FRANK ZAPPA Hot Rats UK 1969. TRULY STUNNING N/M RECORD

	£		179
	$		237

Hi, I am Mike, now 51. Old enough to remember the golden era of original, high quality music, bands, artists.

Also records from the 1960s and 70s bought from the shops from new, I have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 37 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and elusive items now. 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 reader – 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 one hundred percent is exact colour matching for covers - this depends on the lighting at the time and that is out of my control, but I feel sure most items will be very close to the actual real item. 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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). 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.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: I post all my UK items on FRIDAY every week, most will arrive Saturday to make signed-for delivery easier. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO massively thick stiffners for even extra protection and bubble wrap if deemed necessary. These stiffners are the thickest possible and custom supplied for ‘Oneadayrecords’ – these are NOT commercially available and you will not have seen thicker protection anywhere. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty 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. Printed address labels are used as well as ‘Fragile’ tape for that extra professional touch for the packet. 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. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but NOT surface mail abroad. I never make profit on posting and offer probably the cheapest and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 3,500+ items sold in over 5 years of Ebay trading (I am now one of most established sellers via Ebay) and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

Album Title: Hot Rats.

Producer(s): Frank Zappa who composed and arranged all songs.

Engineer(s): Dick Kunc.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Peaches en Regalia; Willie the Pimp; Son of Mr Green Genes.

Side 2: Little Umbrellas; The Gumbo Variations; It Must Be a Camel.

A Special Note About This Copy: Since buying a copy of this album back the very early 70s, I have since seen many others many of which I have acquired and offered on Ebay. But this copy is very different and the very first such example I have ever seen. I have asked several other dealer friends and collectors about this one and no-one, as yet, has ever seen one or owns one like it. Most will know this album was initially realeased on the tri-coloured Reprise label in the UK with a Cat. No. of RSLP 6356, but fairly quickly repressed on the tan label when Kinney took over the Reprise label and the Cat. No. then changed to K 44078. Now some early tan Kinney pressings had dual matrixes on the run-out grooves, I call them ‘transition’ pressings, these soon disappeared and all the tan pressings had just the Kinney matrixes and all pressings I have seen whether early or later were smooth. But this record not only retains the RSLP number it has deeply textured rough finished tan labels and the run outs have NO Kinney matrixes. The matrixes are exactly the same as the tri-coloured Reprise first pressings. I truly did not know such a copy existed and it has taken me 51 years to actually find out one does. I, like most I would think, would have assumed all the tan copies would have some reference to the new Kinney distribution, but no, seeing is believing. This record and cover has NO Kinney references and appears as a first pressing but on the clearly new tan format and with very unusual and rare texturing to their surfaces. This is a beautiful record and I do not use the term lightly, whether this was made and issued in error I am not sure but what is for certain you will not see many of these being offered or even in anyone’s collection. All evidence suggests few will even exist and clearly this will be the very last RSLP version ever pressed before Kinney took over. Not only is this a very rare record, it’s in sensational condition and plays with flawless sound. The cover, always a difficult one, is also in superb condition and one of the cleanest RSLP examples I have ever seen. This is a connoisseur piece for all Zappa fans and a possible one-off opportunity. I hope my label scans show the texturing. Not only that, this has a different text design to the standard tan labels, a unique pressing of one of the greatest albums put to vinyl. Do not lose this one.

Label/Format: Reprise – deep orange-tan format, with ultra rare textured finish and different label design. Please note the RSLP Cat. No. which I have never seen before. (Please see my label scan and above about the significance of this pressing).

Label Conditions: Both immaculate with one spindle mark on each. Fresh and clean as manufacture day and this on a very rare and significant pressing.

Cat Number: RSLP 6356.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 135 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: I truly consider this potentially to be one of the rarest pressings of this album ever made: the actual album itself is not too hard to find. This was Zappa’s most commercially successful album in the UK, although it failed to sell well in his native US. First pressings are harder to find especially in top conditions. This textured RSLP tan copy has NOT got the dual matrixes e.g. both the RSLP and Kinny matrixes but ONLY the RSLP original. I have never seen one like this before. This record is immaculate and I do mean immaculate, it plays to absolute perfection with truly breathtaking sound, clearly hardly even played and has stunning detailed sound and plays with astonishing high-fidelity sound. When a classic record and cover shows up looking and sounding this fine it’s thing of real beauty – any fan needing this stupendous album will be thrilled with it.

Original Year of Release: 1969, this example is more likely to be from the early 70s.

Matrix Nos: RSLP 6356 A1 / RSLP 6356 B1.

Musicians: Frank Zappa - Guitar, octave bass, percussion; Ian Underwood - piano, organus maximus, flute, all clarinets, all saxes; Captain Beefheart - vocal on ‘Willie the Pimp’; Sugar Cane Harris - violin; Jean luc Ponty - violin; John Guerin - drums; Ron Selico - drums; Max Bennett - bass; Shuggy Otis - bass.

Brief Artist & Album Info: The greatest moustache in rock history and the album that proved to the world that Frank Zappa was one of the greatest guitarists of all time – if not THE best. At the end of 1968 Zappa’s contract with MGM expired, he and his manager Herb Cohen set up Bizarre Records. This gave them total control over their own packaging and music. Major distribution was needed too, so they chose Reprise, Frank Sinatra’s label which had recently been acquired by Warner Brothers. Hot Rats was the second album to be just accredited to Frank Zappa, he used a 16-track recorder and state-of-the-art production techniques, making this a musicial extraganza with truly phenomenal sound and detail. This was quite a successful album in the UK, but mysteriously was a relative failure in his native US. This is a sublime jazz-rock, predominately instrumental album and (for me anyway) one of the greatest albums ever made - I simply adore this album and I have probably heard this album more times than any other (not this copy hasten to add, just the once for a mandatory play grade). Zappa called upon the services of some of the greatest musicians of the West Coast. Don ‘Sugarcane’ Harris features heavily on electric violin with some blistering solos as does French violin virtuoso Jean luc Ponty. Also featured are veteran bassist Max Bennett, John Guerin a young drummer who had been working with Tom Scott on fusing rock and jazz, also Shuggy Otis, Ron Selico and Paul Humphrey. Zappa supplied himself with the finest rhythm section money could buy. The other hugely important presence was Ian Underwood from the Mothers, who played keyboards and electric saxes. This is one of Underwood’s finest moments recording with Zappa, his blistering electric saxophone solo on ‘The Gumbo Variations’ takes the breath away. Last but not least there is a cameo performance from Don van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart on vocals for ‘Willie the Pimp’ the lyrics of which are derived from an interview Zappa conducted with a New York-based groupie named Annie. Zappa himself plunges into an awe-inspiring guitar solo. His wah-wah pedal made the notes talk, but amongst the frenzy there remains a marvellous melody throughout. Frank dubbed in percussion, chains, castanets that added that extra fizz and Underwood is credited for playing ‘organus maximus’ which was actually a pipe organ. The cover is as famous as the music too, it features Christine Frka (Miss Christine) of the (in)famous GTO’s lurking inside a disused swimming pool in Beverly Hills: a striking image that was seen under many an arm in the heady days of the late 60s. She is often credited as the inspiration for the Alice Cooper look, both recorded on Zappa’s Straight label. A notably thin Czech girl, she sadly she died in 1972. ‘Hot Rats’ charted at 9 in the UK and a lowly 173 in the US. A work of genius, even non-Zappa fans who simply never understood his music often appreciated this album. It has been said that some rock guitarists have been quoted as saying Hot Rats contains impossible to play guitar chords, well this great man played them, and how. This easily ranks in my top 10 greatest albums ever made, I never tire listening to it and this unusual and rare copy is a real beauty. It plays practically as quiet as a CD with all the detail and dynamics of a master recording, this is gateway into Zappa’s recording studio and nothing – and I mean NOTHING will better it – this, I guess, can still be classified as a ‘first-pressed’ copy – it just has a different label and will prove MUCH RARE than the tri-coloured version. As anyone else ever seen a textured tan copy of this with only the RSLP number and matrixes? The CD versions are very good but the basslines are far less forward on the silver disc and some details seem slightly more muted, even lost. There will never be a better way to enjoy the king of the bizarre than on this record - I have seldom seen a much better overall copy of this timeless excusion into Frank’s world of jazz-rock, the word ‘masterpiece’ is often overused, but not in this case. If you have not experienced the wonderful world of Zappa, there is no better place to start – but be warned – this man’s music is seriously addictive and he has a vast catalogue.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High, seldom seen without ugly ringwear, fading and major surface rubbing. [Unlaminated covers are always the most vulnerable for rubbing, fading, sticker tears and ringwear, gatefolds are more prone still and the darker they are, the more this type of wear occurs and shows.

Cover Grade and Format: EX+. A gatefold format, unlaminated. It was printed and made in England by MacNeill Press Ltd and importantly it has the original RSLP number and NO Kinney references at all.

Cover Front: For me, one of THE covers of all time, sadly somewhat wear-prone this one has stood the test of time supremely well with barely any wear and little blemishing. A few ultra fine and faint surface marks when viewed up close but the general lack of grubbiness and rubbing is unusual and significant. The famous artwork is fresh and vibrant and totally unfaded or damaged and barely a crease to be seen at all. This can be held, viewed and enjoyed and not hidden away with lesser items.

Cover Back: Quite possibly the best back I have yet seen on an RSLP version. Similar to the front, even better if anything, this is so often found looking insipid and pale, not this one. This cover is somewhat intolerant of too much light exposure and quickly fades if subjected. Ringwear is always a problem on this intense and vibrant back but this one has none worthy of mention with any rubbing around the record shape is miniscule. No creasing, again a bonus this equally spooky back looks amazing.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Almost as new and even set-off has been avoided.

Top Edges: Ultra faint rub traces only, both exceptional.

Bottom Edges: Very light rubs on the back edge, but few will have less.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Both very clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record entered on this back edge.

Spine and Text: Superb and the best yet seen with original Cat No. This delicate black spine is solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up near perfectly together and parallel. This dark spine, which is very prone to rubbing and damage, shows barely any wear at all. All text is unworn, present and neat (please see this on my picture).

Corners: Light tip rubs is almost the least you can expect on this one, most being white means any tiny blemishes hardly even notice. All retain fine shape and definition.

Cover Summary: A superb excellent cover which is probably undergraded for a very difficult sleeve. This should please most collectors and will prove difficult to find better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: I am very, very tempted to grade this stunning record full Mint, but true to my policy for played records I will (reluctantly) stick to Mint(-), I am struggling to find a noteworthy mark or blemish of any kind. A small press ‘dull’ is just evident on the run out area of side two which is no consequence whatsoever. A truly superb visual copy that is super clean with stunning shine and lustre, intense black and quite heavily pressed. A copy hardly even played on all the evidence, a better looking and sounding RSLP pressing will prove near impossible to find. Visually one of the best ‘Rats’ I have ever seen. This beautiful record has clearly avoided any traumas from vintage heavyweight stylii which is confirmed by truly breathtaking sound quality. So often found badly scratched or well worn, this copy is like a breath of fresh air. For the ‘early-bird’ Zappa fans who bought this from the early days, most played it into submission – imagine the thrill of hearing this masterpiece for the first time. Hardly any surprise this album as acquired ‘Classic Album’ status and it remains (for me) one of the greatest albums ever made bar none. This title contains musicianship and composition of the highest possible standard and few would have even known the calibre of this man’s brilliance at this time.

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 snippetts 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 & Audio Grading – The Hot Rats Hi-Fi Experience: This astonishing record plays brilliantly with pristine sound, crank this up loud and prepare to be astonished. No pops or clicks were noted and this is a superb pressing that’s even devoid of surface sounds. Both channels are crystal clear and the sound and production are up there with the very best from this period. This rare copy of Hot Rats will simply make your system fizz with totally distortion-free sound. The delicate high frequencies of the electric violins and winds are totally unclipped and simply rasp from the speakers. My new moving coil cartridge took the sounds levels a notch further, I have heard this album countless times on all formats but never much better than this, so-much-so, I actually took a breather to take-in the sound still further while tapping out this piece. Zappa’s frenzied and blistering guitar work is heard to maximum effect and this will leave fans awe-struck. Played loudly enough, Underwood’s electric sax solo on ‘The Gumbo Variations’ is almost capable of ripping off the speaker cloth. What sets this analogue recording apart are the basslines which are rich and deep and fully focused and more importantly – present! The CD versions are leaner and lack that vital depth, grace and power. My LP12 gave this record real ‘pace’ and rhythm and its total realism will please even the connoisseur listeners. If only all vintage vinyl played like this there would be no need to grade because the astonishing sounds embedded in these totally unworn grooves will rarely be heard better. Beefheart’s brief cameo role on ‘Willie the Pimp’ is famous as he shrieks Hot Meat, Hot Raaaaattttzzzzz, Hot Zitz, Hot Wrists, Hot Ritz, Hot Roots, Hot Sooooottts… this is the album’s only vocal track and it Fizzzessssss. This record is so clean and special it should appeal to all vinyl lovers and collectors - even discerning audiophiles reading this. For those not bothered about the label colour, this is a ‘keeper’ copy that will never need upgrading - if treated with the respect it deserves, this record will last indefintely if played on modern lightweight equipment. Nothing beats an original copy of course, and this unsual tan labelled ‘original’ RSLP copy will not be beaten. If anyone still doubts the sound value of analogue records, well try listening to this. This is a very special album indeed – a gateway to his even more challenging works. They don’t make records like this anymore and the spirit of this musical genius lives on in this monumental work, my musical world has never been quite the same since his sad and untimely death. In terms of looks, sound and likely rarity, it’s unreservedly recommended, one for connoisseur.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

Posting & Packing: OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. US; Australia; Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£35).

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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.