ZAPPA / MOI Ruben & The Jets UK Verve + Inserts EX++ LP

	£		27
	$		35

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Artist or Band: THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION

Album Title: Cruising with Ruben & The Jets.

Producer(s): Frank Zappa.

Engineer(s): Dick Kunc.

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.

Rarity & Background: The first pressed Select repressings from the early 70s 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 original ‘Money’) were badly damaged due to poor storage 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 super 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 younger 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 1968 – 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 repros of the mega rare inserts (taken from the Old Masters boxed set) showing the owner 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 – they are printed on A4 paper and are large format. This album on the analogue format is probably the most essential within the great man’s vast catalogue.

Label/Format: Verve – intense black matt format, later repressings were more grey.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and highly attractive with only very light, few and faint spindle marks. This copy looks hardly played and it’s the first pressed Verve Select example.

Cat Number: 2317069.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 130 grams. A good weight for this first 70s repressed. Later ones became very thin and flimsy.

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 first repressed appeared in 1973.

Matrix No: 2317069 A // 1 420 1 1 6 / 2317069 B // 1 420 03 1 1 5

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 – but I would rather listen to a worn-out copy than the wretched CD version! Just a couple of ultra brief (less than a second) sounds were noted on ‘Deseri’, but little else. The cover with its brilliant artwork is in superb condition, this is somewhat wear-prone due to the intense colour and lack of protection. 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 new gatefold cover format. Anyone who does not understand the material and concept of this album, really does not understand Frank Zappa at all.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: High.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT+ (at least) a gatefold format with no lamination. Printed and made in England by the E. J. Day Group. Later ones were made by Gothic.

Cover Front: This looks fantastic and another variation on this is the inclusion of the circled band name near the top right corner that was not present on the original – was it possible people still were unaware who this band were into the 1970s? This is very clean, fresh and attractive with barely any wear at all. Any blemishes or creases are ultra few and faint and this is up there with the best I have seen, certainly for some time.

Cover Back: Yes this is the young Zappa in glorious colour with pencil moustache. Again clean and attractive with only a slight rim rub near the top edge and a faint and barely visible surface crease near the bottom. Both sides retain rich and vibrant colour with no grubbiness of note, both outer faces will prove hard to find much better these days.

Centrefold: Both faces almost as made with all the information on song lyrics and band details the single format original lacks.

Top & Bottom Edges: Light rub traces only.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with barely any wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on the back edge, the front is fully sealed with fold-under construction, not cut and stuck.

Spine and Text: Solid and quite thick, straightwith just a slight tilt from left to right, but folded square. Hence the edges meet up very close to flush. All text present and unworn.

Corners: Minimal wear with any tip rubs being very small and minor and all retain very fine to excellent shape.

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 most collectors.

The Inserts: As stated a little ‘extra’ reproduced 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 gives a sense of completeness, but very few examples will ever be seen with the originals.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT++. Very 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. Any surface trace marks or hairlines are few and ultra fine indeed, without any doubt, this copy has hardly been played. The Polydor style lined inner is also included in superb condition too. The seller put a 312 on one left hand corner for ID.

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 record plays to its visual grading with practically nothing to fault. As stated a couple of ultra brief pressing sounds were noted on side one but little else. The analogue mix is unique to vinyl as is the content of the record. This has mostly veryclean 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 1950s 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. Sound quality is high with a wider dynamic range and a fuller sound, the CD version is a joke. No pops or clicks were noted and throughout the sound is focused and precise. Nothing, other than the two single rev sounds spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this fantastic album, the sound is definitive and must be heard. This copy will prove difficult to find better overall.

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 getting harder to find whether original or repress. Just because it’s not a first pressing, do not be put off, with it’s 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/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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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’.