FRANK ZAPPA Lumpy Gravy RARE ORIG UK 1968 1G/1G STEREO EX++ LP, AWESOME EXAMPLE

	£		143
	$		189

ONEADAYRECORDS – Serving-up a Christmas & New Year Feast of Entertainment

In this most difficult year, I hope these varied quality albums bring some seasonal cheer.

Over the Holiday Period, I am offering some interesting Christmas ‘Crackers’ – lovely albums – some rare – ENJOY!

And as ONEADAYRECORDS enters its 20th year selling on Ebay – I would like to wish all my customers – regulars and newcomers – a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & A SAFE, HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Postage: UK £4.95. Europe (including Russia) £12.95 (£1 per extra record). Rest of World £19.95 (£2 per extra record). All my records are sent in boxes and the price of them has increased over time and these are my first price increases for nearly 10 years. Royal Mail prices have also gone up again. I will never compromise on quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers reliable service without it.

Artist or Band: FRANK ZAPPA

Album Title: Lumpy Gravy

Producer(s): Frank Zappa

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Lumpy Gravy Part I

Side 2: Lumpy Gravy Part II

Label & Format: Verve – Original intense black format with matt, very gently textured surfaces. All text and details as seen in the pictures.

Label Conditions: Both in amazing condition bar the first owner’s name on side one. This written in a deep red, very fine tipped pen on the black area to the left of the Verve logo, so it hardly registers when viewed normally, seen more clearly under angled light. Both labels ultra clean, fresh and attractive apart with just two or three very light, fine and faint spindle traces. This supreme beautiful, ultimate first pressed record appears hardly played and sounds fantastic.

Catalogue Number: SVLP 9223

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 139 grams.

Rarity: A rare record UK first pressing including the very first 1 G mother and stamper codes (at the 9 and 3 o’clock positions), the ‘G’ following the ‘1’ on the matrixes is standard. However, the ‘G’ stamper code was the very first in the pressing sequence and proves a very first. The cover also difficult to find in finer conditions. Originals included a very wide spine that usually gets creased, compressed and flattened, a copy including an erect unbroken spine is also rare. Mostly purchased by a certain type of music fan on issue and wrecked by poor storage and use on the most basic of mono record players. Any first issue with a record that comes pretty close to reminding of as-made, is a major rarity. This also being one of the most important in a Zappa collection, it being his first solo album and one the rarest in his entire standard catalogue, this, unsurprisingly did not sell at all well.

Original Year of Release: 1968 [in the UK]

Etchings and Matrix Nos: V6 8741 A-1G / V 8741 B-1G

Stamper Codes: 1 G / 1 G [‘G’ stampers being the very first in the pressing sequence and prized by collectors as they potentially offer the finest possible sound quality]

Brief Artist & Album Info: “The way I see it, Barry, this should be a very dynamite show” – the opening line of Zappa’s first solo album Lumpy Gravy – one of his prized and complex albums from his amazing catalogue that now spans seven decades – it remained his own personal favourite and he was not a man to dwell back on his previous albums in a big way.

I am always delighted to be able to offer the rarest early titles from this great composer and musician, one of the greatest musical minds of all-time. Lumpy Gravy has a special place in the Zappa catalogue. ‘Civilization Phaze III’, that was written in his final years, was meant to be it’s completion. This was actually recorded in February 1967 and is one of Frank’s earliest recordings. It also constitutes his most extreme refusal of conventional formats. Although commissioned by Capital Records to ‘write something for an orchestra’ – to the tune of $40,000 – Zappa also included eerily bizarre arrangements of melodies, 30,000 bursts of guitar distortion, sped-up interludes, and bizarre discussions by people who had been placed inside a piano. This was a sure-fire recipe for commercial failure, and pretty much was, it failed to even chart in the UK. Although many of it’s procedures – collage, fragmentation, parody, humour and documentary – have since become requisites in the ‘post-modern’ academy, Zappa’s writing was too brash and severe for contemporary classical recognition. The back cover shows him in tuxedo and top hat, he is seen leering into the camera – asking ‘Is this Phase 2 of We’re Only in it for the Money?’ ’Lumpy Gravy’ was designed as a companion volume to his next release, working as it’s subtle counterpart. Towards the close we hear the words ‘Cos round things are…, are boring.’ Then he exhales, as if blowing out smoke. The listener is spiked with discontent, pondering a list of ‘round things’ (smoke rings, circular logic, records…). Despite his repeated condemnation of drugs, Zappa’s attack on the mundane was universally interpreted as dope-fuelled fantasy. In fact, no dope-head could summon the skill and energy to construct Zappa’s surrealist extremes. When the slogan ‘Round Things are Boring’ reappeared on the covers of One Size Fits All in 1975. Zappa’s dedicated, no detail-missed, fans felt contented. This album appeared in the American album charts for just one week at 159. It’s failure to chart at all in the UK make original pressings rare. The run of pressings on this was very small indeed, I have never seen a stamper go beyond ‘A’ on a stereo, and I would be surprised if many monos made it past ‘G’, which in theory means within around 1000 copies or less. This album will always be a cornerstone of any Frank Zappa collection and here with all the glorious sound and details totally intact. As stated above, this record appears hardly played and sounds incredible with all the detail, warmth and especially dynamics the analogue mode offers. The cover also very impressive as-seen. An example, the faint name on label apart, comes very close to matching my own prized personal copy and it should please most fans and collectors.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): and arguably better – it has amongst the least overall wear I have seen to date. A gatefold format, laminated front and back with the massively wide spine (this unique to the first UK issues). The inside has two large external flipbacks on the top edges (the laminate and these disappeared on the Select reprintings). These first covers were printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. The original plain white inner sleeve with ‘PATENT APPLIED FOR’ text is also included.

Lamination – Front & Back: Front first – one of Zappa’s most iconic covers with him wearing the PIPCO tee-shirt. Here seen close to maximum advantage under very shiny, clear and fresh laminate. Any dulling or creases minimal and very light, and in terms of creasing, this up there with the fewest I have seen on a Gravy sleeve. Just ultra fine edge ones and none at all away the sides, most being so small and minimal, they hardly register. A moderately small lift on the bottom left corner is the only one of note (a very tiny one on the top one opposite hardly registers). Lifting on this cover spine is very common indeed and few will ever be found with none, this I am certain due to the very wide spine that causes it to tighten more than usual, I never consider this as ‘wear’, its purely a natural trait of age. With any surface marks or blemishes few and faint, this intensely coloured, still brilliantly fresh and attractive front will never prove easy to find better.

The back is similar, and if anything better still as, incredibly, it has barely any trace of lifting at all bar a near microscopic one on the top right corner tip. Not only that, it has virtually avoided creasing as well, any traces bordering on minuscule on the sides. Again, the laminate is brilliantly shiny with only a gentle trace of dulling around the rim area that will prove near impossible to avoid at very best, here almost as light as it gets. This truly one of the very best Gravy stereo covers I gave seen at virtually matches my prized personal copy. The leering Frank artwork looks splendid as he asks the owner “is this phase 2 of: We’re only in it fo the Money”.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Also superb and little short of as-made. This even avoiding the usual set-off where black ink rests upon white which is so rarely avoided. Both top flipbacks look fantastic being very solid, crisp and clean, avoiding the usual grime lines to their end only scant evidence of any sticking together or pulling to their laminate ends with a mere trace to the top towards the left on the black (look hard). This one has the slightly rarer laminate ends on the laminate ends plus at the bottom of the cover, on some, the bottom ones are tucked inside. Like the rest of the cover, I have very rarely seen this inside looking to this close to immaculate standard.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both pairs little short of immaculate again, being very straight, flat, flush and parallel avoiding wear or chipping, the surfaces smooth and fully laminated. Quite honestly, both look virtually as-made.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Mostly very sharp with any thickening very little and light. Both edges are naturally open with no adhesive marks on the either, this is normal on this cover. Was an insert sheet planned for this one and abandoned? Record traditionally enters on the back edge, when inspected inside, the original owner neatly put his name there. But of course, this is invisible unless deliberately searched for.

Spine and Text: Another feature of a first print cover is the extra wide spine that matches the width of Jethro Tull’s classic debut ‘This Was’. A great feature, but so fragile, these often crush, compress (with central creases) and flatten over time which this one has virtually avoided. When seen like this one, it’s a thing of beauty for the purists. This is still very solid, straight with barely any compression. Also folded square, so the edges meet up very closely together and parallel. Any hint of tilt or blemishes minimal. Importantly, still erect and unbroken – no ramming back into shape for this one, if that is attempted on a flattened spine, they will simply, and quickly collapse again. The considerable amount of text is virtually unworn as well under the solid and uncracked laminate. This important feature of this original SVLP text cover is very impressive indeed as can be clearly seen. NOTE: I will pack this with central reinforcement to the winning bidder to stop this getting crushed by my very secure packaging.

Corners: Any tip rubbing again minuscule, rarely seen one with less than this. Almost the same for tip creasing, any hints tiny and as light as they ever get. Excellent to close to mint shape with no knocks.

Cover Summary: Up there with the very best Lumpy Gravy original covers I have yet offered and generally very impressive all-round. So few survive to this standard, and that very wide spine looks terrific. This elusive original item should please many, and maybe even most collectors, but for the fact I own one to this standard myself, this would be going nowhere.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(–): a plain solid white unlined inner that includes the ‘PATENTS APPLIED FOR’ text. Still clean, barely creased with all edges naturally intact. The paper with only a very gentle and polite hint of darkening. I know it’s only a quite basic inner, but like the main cover, it will also proved hard to find better or less aged than this.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(–): and arguably better looking than my own personal copy – this is a truly stunning visual record (not taking the name on label into account). Ultra clean with amazing shine and very solidly pressed. A copy hardly marked at all, and I would be absolutely certain, hardly played either. I doubt if this record had seen light-of-day for decades until my mandatory play-grade. Remember these types of records were often played on the most basic of record players and rarely purchased by hi-fi purists of the time. Finding the elusive album like this is a major find and rarity and should please most 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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This brilliantly bizarre album plays up to it’s very 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 sound minimal indeed, even on the dialogue and this is a very clean pressing with no tracking issues* or inherent pressing noises. Few available copies will match, let alone outperform this stereo first pressing. Genuine ultimate first 1G/1G copies surface so infrequently, I can be confident of that. Both channels are clean and sharp and all those complex sounds and effects are enjoyed to the highest quality. No tweaked or remastered versions necessary when you have the real thing – this is now Frank and his engineering team wanted this to sound. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this very scarce first ‘solo’ album. A rare opportunity for FZ fans and collectors, this merits my highest recommendation and this proving round things, are never boring – just a little weird sometimes.

* 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. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. 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. 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 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. 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 17­ 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. 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’.