THE PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND MONO, 1st UK PRESSING EX with RARE 'Guitar Player’ Elektra label

Matrix:  Side 1. '' EKL-294 UK A C3'' Side 2. '' EKL-294-UK B ''

Catalogue number Elektra EKL-294, Originally released 1965

Overall condition is EXCELLENT

“I was born in Chicago in 1941. Well my father told me,
‘Son, you'd better get a gun.’"

So sung Paul Butterfield in 1965 when, as the leader of a young, mixed-race, blues band, living in one of the most violent, cities in the States at a time of enormous racial tension he broke all the rules and triumphed. This is a powerhouse album where Butterfield’s vocals and steaming harp are complemented by the fluid licks of a young Mike Bloomfield’s guitar and the rhythm section of Sam Lay, Elvin Bishop & Jerome Arnold.

Sleeve EXCELLENT The laminated sleeve is still bright and glossy in EXCELLENT condition with no tears or splits but there is very slight ring ware/creasing where the top edge of the record sits. The original Elektra ‘Guitar player symbol’ is still clear on both front and back, the colours are still very bright and there isn’t any writing, taping or stickers

Spine EXCELLENT there’s no edge wear and the spine is firm and totally legible but has the slightest of creasing at the bottom corner. The original paper inner sleeve has some creasing but is not otherwise damaged, but it does have the number ‘50’ written on one corner. I will also include the original plastic outer that I bought with it, it still fits tightly and has successfully kept the dust off for all these years

Record EXCELLENT It’s pressed on heavyweight vinyl The record itself is clean and glossy and the disc retains its deep, black vinyl sheen.There are some very faint hairline marks on both sides but nothing ugly or deep enough to affect the sound quality

Labels EXCELLENT The classic red, textured Elektra labels show little signs of use, have no writing and are clean with minimal spindle marking.

Audio Quality EXCELLENT It plays amazingly well apart from some of the usual vinyl hiss and crackle between tracks and some quieter passages, but vanish after a few seconds and don’t detract from the overall sound, which is still amazing; although deep cleaning would probably remove them. It lays flat on the turntable and plays well without the needle sticking or jumping.

(Please remember even new, factory fresh vinyl is likely to have some clicks and pops, but the richness of sound will always be better than digital. OK eventually the robots and aliens will make digital sound as good, but until then, it’s a compromise, you have to choose; deep rich tones and a beautiful sleeve (often with lyrics or other notes) or clinical sterility with nothing to see and a narrow frequency range.)

Until 1970 I only ever played my albums on a Garrard Sp25 Mk11 with a Sonotone 9TAHC cartridge and from 1970 onwards on a Pioneer PL12D with a Shure N75 ED-T2 cartridge and stylus, tracking at 1.5 grams which I continue to use today – although the stylus has been replaced regularly

Tracks: Side A 1. Born In Chicago 2. Shake Your Money-Maker 3. Blues With A Feeling 4. Thank You Mr. Poobah 5. I Got My Mojo Working 6. Mellow Down Easy  Side B 1. Screamin' 2. Our Love Is Drifting 3. Mystery Train 4. Last Night 5. Look Over Yonders Wall

Summary: this ICONIC, electric blues masterwork album is a lovely piece of genuine memorabilia from a bygone time that changed the world, as well as the way that music is made, and would grace any collection. If you haven’t heard it on vinyl this could be for you. It certainly doesn’t sound 55 years old.

Admittedly it is not in Mint condition, although the album overall counts as EXCELLENT but that is why I’m starting at a sensible price so a genuine fan or collector can enjoy them without paying rip off prices.

If you check my feedback you will see many people think my grading is spot on.

I’m not a dealer of any sort, but am just downsizing and having to clear things out and trying to survive on a poxy pension. Good luck with your bidding and feel free to ask any question.

A Word About Payment and Postage

Sorry but I accept Paypal only and it will be posted as soon as payment has cleared, which must be paid within 24hours of the end of the auction. This may seem harsh but I’m fed up with time wasters!

I use 12" Vinyl LP Record Cruciform postal mailers and protect them with an additional layer of bubblewrap. In the UK I use Royal Mail Signed For.

Price for postage is for 2nd class and reflects the fact that eBay & PayPal take a combined total fee of 13.4% on shipping charges. If you are outside the UK, I will use Ebay’s Global Shipping Program and you are therefore accepting their shipping terms and charges over which I have no control.

Record Collector grading system used

MINT: The record 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 will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

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

As well as the above grades, Near Mint is often used as well; this is really for a record that appears new but is known to have been played because the label has light spindle marks or because it has come from a previous owner and is assumed to have been played by them. For records which appear to fall between the accepted grades, + and - are also often added to the grading.