FRANK ZAPPA Lumpy Gravy - SCARCE Barking Pumpkin N/M LP

	£		28
	$		37

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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: Barking Pumpkin Records.

Label Conditions: Any visual blemishes are tiny and faint and barely a spindle traces to be seen.

Cat Number: BPR 7777-4.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm .

Weight of this Record: 133 grams. A very good weight for this era.

Rarity: The original 60s pressings are elusive and rarely show up in top condition. Even the Verve Select repressings issued in 1972 are also now getting harder to find. In 1985, Zappa had his early catalogue reissued and slightly tweaked for ultimate sound quality. These were issued within the ‘Old Masters’ boxed sets in the US only in very limited numbers. Each box set had its own unique number and certificate, I feel sure they were not issued separately (that is not definitive however), but finding individual Barking Pumpkin copies are very difficult. ‘Lumpy Gravy’ was the in the Box One set with the other Verve albums and this particular album sounds fantastic. This may have been played once or twice and both playing surfaces and cover are in fantastic condition. Odd hairline or two only with no sound of course. Anyone wanting this prized pressing need not look further, it’s here and few of these ever made it outside the US.

Original Year of Release: 1968 in the UK, this was repressed in 1972. This Zappa endorsed tweaked version was issued in 1985.

Etchings and Matrix Nos: BPR 7777-4-A / BPR 7777-4-B

Brief Artist & Album Info: I am always delighted to be able to offer the rare 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; he cited it as his favourite work, and Civilization Phaze III, that was written in his final years, was meant to be its completion. This was actually recorded in February 1967 and is one of Zappa’s earliest works. It also constitutes Zappa’s 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 jolly 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 its procedures - collage, fragmentation, parody, humour, documentary - have since become requisites in the ‘postmodern’ academy, Zappa’s writing was too brash and severe for contemporary classical recognition. The back cover showed Zappa 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 the next release, working as its 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 pot-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. Lumpy Gravy appeared in the US album charts for just one week - at 159 (but only in stereo). It failed to chart at all in the UK making original pressings rare – hence I never have any hestitation in offering any of the few repressings if in good enough condition to do so. This Barking Pumpkin 1985 issue has a uniquely different coloured cover, my picture does not lie, this really is a deep purple version. This was his ‘solo’ debut and a major and very complex work from the genius, that was Frank Zappa.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++. A gatefold format, unlaminated with varnished surfaces. Printed and made in the US.

Cover Front: Unusual to say the least to see this with a purple colour. This has barely any wear and any marks or creases ultra few and faint. This looks almost as clean and fresh as manufacture day.

Cover Back: One half moon and a couple of small corner tip creases, these apart, again almost as made..

Cover Inner Gatefold: As made, the original artwork as a couple of tweaked overprints to make it up-to-date.

Top & Bottom Edges: No wear or note bar tiny tip rubs.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or trimming. Record entered on the back edge, the front is closed.

Spine and Text: Apart from one tiny rub trace on the fold, this is as made too, all text present and unworn and folded squarely.

Corners: Any tip rubs tiny, the odd small tip crease which happened within the box due to movement.

Cover Summary: A lovely Lumpy Gravy variant cover, nice to see one that looks so new.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++ as the very least, with just two ultra faint hairlines, this is more Mint(-) and could almost pass for new. A superb visual copy that is very clean and fresh with a mirror-like shine. Intense black and solidly pressed and without doubt, hardly played. If sound is paramount over originality, this is the copy for you.

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 bedrock of any Zappa collection, this amazing record plays up to its visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Powerful dynamic sound with maximum fidelity from these totally unworn and wide grooves. Sound quality is as good as it will ever get from this record with a full dynamic range and all the fine details. A difficult and complex title – it includes dialogue and high-tech sound that rarely will be heard ‘silent’ on vinyl. Here these parts play supremely well and although the very beginning sounds a little muted and unclear, this is quite intentional and normal on this record – even the CD version sounds the same. An intricate and complex work, what a joy to hear this at its best on a copy unruined by abuse from less-than-worthy record players from yesteryear. This rare Zappa classic was a joy from start to finish and will rarely be heard this clean, clear and focused. Any surface sounds were tiny and faint and barely any were heard at all. This album was highly technical and is beautifully produced and engineered and still has amazing sound values even today. As for the tweaking, well I noted little difference in this or the first made, maybe the sound has tried to be ‘opened up’ a little, but it’s negligible. This copy will prove near impossible to find better from this particular pressing. This record is just how Frank wanted it to be heard and that’s good enough for me.

End Piece: Frank himself cherished this album and he was a guy who rarely looked back at his own catalogue often. The cover states ‘Francis Vincent Zappa, conducts Lumpy Gravy, a curiously inconsistent piece which started out to be a ballet but probably didn’t make it.’ It includes Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (with maybe even some of the Mothers of Invention) – What the cover does NOT state is: a brilliantly bizarre and original record from one of the greatest musical minds of the 20th-century – but it really should have done. The cornerstone of any Zappa vinyl collection, but Frankly, possibly not the best place to start if you are unfamiliar or about to start a Zappa collection for the first time – this is a challenging and complex work – try the ‘easier’ material - unless you’re prepared to go in at the deeper end. A wonderful piece of work, one of around 60 essential records he made. For those who need this title or have an ear and mind to try him out, this superb, and in real terms, rarer copy is far too good to lose, it’s a copy I can strongly recommend.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. I pride myself on offering a variety of genres to keep my site as interesting as possible. I will rarely offer any record that falls below a true Excellent grading, unless its of a certain rarity which will justify offering a lesser grade. I try, to the best of my ability to describe as accurately and as honesty as I can all items I offer for sale with all the relevant information I can think of to help any potential bidder and collector. You may notice I only submit records sparingly on Ebay - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, not just bits to guess a grade - visuals alone do not always tell a true or full story. I will mention any defects or flaws no matter how small that I notice to be fair as possible to any interested collector – I am very fussy and my buyers have the right to be too. Every record I offer, whether it be a common or rare item deserves the same respect as far as I am concerned and will be treated the same - just because an item is rare does not always mean its good. I get just as much pleasure offering a relatively common record in stunning near mint condition as the real rare items. All the pictures I use for your guidance are taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. I am enthusiastic, and have a fair degree of knowledge about many genres and I promise quality items - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. Please assume all records I offer have NO jumps, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

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

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 6,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

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

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. A maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if not I will relist the item or offer to the runner-up. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask and thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: If any winning bidder is not satisfied with their purchase I will offer a complete refund. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

SOME GENERAL GUIDES TO WEAR AND CONDITIONS TO HELP YOU DECIDE

My Use of Description Terminology: Surface Marks = Superficial, usually light marks, hairlines or light scuffs that rarely sound. Scratch = a needle mark that goes below the record’s surface, some will sound, some will not, my play-grade will inform. Original = a record that has been pressed with the first label design which does NOT neccessarily mean a very first pressed record. First Pressing = A record that I believe or know to be a genuine very first pressed record. I do not claim to always know for sure, and that’s why I state the stamper and matrix numbers if at all possible, for those who claim to know what they all mean, the information is there for the collector to decide. I prefer to use terms like ‘Early Copy’ rather than ‘First Pressing’ if I am not totally sure. Surface Sound = Mild, light sound, usually light crackle or similar. Distortion = Break up of the actual sound caused by groove wear or damage from a chipped stylus – the most undesirable form of unwanted sound, vintage mono records were the most prone to this happening but not exclusively so. The symptoms of distortion are high frequency clipping, moderate constant crackle or an echo type sound quality. Violin, piano and vocals are most prone to groove-wear distortion. Feathering = Fraying or softening of the entry edge of a cover. Covers with feathered entrance edges are more likely to have had the actual record inserted and removed more than a non-feathered, sharp-edged cover which are always far more attractive. Set Off, actually a printer’s term for dark ink leaving mild residue on pale or white ink when rested upon. e.g. when a gatefold cover has black ink closed against white, this can leave some black residue on the pale area – this is mostly unavoidable or course.

The Argument for Vinyl Original sound and mix (mono mixes are rarely available on CD), high quality sound on clean copies (played on a hi-end dedicated analogue system – breathtaking sound!), beautiful, large format covers, artwork, inserts and even full size posters etc; huge investment potential, and the pleasure of owning ‘the real thing’.