LOU REED Metal Machine Music SCARCE ORIG 1975 N/M LPs

	£		37
	$		48

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering the Rarest Music to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down with Picture & All Shipping Rates.

Artist or Band: LOU REED

Album Title: Metal Machine Music.

Track Listing: Metal Machine Music (The Amine ß Ring).

Label/Format: RCA – Gold format.

Label Condition: Four virtually mint labels that show barely any spindle traces, any marks on all four are ultra fine and faint and clearly this set has hardly been played. (Please see label scan for all information needed, all four are pretty much the same).

Cat Number: CPL2 1101.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of these Records: 101 & 105 grams. American pressed records were usually quite thin and light.

Country of Manufacture: US, this was not issued in the UK, a small few US copies were imported here for sale.

Rarity: Scarce and even scarcer outside the US.

Original Year of Release: 1975

Matrix Nos: CPL-2-1101 A-1, B-1, C-1 and D1. [Side D backs side A].

Brief Artist & Album Info: Without any doubt one of the most controversial albums ever issued. Reviled and scathed by critics at the time, was this a statement of contractual obligation?, Reed himself denies this strongly. The man has made some of the greatest albums ever issued including the first four Velvet Underground albums, Transformer, Berlin and New York. But this was either the greatest musical joke of all-time or an indecipherable classic. This record, a double set, lasts exactly 16.01 minutes per side and contains 64.04 minutes of electronic mayhem, a scathing wave of guitar feedback and distortion. So-much-so that, when originally issued, its reputed many of Reed’s loyal fans who bought this album soon after issue day were so outraged they took it back. This was commercial suicide and it had no chance of being anything other but a financial disaster and losing him many fans. Clearly he knew this, and the inside text of the gatefold cover warns of what to expect. The album was withdrawn faster than most and it has become a much sort after cult status item. A regular title featured in ‘worst-of’ albums of all-time and I have often stated this is number two in my personal list. Listening to this again, I am actually wondering if I, and maybe others have missed the point. Okay, it’s a very difficult album to listen-too, but if this had been issued by an avant garde artist, it may well have been looked-at a little different. Not all ‘art’ is easy and this is far from that. No-one would have expected Reed to make a record like this and it must have shocked most who did buy it. But clearly this is a highly personal project the man is proud to have made. Clearly highly complex with effects and mixing and the recording is truly adventurous. Very groundbreaking and ear-shattering and issued before the Industrial scene of the late 70s and 80s. Time as meant reappraisal for this one and now is looked upon a little more kindly by those who are prepared to listen, maybe myself included. The album is heavily featured in the Record Collector magazine of May 2010 and well worth a read, Lou gives a full and frank interview about this album that he is now promoting and playing again. This was not issued in the UK, but a few were imported and quickly deleted and this one has the saw marks to prove the point. It’s never easy to find the original without them. These two records look pretty much unplayed and play with little unwanted (except the ‘music’ some would say). The volume is loud, no surface sounds could ever be heard and who could tell the difference if any were present anyway? The US cover has its usual type of rubbing and ringwear. The sticker (seen in close-up) is a real one, later pressings had this printed on the cover. I would state if anyone wants this Reed rarity in their collection the two records are unlikely to be found better and the cover will be close to impossible to find perfect, so this is very respectable too. Granted this record is original, brave and daring but only the most daring and musically adventurous need apply. An electronic avant garde classic or unlistenable dirge – well you decide.

Cover Grade and Format: VG, always hard to grade US black covers as they always wear badly. It’s a gatefold format, and not laminated of course. Includes the original sticker on the top left of the front. This has a small saw-cut deletion cut on the top edge, as most probably will have - as stated already, this was not available that long and few purchased it here anyway.

Cover Front: Thick card, minimal fine creases but the usual rubbing and being black this one has little chance. The sticker is very slightly grubby with odd tone mark but clearly original and never tampered with in any way. The saw-cut on the top edge is common but here pretty small. As far as these go, this is a really strong original.

Cover Back: Similar again with more fine creases on the spine area.

Cover Inner Gatefold: A fine centrefold that has little wear but a few chips near the bottom of the fold hinge. It has blurb from the man himself, Lou tries to justify this record – he quotes “Most of you won’t like this, and I don’t blame you at all. It’s not meant for you. At the very least I made it so I had something to listen to”. At least he was being honest, but how many read this text before they purchased the album?

Top Edges: Light, patchy rubbing and a saw-cut to both near the right corner.

Bottom Edges: Patchy rubbing (no splits to any).

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little signs of wear, both untrimmed. Records enter on these open edges.

Spine and Text: A super spine: thick and uncompressed with little rubbing and all text sharp, clear and uneroded.

Corners: All have rubbed ranging from light to moderate.

Cover Summary: A near impossibility to find in anything like EX condition let alone better, so this Very Good example is not really bad at all and I think I have actually undergraded this. US-made covers simply do not wear well especially the darker ones. Both the plain white original unlined inners are included with their matching saw-cuts. Both have some creasing but fine that apart.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++ to Mint(-) A superb visual pair with just the odd almost mandatory surface traces that many imported US records often seen to attract. Movement in the unlined inners is always a factor but they are always superficial surface marks and rarely, if ever affect play. Clean, shiny, intense black and but quite thinly pressed as per usual. Barely a significant mark to be seen, this pair look really lovely and likely only played once before I gave them a spin. Visually a super set that will prove immensely difficult to find better, they should please most discerning masachists.

Album Played For Grading: Yes and actually found it easier than previously. When you know what to expect it’s almost bearable, but most will run a mile.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: Difficult, very difficult, it plays as it was made. If any blemishes are present, most are blown away by the sheer sonic power and intensity of this recording. Electronic mayhem with no discernible tune or rhythm, a collage of feedback and blistering sound, one of the most uncompromising albums ever issued. Both records look and play practically like new.

End Piece: Reed has always been his own man, never predictable and never more so than on this one, for that I applaud him. For those who have never experienced Metal Machine Music, well maybe now is the time to give it a try. The man has stated he knows no-one who has listened to it all the way through, well I have at least three times. It does get a little easier with practice but not very much. Now back in vogue and as stated above, recently featured in the RC Monthly, owning an original is always nice, but don’t expect it to be played too many times. Batten down your earlobes and be prepared to run, there is no other album quite like this.

Now one of the most established sellers on Ebay and still offering the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. 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, a couple more at weekends if time permits, 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 - 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 collector – 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 and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. If any picture I take looks more flattering than the actual item for any reason, I will clearly state the fact in the advert and vice-versa. 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, sticks, warps or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

Deck: Linn LP12 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon 2M moving magnet cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is not a bad thing.

I now offer the fastest possible posting, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. You will NOT get tired, dull looking, dust infested records inside worn and foggy covers with tatty inners from this seller and that’s a promise and guarantee. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). The record(s) REMOVED from their main cover to avoid edge splits and placed within a brand new polylined inner. The record’s original inner will be included if available. The boxes are then reinforced with THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 6,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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 – it’s always worth asking.

SHIPPING COSTS & CONDITIONS – THESE comply with EBAY’S RULES - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent via Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance optional extra £3)

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders or direct payment into my bank account.

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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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’.