FRANK ZAPPA Lumpy Gravy V. RARE ORIG UK VLP MONO VERY GOOD LP. RARELY EVER SEEN.

	£		50
	$		66

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

I would like to wish all my customers, regulars and newcomers, a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR

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

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, 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 signed and trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers 100% 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, gently textured surfaces. Side one has the embossed rarer ‘K T J’ tax codes, all letters unworn. All text and details as seen in the pictures.

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with any spindle marks very light, fine and faint.

Catalogue Number: VLP 9223

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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: 141 grams.

Rarity: A rare record in mono, and one of Frank’s rarest in that mode especially and not available too long and only repressed in stereo, these surface very infrequently. A commercial non-starter with few even pressed or sold. Thus most mono copies that surface will include the first 1 G mother and stamper codes. Even harder to find with a decent cover and playable record. Mostly purchased by certain types with most that surface trashed.

Original Year of Release: 1968 [in the UK]

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

Stamper Codes: 1 G / 1 G [‘G’ being the very first in the pressing sequence]

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 six 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 showed 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 US album charts for just one week at 159. It’s failure to chart at all in the UK make original pressings rare – especially in mono where few will even survive in playable condition – 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 Zappa collection and here with all the glorious sound and details totally intact. Yes a few brief light sporadic clicks, but little else, given the age, mode and sound on this uncompromising set, this has fared quite well. Far too weird and out-there for most listeners, but this is the genius that was Frank Zappa.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: or thereabouts. 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 to high advantage under quite shiny, still reasonably fresh and clear laminate which has minima lifting – there is a longish, but quite fine surface crease near the left corner that has a trace. Some gentle dulling mostly seen under light with any other creases fine and light near the sides. The back has a similar, but small crease on the bottom edge towards the right corner, again any others fine and light. There is a tiny surface chip on the left edge and a rub on the bottom left corner tip. No lifting on this side at all. Dulling is similar to the front and the leering Frank artwork looks splendid as he asks the owner “is this phase 2 of: We’re only in it fo the Money”. Note also, this has the correct VLP 9223 catalogue number.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Slight gentle set-off where black ink rests upon white, but little else really to fault. Both top flipbacks solid and neat and avoiding any sticking together or pulling.

Top Edges: Both straight, flat and parallel avoiding wear or chipping, the surfaces smooth and fully laminated.

Bottom Edges: Largely the same.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Mostly sharp with any thickening little and light. Both edges are naturally open with no adhesive marks on the either. Record traditionally enters on the back edge.

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’ (also on offer in mono). A great feature, so so fragile, these often crush and flatten over time which this one has avoided. Solid, straight with minimal compression and folded square, so the edges meet up very closely together and parallel. Any tilt of hint of creasing minimal, a slight tilt to left being critical, but little else. The considerable amount of text is unworn under the solid and uncracked laminate. NOTE: I will pack this with reinforcement to the winning bidder to stop this getting crushed in transit.

Corners: A small tip rub on the back bottom left as mentioned already, any others are tiny and light with very fine shape retained with no heavy knocks with most avoiding any creasing.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this much rarer mono mode cover. Some mild dulling, blemishes and creasing to politely remind of age, but still a nice looking example. This elusive original item should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a plain white unlined inner that includes the ‘PATENT APPLIED FOR’ text. Still clean and hardly aged or creased with all edges naturally intact.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: VERY GOOD: arguably slightly better. A fine visual copy that is clean with nice shine and very solidly pressed. A copy with some marks, mostly surface ones that are largely ignored. A smallish mark on side two does emit a few brief clicks. Most of any others few and sporadic and the majority of this rare mono version plays very well. A difficult album to even find, and although not perfect, I am happy to offer this as I found the sound enjoyable and have few qualms in not worrying about a small few brief contact sounds. A highly complex recording in this mode will rarely avoid some audio blemishes at very best, the single channel mode does present the music and content differently and is a highly sort-after record by Zappa fans and collectors. Indeed, it took me ages to find a better one for myself which I have kept in my own prized collection. Visually a fine record that should please many collectors, but not for purists who only want near perfection at any cost.

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 mostly above it’s fine visual grading with little to fault bar a few, mostly brief or sporadic light clicks. 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 (crackle) is minimal indeed and this is a very clean pressing with no tracking issues* or inherent pressing noises. Few available copies will outperform this mono first pressing I feel sure. They surface so infrequently in this mode, so I can be quite confident with that. Both channels are clean and sharp when played on a standard stereo system. Overall, little spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this very scarce first ‘solo’ album. A rare opportunity, it could prove difficult to find significantly better and can still be highly recommended as long as a few brief clicks here-and-there are no problem.

* 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 Nessie 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 Nessie 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’.