ARMAND SCHAUBROECK STEALS Ratfucker private outsider weirdness MIRROR 1978

$

25

Armand Schaubroeck Steals - Ratfucker (Mirror 7), 1978.
The undisputed work of art from this Rochester, NY semi-legend and part-owner of House of Guitars.  
Schaubroeck is an addled genius, of sorts.  Whereas outsider artists such as Abner Jay and Wild Man Fischer and Syd Barrett and Harry Partch and The Shaggs and Zoogz Rift and, hell, Captain Beefheart grab a ton of admiration and adulation throughout the global music world, Armand Schaubroeck has inexplicably remained on the outside of the outside.   
How to explain him?  Let's turn to the good people at Trouser Press for help:
To describe Armand Schaubroeck as over the top hardly does him justice. This incredible independent-recording oddball began his musical career in the mid-'60s, after a prison stay (he was convicted of grand larceny). Although his subsequent livelihood has resulted from a well-known music store he owns and operates in upstate New York, he has found time to make a large oeuvre of albums and singles that spring from his bitterness and cynicism. Yet Schaubroeck is no raving looney — his records are intense but they're sane, and ambitiously conceived and executed. And while his musical and songwriting skills have grown by leaps and bounds over the years, he has never mellowed.
And how to explain this record?  Let's return to the good people at Trouser Press for help:
With Ratfucker, Schaubroeck created the masterpiece he'd been building toward. Were it not for the indelicate title and similarly strong language throughout, this concept album about death and depravity might have finally found him a major audience. Schaubroeck — as Lou Reed has also done, especially on The Blue Mask — posits himself as an assortment of wretched characters — a flesh peddler, a hired killer, an abuser of women — and sneers his way to disconcerting believability against a musical backdrop of excellent uptempo rock and funk. Cinematic and convincing, obscuring the line between art and life, Ratfucker uses horns and a background chorus to complement the characters' singing, talking and growling. In painting images of villains who wear their sickness like a badge, Schaubroeck delivers a rough, stunning tour de force.
Excellent record; highly sought.  Grab a copy while you have the opportunity.
Condition:  Record is strong VG+; cover is VG+.
All records are visually graded unless stated otherwise.   Extremely conservative (and ACCURATE) grading.  
****    SEE GRADING GUIDELINES BELOW     ****
Packaged in professional heavy cardboard mailers.  Records are removed from covers for shipping; cardboard inserts are provided for extra protection.
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GRADING GUIDELINES:
Mint (M)   Absolutely perfect in every way.  Appears to have never been played, possibly even still sealed.
Near Mint (NM or M-)   A nearly perfect record showing no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other signs of slight handling. 
An LP cover should have no creases, folds, seam splits or other noticeable similar defects.  Basically, an LP in near mint condition looks as if you just got it home from a new record store and removed the shrink wrap. 
Very Good Plus (VG+)   A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it.  Record surfaces may show some signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don't affect one's listening experiences. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are "OK". 
The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. 
Picture sleeves and LP inner sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned up corners, or a minor, slight seam split. An LP cover may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, saw-cut, cut corner, grommet hole or another sign indicating that this may have been a remaindered album.
Very Good (VG)   On the disc, groove wear will start to be noticeable, as with light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. 
Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, only two or three of them.  Records with an abundance of these defects are considered Very Good Minus (VG-).
Good (G)   A record in Good condition can be put onto a turntable and will play through without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear (on a styrene record, the groove will be starting to turn white). 
A cover or sleeve may have major seam splits, tape, writing, fading, stains, major ring wear, foxing, storage grime or other such defects. 
Poor (P)   The record may be badly warped or scratched to the point that it won't play through without skipping or repeating. The picture sleeve is water damaged, split on all three seams and heavily marred by wear and writing. The LP cover has severe wear and damage to its integrity.