MOTHERS OF INVENTION Uncle Meat RARE ORIG UK 1968 EX++ LPs + UK BOOK.

	£		167
	$		221

ONEADAYRECORDS – Serving-up a Christmas & New Year Feast of Entertainment

In this most difficult year, I hope these varied quality albums bring some seasonal cheer.

Over the Holiday Period, I am offering some interesting Christmas ‘Crackers’ – lovely albums – some rare – ENJOY!

And as ONEADAYRECORDS enters its 20th year selling on Ebay – I would like to wish all my customers – regulars and newcomers – a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & A SAFE, HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Postage: UK £4.95. Europe (including Russia) £12.95 (£1 per extra record). Rest of World £19.95 (£2 per extra record). All my records are sent in boxes and the price of them has increased over time and these are my first price increases for nearly 10 years. Royal Mail prices have also gone up again. I will never compromise on quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received if possible. PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT send any item, no matter what its value without a Royal Mail or courier tracking number. ALL my items must be trackable to comply with Ebay delivery rules. Please do NOT ask me to make any exceptions to this rule as no country offers reliable service without it.

Artist or Band: THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION

Album Title: Uncle Meat

Produced: Frank Zappa

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Uncle Meat; The Voice of Cheese; Nine Types of Industrial Pollution (incorrectly titled ‘400 Days of the Year’ on the label); Zolar Czakl; Dog Breath in The Year of the Plague; The Legend of the Golden Arches; Louie Louie; The Dog Breath Variations.

Side 2: Sleeping in a Jar; our Bizarre Relationship; The Uncle Meat Variations; Electric Aunt Jemima; Prelude to King Kong; God Bless America; A Pound for a Brown on the Bus; Ian Underwood Whips it Out.

Side 3: Mr Green Genes; We Can Shoot You; If We’d All Been Living in California; The Air; Project X; Cruising for Burgers.

Side 4: King Kong Itself; King Kong by Don Preston; King Kong by Motorhead; King Kong the Gardener varieties; King Kong ‘deranged’; King Kong by Ian Underwood.

Country of Manufacture: England

Label/Format/Conditions: Transatlantic with matt, rough textured surfaces. All four are little short of immaculate, clean and fresh with very few, fine and faint spindle marks. Two have barely any at all. This set appears hardly played and plays superbly with barely anything unwanted. NOTE: side one backs side two being different to the early American version.

Catalogue Number: TRA 197 A1 / TRA 197 B1 / TRA 197 C1 / TRA 197 D1 (all mother codes are ‘A’)

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of Records: 144 & 132 grams

Warps or Lateral Movement: Assume all records I offer have no significant warping or lateral movement to cause sound or tracking issues. All should play fine even on budget turntables.

Rarity: UK originals are quite scarce with only very modest sales, an album quickly deleted here. So fans who missed out had to rely on imported copies usually from the United States. A major factor with this copy is it INCLUDES the super-rare UK-made book which was printed and made in St Leonards-on-Sea in Sussex. The book – apart from the outer covers – is very different from the American version with black and white pictures and details on the band members and four more pages. These are rarely seen or offered with only a tiny, very limited run made and reputed to be made available at Mothers gigs in the UK at the time. It took me years to find one myself and I have only had a couple to offer since in nearly 20 years of Ebay selling. Prized, rare, and this one in superb condition. Many Zappa collectors consider it the Holy Grail of UK Zappa album inserts and a very rare opportunity indeed – this is guaranteed original.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: STRA 197 A1 /

Musicians: Frank Zappa – guitar, percussion, vocals; Ray Collins – vocals; Jimmy Carl Black – drums; Roy Estrada – electric bass, vocal; Don Preston – electric piano; Billy Mundi – drums; Bunk Gardner – piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, bassoon (all mostly electrified); Ian Underwood – electric organ, piano, harpsichord, celeste, flute, clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax; Art Tripp – drums, timpani, vibes, marimba, xylophone, wood blocks, bells, small chimes; Euclid James (Motorhead) Sherwood – frenetic sax; tambourine. Guests: Ruth Komanoff (later Underwood) – marimba, vibes; Nelcy Walker – soprano vocal, Pamela Zarubica – spoken vocal parts.

Brief Artist & Album Info: In terms of ‘progressive’ music, they don’t come much more progressive than this awesome double album. One of the great Zappa albums, this a very clean, hardly played UK copy and his only album issued on Transatlantic Records. A switch was made from Verve to this label as Transatlantic were prepared to issue it uncut. Back in 1968 barely any albums included the word ‘f*ck’, and most shied away from controversy – back in the day, the word had more clout than it does today. But Transatlantic issued it, albeit only briefly, with the word included – they also issued a couple of Fugs albums at the same time as well, another uncompromising act of the era. Uncle Meat is an amazing blend of rock, psychedelia, experimentation and free-jazz. The use of early electronics and treatments of voices and traditional musical instruments almost unprecedented for the time. This was the Mothers of Invention with eleven members, it introduces Ruth Komanoff (later Mrs Ian Underwood), a very talented classically-trained percussionist who really understood Zappa’s complex music, she plays the distinctive marimba and other vibes on this remarkable set and over time is regarded as one of Frank’s greatest and popular band members. Zappa was still printing Edgard Varèse’s quote on his albums – ‘The present day composer refuses to die!’ – but so far his talent for outrage had arguably obscured his skills as a serious composer. Uncle Meat aimed to put that right, this double release down-played lyrics. ‘Basically this is an instrumental album’, it states inside the gatefold, which is not strictly true. A note described the technique of overdubbing, which was used extensively, opening up the weird world of virtual orchestration. Along with Komanoff, the other new recruit, Arthur Tripp was added on percussion with Jimmy Carl Black. They helped Zappa realise some of his fiendish metrical ingenuities. Ian Underwood played harpsichord with a jangling, absurdist quality that infuses all the music. Uncle Meat eventually became a great favourite in Europe, and almost single-handedly gave birth to the genre of ‘Art Rock’. The music was to be used in the movie of the same name, but never got actually finished until much later (the money ran out). This is Zappa at the very peak of creativity and contains some of most prized compositions. ‘Louie Louie’ features Don Preston on the ‘mighty Royal Albert Hall Pipe Organ’ and the band also demolish ‘God Bless America’ (an equivalent statement to the distortions Hendrix was applying to the ‘Star Spangled Banner’). Pamela Zarubica (a one time house-mate) appeared as the ‘Voice of the Cheese’ – Zappa takes the listener from domestic intimacy to rock-venue spectacle in breathtaking lurches. Every track is interesting in it’s complexity either vocally, or more so instrumentally. Zappa’s solo on ‘Nine Type of Industrial Pollution’ inspired many guitarists in the future with it’s strange chord structures and sound. ‘The Air’ had lyrics about customs searches and tape recordings and ‘If We’d all Been Living in California’ is a conversation between Jimmy Carl Black and Zappa about why the Mothers were not making more money being on the road and being near destitute. The album’s piece-de-resistance and long-standing favourite is Side D taken up by one of Zappa’s greatest compositions. ‘King Kong’, is a six section instrumental featuring some blistering solos from Underwood on electric alto saxophone, Motorhead on a deranged baritone sax, and best of all Bunk Gardner’s solo. Many assume this is a treated electric saxophone solo, but not so. The amazing sounds are created on an electric clarinet – you have never heard nothing like this before – the reed’s spit and rasp and create a sound possibly unique to this amazing album. The instrument is almost blown to destruction, this is Gardner’s tour de force and his finest moment with the Mothers. The large band is in overdrive on ‘Kong Kong’ and sounds created are astonishing. The prelude to King Kong on side B is pretty amazing too, a vast free-form jazz rock instrumental – this is the band blowing at their best. For any Zappa fan who has not heard this amazing journey into free jazz rock and weird creativity, this has to be experienced, but this could prove challenging for those not into more difficult music. If it proved too weird for you back in the late 1960s, give it another try, the best records take time to fully appreciate and this is more than worthy of perseverance. Being a Zappa connoisseur, this is one of my favourites from his ever-expanding and vast catalogue. Regarding this man’s work – this is one of the very best ever, and this hardly played rarer UK Transatlantic original does it near maximum justice. And including the UK book, it is one of the rarest as well.

Cover Grade and Format: Strong EXCELLENT: and arguably better for the most wear-prone album cover in Zappa’s UK catalogue. This is seldom seen without damage and all forms of wear and ageing. An unlaminated gatefold format made with thin card. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press, includes the two original white inner sleeves. Also the highly-prized and rare 20-page book with most of the inner pages different to the American version. Unique and elusive, this is seldom seen or offered and is rarer than most of any other UK album insert.

Cover Front: This UK cover does not wear well, mainly because the card is thin and with two quite thick heavy records inside. So rarely seen without considerable ring wear, rubbing and creasing. This one is very impressive and still fresh with most of any wear on the lower storage edges, and even this is modest. The front has little to fault and is still clean, hardly rubbed or creased and devoid of sticker issues that blight many. A tiny few that hit the shops first included a large company price sticker that was often torn off and discarded causing horrendous damage to the surface, then dropped. There is no evidence this one ever had the sticker, hence no problems with that. It retains deep colour and has hardly aged and impressive. One most fans will enjoy owning.

Cover Back: Very similar again with any blemishes minor and light. Amazing how this has survived without the usual ugly ring wear and rubbing.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Hardly anything of note to fault inside, and a special note to how well this one has been constructed. Often shabby and out of square with card overhang, but not this one.

Top Edges: Both quite straight, flat and flush with any rubbing patchy and mostly very light.

Bottom Edges: As above with moderate rubbing to the front edge, the back has little like the top.

Right Edge(s), and Type: All four edges sharp with any thickening minimal and very light. Records enter on these edges, and they are rarely seen this neat emphasising the records have rarely been inserted or removed.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with minimal compression and folded quite square, so the edges meet up reasonably close and only a fraction off parallel. The text shows minimal wear, as does the surface itself. More often seen badly rubbed, even threadbare, this spine is generally impressive as-seen.

Corners: Any tip rubs small and moderately light with very fine shape retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: A very strong all-round example of this uncompromising and wear-prone 1960’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This excellent item should please many, and maybe most collectors as this seldom shows up much better these days.

The Inner Sleeves: EXCELLENT(++): a matching pair of plain white unlined white inners that have the ‘MADE IN ENGLAND’ and ‘PATENT NO. 1,125,555,’ text. Four crisp, undamaged window circles, hardly aged or creased, with all edges naturally intact. The reason?, the owner stored the records in replacement soft-lined inner sleeves. The difference immediately apparent.

The Book: EXCELLENT(++): and (very) arguably better still, this is little short of as-made. The outer cover is the same as the American version, but most of the inside is very different with most of the pictures of the band members in black and white with brief blurb about each making this UK version unique. 20 pages instead of the America 16, this has the English printing credits at the foot of page 18 as seen in close-up. Printed on thick paper, bordering on thin card, this is a quality item. This has hardly aged with no creasing, writing, tears or splits, all pages crisp and neat. It’s held together with its two original staples that are punched into the spine, both solid, clean and unloosened. The book was reputed to have been manufactured for distribution at the Mothers gigs in 1968 as the American version was not included in the album at retail stage. Be assured, this is very rare indeed with few made, sold or existing – and very few indeed will survive in this condition. The actual album is seldom seen this clean and hardly played, but to include the genuine UK-made book is beyond difficult to find and few who own them will ever let them go. As stated above, it took me years to actually one at all for myself, and for the time being, that goes nowhere. This one on offer is of the same very high standard as my prized copy.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): arguably better, few will survive much better or less used than this. A superb visual pair that are very clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence with any surface traces few, ultra light, wispy and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches, viewed in average room light, hardly anything even registers. Visually superb records 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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This brilliantly bizarre album plays even above it’s high visual grading with barely anything to fault. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Superbly recorded and produced, the studio pieces especially are amazing. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is a very clean pressing with no tracking issues* or inherent pressing noises. Few available copies will outperform this elusive UK Transatlantic pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled within a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this classic vintage Mothers double set. It will prove very difficult to find better and merits my highest possible recommendation.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 17­ 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. 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 ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £4.75

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

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 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]) = £16.50 (£17.50 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’.