Australian Playboys "Black Sheep" Nr Mint Psych Rarity

	£		798
	$		1,057

The Australian Playboys "Black Sheep R.I.P." b/w "Sad" 

Immediate IM 054

One of, if not THE rarest psych singles on the collectors' scene. This single just never turns up for sale and this is an excellent copy for its age. This is the same single that I uploaded images of onto the 45Cat database (www.45cat.com/record/im054).

This is a fantastic record too. The A side is a lysergic treatment of the nursery rhyme with added guitar. The B side is a beautifully crafted pop song complimenting the A side perfectly.

This is an original Demonstration (Demo) Copy with the release date 16.6.67. 

It is not a reproduction.

Before I describe the record this is some of what Record Collector said in their monumental A-Z of Psychedelia :

'One of the rarest and most sought after psych singles is the Australian Playboys only UK release...

The A side is a warped version of the nursery rhyme, full of loud guitar pyrotechnics which ends in a sea of complaining chords and feedback...

...the flipside, "Sad", the band created a hard-edged pop masterpiece of the very highest quality.'

Although I feel there is a bit of over exaggeration there it is a fantastic double-sider that rightly deserves its place among the very top releases of the genre.

This is a seriously rare record - it does not come up for sale very often - there is only one original copy that is registered as sold on popsike. That's right - ONE.

This is a Demonstration copy - most of the copies I have ever seen (and that's not many) have been - as this record sold so few copies that more demos have survived due to the number pressed for the Immediate promotion department. And that wasn't many either.

These demo copies were sent out to radio stations, retailers and promoters in order to try and get airplay and were often just binned, given away to junior staff or filed away and forgotten.

And in 1967 there were not that many radio stations to send them to.

Now for the record:

If anyone has seen previous listings of mine then you would know that I do not use Mint for records that are not still in a guaranteed sealed state or owned by me from new and never played.

I did the play check on a ProJect turntable through a Mission Cyrus 1 amp and Mission LE speakers.

Side 1    Matrix number (machine stamped)    IM 054 - 1P (might be an F)

As you can see in the scan the label is not printed on the usual glossy Immediate label stock but on a textured matt stock. This has resulted in some of the printing being faint and slightly faded but there are no tears or writing except for a faded X above the centre hole that is hard to see - I only just noticed it myself -  and as I have stored it in a polypropylene sleeve for the last 25 years it has survived beautifully. The paper label is quite thin so the black of the vinyl underneath shows through - it is not dirty. There is a small bit of minor spindle hole wear but other than that the rest of the label is clean and has been kept in the dark in a smoke-free environment.

The track itself plays perfectly all the way through, right to the end with no pops, clicks, skips or jumps. There is some dust noise at the start and on the run-off but the music sounds brilliant, as crisp and fresh as when it was first released.

Overall I would grade it as Excellent to Near Mint. For such a collectors' item it is in superb condition.

Visually (under strong sunshine) the vinyl is still very shiny. It has some fingerprints on it and some faint sleeve scuff marks but they do not affect play at all.

Side 2    Matrix Number (machine stamped)    IM 054 - 2P (might be an F)

The label is the same grade as side 1 but with three tiny smudges.The spindle hole is perfect.

The track plays perfectly all the way with no jumps, skips or clicks though there is some crackle on the lead-in and on the run-off and a sort of "swish" noise on the lead-in that disappears quickly when the music starts. There is one moment where there is a extremely brief "flump" noise but it might be part of the track. This is a strong Very Good with 99.9% of the track close to Excellent.

Visually (under strong sunshine) the vinyl is still very shiny as with side 1. It has some fingerprints on it and more numerous faint scuff marks, this time from probably being played on top of other records but once again they do not affect play at all

Do not miss the opportunity to own this piece of recorded history - possibly one of the rarest, certainly one of the least offered and definitely one of the most collectable and desirable psych singles ever released.

You do not see a copy like this every day and it may be some time before another one appears.

Now for the bit at the bottom. Please read this before you bid.

I accept PayPal, cheques drawn on UK accounts and direct bank transfer within the UK.

Postage is free in the UK but I strongly recommend insuring this gem which will be added to the cost.

Insurance will be mandatory to overseas.

Feel free to ask any further questions and, though it breaks my heart to see it go - good luck to the new owner, whoever you are.