THE DOORS STRANGE DAYS 1967 UK MONO 1st press ELEKTRA EKL 4014 SUPER AUDIO EX

	£		260
	$		345

THE DOORS - STRANGE DAYS

A highly presentable and truly excellent condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1967 very 1st UK press Doors psych/rock classic, with earliest A1, B1 vinyl matrix numbers on the ELEKTRA record label, MONO, EKL 4014

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1   EKL 4014  A1

Side 2    EKL 4014  B1

The appearance and overall condition of the flat and nicely weighted vinyl is excellent (EX). In normal daylight each side of the vinyl comes across as near perfect : gleaming, jet black, with a wonderful sheen - it is only with close scrutiny under a bright light that a few very light paper scuffs and wispy hairlines come into view on each side. but here is nothing "feelable" or obviously below the surface and all of these blemishes appear to be surface only and purely superficial, and the brilliant mono audio quality supports this view. So impressive, especially considering it's 53 year old antiquity!

The labels are excellent plus (EX+). Gorgeous condition labels with all black writing upon the orange background and the black ELEKTRA logo all in near perfect condition. Just some very light, faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label - only really noticeable when tilted at the right angle in a bright light. Note the side 2 label mistake unique to first pressings : track 2 is labelled as "MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOU IN MY MIND", but the words "IN MY MIND" should be attached to track 3 "I CAN'T SEE YOUR FACE IN MY MIND" as shown correctly on the outer sleeve track listing.

The condition of the front and reverse side fully laminated outer sleeve is excellent (EX). All edges, including the spine (which is the rarer first press "nipped ends" variant), remain firm with no scuffing at all, each corner remains a near perfectly defined right angle with minimal rubbing only, and the opening edges are similarly rigid with no fraying or feathering...amazing! The only blemishes (far too strong a word!) are x5 1cm vertical surface laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the front-side top edge and a further x4 very light surface creases on the front side perpendicular to the spine, a thin 4cm vertical strip of light laminate lift immediately next to the top of the spine on the front side, and a 6mm vertical strip of light laminate lift adjacent to the spine on the reverse side - each very trivial. There is also a small area of non-obvious light laminate creasing on the reverse side towards the top left corner...again, trivial. All colours, text, and art work remain in beautiful condition - rich, vibrant with great clarity and definition. A solid excellent.

The quality of the audio is excellent (EX), or better. Outstanding tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. No skips, jumps, repeats, sticks or intrusive clicks and barely any crackle or interference - just the hint of some very mild background crackle at the very beginning of side 1 and during a couple of the interludes. Every track on this wonderful LP makes for great listening, with wonderful mono audio reproduction.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1.  STRANGE DAYS

2. YOU'RE LOST LITTLE GIRL

3. LOVE ME TWO TIMES

4. UNHAPPY GIRL

5. HORSE LATITUDES

6. MOONLIGHT DRIVE

Side 2 :

1. PEOPLE ARE STRANGE

2. MY EYES HAVE SEEN YOU

3. I CAN'T SEE YOUR FACE IN MY MIND

4. WHEN THE MUSIC'S OVER

Comes with rare and excellent condition side opening original inner sleeve with a picture of the band on one side and song lyrics on the other, with no rips, tears or seam splits - just a little mild creasing towards the top corners, and of course remaining fully functional. Note that I always use a new, plain white replacement inner sleeve for shipping purposes in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly impressive condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1967 UK very 1st press Doors psych/rock classic - the whole LP remains a tremendous listen. A "must" for any serious vinyl collection and will only continue to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 65 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £3.00, Royal Mail 1st class signed for; 

Continental Europe £10, and Rest of the World £14 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler