ISAAC HAYES SHAFT SOUNDTRACK INSANELY-RARE PROMO/DJ-ONLY MONO MIX UNDOCUMENTED

$

67

Isaac Hayes - "Shaft"

INSANELY-RARE, UNDOCUMENTED PROMO-ONLY MONO MIX!

Created exclusively for use by AM radio stations and NEVER available for sale to the general public!

Furthermore, it has NEVER been re-released on any other format, digital or analog! This LP remains the sole source for this mono mix of this album!

Go ahead and Google it - you will only find one result for this promotional mono mix, which is the Discogs entry which I myself created based on this very copy! It is otherwise UNDOCUMENTED!

And before you ask, yes, it is an official, authentic, legitimate pressing, as indicated by the "ARP" etched in each runout, indicating that this copy was pressed by American Record Pressing Co., formerly of Owosso, MI, whom Stax frequently contracted to press its albums.

Considering the absolutely minuscule numbers in which such mono promo copies were pressed, I have no doubt that this is one of only a handful of copies to have survived over the past 40+ years! At any rate, it's the only one to pop up on all of the otherwise all-encompassing internet!

CONDITION OF THE ALBUM:

I visually grade the discs as Good (G).

Yes, they are sadly not in the best of shape...

Each side shows numerous scratches. However, the majority are light, and although there are certainly a couple that can be felt with a fingernail, I would also say that there are no unsightly gouges which make you fear for the life of your stylus!

The good news is that it does play better than it looks. There is plenty of snap, crackle, and pop, but the quality of the recorded music actually remains quite excellent - full-bodied (as is characteristic of mono mixes), detailed, and, shockingly, largely free of distortion.

All four sides played free of skips or hangs when tested start-to-finish on my equipment (Technics SL-QD3 turntable, with a Grado Blue1 cartridge and accompanying elliptical diamond stylus tracking at 1.25g). However, I cannot guarantee that this will be a skip- and hang-free copy on any other system. After all, there are lots of scratches and thus lots of chances for something to go wrong.

Is it possible that this album will skip or hang on a sensitive turntable? I say yes. But is it also possible that it plays skip- and hang-free on your end just like it did on mine? I also say yes. The bottom line is I can't make any guarantees either way.

Remember, this is the only way to hear this mono mix - I challenge you to find another copy in ANY condition, let alone one in better condition!

Both LPs will be housed in brand-new, acid-free, poly-lined paper inner sleeves.

I grade the jacket as Fair (F).

There is tape all the way across the top and bottom seams of both disc slots, and the spine is also heavily worn.

However, this mono mix was issued in a standard stock stereo jacket (this was common practice with these mono promos, except that the jackets were always adorned with stickers designating them as mono promos - this copy seems to have lost its sticker), and thus it can be easily replaced. Frankly, the jacket is a total afterthought.

The jacket will (still) be placed in a protective plastic outer sleeve.

One last note - I am selling this album "as-is" without the option of return, simply because I don't want to risk having someone buy it to simply make a copy of the mix only to return the album to me afterward. As I have said, this is not a Near Mint (or even VG) copy and it has its faults - take this (but also the fact that it's likely the only copy you'll ever see) into consideration before bidding! 

. . .

My grading system pretty much follows the Goldmine Magazine format, and is as follows:

Mint (M), Near Mint (NM), Excellent (EX), Very Good Plus (VG+), Very Good (VG), Good (G+), Good (G), Fair (F), and Poor (P).

Although thorough grade explanations are best left for specific item descriptions, I will endeavor to say that: M is pretty much left for the discs of sealed records (and SOMETIMES the jackets of sealed records); NM and EX are in the “Wow, what a beauty!/archive piece” range; VG+ and VG are in the “That’s pretty nice” range; G+ and G are in the “eh, it’s okay” range, and F and P are in the “trashed” range.

For test-plays, I use a Technics SL-QD3 turntable, with an Grado Blue1 cartridge and accompanying elliptical diamond stylus tracking at 1.25g.

All records are shipped in genuine cardboard record mailers. The disc will be placed in a new liner and packaged outside the jacket (but within the plastic outer sleeve) so as to prevent splits. Original liners (if included) will be kept inside the jackets, as will any inserts. The album will be surrounded by three sheets of 12” by 12” bubble wrap (two sheets over the disc). Shipping info is always typed up and printed out – we don’t take chances with shoddy, hand-written addresses! The box will be sealed with and the address sheet will be affixed by lots of Scotch Heavy Duty Shipping Tape.

All payments must be made by PayPal. You may pay by debit, credit, or e-check, but must use the PayPal website to do so.

Payment must be made within 48 hours of purchase/auction’s end.