GRATEFUL DEAD ? WORKINGMAN'S DEAD ? EX orig 1970 green WB in shrink

$

50

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Original first press of their breakthrough masterwork. As the sixties drew to a close, it was a heavy time for the quickly crumbling hippie movement that had reached its apex in 1967. Death and violence were pervasive (the Manson murders, fatalities at the Altamont concert, and the ongoing loss of young lives in Vietnam despite the best efforts of anti-war activists and peace-seeking protesters). Difficult times were also upon the Dead, the unofficial house band of San Francisco and outspoken advocates of psychedelic experimentation both musical and chemical. The excessive studio experimentation that resulted in their trippy but disorienting third album, Aoxomoxoa, had left the band in considerable debt to their label, and their stress wasn't helped by a New Orleans drug bust that had members facing jail time. The rough road they were traveling down seemed congruent with the hard changes faced by the youth counterculture that birthed them. This fourth studio album reflects both the looming darkness of its time, and the endless hope and openness to possibility that would become emblematic of the Dead as their legacy grew. For a group already established as exploratory free-form rockers of the highest acclaim, these eight tunes threw off improvisatory tendencies in favor of spare, thoughtful looks at folk, country, and American roots music with more subdued sounds than the band had ever managed before. The songs also focused more on singing and vocal harmonies, influenced in no small way by their growing friendship with Crosby, Stills and Nash. The abrupt shift toward sublime acoustic sounds completely changed what the Dead meant to their listeners at large, but the risk of changing their sound entirely resulted in a heartbreakingly beautiful, unquestionably pure statement which has remained one of the more important documents of its time.



Artist: GRATEFUL DEAD

Title:

Year: 1970

Label: Warner Bros.

Catalog Number: WS-1869

Mono/Stereo/Quadro: stereo

Country: USA

Weight: 112 grams

Cover Format: thick highly-textured standard, wrap-around front slick with paste-on rear panel rear slick

Cover Condition: EX (sharp, crisp, vivid & tight, almost entirely in tight shrink, top NM if not for bottom right corner wear mostly on back & a touch up top)

Vinyl Condition:

Label Condition: a few wild but light spindle marks

We clean every record on a VPI HW-17F using Audio Intelligent Vinyl Solutions multi-step process (every disc goes into a brand-new poly-lined inner sleeve).

Everything is strictly graded using the classic Goldmine Standards that we have been applying since 1983: 

UNITED STATES MEDIA MAIL :  $4 for the first LP, 50 cents for each thereafter.  PRIORITY MAIL :  $8 for the first LP, $2 for each thereafter.

If you would like insurance (including Signature Confirmation) please add $1.65 for a package valued up to $50, $2.30 up to $100, $2.45 up to $200, $4.60 up to $300, and 90 cents for each $100 after that.

CANADA and MEXICO FIRST CLASS AIRMAIL :  $12 for the first LP, $5 for each after that.

THE REST OF THE WORLD - FIRST CLASS INTERNATIONAL AIRMAIL (2-4 weeks) :  $18 for the first LP, $7 for each after that.

International Registration is $12 and is required on all packages valued over $100.

 For all locations, double LPs count as 2 records, triple sets count as 3 and so on.  We are always happy to combine shipping, but regardless of how many LPs you hope to acquire, please complete your payment no later than 7 days after your last winning auction ends (of course exceptions can always be made, please contact us anytime).  If you are combining items please wait for us to send our personal invoice with the combined shipping amount.

Each (non-sealed) record is removed from its cover before shipping, and both are inserted into a new 3 mm sleeve before they are secured, with bubble wrap if necessary, in the highest-quality cruciform LP mailer.  No time or effort is spared to insure that your disc, cover and inner sleeve / inserts all arrive in exactly the same condition as they were listed.

We aim to ship every item within 24 hours of payment, but this is neither a physical store nor our only endeavor, so we kindly ask you to please understand if we take a couple days to ship your package every now and then.  We cannot be held accountable for lost or stolen items (please use Signature Confirmation if this is an issue), arrival times, or for anything shipped overseas without registration. We use eBay shipping so you will have records and tracking numbers for everything, but we have no control once the item is handed over to USPS unless you use registration, so if you forgo this extra service please do not file a claim if your package takes forever or fails to be delivered.  We highly recommend registration to all customers in Eastern Europe, Italy, and France.

We will always work with you no matter what the circumstance.  We make ourselves readily available to all of our customers, and look forward to any and all questions or concerns you may have.  We have satisfied many thousands of online customers alone over the years, we hope to add you to the list.

We visually grade all records using the classic Goldmine Standard, to which we have added EX (as have many others), but we do not use any other variant from the classic scale.  No NM- or EX+ (which are both EX), EX- VG+++ or Near Excellent (which are all VG+), or any such other nebulous grades here!  We feel that nearly every collector will be more than pleased with anything listed EX or above in our auctions; they will all be top-shelf, archive quality items which will play M- throughout.  A VG+ record will truly satisfy all but the most critical curator.  On the very rare occasion we actually grade an opened LP as straight MINT, we can guarantee you’ll never find a nicer copy anywhere!

We will play-grade any LP if there is any reason to do so; any questionable mark, scuff or noteworthy artifact of any kind will be sampled to determine its true significance (which may obviously impact the grade ).  We will also gladly play-grade anything upon request; if you are curious about the actual pressing characteristics or any have other questions about its actual performance please feel free to ask.

MINT :  Absolutely perfect.

This record looks like it has just left the plant, with no flaws whatsoever.  It appears unhandled and unplayed, with no marks of any sort.  Usually only sealed or (sometimes) unplayed LPs will warrant this grade.

The cover does not appear to have had a record inside it; there is no wear or distraction of any kind.

 NM : Virtually flawless, top copy.

The record is virtually identical to the moment it was opened, but may have a few faint paper, packaging or pressing scuffs which will produce no sound whatsoever and are very hard to see without critical inspection.  It was very carefully handled and played, likely only once or twice.

The cover is as close to perfect as can be expected given its age.  There may be minor impressions due to the outer edge of the vinyl (no ring wear), the lightest possible corner bumps, or a few tiny laminate creases (mainly on imports), but no wear or whitening of any kind whatsoever.

EX : A beautiful specimen, which will please most critical collectors and not need to be upgraded.

The record has no scratches or significant blemishes, and will play NM throughout.  It retains 100% of the gloss, sheen and luster, but may have a handful of faint superficial scuffs, hairlines or light spindle marks which will not produce any sound whatsoever.

The cover is nearly perfect.  There may be the absolute faintest suggestion of ring wear or possibly a light touch of dulling on the corners (nothing wrinkled or obtrusive in any way), but no notable seam or spine wear, writing or sign of tape anywhere.

 VG+ : Plays perfectly nearly all of the time, with only a few minor distractions.

The record still retains nearly all of the gloss, sheen and luster, but there may be a handful of inaudible superficial marks or scuffs, a mild scattering of light hairlines (which would only be faintly audible between tracks or in some very quiet passages), or a few stray marks which may mildly sound for a few revolutions. Each flaw is very minor, barely noticeable to the naked eye, and will not detract from the enjoyment in any way.

The cover is still very clean and crisp, but may look slightly more aged and have a few minor flaws such as small unobtrusive writing, minor wear to the seams and spine (no splits), slightly worn corners, very light ring wear or minor creasing.  No flaw is at all distracting in and of itself.

 VG : A nice play copy, which will perform without much significant distraction.

The record appears well played, but still has the majority of the luster.  It will not have been abused, though there will be some audible sound defects which will not overpower the dynamics of the music, such as mild surface noise in the quietest sections, a handful of stray isolated pops and clicks (which are brief and occasional), or possibly some very mild groove wear; still no skips, repeats, or anything deep or seriously pronounced.  It will play through quite nicely most of the time, with very minimal distraction.

The cover looks somewhat used and shows some mild wear.  There may be some minor seam splitting, ring wear (which still doesn’t overwhelm the cover), discreet writing (not large magic marker), or mild yellowing due to air contaminants. It is still nice, just a few notable flaws away from VG+.

We will never sell anything less than VG, so the rest of the scale is unnecessary.  We absolutely detest groove wear, so we will almost never list anything lacking the overwhelming majority of the luster, sheen and gloss.  Anything of significance will always be noted. 

THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING!

WE ARE PROUD TO BRING YOU THE CLEANEST & MOST ACCURATELY GRADED LPs ON eBAY!!! EACH SIDE IS GIVEN AT LEAST 3 PASSES ON OUR VPI WITH AUDIO INTELLIGENT FLUIDS & THOROUGHLY RINSED WITH THE PUREST H2O IN THE WORLD, RESULTING IN DEAD SILENT BACKGROUNDS AS WELL AS ULTIMATE PRESENCE, ARTICULATION AND TRANSPARENCY. YOU WILL NOT FIND A CLEANER LP ANYWHERE!!!