FRANK ZAPPA / MOI Pop History Polydor 69 N/M

	£		46
	$		61

Hi, I am Mike, I am 46 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 33 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 ellusive 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, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirity, not just bits to guess a grade (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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. The only thing I cannot guarantee one hundred percent is exact colour matching - 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. Variation can sometimes occur too in colour of the label scans and labels taken next to the sleeve with a digital camera, the scanned full label pictures should be the most accurate. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

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. 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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I by quality single items and collections also (Email me please if you have quality items for sale).

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions of their intended payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions. NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM UNREGISTERED USERS, I will cancel them immediately, and sorry, I cannot give valuations on people’s personal items just for their own curiosity, no item can be accurately valued blindly.

Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert - Thankyou.

Artist or Band: FRANK ZAPPA AND THE OTHERS OF INVENTION

Album Title: Pop History Vol 7.

Track Listing: Help I’m a Rock; I’m Not Satisfied; motherly Love; Plastic people; The Idiot Bastard Son; brown Shoes Don’t Make it; the Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny; Anyting; you Didn’t try to Call me; Duke of Punes; hungry Freaks Daddy; uncle Bernie’s Farm; Who Are the Brain Police; Who Needs the Peace Corps; Absolutely Free; Status Back Baby; Invocation and Ritual Dance of the Young Pumpkin; Go Cry on Somebody Else’s Shoulder; Flower Punk; America Drinks & Goes Home.

Label/Format: Polydor (Stunning early classic deep red format).

Label Condition: Four absolutely stunning labels that look brand new. A stunning crimson red and barely a spindle mark to be seen, a couple of faint traces on two, the other two look almost totally devoid of any. This pair of albums quite honestly have only been played no more than twice (once by me of course). (Please see label scan for all information needed, all four are just the same).

Cat Number: 2335 025.

Mono or Stereo: Stereo.

Country of Manufacture: Germany, this was not issued in the UK and was exclusive to Germany I feel certain.

Rarity: Rare, any Zappa album made exclusively for the German market will be very hard to find.

Original Year of Release: 1969 is stated on the matrixes.

Matrix Nos: S1/S2 / S1/S2

Brief Artist & Album Info: This may be called Pop History, but pop is isn’t. Basically a compilation from the underground Verve years excluding anything from Lumpy Gravy. Nothing really new here but very importantly this album contains the original censored versions of some songs that were only available from the very early and rarer pressings. Another important factor too, apart from the stunning artwork on this gorgeous cover, the songs sound quality is fantastic, less compressed than the originals. Here the groove widths are wider and very deep on these massively thick records. I am a ‘veteran’ Zappa connoisseur and even I was left aghast to the clarity and dynamics of these early classic Mothers songs. The mix at times seemed slightly different and the sheer quality of these almost virgin grooves is astonishing. Conditionwise you will rarely, if ever see an album this age look better. Quite frankly I can hardly believe the age of this pair - they simply look brand new and play the same. Any Zappa collector will adore these and have the joy in owning one of the very rarest FZ items on vinyl. The cover looks wonderful and the only relatively minor flaw is some traces of laminate peeling mostly near the spine - its simply dried out after all these years - simply keep this inside a heavy duty outer sleeve and there should be no further problem. Being totally honest this one of the cleanest, freshest pair of albums I have ever seen that date this far back.

Cover Grade and Format: Minus the small laminate peels this would easily get a Mint(-) - its beautiful, as it is, I guess EX+ would be pretty accurate. Its a gatefold format, laminated front, back and inside the gatefold spread. Printed in Germany by Gebrüder Jänecke, Hanover.

Lamination: Beautifully clean and hardly a crease to be seen but it has slightly dried on the spine edge and traces too on the entry edge, a few small pieces have come adrift - emphasise small. Simply keep inside a cover as stated and handle sparingly. This has incredible shine and marks are few and any present are very light. This laminate still looks stunning.

Cover Front: One of the greatest ever Zappa sleeves, the same picture as Mothermania but this is so richly coloured and vividly sharp with that incredible deep purple background this has to be seen for real. The colours are so rich and deep again it blows away its age. Clean and unworn and looking quite incredible - please check out the pictures again.

Cover Back: Very much the same as the front.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Absolutely superb, no laminate drying here, not exposed to the elements of course.

Top Edge: Virtually unworn.

Bottom Edge: Virtually unworn.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear, just light lamination drying. Records entered on right outside edges.

Spine and Text: Solid and square some very mild rubbing, the laminate has dried and some has come off but the text has mostly survived intact.

Corners: All four show little wear, mostly to the very tips. All still nicely shaped.

Cover Summary: A lovely all round example of this beautiful late 60’s cover, one that may prove hard to find much better, if indeed you can find one at all. Okay some minor laminate peeling but little else to fault really. This eye pleasing and rare item should still please most collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint, no messing here, if anyone has seen a double set this age looking better, well good luck. A sublime visual copy. Super clean, shiny, jet black and very solidly pressed. Barely a mark to be seen, this pair look really amazing. Deep grooves with complex pressing patterns, way different to the more compressed proper album versions. Wide spaced, deep grooves give the ultimate fidelity and I kid you not you will not hear these vintage psych gems sounding better or cleaner. Visually a Polydor pair that will never be equalled, they will please any record connoisseur on the planet. Both records come in their original lined inners that are both near mint, clean and unsplit, both linings are perfect and clear.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: The German pressings are amongst the best around in my opinion, few ever give problems and they are consistently good - this is no exception. This double set play up to their high visual grading with little, to nothing to fault. Strong, undistorted sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very full rich sound. Surface sounds are virtually zero, and few copies will play better than this, even if any other copies ever show up. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure these records have barely been played and have been generally well stored and looked after, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little, if anything spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this couple. This copy could prove near impossible to find significantly better.

Mono vs Stereo, an overview: Always a matter of opinion which is better or more important. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records. As a general guide to rarity, mono was the far more common format from 61–65; Around 66–67 the balance was roughly equal, then from 68-69 the balance swung more to stereo, making monos from these dates far scarcer, even rare - this guide is important and effects values greatly.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: As the old saying goes ‘life is full of surprises’, I thought I had heard most of FZ’s music on vinyl, but this compilation was a real eye-opener for quality. Maybe just hearing these songs so clean and new was the difference but I still feel mainly due to the groove widths and depths. The stylus goes in real deep and the information in these vintage grooves bought out the best ever sound yet. Dont just bid on this for the stunning cover and to fill another gap in the your FZ collection, this demands to be heard. Its a rare item and only the second copy I have ever seen before - finding the records (and cover for that matter) looking and sounding like this is a minor miracle. Zappa collectors, treasure this one – Mike.

Having the Powerseller Logo: This is recognition from Ebay for the highest possible customer services, satisfaction and quality, it should reassure any potential bidder that all items are described, graded and shipped to the highest standards possible. Customer care of the highest order is a standard feature here and I am proud to have achieved this recognised standard of excellence from Ebay with help from collectors and buyers from all over the World - I thank you all.

Payment Details please read carefully - I know its boring but essential:

UK First Class: = £3.00; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £5.50 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Doubles add extra £1, triples add extra £2. Box sets add extra £3 (£4 overseas and Europe)

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

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 (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOTprofit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more and I often actually lose money on this part of service - I simply refuse to compromise with poor packing. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken OUT of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be worthwhile.

I can accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders OWN risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above)

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other interesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear 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. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.