THE DOORS s/t 1967 UK MONO ORIGINAL EKL 4007 glossy vinyl, great listen, VG+

	£		224
	$		297

THE DOORS - THE DOORS

A highly presentable and overall impressive condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1967 very 1st UK press Doors psych/rock classic, with earliest A \, B \ vinyl matrix numbers on the ELEKTRA record label, MONO, EKL-4007

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1   etched EKL 4007 A  \ (col) with inverted "A" and "17" mother stampers at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock respectively

Side 2    etched EKL 4007 B  \ (col) and unable to locate any stamper nos. at all, even under a bright light and magnifying glass!

The appearance and overall condition of the flat and nicely weighted vinyl is very good plus (VG+). In normal daylight each side of the vinyl comes across as in gleaming, jet black, gorgeous condition - with close scrutiny under a bright light a few light scuffs (including some paper scuffs) and wispy hairlines do come into view on each side of the vinyl; there is nothing "feelable" or obviously below the surface and all of these blemishes appear to be surface only and superficial, though there is some occasional mild background crackle and the odd click which suggests some of the light scuffs do impinge upon the audio quality albeit in a mostly unobtrusive manner. Impressive, but with minor blemishes nonethless. (Read below for more detailed description of audio quality).

The labels are a solid excellent (EX). Lovely 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. 

The condition of the front and reverse side fully laminated outer sleeve is very good plus (VG+). All edges, including the spine, remain firm with no scuffing at all, each corner remains a near perfectly defined right angle with virtually no rubbing, and the opening edges are similarly rigid with no fraying or feathering at all...amazing! The only blemishes are some non-obvious 1cm horizontal surface laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to each of the edges accompanied by a thin vertical strip of intermittent laminate lift immediately next to the spine on the front side - each very trivial. There are also a few light laminate creases on the front side towards the opening edge and again on the reverse side in the top left quadrant, along with a very small area of laminate lifting on the reverse side right in the bottom right corner. The spine itself is the rarer, 1st press, very thin variant with all spine text remaining perfectly intact. All colours, text, and art work remain in truly excellent condition - rich, vibrant and great clarity and definition. Impressive and highly presentable.

The quality of the audio is very good (VG). Impressive tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. No skips, jumps, repeats, sticks or intrusive clicks - just the occasional light background click and I did notice x4 very light consecutive rotational clicks about a third of the way through "The End". There is some occasional light background crackle, a little more noticeable at the beginning and end of each side, towards the beginning and end of "The End", and during some of the other quieter moments including the interludes. For the most part this background crackle is non-obtrusive but at the beginning of side 1, towards the end of "Break On Through", during some of the quieter moments, and at the beginning and towards the end of "The End" it is more noticeable - I am sure that this is partly due to dust in the grooves through decades of storage and am certain a proper clean would improve the audio quality further. So not perfect audio reproduction by any means but I stress that each track on this wonderful Doors debut album still makes for a great listen. VG audio quality overall, sometimes better.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1.  BREAK ON THROUGH (To The Other Side)

2. SOUL KITCHEN

3. THE CRYSTAL SHIP

4. TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

5. ALABAMA SONG (Whisky Bar)

6. LIGHT MY FIRE

Side 2 :

1. BACK DOOR MAN

2. I LOOKED AT YOU

3. END OF THE NIGHT

4. TAKE IT AS IT COMES

5. THE END

Comes with excellent condition original plain white, die-cut inner sleeve with no rips or seam splits - just a little mild creasing towards the corners - and "PATENT APPLIED FOR" and "MADE IN ENGLAND" horizontal text, 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 highly presentable and overall impressive condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1967 UK very 1st press Doors psych/rock classic - the whole LP remains an excellent 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