CAPTAIN BEEFHEART Strictly Personal RARE Liberty Black

	£		53
	$		70

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: CAPTAIN BEEFHEART AND HIS MAGIC BAND

Album Title: Strictly Personal.

Producer(s): Bob Krasnow.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Ah Feel Like Ahcid; Safe As Milk; Trust Us; Son of Mirror Man—Mere Man.

Side 2: On Tomorrow; Beatle Bones n’ Smokin Stones; Gimme Dat Harp Boy; Kandy Korn.

Label/Format: Liberty – second issue black format, the very first I have even seen (please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only very light, fine and faint spindle marks. These revealing labels will seldom be seen a great deal better on this elusive record.

Cat Number: LBS 83172.

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 label at this time.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: I have always considered this album on the blue Liberty label to be scarce. But this pressing on the second black label is way rarer still. Only a tiny number of these would have been repressed on the second format Liberty label as in 1971, this album was totally revamped and reissued on the budget Sunset label. The black Liberty label was changed from blue within the same year, hence probably just a minimum run on black prior to deletion on the main Liberty label. This was hardly a major seller anyway and most who were into the good Captain would have bought the initial album on release or soon thereafter. I have never seen ‘Strictly Personal’ on the black label, the guides do not even list it and I am certain few example will ever surface. Certainly one for the specialist and serious Beefheart fan, and coincidentally, I believe it’s one of the tiny few I have ever seen devoid of inner bag rash. Even my own copies in mono and stereo both have it, this one is totally devoid and both playing surfaces are in super condition and the sound quality it offers is little short of perfect. This is not hype, I truly believe few of these black Liberty pressings will even exist.

Original Year of Release: 1968, this a 1971 pressing.

Matrix Nos: LBS 83172 A-1 *T / LBS 83172 B-1 *T

Mothers / Stampers: C 1 / D 1

Musicians: Don van Vliet - lead vocal and mouthharp; Alex St Claire - guitar; Jeff Cotton - guitar; Jerry Handley - bass; John French - Drums.

Brief Info: After the stunning debut Safe as Milk failed to sell, this second album appeared on a different label – Liberty, again only very briefly. Beefheart was finding it very difficult to find a loyal label that would offer his brand of music. This remains one of the most controversial in the Captain’s early catalogue mainly due to the production of Bob Krasnow. Vastly divided opinions on it’s sound and use of phasing has always divided Beefheart fans. This is a strictly personal opinion, I think it sounds fantastic and makes a pretty strange band sound even more weird. But some think is obscured their real sound, including van Vliet himself. This wonderful album was a great prelude to Beefheart’s classic Trout Mask Replica which again was issued on a new label – Zappa’s newly formed Straight. Here Beefheart’s sound progressed still further from the debut and was now becoming even more obscure and challenging. The Captain was no ordinary artist and his music had few rules, his genius is at last being more and more recognised as time passes. This landmark album was the last not to include those outlandish names for The Magic Band, the members real names were correctly used. Weirdness however was the order of the day – just check out the inside cover pictures. A man fast approaching his creative heights and this stereo record does it superb justice. Skillfully blending blues with psychedelia, I have never heard anything quite like this before. Never easy to find playable copies of this original title, this was a real pleasure to hear again. Even though on the second format of Liberty, I still consider this an ‘original’ as the book does not even differentiate or even mention the black label pressing. Being honest, I doubt if these people even are aware of it’s existence, and truth-be-told, I wasn’t either. This is the very first black Liberty ‘Strictly’ I have ever seen. It can be no coincidence, I am always scouting around for Beefheart originals. A copy plays little either, there is no groove-wear or distortion to the mind-bending sound and any surface sounds are minor, few and light. I have in the past, heard a few copies of this (in mono and stereo) that have crackled quite badly, but generally, this is a cleaner pressing and the surfaces have no bag rash. A trait for which this record regularly suffers – indeed I have found barely any at all that fail to be affected. This one includes a UK-made cover which cannot be taken for granted, some included imported US-made covers with the Blue Thumb imprint. A title bought by a very few, and ever fewer survive that will be even playable let alone enjoyable. This is a highly important recording, it’s twisted and at times difficult melodies quickly get into the subconscious and for those unfamiliar, it’s a wonderful experience. Only with Zappa’s total unrestricted artistic freedom did the Captain excel to even greater heights on his next masterpiece. To phase or not to phase? – who really cares, just enjoy this unique album for what it is.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: an unlaminated gatefold format with a single thickness front and matt surfaces. Printed and made in England.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: High: prone to creasing, rubbing, grubbiness, tearing and ringwear.

Cover Front: This difficult cover has a surface pull mark on the centre of the right edge and to a lesser extent on the back dead in alignment. I think a likely culprit, in the distant past, a sticker wrapped around it – that pure speculation but gatefolds did sometimes have this. Anyway, only the surface has pulled and not too large. The colour has been retained naturally or by enhancement – again not sure, but this has fairly modest visibility. This clear blemish apart, this fragile front has little else to really fault. One or two light marks but the lack of creasing on this single thickness card a real bonus. A dedicated stereo cover and even the edge mark, one of the better ones I have seen.

Cover Back: The back is quite similar, the surface pull here is much smaller and a small part may have lifted and been re-adhered neatly. Again, few other marks and the lack of grubbiness and especially ringwear is unusually welcome news. Also hardly a crease to be seen.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Geninely weird and bizarre and worth the price alone as this will not be found elsewhere. Just as wear-prone as the outside faces, possible even more so being black. This has again has little to fault with any handling traces being few and very light. This also unusual and when fingermarks are applied to these matt surfaces, they are near impossible to remove.

Top Edges: Minor burr traces on the thin front and mildly discoloured.

Bottom Edges: Quite light rubbing and thickening to these storage edges, far better than most I have seen.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both are very neat and still quite sharp. Any burring or thickening again modestly light. The record enters on the back.

Spine and Text: Very modest actual wear but a little grubbing. Being single thickness, it will be obvious it will not remain erect all these years and a little tilt is practically unavoidable, but this has not been crushed. Still solid, quite wide, straight with any compression modest. All text is present and unworn but the white surface of the spine is fairly modestly discoloured.

Corners: All corners are in fine shape with any wear light. In terms of shape, little short of excellent which is a bit of a surprise – this cover simply does not wear well.

Cover Summary: A very fine all-round example of this very fragile original format cover, one that will still prove difficult to find a great deal better. Minus the surface scuffs, this would be one of the best I have seen, including my own. This attractive item should please many collectors but clearly not the perfectionists.

The Inner Sleeve: VERY GOOD: aged with toning and adhesive browning on the seams and a few creases. This a plain heavy-duty polylined inner, UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text. Both window circles crisp and unworn and the lining clear with minimal crinkle. All edges unsplit with no repairs.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: this is a very fine visual copy that has only a small few fine surface marks that are ignored. Clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed – a record rarely purchased by hi-fi connoisseurs and those of a certain type – finding a copy this clean is very difficult. As stated above, this is the first black Liberty copy I have yet seen and the same could apply for the lack of inner bag rash. The polymer lining on the first issues always seem to react with the record’s playing surfaces leaving a dull pattern. Usually harmless unless severe, but it never looks great. This genuine scarce black label copy looks little played and offers great sound and one for many, if not most fans to enjoy.

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 elusive record plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is high with a wide dynamic range. The controversial use of phasing is highly interesting and I love it. The stereo imagery works well too and the overall sound is presentated very differently to the mono version. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is a record that so often suffers indifferent pressing quality. Overall a lovely pressing for a fairly difficult album, the odd minor sporadic tick or crackle trace on a record over 40-years-old is near impossible to avoid. You can imagine the fate for probably the majority of these, played on goodness knows what, this was still a joy to hear again. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record which remains high in my favourites list from this period. This record will prove difficult to find significantly better and merits strong recommendation. This only real issue is the cover edge surface tearing.

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’.