ZAPPA/MOI Freak Out 1st UK 2LP Copy Verve N/M

	£		53
	$		70

Hi, I am Mike, I have been a music collector for over 30 years now. I always still try to offer 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 interested collector. You may notice I only submit one or two items a day for Ebay; time rarely allows more as I Play-Grade every record I offer (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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. 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. A ten pounds record that plays close to new is as important to the collector as a 250 pound record that plays less well. 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. I hope the item below is to your liking - any questions can be emailed and I will do my very best to answer you. Good luck.

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. 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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I by quality single items and collections also (Email me please).

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Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert.

Artist or Band: THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION

Album Title: Freak Out!

Cat Number: 2683 004 Select Stereo.

Label and Condition: Verve black and silver format. Stunning examples of this famous label. Rarely have I seen such beautiful clean labels for this type of album. It looks hardly played, and I know for a fact it has’t been - can I make it clear this is NOT the same copy I offered a few weeks ago, that sold, this is another copy - and what a copy!. This is a near virgin example of this very important Select reissue. As you can imagine, barely a spindle trace to be seen - four sensational labels that look as clean and fresh as manufacture day. (Please see label scans for all information needed - have you ever seen early FZ Verve labels better?).

Country of Manufacture: England, UK

Rarity: Even the UK reissues are.not that easy now, close to mint records, well judge for yourselves.

Original Year of Release: 1966

Matrix Nos: 2352023 A1 1 1 2 and B11 1 2 – 2352024 A1 420 1 1 1 and B1 1 1. This looks almost certain a first press version of thie classic.

Genre Type: Underground rock/psych

Brief Artist & Album Info: Led by the genius that was Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention were outsiders, even on this their debut album. Older than most of their contemporaries, they brought a cynicism to their work that celebrated joys without recourse to nostalgia. Telling parodies of pop forms were as engaging as those upon which they drew, while experimental pieces, drawn from avant garde compositions by Varese and Stravinsky, took the notion of ‘rock’ into unchartered territory. Zappa’s skills as a musician and engineer ensuring the innovative nature of this creation. Still, even today, its great fun to listen too. The original did not chart in the UK and only made 150 in the States. This copy of offer is the Select reissue - but it varies so much from the 66 release is reissue the correct word? - but like all Zappa Verve albums is vital to any collection, all the Verves were different and Freak Out, along with Money are the most essential. The original album, issued in 1966 was a single album, several songs included here were missing and some were abridged, including the stunning groudbreaking ‘Trouble Every Day’ a song about the Watts race riots in America at this time. The astonishing ‘Help, I’m a Rock’ which concludes side three must be the ultimate ‘Freak Out’ track - this must have send shock-waves out to listeners on first issue, nothing had been heard like this before. Zappa with the greatest moustache in musical history, put the snarl and sneer into music, he did not conform and this album, like the man himself was a true original. Too weird and unconventional for most at the time, Freak Out remains one of the most important albums ever breaking so much new ground, its influence and importance cannot be overstated. This copy on offer, the vinyl especially is superb, almost mint. The cover has some, mainly light rubbing but the vinyl will never be bettered and is as close to mint as a ‘used’ record gets.

Cover Condition and Details: EX, maybe even worth a +, as this is near impossible to find in top condition, gatefold, Printed by MacNeill Press. This is very fragile item and is always prone to rubbing and severe ringwear due to the lack of lamination, and with a black border and dark finish all round, believe me I’ve seen some shockers over the years with top dollar still wanted. This would have to be one of the very best non-laminated covers of this type I have yet seen, it even compares highly to my personal near mint copy.

Cover Lamination: None.

Cover Front: Rich deep colour and hardly any creasing, clean and very attractive. There is a slight price sticker removal mark near the top left but this shows little, just faint rub traces only near the very top. This cover is one of the most prone ever to ringwear, this is virtually free of this unsightly wear, any traces are as light as could almost be imagined, you will never find this one much better .

Cover Back: Very similar to front in all respects, fractionally more rub traces at top and a slightly heavier (but still light) crease near the bottom left - still looks great too.

Cover Gatefold Inner: The fold on this one is often out of alignment - this one is near perfect with both faces meeting together. The b/w centrefold is superb - clean and unworn - a terrific example again.

Cover Edges/Corners: Top: faint rub traces. Bottom: very mild rub traces more towards the right back face only. Record entry edges (right): both pretty neat with just tiny ‘whites’ on the very edge tips, minor light feathering if being critical. Spine: Solid and square, only right rub traces more todwards the very top and bottom, all text is strong except the A in Freak is gone - you can imagine how fragile this black spine is, this again is one of the very best I’ve seen for this one. Corners: All four show some light wear, mostly ‘white’ tip wear, most still reasonably shaped. Summary: A lovely example of this scarce original double format 70’s cover, better versions may exist if you can find them, but this is way, way above average and I would be more than happy to have this one in my personal FZ collection - this is really tough one to find even in EX condition. This item should please most collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-), and as close to mint as they get. Here lies the difference: all four sides are sensational, probably the best Verve records I’ve ever seen. Nothing more than the odd faint superficial hairline, but look hard to see them. These came to be played once or twice at most. All four sides are fantastic: they are clean and shiny and are pressed on early thick vinyl. I am loathe to call this set a reissue because it is just so different from the single format 60s copy. I virtually guarantee you will never find this double set or records better.

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: The records play as good as they look. Clean undistorted sound with great detail and definition. Check out that bass-line at the start of ‘Brain Police’ - awesome! Minimal unwanted sounds - faint surface sound maybe near very start on a couple of sides or odd linking groove, but this is just simply nit-picking, few it any records this age will play in their entirity CD quiet - this comes pretty close though, no loud pops or ticks and the pressing quality is magnificent. Both channels are clear and defined, this is a superb stereo record with great presence and imagery. I am hyper-critical on FZ albums as important as this (they are all important to me). Play-grading this masterpiece again is always a joy, I swear I hear something new everytime I hear it - as good as the new Japanese pressed CDs are, even these do not compare to the sounds embedded in these vintage grooves - a truly astonishing record and recording (produced by Tom Wilson). You want this pair like close to new, you have them here - Suzy Creamcheese, what’s got into ya?

Mono vs Stereo: Always a matter of opinion. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure thery are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records.

Track Listing:Hungry freaks daddy; I ain’t got no heart; Who are the brain police?; Go cry on somebody else’s shoulder; Motherly love; How could I be such a fool; Wowie Zowie; You didn’t try to call me; Any way the wind blows; I’m not satisfied; You’re probably wondering why I’m here; Trouble every day; Help, I’m a rock; The return of the son of monster magnet.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: I quote from the back cover - its written by the (in)famous Suzy Creamcheese “These Mothers is crazy. You can tell by their clothes. One guy wears beads and they all smell bad. We were gonna get them for a dance after the basketball game but my best pal warned me you can never tell how many will show up…sometimes they guy in the fur coat doesn’t show up and somtimes he does show up only he brings a big bunch of crazy people and him and they dance all over the place. none of the kids at my school like these Mothers…specially since my teacher told us what the words to their songs meant.’’

Vinyl like this comes along infrequently, for this album and type especially. Many are poor, even trashed. A strong cover, that’s always prone to wear, the original single format was laminated, the double gatefold was not. But this still looks great. Early FZs on Verve are fast disappearing and thats all of them. I need the UK stereo original now myself if anyone can help. Like many great albums, this was too ahead of its time, the world was not ready for this, its just a shame that only after his death does the world more fully appreciates this mans greatness. Freak Out has to be regarded as one of the most important debut albums ever, enjoy this sensational vinyl, you wont find these two records better. – Mike.

Payment Details please read carefully:

UK First Class: = £2.50; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £4.00 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £6.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do not profit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken out of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be given.

I accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders own risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above)

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other intesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear 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. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.