COUNTRY JOE & THE FISH Electric Music RARE ORIG UK MONO

	£		81
	$		107

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Classic Psychedelia to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down with Picture & All Shipping Rates.

Artist or Band: COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH

Album Title: Electric Music for the Mind and Body.

Producer(s): Samuel Charters.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Flying High; Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine; Death Sound; Porpoise Mouth; Section 43.

Side 2: Superbird; Sad and Lonely Times; Love; Bass Strings; The Masked Marauder; Grace.

Label/Format: Fontana – original matt silver and black format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both look attractive and fresh. Spindle marks are moderate but fine showing more under light, no surface ink has been disturbed. These may indicate several plays but believe me, the sound quality of this rare mono record is unimpaired in any way and sounds marvellous, even on my critically revealing Linn-Naim system. One of the cleanest mono examples I have ever heard in fact. A few light surface marks are ignored and fans will enjoy this without doubt.

Cat Number: TFL 6081.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 141 grams. A very good weight for this and any record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Quite a rare one as a mono original. Another new American act, few would have purchased this one initially. Those who did, usually played it to destruction, often and usually on old mono record players inflicting the groovewear and serious marks I always mention. These were perilous times for records and only small percentages survive to be worthy of playing on modern lightweight, and critically revealing equipment. When found like this, that lovely ‘period’ mono sound is wonderful. Never take it for granted, far from it – this one simply excels.

Original Year of Release: 1967.

Matrix Nos: 6081 1L 1 420 1 1 7 / TFL 6081 2L 1 420 1 1 .

Musicians: Bruce Barthol – bass, harmonica; Barry Melton – vocals, guitar; Joe McDonald – vocals, guitar, bells, tambourine; Chicken Hirsch – drums; David Cohen – guitar, organ.

Brief Info: Brilliant debut album and super early mono example of this classic electric psychedelic music. This almost defined the genre ‘acid-rock’. An album of haunting and captivating melodies with very sharp and satirical lyrics. Contemporary sixties subjects were covered: drugs with ‘Bass Strings’; sex with ‘Porpoise Mouth; and politics with ‘Superbird’. The brilliant ‘Janis’ was written about and for Joplin. Brilliant guitar-work from Melton and haunting organ sounds with superb vocals by McDonald himself, this album has it all. A pioneering work and a highly important issue within this monumental year in popular music but… as so often, it failed to sell at all well in the UK and did not even chart, hence its rarity. For those who did bother, well they were the lucky ones, this is a spell-binding experience and still sounds fantastic today. Like several US bands in the UK at this time, the packaging was not always the best. This Fontana original was rather ordinary, not even laminated which was more unusual at this time and construction was mediocre, thus many covers on this title are in very poor shape, this one has some wear but fairly modest put into context. I still feel this wonderful band, especially the early two or three albums, are still under-appreciated outside the US which is a shame, along with the wonderful Jefferson Airplane, they have been long-standing favourites of mine. For those still not familiar with McDonald’s early works with The Fish, this is a truly essential album and is one of the genuine classics from the ‘The Summer of Love’. A great opportunity to own one of the more elusive groundbreakers from 1967 in the mode of the day – MONO – and playing little short of when issued some 43 years ago.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: seldom seen devoid of major wear and more often shabby and tired looking. I am not saying this one is perfect, but given the facts, this is a highly respectable one and it will not be easy to find much better.

Cover Grade and Format: Very Good, not a bad grade for this impossibly wear-prone cover. A single format and unlaminated. Made with a softer grade of card and clearly vulnerable to all forms of wear. The three rear external flipbacks make it even more susceptible. It was printed and made in England but if uncredited. The original ‘WARNING’ is included with reference to Fontana records.

Cover Front: In terms of rubbing, this has little at all and the artwork looks very attractive and still quite fresh. There is some creasing main near the edges, the most apparent being on the right opening edge where pressure has to be applied to remove the heavy record. In terms of this cover, this is reasonably mild and with modest visibility. A small sticker mark appears neatly tipped in and shows little on the black surface. A little light enhancement appears likely too on the very edges and corners but again, this is fairly inconspicuous and clearly the previous owner was caring for appearance. I would still state, this is one of the best original mono covers I have seen for this album.

Cover Back: Not common to see flipbacks on an unlaminated cover, so their surfaces become highly wear and damage prone. This one has survived really quite well with very little wear to the main back panel and the flipbacks are neat and solid with little wear either. Most of any wear present is one the bottom edge near the left hand side, this has rubbed with a little feathering to the soft and frail card. Any creasing on this back is light indeed and grubbiness minor with no ringwear.

Top Edge: This edge is relatively neat with some small scuff traces, small tip-ins from the previous owner on the black are fairly inconspicuous.

Bottom Edge: This resting edge has rubbed but not in a major way. The most significant factor is some feathering towards the opening edge and has possibly been repaired in the past.

Right Edge(s), and Type: This entrance edge has thickened and creased but has avoided feathering. Still in very reasonable condition but a little ‘softened’ with record removal.

Spine and Text: The spine has patchy rubbing with a small central scuff. Much of the text has eroded too which is pretty much the normal on this totally unforgiving cover.

Corners: All corners have rubbed but in context for this one, all pretty reasonable with decent shape retained with no splits.

Cover Summary: I can hardly emphasise how fragile and delicate this cover is. Never designed for longevity and in terms of it’s era, not as well made as most from this period. Nothing I can do about that of course, but with that in mind, originals will prove immensely difficult to find in anything like ‘top’ conditions. With the main faces looking really nice, who wants to sit and look at edges as much? As I always state, sound quality is of paramount importance over visual and on that account, this superb mono record delivers.

The Inner Sleeve: The original Polydor-style, white polylined inner is included. This in a very respectable near Excellent condition, with a few milidsh creases and light age darkening. A lovely neat and clear window and no edge splits.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Near excellent, okay this has a few very light surface marks, mainly hairlines or minor scuffs, but the record has NO penetrating scratches, and for any mono record, that is vitally important. Still a very fine visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. Given all the facts about these type of records and their perils of being played on unsympathetic equipment with heavy, worn pickups etc, etc, etc… (stated it many times before) this record has not just survived those heady days, it still excels when it comes to quality, clean sound. Few records this age and type survive without any marks, but when light and non-sounding and offering no groovewear, they matter little. I would rather concentrate on the wonderful sound quality this mono classic has to offer rather than fretting over a few minor surface marks. It will be immediately apparent to any winning bidder this is a very special record and it will prove very difficult to find better as a mono original.

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 beautiful, record plays above its visual grading with nothing to fault. A bold statement, sure, but true. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a good dynamic range and detailed sound – not a super-fi production to be fair but a very good recording nonetheless. A record that does sound different in the two formats, it’s a matter of choice which is preferable. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album that does have a fair number of quiet passages. Finding these rare mono classics that sound so clean and enjoyable is immensely difficult, this has not been ruined by a blunt mono stylus and being honest, the surface marks are fine and superficial, I actually wonder if this has never been subjected to a mono record player at all. Tracking is effortless and sound is as clean as it will ever be. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, this has to be the best copy I have heard from a mono copy, this truly offers outstanding sound. This copy will prove nigh-on impossible to find significantly better for audio quality, if minor surface marks are an issue, do not bid, same goes for any cover wear. My prior is always quality sound and this excels almost beyond belief, a real classic in mono. High recommendation is mandatory for the audio quality of this wonderful record.

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 Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

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 promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners 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 FOUR 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 will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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 timewasters. 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 neccessarily 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’.