COUNTRY JOE & THE FISH Electric Music… SCARCE ORIG UK 1967 FONTANA MONO nr EX LP

	£		26
	$		34

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 arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for 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.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

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 with matt rough textured surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both look fantastic. Given the sheer vintage and mode of this rare record, both are exceptional. Very clean, fresh just a very small few light spindle marks. This elusive mono original plays superbly for most of its entirety.

Cat Number: TFL 6081

Mode / Speed: Mono / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 132 grams. A very good solid weight.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Quite rare as a mono original. Most seen are stereo second issues on Vanguard. Another new American act, few would have purchased this initially. Those who did, usually played it to destruction often and usually on old mono record players inflicting the groove wear 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, these are not seen often.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: 6081 1L 1 420 1 1 / TFL 6081 2L 1 420 1 1 3

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, one of my personal favourites of the psychedelic era. This almost defined the genre ‘psychedelic 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 for and about 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 spellbinding 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 cover was quite basically made with fragile card, not even laminated which was more unusual at this time and construction was mediocre. Several other Fontana covers of this time were largely the same and rarely wear well. So this one has edge wear, but the main front and back are still nice. The record appears modestly played and offers very clean sound with little unwanted. I still feel this wonderful band, especially the early two or three albums, are still under-appreciated outside the US which is a shame. 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 ground-breakers from 1967 in the mode of the day – mono.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD: but in real terms looking better. A single format, unlaminated with matt, smooth surfaces. Made with a softer grade of card and clearly vulnerable to all forms of wear. The back has three rear external flipbacks make it even more susceptible to damage. Printed and made in England, uncredited. The original ‘WARNING’ is included with reference to Fontana records. The original 1967 Philips style inner sleeve is included which the only original owner included all song credits in pen as seen in my pictures. This kind of adds history to the record, as does the original price of 37/8.

Cover Front: Soft basic card and no laminate protection will often mean heavy wear and damage. But both the main front and back have fared well. Most significant wear is on the thin fragile spine. As seen, this front has little wear most present is on the very edges with the artwork pretty much fully intact and looking impressive. A little fine creasing on the spine edge, but the lack of rubbing, sticker damage and ringwear to the dark front still makes for an attractive and still fresh looking front. Indeed I have seen very few front on this unforgiving surface better.

Cover Back: Less common to see flipbacks on an unlaminated cover, so their surfaces become highly wear and damage prone. Glad to state all three are solid with little wear. The spine one is unusually wide. Most wear again seen near the edges and corners, the main back panel has little to fault. A fairly gentle scuff on the top flipback and a little gentle burring to the end of the bottom one – in context minimal. So the back shows its age and vulnerability more than the splendid front, but more often found in tatters with badly damaged flipbacks which this has avoided.

Top Edge: Thin, but generally straight but with moderate patchy wear and rubbing.

Bottom Edge: Moderate rubbing that has hardly encroached on to the front or back.

Right Edge(s), and Type: This entrance edge has thickened with a little burring. Card this soft, in most cases, will have wear. It has not feathered and is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: The spine has worn the most and is a little threadbare in places with most text eroded. Still intact, but suspect a possible repair near the centre as the card is a little hard. Clearly vulnerable, all is seen in my picture.

Corners: All corners have rubbed with at least moderate wear.

Cover Summary: A cover not really made for longevity and in terms of its era, not as well made as most from this period. Nothing I can do about that of course, but with that in mind, originals could prove difficult to find much better. With the main faces looking really nice, few will escape some edge wear? Clearly not for cover purists or the highly discerning. But the record does compensate and this really is impressive with sound to match. For elusive vintage originals, sometimes a little give-and-take has to be made.

Cover Summary: The original Philips/Polydor-style, white polylined inner is included with a date code of 117 (November 1967). I cannot grade this because both sides have been written-on by the one and only owner of this record. It has edge splits and one corner crease, moderately aged overall. Both window circles crisp and the lining clear.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: a few very fine surface marks, mainly hairlines or minor scuffs, but the record has clearly been little played, and for any mono record, that is vitally important. Still a very fine visual copy that is clean with excellent shine and solidly 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 most non-sounding and offering no groovewear, they matter little. I would rather concentrate on the impressive sound quality this mono classic has to offer rather than fretting over a few minor surface blemishes. When viewed in standard room light, this record looks fantastic. One to please many 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: The still impressive mono record plays above its strong visual grading with very little to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a fine dynamic range and detailed sound with no tracking issues*. A record that does sound different in the two formats, it’s a matter of choice which is preferable. Any surface sounds minimal and faint, hardly any, overall an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album that does have a fair number of quiet passages. The odd sporadic gentle click noted, but how many genuine 1967 mono records like this will not have the odd minor blemish? That is being purely realistic, such records are more often seen written-off totally putting a really nice copy like this into true perspective. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, the first mono example I have listened-to for some considerable time. It will prove difficult to find significantly better for audio quality. The record especially – and the cover is still very respectable – merits strong recommendation, these are not seen often on Fontana.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.