ALICE COOPER Billion Dollar Babies SCARCE COMPLETE UK 1973 EX+ LP with SAMPLER.

	£		41
	$		54

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Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks 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. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full 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. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

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. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: ALICE COOPER

Album Title: Billion Dollar Babies (with) ‘Slick Black Limousine’ sampler flexi-disc

Producer(s): Bob Ezrin

MAIN ALBUM TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Hello Hooray; Raped and Freezin’; Elected; Billion Dollar Babies; Unfinished Sweet.

Side 2: No More Mr Nice Guy; Generation Landslide; Sick Things; Mary Ann; I Love the Dead.

NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS FLEXI-DISC:

Side 1: Slick Black Limousine.

Side 2: Unfinished Sweet (Extract); Elected (Extract); No More Mister Nice Guy (Extract); Billion Dollar Babies (Extract); I Love The Dead (Extract).

Label/Format: Warner Bros – original deep green format with matt surfaces with the merest hint of faint texturing.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only light, fine and quite faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Catalogue Number: K 56013

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: 117 grams. Around average for the time.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity & Overview: Moderate, this sold quite well after the success of the ‘School’s Out’ single. The paramount factor is condition with many elements of this lavish album fragile.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: K 56013 A2 / K 56013 B2 (these are deeply machine punched and very clear)

Musicians: Alice Cooper – vocals, harmonica; Glen Buxton – guitar; Michael Bruce – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals; Dennis Dunaway – bass, backing vocals; Neal Smith – drums, backing vocals. Guests: Donovan – vocals on ‘Billion Dollar Babies’, Steve ‘Deacon’ Hunter – guitar, Mick Mashbir – guitar, Dick Wagner – guitar, Bob Dolin – keyboards, David Libert – backing vocals, Bob Ezrin – keyboards.

Brief Info: The classic and best ever shock horror show band ever, without doubt, the original and best ever incarnation for the Alice Cooper band. A school days hero of mine, I eagerly got the bus to Colchester after finishing school just to pick up a copy of this one on first day of issue back in 1973. I still very much treasure the early albums of this man and he proved my stepping stone to discovering my life-long hero Frank Zappa who himself discovered Cooper and gave him his first chance to record. This was album number six, it became his most successful to date, this peaked at No 1 in the US and UK and includes four hit singles that includes the brilliant ‘Elected’, a remake of an earlier song ‘Reflected’ that featured on the rare Straight debut album ‘Pretties for You’. This is arguably the king of the macabre’s greatest and most complete set ever. The packaging is quite spectacular and lavish, but also delicate. This sleeve would have cost more than average to produce with inners, inserts, push out cards, inner flaps and embossing – I remember this album being more expensive than most when purchased all those years ago. His famous stage act that included live snakes and grizzly props including the infamous guillotine scene when performing the gruesome ‘I Love the Dead’ – a somewhat tongue-in-cheek song about necrophilia. The baby picture inside with the ghoulish eye make-up caused outrage (with some) at the time. The baby on the album’s inner sleeve was Lola Pfeiffer, daughter of Alice’s PR person in the UK. Side one’s finale ‘Unfinished Sweet’ will send shivers down the spine if, like most, you hate visiting the dentist. It opens with a classic remake of ‘Hello Hooray’ made famous by Judy Collins, in a very different style of course. This album, like his stage show, is pure rock theatre and few did it better than Alice and this early original band. This copy is totally complete and in very fine all-round condition. It even includes the New Musical Express flexi promotional disc that includes a new, non-album song ‘Slick Black Limousine’. Its B-side has edited tracks off the main album. The beginning of that side also has an eerie introduction asking ‘Have you ever had gas?’, that is not included on the album version of ‘Unfinished Sweet’ – it really should have been, it’s very effective. This super-thin free disc also plays very well, they were never of hi-fi quality of course. After the largely ignored first three Straight albums, Cooper slowly gained a following and culminated with this brilliant set – here he hit the height of popularity largely on the strength of this album and several superb singles. Not to everyone’s taste of course, but most critics raved about it and it remains one of his most popular ever. Long may this brilliantly original artist continue.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: just finding one mostly intact is challenging. An intolerant and very delicate unlaminated gatefold format with some embossing on the front and back (the gold coin and surrounding gem circles). The inside with 11 perforated cards and a large strip for holding the billion dollar note. Printed and made in England, uncredited (as far as I can see). Includes the superb hard card unlined, graphic/lyric inner sleeve. The album’s credits all lie inside the inside left storage area underneath the cards, this is why so often the top right of the outer cover is seen torn with owners trying to pull open the middle to view this ‘hidden’ graphic and information.

Cover Front: Very prone to wear and damage, often on the left corner areas, but this has avoided it. The square left corner tips have rubbed. The main front surface is impressive with little of the usual rubbing, a tiny chip near the bottom edge and a few fine edge hairline type creases. Very gentle patchy rubbing to the spine edge fold that few escape. Attractive with deep unfaded colour, this sets quite a high standard.

Cover Back: Quite similar – a tiny scuff near the top edge and a little burring to the bottom edge end panel. The lack of ring wear is a real bonus on this one.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside is clean and again attractive, a small few tiny pull spot traces here-and-there. The cards are still quite solidly attached to the main cover apart from the top line where the perfs have pulled. This registers little, nice to see them still attached at all, many removed them altogether.

Top Edges: Both straight, flat and flush, also hardly worn. A little thickening to the first part of the rounded corner seen viewed end-on.

Bottom Edges: Again straight, little to fault on the front edge. The card end on the back has thickened.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front has a real tucked and folded edge that has barely worn. The back is also closed as the record is stored inside. This is mostly sharp with little thickening, also guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with no compression and folded square, so the edges meet up very closely together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn. A little fine and light rubbing to the top fold.

Corners: The square cut spine ends have rubbed with fine shape. The right corners are very rounded in manufacture, these remain largely neat and crisp, only seen end-on does a little thickening show.

Cover Summary: A fine all-round example of this lavish, but incredibly fragile 1970’s cover, one that could prove difficult to find better. This for me one of the finest gimmick covers ever and always hard to find attractive. A few hints to age with minor wear, but one to please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): another part that can age badly. This is still mainly clean, fresh without creasing any damage (the odd tiny rub trace apart). Any grubbiness to the white areas little and light. All the shaped corners are crisp and totally unthickened, the top deep recessed opening pristine. The edges strong and unsplit with no repairs. All song lyrics are featured on one side, the other with the legendary original Alice Cooper band and baby Lola (and piles of money). It has to be one of the most infamous rock graphics ever made – superbly distasteful – but Alice was, and still is the master of the art. This integral part of the set will rarely be found better.

The Billion Dollar Note: EXCELLENT(++) not rare, it came with all early copies, but seldom seen this clean and fresh. Crisp edges bar a tiny nick on the bottom, also neatly folded in manufacture. Printed on both sides as seen in my pictures, another crucial element to the set in impressive condition.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy that is clean with equally fine shine and quite solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface trace marks few, very light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. No penetrating stylus marks and pressed on top quality pure vinyl. It plays even better with hardly anything to fault. Visually a super record that should please many, if not 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This brilliant piece of rock ‘theatre’ plays even above it’s high visual grading with hardly anything to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*, or pressing noises. This 2/2 matrix copy I found cleaner with sharper sound than 1/1 copies I have heard which I think can sound a little ‘grainy and less clear. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played sparingly and has been quite well stored and mainly carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This really brings my teenage years flooding back and this is still great fun to listen to. It could prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

The Flexi-Disc: EXCELLENT with the cover excellent(++). This given away with New Musical Express to promote this album. But includes a non-album song ‘Slick Black Limousine’, then unavailable elsewhere. Also the opening to the B-side has the superb spoken intro that I feel would have enhanced the main album. These flexi-discs were rarely hi-fi standard, but this plays very well with any surface noise light. Still largely flat and tracks easily, the cover clean and unsplit. A very nice bonus piece that enhances the main album perfectly, a little bit of early Alice Cooper history.

* 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 2.2 grams.

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 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 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 it’s 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 programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 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 D5000 SLR Digital 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.

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 new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. I do not profit on posting, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

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 withdrawals. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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 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, 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’.