JOHN MAYALL's BLUESBREAKERS UK ORIG UNBOXED STEREO EX++ LP

	£		172
	$		228

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: BLUES BREAKERS – JOHN MAYALL with ERIC CLAPTON

Album Title: John Mayall’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton.

Producer: Mike Vernon.

Engineer: Gus Dudgeon.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: All Your Love; Hideaway; Little Girl; Another Man; Double Crossing Time; What’d I Say.

Side 2: Key to Love; Parchman Farm; Have You Heard; Ramblin’ on My Mind; Steppin Out; It Ain’t Right.

Cat Number: SKL 4804.

Label/Format: Decca – Rare original very first stereo pressing from 1969 with unboxed labels.

Label Conditions: Both in superb condition: very clean, fresh and attractive examples with three spindle marks on side one and one, maybe two on side two. On this evidence, a copy hardly even played and reinforced more by supreme sound throughout.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 135 grams. A typical solidly pressed Decca record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare as a first stereo pressing with the large unboxed Decca label format. These were changed to the more often seen boxed versions within the same year of issue making the unboxed originals far rarer and elusive. Please note too, this record was not issued in stereo until 1969, and by this time, the majority of fans would have already bought the mono version that was issued in 1966.

Original Year of Release: 1966 in mono – 1969 for the stereo version.

Matrix Nos: ZAL-7297.P-1W / ZAL-7298.P-1W (always great to a -1/-1 matrix on any Decca record proving beyond any doubt just how early this copy was made.

Stamper Codes: 1 BU / 1 BB (the second ‘B’ unclear)

Brief Artist & Album Info: An album of immeasurable greatness as an icon for the British Blues scene of the mid-60s. With it’s very famous Beano cover, this album always features high in any serious list of all time greats whether compiled by critics or the record buying public and justifiably so. The Bluesbreakers quartet on this landmark legendary album were: John Mayall, Eric Clapton, John McVie and Hughie Flint. Even non-blues fans usually want this one and treasure it equally, is any vinyl collection really complete without a copy? This is one of the most important albums ever issued to own in both stereo and mono, the mix is very different to the earlier issued mono version and the sound experience varies considerably. This is the ultimate first-made stereo copy and it sounds superb with a fantastic stereo imagery, power and detail. The record has only very light surface marks seen under light and offers the most fantastic sound that is little short of mastertape standard – this too being played on a highly revealing system. The cover, one of the most famous ever made, shows the Bluesbreakers sitting against a wall, with Clapton reading a vintage copy of the Beano comic (as seen in close-up), this is highly attractive and does full justice to it’s importance. This one has NO peep-hole mono/stereo stereo indicator on the back and is a true dedicated stereo sleeve. Arguably the greatest blues album ever made, this delightful example does it near maximum justice.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderately high: even with front lamination, this so often is seen totally trashed with heavy creasing, dulled laminate and its highly prone to discolouration and toning too. Obviously the unprotected back is even more prone to all the perils of age and handling abuse and is seldom seen even close to excellent.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a single format with front Clarifoil laminate. This has the solid back with no peep-hole. Printed in England by MacNeill Press, London. Simply one of the greatest and most famous covers ever made - the four members sitting on the ground up against the graphittied wall - a young Clapton reads a 1966 Beano comic.

Front & Lamination: A truly beautiful front that’s certainly up there with the very best I have seen. Retaining very fine shine, freshness and clarity with no dulling or friction rubs, any surface marks or blemishes are few, fine and faint and the most famous artwork can be enjoyed to near maximum advantage. The laminate is solid and importantly, fully adhered with NO lifting or blistering which I always feel is important for maximum good looks. Even under light, barely any hint of record impression or marking around the rim and label area. Any creasing is light and few, most of any present largely confined to the edges with just one half moon type away from. The white areas still just that, white, not yellowed or toned, this front is impressive.

Cover Back: No protection here and very vulnerable to anything time or handling can do to it. Actual real wear is minimal indeed with just the odd tiny mark, minor light crease and any darkening from age minimal and very faint indeed. Just a merest hint of faint toning traces around the edges with a few tiny and ultra faint spots (but look very hard indeed). So just the tiniest hints of the considerable age but it will take an amazing example to better this significantly and my grading can be truly considered cautious, even conservative.

Top Edge: The odd faint, very small tone spot but barely traces of real wear.

Bottom Edge: Similar to above, very neat with barely any traces of thickening to this storage edge. One light and gentle burr trace from a mild crease on the back. This seen (just) viewed end-on.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and sharp with barely any thickening and any burr traces tiny and light. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A super spine too with just light traces of rubbing near the very ends. Solid, straight with only minimal traces of compression. The ends are deeply nipped in manufacture as can be seen on my close-up pictures. All text is pristine and totally unworn under the solid, clear and unpeeled laminate. Being white, the small, mild rubs near the ends hardly even show.

Corners: The top left front has a tiny brown on the very tip, any other similar traces are tiny and barely worthy of mention. Small tips rubs but being white they have little visual impact and all retain very fine to excellent shape and definition.

Cover Summary: A very strong and pleasing all-round example of this very famous 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): a heavy-duty polylined inner, this being very clear with minimal crinkle as seen through two nigh-on pristine window circles. One corner has a light semi-crease and all edges are unsplit with no repairs. Some adhesive darkeing on the edges but this well disguised by the dark blue box on these areas. Minimal discolouration and with strong colour. This UK patented with ‘Foreign patents pending’ text, it is date-coded 4-70.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): please remember the great age and era of this classic blues record. Most were heavily played with heavy tone arms and thick needles that wore into the delicate grooves quickly resulting in distortion, clipping and noise. This copy has avoided that and plays superbly, any of the very few surface marks fine and light, little more than than hairlines and of course, have NO sound. There is not even one penetrating scratch on this magnificent record. A very clean example with a lovely shine, jet black and very solidly pressed on thick vinyl. A quality Decca pressing as you would expect and this again will please most collectors.

Album 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 wonderful stereo original plays even above it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound (never take this for granted on any copy of this record), all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Devoid of surface sounds, I heard no crackle on this record at all and the same for pops and clicks, I heard none. This record sounds stunning and will thrill all fans of this legendary blues band. A record with a very powerful and dynamic sound mix with beautiful stereo imagery. The detail, focus and clarity make this a very special record indeed. A fantastic Decca pressing, these records were amongst the toughest made and they rarely fail to please. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this blues masterpiece – the music did the talking and was a genuine thrill to hear in stereo again and from a very early unboxed cut. With such a clean record, inner and cover, this is not one to be lost lightly, this evergreen blue classic merits my highest possible 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 QED Silver 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as 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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.