Days; Born Under a Bad Sign; Deserted Cities of the Heart.

Label/Format: Polydor (Please see label scan).

Label Conditions: Both in superb, super clean conditions with a freshness rarely seen on a record this great age. Spindle marks are very light and light (just three on side one) and clearly this record has hardly been played or likely even handled.

Cat Number: 583033.

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 Record: 125 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 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: Much scarcer in the original E. J. Day shiny ‘silver foil’ type cover and rare in such beautiful condition. This must be one of the most wear-prone covers of the entire 1960s and is seldom found even a solid VG. This peels and tarnishes badly and is usually rife with deep penetrating ringwear and rubbing. Often suffering blackening or severe dulling and the vast majority look plain ugly. The silver ink simply looses its lustre and becomes a mess and with such incredible intricate artwork this is a travesty. This example must be the very best I have ever seen with any wear or blemishing very light and minimal, it still looks fantastic. This rare single ‘studio’ cover is equally as vulnerable as the double set and I consider this single album to be much harder to find than the two album set. This shiny original version was soon replaced by the matt finished version with same artwork but looking much different, that was printed by Howards Printers of Slough. In terms of wear, that version faired better but the effect was not the same. Not only is the cover exceptional and that’s not putting too fine a point on it, the record plays to perfection from start to finish. In terms of difficulty, this must rank as one of the best pieces I have offered in some time. Few will survive with such little wear, I am not saying it’s quite perfect by any means, that is close to impossible, but silver foil type covers with a shiny finish are easily the most difficult to keep. Now around forty years old, this cover sets the bar high and it will take something amazing to better it significantly.

Original Year of Release: 1968.

Matrix/Stampers Nos: 583033 A1 420 1 1 6 / 583033 B1 420 1 1 1 0

Brief Artist & Album Info: Brilliant third album by the greatest UK power trio ever. Following the classic debut and Disraeli Gears was never going to be easy, but Wheels of Fire more than pulls it off and is possibly the perfect studio Cream album demonstrating beautifully balanced songs. Also released as a double set with the second disc being recorded live at the Fillmore. That too being issued as a single album too. This is Cream at their amazing best: the studio album is highly versatile, featuring some of their finest songs ever. Jack Bruce not only featuring on bass, but proving what a highly skilled cellist he is also, he even plays recorder on ‘Pressed Rat’. More surreal lyrics from Pete Brown, the combination worked perfectly again. It can be argued the second printing of the cover is better for collectors simply because it more likely to found in attractive conditions but nothing beats the first made shiny ‘tin foil’ verson when found like this. Most of those are in very poor conditions and avoiding rubbing and ringwear is nigh-on impossible. The EJD original has to be kept very carefully for all of its existence to have any chance of looking attractive and most wore, tarnished and creased in a very short space of time. What a joy to find one that must grade EX++ as a bare minimum and worthy of at least an extra half point simply on its uncompromising finish. Both cover and record are as fresh and clean and sound quality is perfect throughout. For those seeking out the classics, this fantastic and rare single album is more than just worth considering, it will take an amazing copy to better it significantly.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High++ (off the scale actually): [Unlaminated covers are always the most vulnerable for rubbing, fading, sticker tears and ringwear, gatefolds are more prone still and the darker they are, the more this type of wear occurs and shows. Some sleeves have a textured finish or die-cut shaped edges or ‘windows’. These are even more delicate and the hardest to find in top condition. Fully laminated covers are more resistent to wear but often the laminate ages with dulling, creases and blistering. Many 60s covers have outer flipback construction, these are very vulnerable to damage]. (US covers are the most fragile of all, very rarely laminated and made with thick brittle card that rubs and ringwears badly. Seams and edges split easily). Please see format below to access this cover’s potential for wear and damage.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ but worthy of higher taking all the facts into account, this is an exceptional example, this is one of rock’s most uncompromising sleeves. This is the original shiny format with a silver foil type finish. A single format that has a different design on the back, it was printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day. Not only is this the original cover, it’s far rarer than any other later-made example. I would imagine cost, lack of longevity or even the complexity in the manufacture of this original cover was a factor for it being changed.

Cover Front: This fantastic psych artwork sets a very high standard and few will match or better it these days. Any rubbing around the record rim shape is almost conspicuous by its absence and easily the least I have ever seen. Dulling or friction rubbing is a major factor with the cover and apart from light traces near the top edge and right top corner area, this has hardly any and that goes beyond remarkable. When seen like this, a cover of immense beauty, few will get near this one. Barely a crease to be seen and no marks, scuffs or scrapes worthy of note on offer. This volatile surface can actually bubble and chips are also usually rife but this has avoided this too. Tarnishing is yet another major factor and again this front has barely any to report and the silver ink has NOT weakened or blackened and any loss of surface matter is close to zero, this front retains genuine lustre and beauty. The artwork design is simply amazing and what a pleasure to be able to offer an original that can be looked at and admired, not to be stored and hidden away – a front that gives maximum pleasure. Not quite perfect, but I still rate it as connoisseur quality.

Cover Back: The back is even more revealing that the front, large areas of silver, this is as close to impossible to find strong as they get. Only IF’s first album on Island is more vulnerable than this in my opinion. This is very similar to the front with just a little more ring impression and rub traces. But anything present is still very mild indeed and in context even less so. This is a dedicated stereo cove with all text and artwork perfect. Again any surface marks are very light and few and the breathtaking artwork is fully intact and unchipped or damaged. There is a small black mark near the left edge which can clearly be seen on my picture, either a slight scuff or a manufacture blemish, whatever, it’s very small and minimal. A light crease near the top left corner area but no others of any consequence and taking both sides together, well I can’t imagine finding either better on the same cover, this really won’t be found like this often.

Top Edge: Am I dreaming or is practically all the silver ink still intact? No not dreaming and it IS – there is barely any wear to this edge with just one tiny surface chip only.

Bottom Edge: If the top pair’s retainment of their ink is amazing enough, the bottom is almost remarkable. This is superb also and shows barely any traces of wear at all with all ink intact and still clean and fresh – truly amazing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and very sharp with no thickening, burring or feathering. No better proof of lack of record use, this will be more than obvious to any winning bidder.

Spine and Text: The spine also defies its logic. ALL the silver foil ink finish is fully intact with no wear or even scuffed. It even retains a lovely shine and ALL the text is pristine perfect with no wear whatsoever but is centred slightly high and visible from the front view. Solid, straight, but made quite thinly, this has a few light traces of compression too. You won’t see this spine on an EJD version of this cover much better with many being shredded and devoid of much of its original surface. Even the spine folds are unworn or rubbed.

Corners: The corners show little wear at all even to the tips, the odd tiny tip area crease but try to find these better. All retain splendid shape and definition.

Cover Summary: Often referred to as the ‘tin-foil’ cover and its delicate disposition acts in the same kind of way. Truly one of the most difficult and vulnerable 1960s covers, as stated this EJD version is impossibly difficult. A splendid and still very attractive all round example and one that will prove very difficult to find significantly better. This classic Cream cover should please most-all realistic collectors. It’s a significant variant on the double set with a very different back – discerning collectors are sure to want both single covers as well as the gatefold double version. I am just delighted to get this back inside its cover again.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) A breathtaking example with barely a noteworthy mark or blemish to be seen. I can just see an fine hairline on side one, that apart a Mint grading would be unreasonable. Ultra clean, with a lovely rich shine, jet black and very solidly pressed. Clearly hardly even played and this fantastic studio album will be hard to find like this again.

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 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 record plays beautifully with nothing unwanted and the will please even the most discerning listener. No distortion or clipping with all frequencies sharp and clear and no pops or clicks were noted. An immaculate pressing, devoid of crackle or surface sounds, a better sounding single version for this classic title is unlikely to be found. A total joy from start to finish.

End Piece: Without doubt one of my favourite ‘popular’ 60s bands and have been since I was at school. A young art teacher introduced me to their music when I was a very young teenager and I was immediately hooked. Clapton, Bruce and Baker together made the most fantastic sound live and their more generally subtle studio tracks were simply magical. A blend of surreal rock-blues with distinctive psychedelic overtones – few did it better than Cream. A shame they did not make more albums but what they produced have stood the test time supremely well and simply refuse to age. Most consider Disraeli Gears to be their classic album, maybe so, but Wheels of Fire is only a fraction behind and I actually think some songs are superior. One last mention of the cover, I simply cannot reitterate enough how difficult this is to find even decent let alone highly attractive. One showing such little overall wear is a thing of great beauty and rarity. Just a few months of no protection will see this cover age badly and with the knowledge accrued over time, it’s clearly better NOT to store the record inside this cover at all. It does have light ringmarks but if one truly does exist with none, I would love to see it. My pictures were taken without flash to avoid reflection. A vintage early copy to please most collectors and I can strongly recommend this incredible and scarce single studio album.

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: 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: OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. US; Australia; 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 (£35).

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’.