THE DOORS Soft Parade SCARCE Orig UK 1969 Elektra EX LP

	£		173
	$		229

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: THE DOORS

Album Title: The Soft Parade.

Producer(s): Paul A. Rothchild.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Tell All the People; Touch Me; Shaman’s Blues; Do It; Easy Ride.

Side 2: Wild Child; Runnin’ Blue; Wishful Sinful; The Soft Parade.

Label/Format: Elektra – original orange format.

Label Conditions: Both very clean and highly attractive with only light+ spindle marks that have modest visibility.

Cat Number: EKS 75005.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 145 grams. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: This original EKS album is quite rare and I have always found this the hardest UK pressed Doors album to find. Finding one with even a decent cover is challenging enough but to find a perfect playing record inside with a MINT insert is incredibly rare. This is by huge distance the best all-round original copy of this album I have yet had to offer.

Original Year of Release: July 1969.

Matrix Nos: EKS 75005-A1 / EKS 75005-B1.

Musicians: Jim Morrison - lead vocals; Robby Krieger - guitar, vocals; Ray Manzarek - keyboards, bass guitar, vocals; John Densmore - drums, percussion. Guests: Harvey Brooks and Dough Lubahn - bass; Curtis Amy - saxophone; George Bohanan - trombone; Champ Webb - English horn; Jesse McReynolds - mandolin; Jimmy Buchanan - fiddle; Reinol Andino - conga.

Brief Info: This was The Door’s fourth album and marked a slight change in direction moving away from the ‘Underground’ into a more commercial and popular sound. An album that received more mixed reviews at the time, its overall sound was probably a surprise. All the basic ingredients remained, but this album included brass and strings, and even includes a bluegrass song (‘Runnin’ Blue’). A lush production that took far longer to record than previously, and although this album is often rated as average within the Morrison era, I still personally consider it as another superb Doors set. Possibly slightly biased maybe, this legendary band have long been favourites of mine and they could do no wrong as far as I was concerned. This original group never made a bad song for me let alone album – this one is simply a little ‘different’. Most songs are less intense and easy to listen too, albeit, slightly short in playing time. This superb first pressing plays beautifully and is pressed on thick solid vinyl. The difference between a clean-cut original and a later repressed is significant, the details embedded into these vintage grooves will not be beaten. Although the cover has some edge rubbing – and few will ever avoid it – its clean and attractive still. The inside artwork is stunning and the same could be said of the rare lyric insert sheet. Guaranteed original, this is highly elusive and was only included in the original pressing. An example that looks barely even handled, this rare sheet could be the ultimate upgrade for serious collectors and the record the same. .

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+, and few will ever escape wear.

Cover Grade and Format: Around EX, maybe a fraction below but this is attractive and most of any wear lies on the bottom edges. An unlaminated gatefold format that includes the rare original insert. This has the original EKS catalogue number of course. It was printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day.

Cover Front: In terms of this uncompromising cover, this has minimal traces of wear or rubbing. A little edge rubbing just about encroach into view but only mild and light. The odd small surface crease or two but clean with practically ink solid and present. This will be hard to find better.

Cover Back: Quite similar to the front, with just a ver faint rub trace near the top edge. Small corner tip rubs show and a small corner crease. Given the facts, and remembe its considerable age, this back is very fine again and the lack of ringwear is a major bonus.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Great artwork and this is near perfect and looks superb.

Top Edges: Lightish, patchy rubbing.

Bottom Edges: The front has moderate rubbing, the back more patchy and light to moderate in places.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering. Record entered on this right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. A few small surface chips and the odd tiny tip-in likely. All text is present, strong and unworn which again on this one is a real bonus.

Corners: All corner tips have rubbed in context to their respective edge. Most have retained decent and quite neat shape.

Cover Summary: An attractive all round example of this highly wear-prone cover – only rarely will any original EJD example be found in significantly better overall condition. This fine looking item should please many collectors but not the perfectionist of course.

The Insert: I have not seen this many times and never in Mint condition, I actually wonder if the original owner knew it was inside, this looks unhandled. Guaranteed original, this is clean, uncreased with razor-sharp edges. Take another look as this will probably be seen quite like this again. Great band artwork one side and the song lyrics on the other. This only came with the first-made originals. The original unlined inner is also included in fine shape. A few light creases and some age toning, this includes the ‘Patent applied for’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX and plays superbly. This copy has a few light surface marks and pressing marks, these have NO sound and are merely superficial minor surface blemishes. Very clean, shiny and intense black and very solidly pressed pressed. A copy relatively modestly played. Visually a lovely record that should please many collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and quite solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence and barely a noteworthy blemish to be seen. Visually a super record that should please most-all collectors again.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: A record that plays even above its visual with 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. A strong production and clean sound this was a real pleasure to hear again via a vinyl source and they rarely sound better than this. Devoid of any noteworthy surface sounds or pops or clicks and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a more difficult album. Often the reeds and strings can clip and break up on less than fine copies which ruins this more fragile recording – this has none of that and this is a superior first pressing that will not be matched for sound on later examples. Few early pressed copies will beat this for clean and focused sound. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful, and still unfairly underrated record and I can strongly recommend it.

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 Samba Moving Coil 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.

POSTING & PACKING: 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, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed. The 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. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 5,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

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).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8. (insurance optional extra £3).

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); 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]) = £12. (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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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’.