CHICKEN SHACK 40 Blue Fingers… RARER Orig UK EX++ MONO.

	£		125
	$		166

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: CHICKEN SHACK

Album Title: Forty Blue Fingers Freshly Packed and Ready to Serve.

Producer(s): Mike Vernon.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: The Letter; Lonesome Whistle Blues; When the Train Comes Back; San-Ho-Zay; King of the World.

Side 2: See See Baby; First Time I Met the Blues; Webbed Feet; You Ain’t No Good; What You Did Last Night.

Label/Format: Blue Horizon – original blue format with textured surfaces.

Label Conditions: Two impressive very early examples. The only issue is a little mild staining around hole rim, my best guess of the cause, a reaction with the polylining, but that is speculation. This apart, two superb labels with only very light, few and faint spindle marks. A copy hardly played for sure and offering pristine sound for every moment of it’s duration. I can honestly say, I have never heard a better copy of this blues classic.

Cat Number: 7-63203.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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: 126 grams. Around average.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite scarce, like most blues albums, not a massive seller. Now regarded as a classic within it’s genre. This is beautiful example with a gorgeous cover and record and sound that is of mastertape quality. Such copies are elusive and much rarer.

Original Year of Release: 1968

Matrix Nos: 7-63203 - A 1 / 7-63203 - B1 [the mother codes are 1 / 1].

Brief Artist & Album Info: Classic title, classic cover and a true blues classic debut featuring the slightly eccentric Stan Webb and equally famous, a young Christine (later McVie) Perfect, arguably the most talented member of this fine band. Chicken Shack were the second most successful group on this prestigious specialist blues label after Fleetwood Mac and this album is arguably one of the best ever to adorne it. The full line-up here were: Stan Webb, vocal, guitar; Christine Perfect: vocal, piano, organ; Andy Sylvester, bass and Dave Bidwell on drums. Dick Heckstall-Smith guests on tenor saxophone; Johnny Almond on alto and Alan Ellis on trumpet. Ten marvellous blues numbers packed away in the famous tin can cover, ready to be opened and enjoyed. This copy has an exceptionally attractive and little worn cover with minimal visual blemishes. The mono record takes you directly into the recording studio itself and will never be beaten for clean, pristine sound. No damaging old mono heavyweight stylus have been subjected to these superbly clean playing surfaces. This radiant record simply excels and will delight even the most discerning audiophile collectors needing this masterful blues classic.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): arguably better still. A single format with laminated front. Made in England by Ernest J. Day Ltd. This still has the ‘Patent Pending’ text.

Lamination & Front: One of the most famous cover front in blues-rock music and it will seldom be seen better. Clean, very fresh and unaged, the laminate is ultra clear and shiny and that classic artwork will rarely give better visual satisfaction. All is fully adhered with no lifting of blistering and any of the tiny few surface creases are fine and faint. Even under light, barely any traces of friction rubs or dulling. Being very critical, very fine edge chipping near the centre of the left edge on the laminate end (but look very hard). The famous old tin can still looks new and is truly exceptional.

Cover Back: Taking of exceptional, well this ultra wear-prone back is almost beyond that and looks little short of new. I have yet to ever see a better one, the lack of fingermarks to the matt surface almost beggars belief. Once any handling marks or moist fingers put their marks on this back, they are nigh-on impossible to remove, so glad to state, there are none here to spoil this uncompromising area. No ring marks, rubbing, grubbiness, creasing or blemishes, I can hardly believe this myself. Both front and back are little short of stunning and will delight even the near perfectionists who tolerate little other than the best.

Top Edge: Unworn and very straight too.

Bottom Edge: As above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, quite sharp with minimal wear and no feathering guaranteed untrimmed. Very, very slightly thickened when viewed end-on, again being critical. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: The cover has a highly vulnerable spine simply because the laminate ends on the front face on both left and right edges. Meaning the thin spine is fully exposed and unprotected. So many end up rubbed with the text eroded, often fully with nothing left. This one has totally defied the odds and makes the difference between a very fine cover to a truly outstanding one. This clean, solid and straight with barely a trace of wear and ALL TEXT UNWORN, yes true. Without any doubt, this has been cover-protected from new, and the evidence is more than there to observe. Please see my close-up of the long title spine text, ask yourself, have you ever seen better?

Corners: The least corner rubbing I have seen on this fragile cover. All retain near mint and pointed shape with amazingly neat definition.

Cover Summary: A near breathtaking example of this famous, but delicate late 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult indeed to ever find better. Yet I still did not give my highest grading of Mint(-), simply because of the tiny and minor blemishes mentioned above, but quite honestly, it does merit it. A very famous cover that simply defies it’s considerable age and without doubt, has hardly been exposed or handled, it should delight most-all collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(-): the heavy duty, plain white polylined inner has barely aged at all. The window circles are pristine and the lining very clear. The only blemish is a little crinkling to the very centre that attached to the hole rim – thus my theory on the possible mild reaction near the hole rim. This is uncreased, still quite fresh with minimal discolouration and all edges unsplit with no repairs. Few better guides to lack of record usage than a near pristine original inner sleeve. This has the ‘Patent Application No. 40904/61’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a superb visual copy that only shows only a tiny few ultra fine and faint surface marks when carefully and critically viewed. Now around 43-years-old, how many mono examples of this classic will not have a few minor surface traces? Very clean, fresh with a lovely shine, intense black and solidly pressed. As I have stated so many times before, all collectors will know what a typical mono record will look like these days mainly due to what they were played on at the time. A swathe of heavy spindle marks, badly marked, grubby playing surfaces and difficulty hearing the music through constant surface noise, crackles, pops and clicks. Often rife with groovewear and distortion too – the invisible enemy of the mono record especially. This brilliant copy is on the other end of the spectrum and simply excels for looks and sound and will prove immensely hard to find better for both.

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 blues classic plays above it’s high visual grading with nothing to fault. A 1968 record that plays beautifully and sets the bar practically to highest level. This too on a hugely revealing turntable and system for which this mono record was not really designed. It offers strong distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound with a solid mono mix. No pops or clicks were heard and this record gave a practically reference standard account of itself. Both channels are clean and sharp with no mono noises and crystal clarity and focus retained from beginning to end. Certainly avoiding any potential blunt stylus abuse from it’s early days and I am almost certain this has hardly been played. Nothing whatsoever spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful album. The early Chicken Shack that included Christine (McVie) Perfect were extra special and this lady simply exudes class and makes this already special album, extra special. This copy will prove immensely difficult to find better overall in original mono and merits my highest possible recommendation. Do not lose this one.

End Piece: Although I don’t claim to be a major blues buff, I do like John Mayall, Fleetwood Mac and Chicken Shack and this album is amongst my favourites within this genre. The early Christine Perfect era was the vintage period before she left to join Fleetwood Mac, on this title she writes two songs. A blues album that many non-blues fans want in their collection, and rightly so. This is now getting quite an elusive title and never easy to find in mono especially that plays perfectly – this does exactly that. With Christine McVie in the band, it had to be Perfect didn’t it? – audiophile collectors, please apply.

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.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or prompt payment is a problem, please do not bid.

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: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.