ARTHUR BROWN The Crazy World Of… RARER Orig UK Stereo

	£		46
	$		61

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN

Album Title: The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

Producer: Kit Lambert.

Executive Producer: Pete Townshend.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Prelude–Nightmare; Fanfare–Fire Poem; Fire; Come and Buy; Confusion.

Side 2: I Put a Spell on You; Spontaneous Apple Creation; Rest Cure; Money; Child of My Kingdom.

Label/Format: Track – intense black with original matt finish (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both look superb: very clean, fresh and attractive with just two or three ultra fine and faint spindle marks that hardly even show.

Cat Number: 613005.

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: 135 grams. A very good average weight for this record.

Rarity: Scarce: stereo copies seem more elusive than the mono version and this one offers absolutely fantastic sound. A hugely difficult album with intense sound and vocals, so many are spoilt by severe mistreatment from the era of issue.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: 613005 A 1 1 5 2 / 613005 B 1 1 3

Musicians: Arthur Brown – vocals; Vincent Crane – keyboards; Sean Nicholas – bass guitar; Drachen Theaker – drums.

Album Information: A progressive-psych gem and featuring one of the UK’s wildest and most eccentric performers, this unique debut features the classic single Fire. For those around at the time, who could forget Brown’s performance on BBC television’s ‘Top of the Pops’ back in those mind-bending days of the late 60s? On came this dervish man coated in face paint and bellowed ‘I AM THE GOD OF HELL FIRE, AND I BRING YOU, FIRE!’ while his famous headpiece blazed away - this guy was always ahead of his time, it must have caused some mild panic in case he burned down the studio. He soon gained a cult following in the UK underground psych scene. This famous debut features Vince Crane, latterly of Atomic Rooster and note the executive produce, a certain Pete Townshend of The Who. This copy on offer is the scarcer stereo version and includes an impressive record and cover. Both have visual blemishes, but still impressive and the record simply sounds wonderful. For some reason, the cover regularly suffers laminate issues, mostly lifting which is often major. The silver and black back always wears very badly unless kept very carefully, ringwear often penetrates deeply into this one. The record is very difficult to find that plays well, the intense sound and vocals often the victim of heavy-tracking and worn pickups from yester-year, resulting in crackle and distortion. This copy has a few light surface marks and NONE sound at all and the audio quality blew me away with no degrading or unwanted sounds – all Brown’s spine-tingling vocals are clear, sharp and precise with no clipping or stressing at all – this too being played on a highly revealing system. Few copies will better this for sound, and from the label evidence especially, this one has been played little.

Cover Condition and Details: EXCELLENT: a single format with a laminated front that wraps around the closed edges and on to the back via the spine. One of the true psych classic covers, it’s not out of focus, it was intentionally made blurred for effect. A notoriously difficult cover to find in anything like attractive condition. It was printed and made in England by Polydor and includes it’s lined inner sleeve.

Cover Front & Lamination: The zany colourful artwork is attractive and shows little real wear. It does however have a dink with crease on the top left corner – the only really noteworthy blemish on what would have been a truly outstanding example of an always difficult cover. This dink is reasonably small and has modest visbility, but present nonetheless. The laminate retains a lovely shine, clarity and freshness – under light, fairly mild rim dulling is seen near the top and bottom and there are a small few, mainly light surface creases. With normal viewing, these hardly even show and the really good news is the lack of lifting or blistering that few of these seem to avoid. This makes a massive difference to the whole appearance of this colourful sleeve as does the lack of any really significant creases.

Cover Back: Totally uncompromising with silver colour ink that is exposed with no protection. Hence most are seen covered with fingermarks and ringwear. This has minimal handling traces and barely any hints of ringwear, this still looks very attractive. The same corner crease as per the front with any rubbing or creasing, few, light and faint. I have seen few better examples of this very difficult back cover.

Top Edge: Hardly any wear at all.

Bottom Edge: And again.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mainly sharp to very sharp with any thickening registering little, this entry edge is guranteed untrimmed and few will found neater than this.

Spine and Text: The corner dink has hardly even affected this very neat and solid spine that shows hardly any wear at all. Still straight with minimal traces of any compress and all text present and unworn.

Corners: Three very neat and crisp corners with the top left being creases with an obvious dink from the past. This being moderate and hardly a disaster, but the most significant issue on what is still a really impressive cover.

Cover Summary: I remind again of just how difficult this cover is for a variety of reasons and it’s great age has to be considered too. All the significant pluses far outweigh a moderately small corner dink and for pure looks, both sides will prove difficult to find a great deal better. One that will please many collectors but not the absolute perfectionists.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: a Polydor-style polylined inner that has corner creases not a great deal else to fault with any ageing quite light and modest. Both window circles are pristine and the lining ultra clear with minimal crinkle. Light evidence of adhesive darkening on the seams that all remain solid and unsplit (with no repairs). This one is date-coded 1/0170.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(+) / EXCELLENT(-): side one has few marks at all, side two has two or three noticeable surface marks but have NO sound at all. A few general very light and faint surface marks are seen also under light. I am convinced this record has been played little but is not pristine visually. However, and far importantly for me, this record plays superbly and nigh-on perfectly. Still a fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. Thus will please many 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This quality Track record plays even above it’s visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Nothing spoilt my true joy in listening to this dynamic stereo copy, I feel the stereo version has the edge over the mono version as psych albums rely on the channel separation for full effect. This copy has no sound degradating with all being sharp and clear with any surface sounds barely even registering. The ultimate test is Brown’s manic vocals, those shrill shrieks on ‘Fire’ are unstressed, sharp, precise and clear. I am certain never subjected to old mono record players or worn, often misaligned stylus, the sound is just too clean, and this I am sure has been played little. The surface marks are totally ignored, I did not hear any pops or clicks at all. This has more than just survived the 60s and beyond, a very difficult record is no understatement, but this offers very impressive sound even when played on very clinical equipment. The details embedded in these vintage grooves are testament to this band’s unique sound. No enhancing, remixing is needed - simply put this on to a quality system and you will be astonished at the sound if offers – Arthur was wild!, This is how a real psych record should be heard. This vintage stereo copy merits high recommendation, it will take an exceptional copy to better this significantly for sound, and all considered, it looks strong too.

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 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 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 3 or 4 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). 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: 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.

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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.