UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - RARER UK 1968 MONO EX++ LP

	£		72
	$		95

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options.

Artist or Band: THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Album Title: The United States of America.

Producer: David Rubinson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The American Metaphysical Circus; Hard Coming Love; Cloud Song; The Garden of Earthly Delights; I Won’t Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar.

Side 2: Where is Yesterday; Coming Down; Love Song for the Dead Ché; Stranded in Time; The American Way of Love.

Label/Format: CBS - original deep orange format (Plese see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both in superb fresh conditions. Ultra clean and clearly little handled or likely played. A tiny few ultra faint spindle traces only.

Cat Number: 63340.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 168 grams. This is a serious heavyweight record, just the way the more discerning collectors want them. Way, way over average.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce, UK pressings of this album are elusive and seldom seen. Not only that, this mono record is massively pressed and hardly even played – sounds superb too.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: BPG - 63340 - A . 1 / BPG - 63340 - B . 1

Mother & Stamper Codes: B 1 / C 1

Musicians: Dorothy Moskowitz - lead vocals; Joseph Byrd - electronic music, electric harpsichord, organ, calliope, piano; Gordon Marron - electric violin, ring modulator; Rand Forbes - electric bass; Craig Woodsono - electric drums, percussion. Also Ed Bogas, occasional organ, piano, calliope.

Brief Info: One of the genuinely great one-off albums and for those few who heard it from way back, it must have been a real eye-opener. A pioneering tour de force and ahead of its time, this band created some amazing sounds and this album packs in so much, it’s all a little difficult to take in immediately. Try to imagine Jefferson Airplane blended with It’s a Beautiful Day, the early Mothers of Invention with bit of Doors and Country Joe and Fish added – you might be getting the feel for The United States of America – this is an amazing recording. With many new psych and ‘garage’ band around at this time from the States never being issued in the UK, this was simply too good to go ignored – but how many actually bought this when it first came out? Lead vocalist Dorothy Moskowitz sounds a little like an icy Grace Slick with captivating appeal. Exhilating music that does not use guitars, but scintilating electric violin. Gordon Marron’s instrument used a divider that raised and lowered its pitch by an octave, it was often used through tape echo units and modulators – all very experimental, even ‘progressive’ for its time. Byrd’s ideas of blending psych-rock with ethnic influences and classical music, this bought rock n roll into new realms of experimentalism. Using very early electronics and synthesisers made this a ground-breaking album, and their use and unpredictability made this fascinating listening and a huge challenge to actually record. Even the drums got the electronic treatments, again unusual at this time – Frank Zappa was another who experimented with the classics, early electronics, primitive synths and Moogs and his work will be more familiar to most, but The United States of America were there too at the very beginning. Moskowitz said, the early synths were highly unpredictable, and that was part of their appeal, you never quite knew what to expect. The whole sound blend was held together by Forbes fretless bass and this amazing album is pretty unique. Sadly, they were short-lived, internal problems and disagreements even fighting bought them to a swift end. But this legendary album was a gateway for the future, it had a cutting edge sound and lyrics that reflected the state of America at this time. Hard-edged, ironic and with a real tension, it could never last, but the mood of this band is captured brilliantly in this set and deserves to be heard again. The only frustration when it ends is, you know there is no more, it makes you wonder just how brilliant this band could have been if they had just stayed together longer. This copy on offer is a vintage, early pressed, UK mono, rare and in very fine condition. The cover looks very nice and has only minor blemishing or wear, but now over forty, has it not earned the right too? The incredibly heavy mono record looks and plays beautifully and is devoid of distortion or groove-wear and that is the vital factor for these types. With such complex sounds embedded into delicate mono grooves, this record is in remarkable shape and plays with little unwanted. Just a faint trace of surface sound on ‘Love Song for the Dead Che’, a very fragile song, but little nothing else was noted and this is a superbly produced set too. This is almost nit-picking, I would more than happy if all mono records could play this well. It’s an amazing listen and experience and for the connoisseur of the truly great music from this period, it’s truly indispensable and rare too. One of the ‘lost’ and probably largely forgotten classics, it’s time to get this mind-bending gem spinning again.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Quite High: the back often suffers especially and with this thick record inside, any small wear is hardly a surprise.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: a single format with front laminate. This wraps around the closed edges and ends on to the back via the spine. This has conventional black text on the spine, some were different with none. This was printed and made in the England by West Brothers.

Lamination & Front: Ruthlessly revealing, being so dark but this has generally adhered well with no lifting of blisters, so that’s good news to start. There are a few creases two or three around moderate but not large. Mostly are finer edge types and only one encroaches on to the graphic area (just). Remaining clear and with fine shine, any friction rubs or dulling is modestly light and only really seen under light and this has few marks. A highly respectable front for a difficult design.

Cover Back: The back has darkened only slightly with a few light marks and small scuff traces near the top edge. Minimal grubbiness and barely any creasing and devoid of ringwear. All tidy and again very respectable - please bear in mind the massive record inside too.

Top Edge: Some mildish thickening to the rear back panel end. No wear to the laminated fold itself.

Bottom Edge: One or two tiny chip traces, little else.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: A little rubbing to the ends but little else to fault. The last one of these I had had no text printed on the spine. This one has and it’s all present with no wear under the solid and clear laminate. Solid and mainly straight with minimal compression.

Corners: Small tip rubs and a little tip creasing but very decent shape is largely retained.

Cover Summary: Very nice and this is a somewhat intolerant and critical cover. This can be held and enjoyed but does give small clues to it’s great age. One that will please many collectors seeking out this album, but not the highly discerning.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): this has the unlined CBS promotional inner with two open windows and no lining. Very clean and fresh with just two light folds on the corners. Both window circles are neat, practically as made and the edges unsplit bar a tiny one on one edge centre. A really nice looker.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): with any surface trace marks few, ultra fine and faint. Any minor surface dulling lies within the pressing itself and without doubt, this copy has hardly been played. A super mono record that is very clean with nice shine, intense black and very heavily pressed. A complex album with considerable age and looking so fine, it’s a thing of beauty. This should 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 little used mono record plays up to and beyond it’s high visual grading with little to fault at all. Powerful, dynamic, distortion-free sound – always a vital factor on any mono recording, all frequencies are sharp and clear including the highly critical electric violin and early electronics, always high test sounds for groove-wear. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very impressive sound, this mix is quite different to stereo version. A pioneering recording with complex and intricate sounds and hugh amounts of details – this one takes a few plays to let it all sink in. This important record, I feel sure has only received light plays confirmed by the clear, totally focused sound. No pops or clicks were noted and any surface sound, very gentle indeed as mentioned above. You can well imagine what many of these will be like these days especially in mono. This I am certain has not been subjected to any abuse on old record players, it will be obvious to any winning bidder, this record has hardly ever been played and I doubt if this has seen light-of-day for many years. Few copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this groundbreaking classic. If you have yet to discover this wonderful, but sadly short-lived band, well this will take some beating. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and strong recommendation is mandatory.

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 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 stiffners 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 FOUR 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: 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 & 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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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: 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. 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 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’.