THE DOORS STRANGE DAYS UK ORIGINAL MONO LP MINT 1st Pressing psych prog folk

	£		205
	$		272

THE DOORS - STRANGE DAYS, their 2nd studio album released in UK on RED ELEKTRA LABEL by POLYDOR RECORDS in 1967. This is the MEGA RARE MONO, GENUINE 1st UK PRESSING with PARADOX MUSIC/ESSEX MUSIC CREDITS AND NO MENTION OF PAUL A. ROTHCHILD ON THE LABEL, the 2nd press a year later had CAMPBELL CONNELLY/PARADOX credits on the label and listed Paul A. Rothchild as producer. The record is in  MINT to MINT- condition.

THE MATRICES: Side1 - EKL4014 A1. Side2 - EKL4014 B1.

THE COVER:  this is a genuine 1st press laminated cover WITHOUT PRINTERS mentioned anywhere, the 2nd issue covers had "Printed in England by West Brothers Printers Ltd, London, SW19" on it. The cover is in MINT- condition, on the front in the lower left side corner there are about 5 inches of lamination (which is fully intact ) that has pulled away from the artwork without tearing. In a course of time it happens quite often with laminated covers for UK pressings of 1960-70`s, the other common problem with them being numerous laminate creases  forming over time along the edges of the cover. However, this particular cover is nearly perfect: apart from a piece of laminate separation mentioned above, there`s nothing to distract from it`s beauty - there are no big creases (if any), no rips, all the corners are straight. I have no reservations in grading this cover as MINT-.

THE INSERT: a genuine 1st press insert with both STEREO and MONO catalogue numbers printed on it is in FANTASTIC MINT condition, the paper they were printed on was prone to yellowing, it`s virtually impossible to find it without signs of yellowing, but here`s one - NEARLY AS WHITE AS IT WAS PRINTED 47 years ago.

THE LABELS: are in EX+ CONDITION. Both sides of this copy have been checked under 100 watt lamp, there are about 6-7 spindle marks on Side1 and 4-5 on Side2. There are absolutely NO stickers, no sticker residue, dirt, fingermarks or handmade writings on either side. In some photos the labels look kind of orange tinged, but it`s just due to camera flash, there`s no fading or discoloration whatsoever, let me assure you - their colour is vibrant and passionate bright red, like it was supposed to be on Red Elektra.   

THE VINYL/VISUAL INSPECTION: the lp graded visually as EX-, it is showing it`s age, there are a lot of superficial scuffs that originated when it was taken out and put back in the insert. None of the scuffs are scratches, which was proved by playgrading. The record lies flat on the turntable, there`s no significant warping. This is a vintage POLYDOR lp, heavily pressed to the highest standards with deep grooves, it still has this magnificent original lustre.

THE VINYL/PLAYGRADED: The lp was playgraded on my high-end system including MICHEL GYRODEC with SUMIKO BLUE POINT SPECIAL CARTRIDGE, with following results: I`m pleased to say that both sides are playgraded as MINT. Perhaps I have at this point to elaborate on the system of grading that is currently used by the sellers on the internet. I think you`ve noticed that sometimes it can be rather vague and basically imperfect way of describing the condition of the LP. Partially it is due to subjective nature of the listening process itself and consequently grading, i.e. - one guy`s "near mint" is another guy`s "barely excellent minus". Also, grading is heavily influenced by the quality and set-up of the record player (especially it`s cartridge) and at times, erm... by the desire of the seller to get as much as possible for his record. I think for the most expensively priced lps, more detailed grading system should be adopted. For this particular listing, in view of how high a starting bid is, I would ask you to adopt a 10 point scale, where 10.0 is a compact disc like "black silence". So, if we can agree on this 10 point system - I have no reservations to playgrade the lp advertised in this listing as at least 9.0. I would also like to point out, that to avoid buyer`s disappointment I PLAY GRADE ALL RECORDS VERY (and I mean VERY) LOUD, so that all audible imperfections would reveal themselves. I want to assure you that I`m very strict and perhaps even too unforgiving a grader, and I`m confident that you will agree with my grading, allowing 0.5 point either way to the 9.0 points that I awarded to this lp on the 10 point scale . Anyway, without further ado -  I`m happy to playgrade the lp as an overall STRONG CONFIDENT MINT.

FINAL THOUGHT: I realize that a lot of people do not enjoy long-winded descriptions like this one here, some probably would not have enough patience to read up to this point. In my defense, I should say that descriptions like "it`s a record... it plays... I think..." are equally irritating. At least detailed description gives you an opportunity to get some insight about the seller, as well as about the product, this way you are able to form an opinion whether the seller is honest, careful and meticulous enough person, for you to trust him/her with your hard earned money. I`ve had my fair share of dealing with rare records over the years, and it is my sincere and impartial opinion that it will be very difficult for YOU THE COLLECTOR to find another copy of this album offered in such great condition. My starting bid is high, but I am of the opinion that it is justified. A lot of consideration went into it, such as: this pressing`s rarity in general, it`s rarity in such condition and the history of previous internet sales. Happy bidding!

 Postage: insurance is required for this item, it is included in the prices shown - UK £5.00, Europe £14.65, Worldwide £22.00.