JOHN MAYALL'S BLUES BREAKERS WITH ERIC CLAPTON (66 1ST)

	£		50
	$		67

Have a listen to ‘Key To Love’ from the ‘John Mayall’s Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton’ album. PLEASE NOTE: The sound files we put on our listings are all recorded from the actual record being sold, they are intended to give you an idea of the music content and the superb sound quality (which of course is a lot better once you hear the record in the flesh!)

This is a massively rare original first Mono pressing of the 1966 John Mayall’s Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton album. A long standing top drawer collectors piece for blues and Clapton aficionados, this is arguably one of the greatest blues records of all time. So hard to find as an original, especially on exceptionally well cared for and brilliant sounding first issue vinyl like this so don’t miss out...

Year of original release: 1966

Year of this pressings release: 1966

Label: Decca (Un-boxed logo, red label)

Catalogue No: LK 4804

Matrix No’s: ARL-7297-1A / ARL-7298-1A

Country of Manufacture: England 

Mode: Mono

RECORD CONDITION

Labels: EXCELLENT

The labels are the red Mono original labels with un-boxed Decca logo. Neither of the labels have any writing or marks, they both look absolutely clean and superb. There is some spindle wear but it is only very minor, especially on the side 2 label which doesn’t seem to have had much wear at all.

Visual: EXCELLENT

The whole surface of the vinyl has a brilliant clean sheen and still looks absolutely superb. There are no bad marks to report, no gashes or manufacturers defects in the vinyl. A strong light reveals a few light paper scuffs and the odd tiny hairline but that really is it; there are no major signs of wear on this very well cared for original record.

Play: EXCELLENT

The audio is loud and clear through both playing sides of this record with no lessening in the sound quality. Anything you pick up in the audio is only what you’d expect from a 44 year old used disc; the very occasional bit of non-intrusive background noise and perhaps the odd isolated pop or click but never anything that can spoil your enjoyment of the music. Have a listen to our sound clip from the opening of side two and hear that this is great stuff!

COVER CONDITION

Front laminate sleeve: EXCELLENT

The whole cover remains completely intact with no serious damage or wear. The laminated front has a few very light laminate creases visible under certain light angles but these are mainly the general small ones near the spine you see on most laminated sleeves. The spine is smooth and completely un-scuffed with clearly legible text; the bottom and bottom edges are smooth and un-scuffed as well. There isn’t any majorly visible ring-wear on the front but on the non-laminate rear there is a little light ring-wear but it is not a major issue. Any feathering on the side opening is extremely minor as well and again only a minor point. With the original ‘plastic bags can be dangerous...’ inner sleeve still intact this is a supremely well cared for original album package.

ABOUT JOHN MAYALL’S BLUES BREAKERS - ‘JOHN MAYALL’S BLUES BREAKERS WITH ERIC CLAPTON’

‘Blues Breakers With Eric Clapton’ was Clapton’s first fully realized album as a blues guitarist — more than that, it was a seminal blues album of the 1960s, perhaps the best British blues album ever cut, and the best LP ever recorded by John Mayall’s Blues Breakers. Standing midway between Clapton’s stint with The Yardbirds and the formation of Cream, this album featured the new guitar hero on a series of stripped-down blues standards, Mayall pieces, and one Mayall/Clapton composition, all of which had him stretching out in the idiom for the first time in the studio. This album was the culmination of a very successful year of playing with John Mayall, a fully realized blues creation, featuring sounds very close to the group's stage performances, and with no compromises. Credit has to go to producer Mike Vernon for the purity and simplicity of the record; most British producers of that era wouldn't have been able to get it recorded this way, much less released. One can hear the very direct influence of Buddy Guy and a handful of other American bluesmen in the playing. And lest anyone forget the rest of the quartet: future pop/rock superstar John McVie and drummer Hughie Flint provide a rock-hard rhythm section, and Mayall's organ playing, vocalizing, and second guitar are all of a piece with Clapton’s work. His guitar naturally dominates most of this record, and he can also be heard taking his first lead vocal, but McVie and Flint are just as intense and give the tracks an extra level of steel-strung tension and power, none of which have diminished across several decades.(Allmusicguide)

POSTAGE & PACKING

UK:

Basic option – FREE / Recorded Delivery (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) £3.50

EUROPE:

Basic airmail - £4.00 / Insured delivery £8.00

REST OF WORLD:

Basic airmail - £7.00 / Insured delivery £12.00

We will always ensure that our records will be well packed in a secure manner. We do everything we can to provide a safe delivery and ensure that your records arrive in the same condition that they left us in. We use professionally packed heavy-duty mailers. We are also happy to accommodate pick up in person.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

If you are unhappy with your purchase, for any reason, we are not going to get into a long dispute with you about the items merits. We offer a no nonsense money back promise including postage upon return of the item. Obviously we do ask that you raise any issues within 7 days of delivery. Just get in touch, we can work it out.

GRADING

‘Record Collector Magazine’ have for years promoted a grading system that has been accepted as the all round standard amongst dealers and collectors. We too use that system but just in case anyone’s not sure here’s my basic interpretation:

MINT: Only ever used if a record is totally un-played and therefore can be classed as brand new. Even if a record has only had one play it can no longer be Mint.

NEAR MINT: This grading applies to a record that has no visible faults and no lessening in sound quality. Other than perhaps a little dust and in some cases the lightest of totally non-sounding paper scuffs visible under strong light, vinyl graded Nr.Mint will be extremely well cared for. Sleeves graded Nr.Mint will have no damage and only the vaguest suggestion of any handling or use.

EXCELLENT: Records graded thus will essentially be in a very well cared for condition and play without any problems. Excellent records have been used but they will have been well looked after and the worst you can expect with the audio will be the odd light pop or click and perhaps a little bit of light background noise in a couple of places, but certainly nothing that will spoil your enjoyment of the music. Covers graded Excellent have no damage or defacement to the artwork , their evidence of handling will only be in minor details like a few faint creases, tiny edge scuffs or a small amount of writing or sticker residue but certainly no serious damage.

VERY GOOD: Records graded VG will be totally satisfactory to all but those looking for total perfection. They will be used but still fully playable and only show the kind of wear you would expect to find on a second hand record that has had a few plays. The odd light scratch may be evident as well as general spindle wear and paper scuffs but nothing to cause any overall problems with your enjoyment of the record. Basically, be realistic in what you’d expect a used record to look and sound like and you won’t have any disappointments with a record that is graded Very Good. Covers graded VG may show a bit of general wear or scuffing around the edges, there could be some light ring-wear, a few creases and perhaps a little bit of writing (1960’s record owners seemed to always write their name somewhere on the sleeve) but they will still be fully intact and certainly not abused in any way.

GOOD: Vinyl graded as Good should be approached with a little more caution, as most dealers will tell you in record collecting terms ‘good’ means ‘bad’! We try and keep our items above this standard, however Good does have some saving graces and is not the lowest grading vinyl can be given. A record graded thus will still be just about playable although it will clearly have been played a lot by previous owners. You can also expect light scratches and definitely some surface noise. Covers graded as Good will be just about holding it together although you will inevitable find plenty of creases, maybe a few rips and seam splits as well as possibly chunks missing, writing or stains and indeed any other kind of defacement that it’s possible to find on record sleeves without them being totally destroyed.

FAIR: Don’t bother bidding!

NB. There may be occasions when we add a + or a – to a grading. The reason for this is fairly self explanatory but essentially, if something is VG+ that means it is a seriously strong example of that particular grading and potentially worth a higher grade. Please also remember that there are variables within all of these gradings (for example, it is not impossible for a Nr.Mint sleeve to have a tiny bit of writing present) but we’ll always endeavour to mention any especially relevant points within the bulk of the main description text