ZAPPA / MOI Ruben & The Jets UK 73 Select g/f Cover EX

	£		28
	$		37

Artist or Band: THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION

Album Title: Cruising with Ruben & The Jets.

Producer(s): Frank Zappa.

Engineer(s): Dick Kunc.

TRAC 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.

Rarity & Background: The Select reissues are moderately scarce: All versions of this classic Zappa album are fast becoming elusive, this was not a big seller (even by Zappa standards). The demand for this record is now justifiably high because the CD versions of this album are simply TERRIBLE!! None include the original sound and mix, instead it’s a mish-mash of overdubs with new bass and drum parts mixed into what’s left of the original master tape sound. When Frank got the rights back to his early albums, the stereo master tapes for Ruben (and the four-track ‘Money’) were badly damaged and could not be used to remaster them to CD. So ‘Money’ and ‘Ruben’ got the over-dub treatment with dire results, and that’s not putting too finer point on it. ‘Money’ was later reissued again, remastered from the original two-track masters with very pleasing results, sounding again more like it should. Ruben, alas was too far gone to be usable and does not exist on CD with the original sound. So the ONLY way to hear the original sound on this fantastic album is via vinyl. The Select Verve reissues are not to be regarded as inferior to the 60s pressings simply because of the cover which makes it very desirable for fans. The originals only had a single sleeve but the 1973 repressings had a lovely gatefold format that included the song lyrics and supreme artwork. The back was very different as well showing the young Zappa in full colour. In many ways this is superior to the original apart from the lack of front laminate. For the young Zappa fans out there reading this, if you have only heard this classic on CD – throw them away and hear this album as it was made back in 68 – on vinyl. All the brilliant original pulsating percussion is present and the proper bass parts and they all can be heard to maximum advantage via this record. The detail and rhythm of the vinyl blows away any other versions out there and that is a promise. All of the vinyl records have incredible detail and clarity and this album is unique and for fans of the great man, this record is indispensable. I have also included are the mega rare inserts (taken from the Old Masters boxed set) showing any listener how to do the Bop dance steps and how to comb and set a Jellyroll hairdo. The original inserts that came with the early US pressings are ultra elusive and seldom seen and are the most elusive and rarest inserts in any Zappa album These nifty inserts put the icing on what is already a rich cake and I guess few collectors would have ever seen them. This album on the analogue format is probably the most essential within the great man’s vasts catalogue.

Label/Format: Verve (please see scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and highly attractive with only light+ spindle marks.

Cat Number: 2317069.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 125 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

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 - saxes.

Original Year of Release: November 1968. This reissue appeared in 1973.

Matrix No: 2317069 A1 420 1 1 1 1 / 2317069 B2 420 03 1 1 1

Brief Artist & Album Info: Zappa’s album of retrospective nostalgia and one of his most personal. 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. 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 was 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. Ray Collins vocals rarely sounded better than on this amazing journey into the past. The Ruben parody still has elements of Mothers humour and fun, the bubble 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 very much doubt whether much ever made it on the airwaves. This is a lovely copy and plays very well – I would rather listen to a worn-out copy than the wretched CD version! The cover with its brilliant artwork is in fine EX shape too, this is somewhat wear-prone due to the intense colour and lack of protection. Remember this is a 35-year-old cover and it has stood the test of time well. This is a copy that all Zappa fans will enjoy, listen to this and confine that awful CD version to the trash-can where it belongs. I can rarely bring myself to ever criticise anything Zappa ever did, but the overdubbing of this album to CD was a huge mistake, it would have been better to master an actual (clean) record to CD instead, fans then would have got the best of both worlds. So this is the real thing and nothing even comes remotely close, as essential to own as the 60s pressings simply because the vast cover variation.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+ (at least) a gatefold format with no lamination. Printed and made in England by Gothic Print Finishers.

Cover Front: Slight rub traces but never easy to avoid totally, this comes quite close. Full rich colour retained and hardly any creasing or significant marks. The lack of sticker damage and ring marks is always a bonus on this one.

Cover Back: Yes this is the young Zappa in glorious colour with pencil moustache. Again clean and attractive with no ringwear, rubbing, marks or significant creasing.

Centrefold: Both faces almost as made.

Top & Bottom Edges: Light traces on the bottom pair, hardly any on the top.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with barely any wear and no feathering. Record enters on the vulnerable back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid and quite thick, straight, uncompressed and square. A mild fold crease has lightly clipped a little of the bottom text, that apart, all present and solid.

Corners: Tip rubs is the least anyone can expect on this one, slightly more on bottom right. Fine shape is retained.

Cover Summary: One of the great 60s covers and this Select version looks very nice indeed. The gatefold format in my opinion remains superior to the original but both are essential. This well-preserved example should please many collectors.

The Inserts: As stated a little ‘extra’ taken from the Old Masters Box One set. Great fun they are too and the originals are ultra rare – I have only ever seen them once before and that was many years ago when I was actually still at school (yes THAT long ago!) These kind of make this album appear ‘complete’.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: A fine EX (side one even better at EX+). Just a couple of non-sounding surface marks on side two, one being a fine hairline. Super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A very fine, early repressing of Ruben and I promise any winning bidder they won’t want to listen to that wretched CD version again.

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 snippetts 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 record plays to its visual grading with practically nothing to fault. The analogue mix is unique to vinyl as is the content of the record. This has clean sound with great detail and with strong dynamics, pace and rhythm, sounds come forward that many will not have heard before – this is THE sound Zappa originally wanted before the poor storage of the master tapes was lost forever. Note the amazing percussion that throbs and pulsates throughout this recording – all missing on the CD version that has horrible overdubs that simply sounds ‘too modern’ and obviously ‘fake’. Zappa’s idea to record this 50s pop parody was little short of inspired. Of all his albums within the vast catalogue, this is arguably the most important to be heard on the vinyl format, a clean, lightly played copy like this is priceless these days and its importance within a Zappa collection cannot be overstated. Most all is sharp and clear - sound quality is high with a wider dynamic range and a fuller sound, the CD version is a joke. Few surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this fantastic album, the sound is definitive and must be heard. This copy will prove quite difficult to find better.

End Piece: 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. Ruben and the Jets for the more discerning collector, this copy really rocks just like it should. With of course the original sound and mix – for those who have never heard it, well they have never heard it for real. 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. This is genuinely getting hard to find from wherever and that is unlikely to change. Just because it’s not a first pressing, do not be put off, with its superior gatefold cover and nifty inserts for your enjoyment, I strongly recommend it – SNAT! – bop bop bah bop bop bah.

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO thick stiffners for even extra protection. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity and well as sender label. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.