AMON DUUL II Carnival in Babylon RARE 1G/1G 1st Press N/M

	£		57
	$		75

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases.

Artist or Band: AMON DUUL II

Album Title: Carnival in Babylon.

Producer(s): Olaf Kubler and Amon Düül II.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: C.I.D. In URUK; All Years Round; Ballad of the Shimmering Sand.

Side 2: Kronwinkl 12; Tables Are Turned; Hawknose Harlequin.

Label/Format: United Artists – Original Cream format (Please see label scan).

Label Conditions: Two supreme examples and I am struggling to find a noteworthy spindle trace on either side of two ultimately clean, fresh and attractive labels. Probably never seen better on this title.

Cat Number: UAG 29327.

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: 130 grams. A very good weight for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

So What is Krautrock?: ‘Krautrock’ was an affectionate term given to a new wave of young German bands in the late 60s and early 70s. Before the emergence of these pioneering experimental rock and electronic artists, the German music scene was a real mess of sugary pop music. Out of this fog of a musical mire, a very new sound emerged as radical and as daring as anything ever heard. Whereas in the UK, rock music was very much blues or psych-based, but these young long-haired, pioneering German musicians played music that was very different. They opened new musical horizons and boundaries into the use of sound as entertainment. Several were classically trained musicians (Can) – some could barely play an instrument as all (Kluster). Far too weird and experimental for most, many were into avant garde territory, but this German underground scene was admired by many and loved by a small number of record buyers of the time. The sounds they created were often challenging and difficult, but unique and were highly influential for the development of music. Some used conventional instruments, some delved into electronics and some used unconventional devices to form sound. A few became successful even outside Germany with the odd hit single or two (Kraftwerk and Can), but some did not compromise and never sort commercial success (Faust, Neu). Although there were others, the best-known of the early experimental Krautrock bands were: Kraftwerk, Can, Faust, Amon Düül I and II, Neu, Popul Vuh, Guru Guru, Kluster and Tangerine Dream. All are worth checking out – they made some of the most groundbreaking music in rock and their importance is beyond any dispute. In terms of rarity, these early albums are never easy to find especially in top conditions, they sold in relatively small numbers and are seldom seen or offered.

Rarity: Scarce. These vintage Krautrock gems were not bought in great numbers but cherished by the few who did. Original copies this clean always prove hard to find, and as the details below prove, this is the earliest UK pressing of them all.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: UAG 29327 A-1 / UAG 29327 B-1

Stamper Codes: 1 G / 1 G [an ultimate first ever pressing, ‘G’ being the very first stampers ever issued, prized and hugely sort-after by the discerning collectors as they invariably offer the best sound possible]

Musicians: John Weinzierl - guitars, vocals; Chris Karrer - guitars, violin, soprano sax, vocals; Lothar Meid - bass, vocals; Renate Knaup-Krötenschwanz - vocals; Danny Fichelscher - drums, congas; Peter Leopold - drums, tambourine; Karl-Heinz Hausmann - keyboards. Guests: Joy Alaska - backing vocals; F.U. Rogner - organ; Olaf Kübler - soprano sax

Brief Artist & Album Info: ‘Carnival in Babylon’ was the band’s fourth album, following three other superb ones after breaking away from the original Amon Düül band due to musical differences and direction. Sometimes compared to Hawkwind, Amon Düül II made some of the most stunning progressive and sometimes heavy rock sounds from the early 70s. More intricate songs and less ‘basic’ than the early raw sound of Hawkwind, Amon Düül II even had a female vocalist (Renate Knaup-Krotenschwanz) and her voice is used more often on this more acid-psych workout. I love all their early albums and this is yet another great work which is sometimes, unfairly, not as appreciated as much as the earlier titles. Less guitar-frenzied improvisations and a very slightly more commercial sound within the six songs on offer. The importance of Amon Düül II within the ‘Krautrock’ genre is so often understated when compared to other classic bands like Can, Faust, Neu and Kraftwerk – but there at the very beginning and one of the best within the pioneering genre.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): and the merest whisker of my full Mint(-) grade. A gatefold format and fully laminated on all surfaces. Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. The centrefold laminate is so fresh and tight I could not open it out fully to photograph the spread. It creaks and crackles with defiance when opened even a short distance. The laminate on the fold hinge is totally unbroken or split, how many will survive like this some 39 years after being manufactured? A thing of rare beauty, this classic band centrespread exudes class and looks simply gorgeous.

Lamination – Front & Back: Both sides retain superb shine, clarity and freshness and are almost devoid of lifting. Just a small trace on the bottom right front corner. Any dulling, even viewed under light is very faint indeed – the front especially is immaculate. With just half-a-dozen fine edge hairline creases and none at all away from the sides, both surfaces look fantastic and simply blow away their considerable age.

Cover Inner Gatefold: What a great band picture! This centrefold looks almost new and with stunning shiny laminate and classic band picture. My finger-test along the spine hinge revealed almost total smoothness to the laminate on the fold and this has high resistance to be opened fully, thus my picture was taken not fully open. I did not want to risk breaking or cracking the laminate that has survived all these years intact. Just one tiny crack was felt and few will even get close. It has a very loud creaking crackle when opened, just like a new cover used to – a rare thing to experience these days on covers fast approaching 40. Most split along their full length and flop open with that crispness and ‘spring’ all lost. This inside looks (and sounds) pretty looks amazing.

Top Edges: Beautifully sharp and crisp, totally unworn and very straight. Quite wide and thick.

Bottom Edges: Apart from a small rub to the bottom front right, again almost as made.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front has a real edge being tucked and folded, this has little wear at all. The back entrance is clean, sharp with again, barely any wear and guaranteed untrimmed. Any thickening or burring almost minuscule, the fine unprotected strip on the back is immaculate.

Spine and Text: A very strong spine: solid, thick and robust, straight with any compression minor. Folded square – another bonus, not all were – so all edges meet up nigh-on flush and parallel. All text is perfect under very solid, unpeeled and still shiny, clear laminate. A very slight natural central recess, but the text has NOT sunken and is very easy to read as seen on my close up picture.

Corners: A small rub and tip crease on the front bottom right, that apart, little else to fault. The others are all practically as made and ultra neat, crisp and sharp. So unusual to see the spine pair like this.

Cover Summary: A near top-draw example of this classic Krautrock prog cover. With a near mirror-like shine and clarithy, the colourful artwork will rare be seen better. This should please most-all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: a plain solid white unlined white inner that has aged a little with some darkening with a few toned areas. These almost certainly from original adhesive smears in manufacture. Barely any creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(-): a superb visual copy that is very clean with fine shine, intense black and very solidly pressed. Even under bright angled light, barely any surface traces to be seen, this is an outstanding record in every respect. It came from a one-owner-from-new collection and was played no more than once or twice. Visually a fantastic record that should please most-all collectors 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 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 Krautrock classic plays up to it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. 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 barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted, few copies will even match, let alone better this. Clearly this has been very well stored and caringly looked after and handled little. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this quality prog album. This copy will prove beyond difficult to find better and merits my highest recommendation.

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 Terrarium 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 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. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 8,000+ items sold in over 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 stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. 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 as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, 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 and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). 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] = £4.25

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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 (£17 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’.