CREAM Disraeli Gears - SUPERB EX++ UK STEREO LP & COVER. FANTASTIC CLEAN SOUND.

	£		36
	$		48

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: CREAM

Album Title: Disraeli Gears

Producer: Felix Pappalardi

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Strange Brew; Sunshine of Your Love; World of Pain; Dance the Night Away; Blue Condition.

Side 2: Tales of Brave Ulysses; SWLABR [She Was Like a Bearded Rainbow]; We’re Going Wrong; Outside Woman Blues; Take it Easy; Mother’s Lament.

Label/Format: Reaction with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only a tiny few mainly light and fine spindle marks. This super record appears hardly played, that reinforced by superb clean sound throughout.

Cat Number: 594003

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 130 grams. A very fine weight for an early 1970s pressing.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: The actual title itself is moderate, but finding any Reaction copy in such clean visual and playing conditions with super sound is far harder. This is a second press copy from the 1970s with the single sided laminated cover, these are a little easier to find but so many so seen badly worn and heavily played records. This one bucks-the-trend on both accounts.

Original Year of Release: 1967. This a copy from the early 1970s, the date-coded inner sleeve is 0171 (January 1971).

Matrix Nos: 594003 A-2 1 3 [184105 A] / 594003 B // 3 420 1 2 7 ? 1 6 (the bracketed ones on side one are crossed through error corrected).

Musicians: Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals; Jack Bruce - bass guitar, harmonica, vocals; Ginger Baker - drums, vocal.

Album Information: Arguably, the world’s most famous blues-rock power trio’s greatest album - a massive issue which still sounds wonderfully fresh. Clapton, Bruce and Baker’s most consistently perfect studio album. The Reaction copies are something to treasure, with it’s superb psychedelic cover artwork (by Martin Sharpe) and wonderful dynamic mix. When found in such clean condition, they are a thing to treasure. The stereo mix is superb and very different from the mono version – both are essential. ‘Disraeli Gears’ peaked at 5 and 4 respectively in the UK and US, very commendable in a year that saw the issue of so many truly wonderful records - still for me the greatest ever year in music. The stunning intensely bright cover matched the feel for the times perfectly for a psychedelic London. The blues feel of the band was slowly slipping away and the brilliantly surreal lyrics by Pete Brown suited Jack Bruce’s finest vocals. The words ‘classic’ and ‘essential’ are definitely not over-used on this album. Early copies of this record, when found in either mono or stereo are so often trashed, simply played to destruction, with unlistenable distortion, groove wear and scratches, even though a little later pressing, still a joy to find and offer a copy that looks hardly even played and sounds fantastic.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a single format and laminated on the front, this covers all the closed edges, hence the fragile spine and it’s text are protected, not all were. The back is matt and smooth and has the laminate overhang of around half an inch. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day, includes the Polydor style inner sleeve.

Lamination & Front: Supreme artwork and one of the landmark covers of it’s era. So famous and desirable, only strong, little worn examples will do for discerning collectors. The laminate retains a superb shine, freshness and clarity so the intensity of the cover’s artwork is seen to absolute maximum advantage, it shows barely any marks or dulling at all. Even under light there are no traces of any friction rubs and any record impression is minuscule. Another crucial factor is the lack of lifting, all is fully adhered including the vulnerable edges. Being made with thin card makes creasing another factor, this has little at all, with most present being super-fine edge types and all practically lost within the hugely complex psychedelic artwork.

Cover Back: The important factor is the laminate wraps around the spine edge and ends on the back, so the spine remains fully protected. This back is equally impressive as the front and has barely any wear at all. The lack of grubbiness – faint traces on the laminate end are hard to avoid – and no ringwear or rubbing makes this exceptional and so few will be found this clean. I am struggling to find a crease at all worthy of mention.

Top Edge: Ultra smooth laminate and super-clean panel end that is totally pristine and unthickened. Also very straight and unbowed with no chips or scuffs.

Bottom Edge: Largely as above, again the lack of thickening or burring to this storage edge is quite unusual.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly very sharp with little wear, any thickening or burr traces very slight indeed just seen when viewed end-on. Doing so emphasises just how thin this card is. Record entered on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced. The exposed strip on the front where the laminate ends being present, clean and unworn.

Spine and Text: The inclusion of laminate protection on this thin spine is very significant as it helps ensure the lack of wear of the text which is fully present and well centred. Solid and straight with some light compression here-and-ther, the ends are pinched in manufacture. All the laminate fully intact and unpeeled and super-smooth to the fingertip, just one fine crease/crack only.

Corners: Barely any rubbing and retaining excellent or better shape with no knocks or dinks.

Cover Summary: An exceptional and age-defying example of this beautiful and early-made cover, one that will prove near impossible to find better with the single-sided laminate. This vintage item should please many collectors and do not underestimate how difficult this is to find with a fine spine and general lack of wear.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): a Polydor-style inner and date-coded 0171 (January 1971). The polylining very clear as seen through two pristine window circles and all edges unsplit with no repairs. Just a little aged with the usual darkening of the seam adhesive, but hardly any creasing at all.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and looks hardly even played, as close to my full MINT(–) as they get. Even as seen under bright angled light, hardly any surface traces at all. A superb visual copy that has never been exposed to any damaging old stylus from the past. Very clean and solidly pressed with a lovely shine and lustre. This album usually gets heavily played, and why not?, it’s a classic, so a refreshing change to find one that has not been. It plays as lovely as it looks as well, so this will please most collectors.

Record 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This impressive clean record plays even above it’s high visual grading with barely anything to fault. Offering 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 this is an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. Few available copies will outperform this still early pressing significantly 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. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. It will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* 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’.