GUY WARREN OF GHANA: AFRICAN SOUNDZ: SUPERB RARE

	£		280
	$		371

The record

GUY WARREN OF GHANA: AFRICAN SOUNDZ: SUPERB!

This is a very rare LP in beautiful condition. Both vinyl and sleeve are near mint.

There are no spindle marks and the run-in grooves are virtually silent. In fact, I have played it all the way through and it sounds indistinguishable from a new record (except of course they aren’t made to this standard anymore). The plain inner is crisp and I think this LP has rarely been out of its sleeve. It would grade mint except that in strong light there is a very faint patch of discolouration on side 1, about 2cm x 0.5cm). Perhaps it is some kind of very slight fault in the pressing – it can’t be felt and has NO EFFECT whatsoever on the music! It really is very faint, and you won’t even see it unless you look pretty hard.

The superb “African Dance no.1” opens the album, featuring an extraordinary driving partnership between the talking drum and D’Silva on electric bass. This pair driving the sound is a recurring theme, and quite simply the sound is unique – I’ve not heard anything else like it. However at times this LP also presents a reflective, quiet and atmospheric take on British progressive jazz – with African elements – by some of the best in the business.

Other contributors are Les Philips on guitar and of course Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax.

The LP was produced in 1972 by the great Denis Preston. Preston earns high praise in Guy Warren’s own sleeve notes as a major inspiration. That same year it was also Preston who produced, for Regal, Neil Ardley’s masterpiece “Symphony of Amaranths”. I think he was on a roll!

The collection

This LP came from an outstanding collection of classical and folk LPs (with a few jazz and rock items thrown in) that I was lucky enough to buy at the beginning of this year.

The collection consisted of around 3,000 items, dating from the early 1970s to early 1980s, all of which have been beautifully looked after. They were stored in wooden cabinets with doors, away from all sunlight, dust, and sources of heat, and played only on the best equipment.

As a result, many are in genuinely ‘as new’ condition. The vast majority are UK pressings. Many still have their original HMV shop price stickers, and are still wrapped in their original cellophane, except where it has been slit open to allow access to the record! In the past I have rarely used the grading mint, but here it is often warranted. Where a record DOES have a minor fault (this will always be specified in the description), it is usually a one off mark, apart from which the record will play with no clicks, pops or groove damage of any kind.

The couple who owned these records loved all types of music, particularly mediaeval, folk, and ‘world music’, and the collection includes a great variety of LPs on labels such as Argo, Topic, Leader, Trailer, and Transatlantic. Not all these LPs are rare, but all are difficult to find in this condition. I will be listing as many as I can over the next few months.

Check my feedback and bid with confidence. Winning bidders will NOT be disappointed in the quality of these items – but just in case, I offer a full refund of the item price if not satisfied, provided the record is returned exactly as it was sent. You risk only the cost of postage.

Postage

UK: £3.00

Europe: £4.00 (airmail)

Rest of the world: £6.00 (airmail), £3.50 (surface mail)

Items are securely packed records are placed in polythene sleeves, to protect from moisture, then inside special record mailing envelopes with two stiffeners for maximum protection. The envelopes are marked ‘fragile’.

I always minimise postage costs where possible, so please bid on multiple items with confidence – I will work out the best/cheapest way to send them. Sometimes it may be necessary to split packages if they add up to more than 2kg.

Items can be insured at extra cost. I usually include an insurance option on the invoice, in case you are worried that the item will be damaged in transit or get lost en route.

-         In the UK, ‘Special Delivery’ is the safest option, and costs £4.00 to £8.00 depending on the weight of the package.

-         For international items, prices for the ‘International Signed-For’ service start at £3.50, possibly more depending on the weight and destination.

-         Remember insured packages are treated with more care by the carrier, so even a cheap item may be worth insuring if it will be hard to find another one!

Items may be returned, in the condition they were sent, for a full refund (not including postage) if not satisfactory.  I will always be reasonable in dealing with any problems - please check my feedback and bid with confidence.

Methods of Payment

I accept paypal, cheque drawn on UK bank, and cash. (Payment by cash sent through the post is OK if that’s what you prefer, but I can’t be held responsible if it goes missing.)

Winning bidders are also welcome to visit me at home (Hackney, in East London). I have a huge assortment of LPs for sale.

Guide to grading:

Mint: as new – might even be unplayed. Without blemish of any kind – no sounding or non-sounding marks, quiet surface, no groove damage, sleeve will be immaculate with sharp edges, and without creasing, writing, or difficult-to-remove stickers. I use this grading only rarely!

Near mint: virtually as new – at worst one or two small, very light non-sounding marks, or a few spindle marks. Definitely no audible marks – aurally, the LP should be superb with no groove damage and a quiet playing surface. It is possible the sleeve may have a few very tiny creases on the spine, or slight ‘browning’ – for details see individual listings.

Excellent: There may be some very light background surface noise, or a few surface marks. Again, there should be no audible marks unless specified in the listing. The sleeve may have very light creasing, or slight discolouration, but still be overall in very nice condition.

Very good: this LP will have audible imperfections such as scattered ticks, or an audible mark or marks. There are also likely to be visual imperfections such as light scuffs, or slight damage to the sleeve – e.g. break-through on the spine, or perhaps damage to the laminated surface of the sleeve. Again, please see individual listings for details.

Please note: The use of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign, e.g. "ex+" or "vg-", means slightly better or worse than the indicated grade.

Please disregard reference to sending cash through the post - this used to be popular among ebayers, but apparently it is now against ebay policy. To be honest I wouldn't recommend it anyway!