GRATEFUL DEAD Workingman's Dead Rare Orig UK 70 EX++ LP

	£		27
	$		36

Hi, I am Mike, now 48 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 34 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 elusive 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 entirety, 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.

Album Title: Workingman’s Dead.

Producer(s): Bob Matthews.

Associate Producers(s): Betty Cantor, The Grateful Dead.

Track Listing: Side 1: Uncle John’s Band; High Time; Dire Wolf; New Speedway Boogie. Side 2: Cumberland Blues; Black Peter; Easy Wind; Casey Jones.

Label/Format: Warner Bros – Original orange format.

Label Conditions: Both very clean and highly attractive with only very light/light and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area.

Cat Number: WS 1869.

Mode: Stereo.

Weight of this Record: 148 grams. A typical very heavy orange Warner pressing, these were amongst the heaviest pressed records for this time. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very scarce. This record did not even chart in the UK and original copies are very difficult to find, not only that, this splendid copy looks hardly played.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: WS 1869 A-1 *T / WS 1869 B-1 *T

Stamper Codes: H 1 / H 1

Musicians: Gerry Garcia – guitars, vocals, songwriter, pedal steel; Bob Weir – guitars, vocals; Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan – keyboards, vocals; Phil Lesh – bass, vocals; Bill Kreutzmann – percussion; Mickey Hart – percussion.

Brief Info: The band’s fourth studio album and fifth overall and this marked a large change in direction. A far more softer style that is more like CSNY with vocal harmonies and a more folk-country sound. It all works perfectly and this album is regarded by many ‘Dead Heads’ as their finest ever album. Popular in the US but a poor seller in the UK, this is now regarded as a classic album and original UK orange label copies are very scarce indeed and seldom found in anything like decent condition. Although this original cover does have some wear, the record itself is a beauty and will take something exceptional to better it. Heavy pressed with deep wide grooves, this wonderful record should please most collectors.

Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High. A notoriously difficult cover to find nice. The varied shades of brown are highly prone to rubbing and ringwear and this seldom escapes with a massively thick and heavy record inside.

Cover Grade and Format: Around VG. A single unlaminated format and printed in England by West Brothers Printers Ltd. This is the original sleeve and includes the WS 1869 number.

Cover Front: Some surface blemishes and mild ageing with a few small chips and rub traces. That all said, this front is way better than some I have seen. An intolerant cover that does not age well this still does look really nice with normal viewing. Little creasing and press and ring marks are only quite faint on here. Overall a very respectable front.

Cover Back: Again quite similar to front but with a surface scuff on the left side towards the bottom – the main reason for the lower grading. The ring mark is slightly more pronounced on this side but still only light in real terms. Only when the ink erodes into real ringwear does this become unsightly and the scuff apart, this back is more than respectable again.

Top Edge: Minimal wear on this one.

Bottom Edge: Light wear traces and a small central scuff mark.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear or feathering. Record entered on this right outside edge.

Spine and Text: Wear on this spine is confined to one area near the top which has grazed removing the ‘Workingman’s’ text. That apart, little other wear and all other text present and strong.

Corners: Modest with a little tip creasing and light rubs. Decent shape is retained by all.

Cover Summary: Minus the back scuff mark and the spine rub, this would be a strong example overall. A difficult sleeve, but an original one and beware of substitutes with the different catalogue number. Overall this retains a very respectable attractiveness and may well prove difficult to find significantly better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: A cover may show its age but this fantastic original record certainly does not. A beautiful copy that I conservatively grade EX++ but Mint(-) would not be unreasonable for this beauty. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, jet black and very heavily pressed at way over 70s pressing weight. A copy with very few plays on all the evidence and visually a super record that should please most collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This scarce record plays up too and beyond its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Barely any surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly difficult album. No great volume passages, this is a more gentle album with plenty of vocals, as stated similar to Déjà vu era CSNY and fans of that classic album will enjoy this one too. Few copies will outperform this UK original pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This actual record could prove very difficult to find significantly better as a first press copy.

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’.

My Terms For Bidding

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 for 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.

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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I buy quality single items and collections also (I am regularly told I offer the best prices – please Email me if you have items for sale).

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

UK First Class: = £3 or Special Delivery (Next day, fully insured), the best service available = £7.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured & Signed For: £8.00.

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured & Signed For (where available) = £11.00. Doubles add extra £1. Reductions for multiple items for all.

Any item that sells for over £75 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £100 get the same service Overseas. This 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 (£30).

Mailing Details: Please note I do NOT profit on postage, in fact I lose money on most packets (my packing standards are very high and the package weighs a little more - 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 proper stiffners for extra protection (if space allows). 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 inner, but will include the original inner if available.

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal or IMO’s from overseas bidders.

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 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.