MAGMA Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh RARE TRANSLUCENT 1st PRESS

	£		65
	$		86

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases.

Artist or Band: MAGMA

Album Title: Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh.

Producer(s): Giorgioa Gomelsky.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Hortz Fur Dëhn Stekëhn West; Ïma Süri Dondaï; Kobaïa Is de Hündïn.

Side 2: Da Zeuhl Wortz Mekanïk; Nebëhr Gudahtt; Mekanïk Kommandöh; Kreühn Köhrmahn Iss de Hündïn.

Label/Format: A&M – original mustard label format with slightly textured surfaces to the fingertip (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both almost as made: very clean, fresh and attractive and hardly any spindle marks at all.

Cat Number: AMLH 64397.

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 this Record: 140 grams. About average for it’s era.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Very scarce: originally issued on the mustard A&M label as per this, most that surface are usually on the later pale format. A band held in very high regard with prog connoisseurs, but never destined to be mainstream or commercial and even within this genre of music, these were no big sellers. This one also includes the rare ‘lyric’ insert. The word ‘lyric’ in inverted commas because the text might as well be written in Martian, because the bizarre language it is written in will mean nothing to anybody. Also this first issue is pressed on top quality virgin translucent vinyl. This means light passes through the record when held to bright light. It gives off an eerie red glow when seen in front of a light bulb as can be seen on my picture. These pressings are held in high regard by collectors, they were VERY limited and only briefly available and offer the best sound possible.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: AMLH 64397 A / AMLH 64397 B [both sides have error corrections]

Musicians: Christian Vander — Drums, Vocals, Organ, Percussion; Jannick Top — Bass; Klaus Blasquiz — Vocals, Percussion; Jean-Luc Manderlier — Piano, Organ; Benoit Widemann — Keyboards; René Garber — Bass Clarinet, Vocals; Claude Olmos — Guitar; Stella Vander — Vocals; Muriel Streisfield — Vocals; Evelyne Razymovski — Vocals; Michele Saulnier — Vocals; Doris Reinhardt — Vocals; Teddy Lasry — Brass, Flute.

Brief Info: .

Brief Info: ‘Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh’ was French progressive band Magma’s third album issued in 1973 and this one of the very few originals I have seen. What a beauty it is too – the record has a few minor surface scuffs, but plays with incredible, high-on perfect sound. Not such a well-known name in the progressive genre, but they have a loyal cult following and particularly two famous celebrities from different fields. Namely, ex-Sex Pistol, John Lydon (aka Rotton) and Steve Davis, the English ex-world champion snooker player who actually arranged a London show some while ago, so he could see them perform live. Over the years Magma have had many different musicians, they were formed in 1969 by Christian Vander, a classically trained percussionist. Their music has a symphonic sound and Vander actually invented a language called Kobaïan, which is used on this album along with a poweful choral flavour which has a distinctly eerie and unsettling sound. With heavy symphonic influences of the classics by the likes of Carl Orff and Stravinsky, this work within the progressive rock field is almost unique, musically adventurous and imaginative and without any doubt original. A complex recording with voices that remind of ‘Carmina Burana’ that have a powerful intensity. Magma’s albums are never easy to find and what a delight to find such a clean copy of this unusual treasure. First issues on the A&M mustard label are never easy to find. For prog fans who have yet to discover this French delight, this album is highly recommended as a starting point – their fifth album ‘Köhntarkösz’ is their best well-known and the aforementioned Davis has been said to say it’s his favourite album of all time. ‘Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh’ gives a great insight into the Magma sound and a cleaner sounding of this complex album is unlikely to be found.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: very dark matt gatefold covers rarely wear well and this is prone to just about every form of wear you can imagine.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD(++): An unlaminated gatefold format with matt smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by MacNeill. Includes the original and rare ‘lyric’ sheet.

Cover Front: With the least wear I have seen on this cover front. The main issue is a moderate horizontal crease towards the bottom edge. A few small press marks but the lack of rubbing is a huge bonus on a massively unforgiving surface. The logo and text is a bronze coloured ink, this tarnishes and fades so easily, here it is almost as made.

Cover Back: One small half moon surface crease with a couple of mild dull marks seen more under light. Some near unavoidable corner rubbing mainly on the bottom spine. Major positives is the lack of ring wear and creasing, a cover that will rarely avoid rim dulling and often penetrating ring wear. So this back in that respect is exceptional.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Very dramatic in colour with a deep bronze coloured ink. This shows little wear with only mild ‘resting’ rubbing to the edge areas that is near impossible to avoid.

Top Edges: Moderately light patchy surface rubbing. Both very straight.

Bottom Edges: More moderate, less patchy rubbing than above, again straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with little wear and no thickening or burring. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: In terms or rubbing, this delicate brown surface has little but does have some fine surface crease-cracking, which I think is simply caused by opening. This is quite mild and any rubbing is mainly confined to the ends. Solid, straight and folded square, so the edges are neatly together and parallel. The really major plus is practically all the text is present and barely worn, this never to be taken for granted on such an uncompromising cover.

Corners: Moderate corner rubs but largely with fine to very fine shape retained. I can hardly imagine one of these originals with unworn corners.

Cover Summary: ‘Difficult’ is not too fine a word for this one. Dark gatefolds are notorious for wear and in terms of this, I feel this is a very fine example. The front crease is the main concern on the large areas but being lower down, it has less visual impact and is far from heavy anyway. A scarce cover in fine condition, many collectors will enjoy it but not for the highly discerning.

The Inner Sleeve: VERY GOOD: a plain white solid unlined inner that has darkened with age. This has the band and album writtin neatly and small in red ink on one edge. Any creasing few and quite light, one side edge split which is very neat.

The ‘Lyric’ Insert: EXCELLENT: marked down only for some light tone spots on the plain unprinted back. There are minimal traces on the text-side front. This insert is quite rare and is guaranteed original. Printed on quite thick paper that has a mild sheened surface. Crease-free with crisp unburred edges. The text is in a bizarre language form and totally meaningless, but a nice piece to have of course. This also printed in England by MacNeill.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: a very impressive visual copy that is clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed, especially for the year of manufacture. A copy with minimal plays, especially on the evidence of the lovely clean, near unmarked labels. A few mostly light surface scuffs that have NO sound whatsoever. A small mark on the run-in grooves on side one again is easily avoided and of no consequence. There are NO penetrating scratches and this plays superbly. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippets or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This powerful prog album plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically 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. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or significant clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for what is a highly complex and technical recording. Those intense vocal and choral sounds are all fully focused, sharp and precise and totally devoid of crackle or pressing noises. Few copies will outperform this first pressing and these are really hard to find. Magma were unique, comparing them to any other ‘rock’ band is almost meaningless, they had their style, sound – and even language – an almost intergalatic choir of engrossing intensity. Only a top pressing will offer the sound needed and this ticks all the boxes. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. This rarer mustard label original will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

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 soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. 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. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 8,000+ items sold in over 10 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 stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.25

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16 (£17 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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 necessarily 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’.