THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION Ruben & The Jets RARE ORIG UK 68 EX++ LP. SUPERB SOUND.

	£		125
	$		166

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Postage: UK £4.95. Europe (including Russia) £12.95 (£1 per extra record). Rest of World £19.95 (£2 per extra record). All my records are sent in boxes and the price of them has increased over time and these are my first price increases for nearly 10 years. Royal Mail prices have also gone up again. I will never compromise on quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be signed and trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% reliable service without it.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take longer from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

ANY ITEM or ITEMS TO BE PAID WITHIN A MAXIMUM OF 6 DAYS or they will be cancelled – NO EXCEPTIONS.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion, as will any bidder who cancels a bid. Please only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION

Album Title: Cruising with Ruben & The Jets

Producer(s): Frank Zappa

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Cheap Thrills; Love of My Life; How Could I Be Such a Fool; Deseri; I’m Not Satisfied; Jelly Roll Gum Drop; Anything.

Side 2: Later That Night; You Didn’t Try to Call Me; Fountain of Love; No, No, No; Anyway the Winds Blows; Stuff Up the Cracks.

Label/Format: Verve original format with matt gently textured surfaces. All text and details as seen in the pictures.

Label Conditions: Both ultra clean, fresh and attractive with just a couple of light spindle marks. This superb record was purchased new by one owner who put his records direct to tape. It appears hardly played and sounds fantastic.

Catalogue Number: SVLP 9237

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 this Record: 136 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: First SVLP UK issues are scarce and notoriously difficult to find in better conditions. Finding the records and covers in finer conditions, and in this case, a record hardly played is a rarity.

Original Year of Release: November 1968

Matrix No: V6 5055 A-1 / V6 5055 B-1

Mothers / Stampers: 1 G / 1 G [an ultimate first pressing with very first mother and stamper codes, ‘G’ being the very first in the pressing sequence]

Musicians: Frank Zappa – low grumbles, oo-wah and lead guitar; Ray Collins – lead vocals; Roy Estrada – high weazlings, dwaedy-doop and electric bass; Jimmy Carl Black and Arthur Dyre Tripp III – lewd pulsating rhythm; Ian Underwood – piano, saxes; Don Preston – piano; Bunk Gardner – saxophones.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Even with the colourful Cal Schenkel front cover artwork, this album was largely ignored on issue. This was Frank Zappa’s album of retrospective nostalgia and one of his most personal. It must have raised a few eyebrows for those around at the time who bought the earlier psychedelic albums, as this is very different. An album that went back to the doo-wop sound of the 1950s, the music of Frank’s youth he was so proudly fond of and enjoyed in his younger days. This doo-wop sound was so faithfully reconstructed, it fooled many critics and listeners at the time to who was actually playing the music. Zappa originally decided to record this with a deliberate low-fi, scratchy sound, but decided against it. Instead, he used a compressed production to emphasise the mechanical nature of the music – it works perfectly and is still one of Frank’s greatest ever ‘sound’ albums. Ray Collins vocals rarely sounded better than on this amazing journey into the past. The Ruben parody still has elements of Mothers humour, sound and fun, the balloon on the front cover states “is this the Mothers of Invention recording under a different name in a last ditch attempt to get their cruddy music on the radio”? – I would doubt whether much ever made it on the airwaves, especially in the UK. When the ‘shock’ of this ‘retro’ album wore off, it has become a real favourite amongst Zappa fans who had initially failed to understand it. Until fairly recently, it was long out-of-print with the original sound mix, the original CD versions were over-dubbed with new instrumental parts, which quite honestly were tragic. There is no better way to experience this album than original vinyl. This is a superb ultimate first UK pressing with an impressive fresh cover and still offering the highest quality sound with barely anything unwanted. A fantastic opportunity for this brilliant piece of Zappa nostalgia and getting harder-and-harder to find as a genuine UK first pressed original. As a bonus, I include superb reproductions of the ultra rare insert sheets that were only initially included with a tiny few American originals. ‘Ruben’ was the final brand new album The Mothers issued on Verve.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: a single format with front laminate, this covers all the folds and ends on the back on three external flipbacks. The main rear panel is matt and smooth. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd, includes the plain white inner sleeve. I have also included two FREE reproduction copies of the impossibly-rare inserts that were included a tiny few American originals.

Cover Front: A magnificent piece of graphic art by Cal Schenkel who did several of Zappa’s most famous covers. This is seen to high advantage with any of the few blemishes light. A few quite mild laminate marks near the top right and some fine edge creases that few can hope to avoid totally. The marks likely caused by a stubborn retailer or price sticker removal – that merely a guess, but those vintage stickers were never surface friendly and notoriously difficult to shift. Any half moon surface creases are very few indeed, the most noticeable on the bottom right corner and even this has not creased the card. The laminate retains superb shine, freshness and clarity with minimal hint of dulling under light. The lack of lifting is always good news and little detracts from the rich coloured, vivid artwork.

Cover Back: The young pencil-moustached Zappa overlooks the ‘The Story of Ruben and the Jets’ text. This main back panel is impressive with any discolouration gentle and very light and shows minimal blemishes or ageing – certainly compared to most found. This is seldom seen without brown streaking which is often considered a printing flaw, but this one unusually has avoided it. The three flipbacks are solid with mainly crisp clean ends with minimal burring or grime lines to the laminate ends. Just some fine surface creasing on the flipback laminate which again is rarely avoided at best. Now over half-a-century old, both front and back have survived the years well.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both impressively straight, smooth with full laminate retention and hardly a trace of wear.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Any thickening little and light, this entrance edge remains neat.

Spine and Text: Mainly solid and straight with minimal traces of compression, the ends are pinched in manufacture. All the text matter, printed in blue as-seen, is pristine with nothing to fault and retains very deep colour – often this detail fades, but not on this one. Also nicely centred on quite a narrow depth. The laminate clear, smooth with just a small scuff near the bottom and on the lower corner tip.

Corners: Any tip rubs of creases (bottom left, on the white card) are small and light with the other three having barely any. Excellent shape mostly retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: An impressive example of a genuine original Zappa rarity, yes a few minor laminate blemishes, but little else, it should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: a plain solid white unlined inner that has only quite lightly aged, it is patented with the ‘PATENT Nos. 1125555’ text. Some paper darkening near the sides as usual, most of any creasing light with all edges naturally intact.

The Inserts: NO GRADE: these are superb reproductions and printed on high quality A4 thick matt paper as-seen. Originals are nigh-on impossible to find and I am still searching for them myself. As stated, the UK album did not include them, and only a very select few early American ones ever originally did. They are great fun to own and make this nostalgic album feel more ‘complete’.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and I feel under-graded as such with any surface traces bordering on minuscule. A highly impressive visual copy that is very clean with lovely shine and very solidly pressed. A 1G / 1G ultimate first pressing appearing hardly even played or handled. Few will even survive much better than this and one to please most fans and collectors. Only because I own a stereo copy myself in this type of condition allows me to offer it.

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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: Few could have predicted the fourth Mothers of Invention record, the final original album they made on Verve, would have sounded like this. But clues for Zappa’s fondness of ‘Greasy Fifties Love Songs’ were on Freak Out! with a few of these songs included on that classic debut, albeit different versions. This rare original that failed to sell well, plays even above it’s high visual grading with barely anything to fault. Offering strong distortion-free sound with no tracking* or inherent pressing noises. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds minimal to none, my play-grade was a genuine joy. The audio quality, detail, pace and rhythm of original vinyl will never be bettered for this album, this is how Zappa wanted it to sound, no digital tweaking, remixing or mastering is required, this is perfection and no enhancements are needed – only a good quality turntable and system to enjoy it on. Zappa produces an immaculate parody of the music from his younger days with astonishing authenticity, proving again what a versatile band the early Mothers were. A difficult album to even find now, and how many will actually survive in this superb, hardly condition? Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. With it’s unique single cover, repro inserts and beautiful pulsating stereo sound, it’s totally indispensable, a rare opportunity – SNAT! – bop bop bah bop bop bah – rarely sounded better. It will prove immensely difficult to find better and merits my highest recommendation.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

I am one of the most established sellers on Ebay, trading since 2001 and offering the finest 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 all elements of the items I offer for sale. You may notice I only submit records quite sparingly on Ebay as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – not just bits to guess a grade – visuals alone do not always tell a true story. I will try to 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 it’s good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. I hope the item below is to your liking – any questions can be emailed and I will do my best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, major 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Nessie 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 D7500 DSLR 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.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid bid retractions. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal from­ winning bidders. I only 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 2 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive – if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund if the item is returned in the same condition is was sent e.g. as per the listing pictures.

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, 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.