CAPTAIN BEEFHEART Clear Spot RARER ORIG UK 1972 EX++ LP with LOVELY NEAT COVER.

	£		67
	$		89

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

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 arrived damaged in them at some time. More details on my packing 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 ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important to 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.

Artist or Band: CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND THE MAGIC BAND

Album Title: Clear Spot

Producer(s): Ted Templeman.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Low Yo Yo Stuff; Nowadays a Woman’s Gotta Hit a man; Too Much Time; Circumstances; My Head is My Only House Unless it Rains; Sun Zoom Spark.

Side 2: Clear Spot; Crazy Little Thing; Long Neck Bottles; Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles; Big Eyed Beans From Venus; Golden Birdies.

Label/Format: Reprise – original deep tan format with no Warners logo, matt, smooth finish with ring ridges.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only a tiny few, very light, fine and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. This is a sensational record with sound to match.

Cat Number: K 54007.

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 solid weight for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Scarce as an original which is easily defined by the PVC cover. Later examples had a standard card sleeve. Also very difficult to find intact, retaining clarity with no splits or substantial damage.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: K 54007 A1 / K 54007 B1 (punched, not scripted)

Musicians: Don van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) - vocals, harmonica; Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) - solo guitar, steel appendage guitar, glass finger and mandolin; Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) - rhythm guitar, bass; Ed Marimba (Art Tripp) - drums, percussion, Orejon (Roy Estrada) - bass.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Issued after the dark blues of the Spotlight Kid, this was one of Don van Vliet’s most exilarrating albums ever, the Magic Band rarely sounded more fluent with material even non-Beefheart fans could enjoy. More accessible (for Beefheart) compared to the previous albums like the stunning Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals off Baby, but still not out-and-out commercial and surprisingly, it failed chart. This was more conventional blues rock and is one of The Captain’s most loved albums, the late, great John Peel was always playing songs from this record including the quite breathtaking ‘Big Eyed Beans from Venus’ with stunning guitar-work and amazing vocals from Don. A song Peel loved and regarded as one of the best ‘rock’ tracks ever made and I agree. ‘Simpson’s’ creator Matt Groening is also a huge fan and he and Peel did the commentaries on the Magic Band’s reunion concert DVD. The band members, still with outlandish names but now playing more ‘conventional’ music. Clear Spot even includes a sensative love song in ‘Too Much Time’, that could even been a hit single given the opportunity. Beefheart’s vocals are totally inspired as usual and still sound very much in the Howlin’ Wolf range, this is blues-rock of the the highest calibre and a great place to start listening to this amazing man’s music. His use of the English language was second to none and his interplay with words was always captivating. His premature retirement from the music business was a shame for fans, but his love of painting was always his greater passion. One of the most challenging original artists and bands ever, at long last his music is now more being fully appreciated and so it should. Don van Vliet was a musical genius and a very complex man and a rare ‘one-off’, I always get huge enjoyment from listening to all his albums and this one especially. This original includes the PVC cover, here as fully intact as they are likely to get, along with the single sheet insert, both in lovely condition and the record plays beautifully to give maximum pleasure from what I regard as a mini-classic.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): this being the original PVC flapped format with card inner. This has back retaining strip and the flap is embossed with the ‘Clear Spot’ logo as seen in close-up. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press.

PVC Outer Cover: Two factors make this ultra fragile piece exceptional: one is the lack of browning or toning the edges that so few seem to escape. Also the lack of edge splits – there is a tiny trace of one on the bottom edge that hardly even registers, and a equally tiny one on the bottom right corner, again barely conspicuous. I have seen this ‘cover’ with multiple slicing through all edges due to record movement which is hard to avoid. This PVC sleeve becomes hard and brittle over time, and it will split just about anywhere. The top flap that tucks into the recess strip about quarter of the way down is rarely seen undamaged, here it IS fully intact with no splits at all. Also the strip the same. The Clear Spot embossed logo near the top edge is superb and little short of perfect. It also retains a high degree of clarity with a little dulling seem near the label and rim areas when held to light. Avoiding that is truly near impossible unless the record was never stored inside from the beginning. That is so unlikely to say the least. Overall, minimal ripple and hardly any creasing, this incredibly fragile sleeve will take some beating. It was only available for a limited time as well, it was fairly soon replaced by a standard conventional card cover.

Inner Cover Sheet: EXCELLENT(+): this a card sheet with the graphics and album information. I decided to leave this inside the cover and not risk opening the plastic sleeve. As stated above, these can go brittle over time and opening this vintage flap always carries an element of risk. So what I can see through the plastic looks perfectly fine with little to fault by a fine semi-crease near the top edge and little else.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++) / EXCELLENT(+): a very impressive visual copy that is very clean, mostly with fine shine and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface traces or blemishes, very few, fine and faint as mostly seen under bright angled light. A hint of dulling on side two being critical, most likely from contact with the PVC sleeve. 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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This wonderful record plays even above its high visual grading with practically 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 and this is an exceptional clean pressing. In fact, this copy had that real ‘X-Factor’ for ultimate sound, this simply excelled with detail, dynamics and sonic delivery of the music and vocals. These very early originals carry that extra clarity and punch the later ones seem to lack and this was a total triumph. Few copies will match, let alone outperform this quality 1972 pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment (the lack of the commonly seen nicotine staining or toning of the PVC cover always a good sign). Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – strongly recommended for non-fans of this extraordinary artist. For those who found his previous works too ‘out-there’ or difficult, this one is for you. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better. For those still to discover the pleasures of this legendary artist, start here.

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 10,000+ items sold in over 12 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 ask 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] = £4.75

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]) = £12.50 (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]) = £16.50 (£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’.