ZAPPA/MOI We're Only In It For The Money Orig UK 68 EX

	£		116
	$		154

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION

Album Title: We’re Only In It For The Money.

Cat Number: SVLP 9199.

Producer: Frank Zappa.

Executive Producer: Tom Wilson.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Are You Hung Up?; Who Need the Peace Corps; Concentration Moon; Mom and Dad; Telephone Conversation; Bow Tie Daddy; Harry, Your a Beast; What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body?; Absolutely Free; Flower Punk; Hot Poop.

Side 2: Nasal Retentive Calliope Music; Let’s Make the Water Turn Black; The Idiot Bastard Son; Lonely Little Girl; Take Your Clothes Off When You Dance; What’s the Ugliest Part of Your Body (reprise); Mother People; The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny.

Label/Format: Verve – Original SVLP silver and intense black, matt finish. These labels also include the ‘Sold in UK’ etc text and MGM credits. (Please see label scans).

Label Conditions: Both in lovely fresh condition with only very light / light and faint spindle marks. The blackness of the labels is almost as dark as the record itself and both look little handled.

Rarity: Rare: Finding the earliest pressed original UK stereo copies is getting very difficult indeed, I personally feel the stereo version of this album is harder to find than the mono. And being quite honest I still have a preference for the stereo version but BOTH are truly essential as they sound vastly different. My regular buyers will know by now I am a huge Zappa fan and this my favourite work – indeed I regard this album as my favourite of all-time. Trashed copies show up, but clean lesser played copies are a different story. Please remember also, this stereo original is the only way you will ever heard the original mix via the 4-tracks master tapes. The CD version was mastered from the only surviving two-tracks masters as the original 4-track tapes were written off from poor storage. For those fans who have yet to hear this amazing album from an SVLP record, well you haven’t really heard for real. Zappa’s Money takes you directly into the psychedelic underground and little else for me came close.

Original Year of Release: September 1968

Matrix Nos: V6 5045 A-1 / V6 5045 B-1

Stamper Codes: 1 G / 1 M

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 133 grams.

Musicians: From left to right: Frank Zappa – Guitar, piano, vocals; Billy Mundi - drums, vocal; Bunk Gardner – All woodwinds, mumbled vocal; Roy Estrada – Electric bass, vocal; Don Preston - keyboards; Jimmy Carl Black (The Indian of the Group) – drums, trumpet, vocals; Ian Underwood - piano, saxophones. Motorhead Sherwood (not pictured on the front, he is seen face-on, on the red inside left) - soprano and baritone saxophones. Guest: Eric Clapton contributes some vocals.

Brief Artist & Album Info: ‘Are you hung up’? - the famous line opening this psychedelic masterpiece. A priceless album and for me the greatest ever made. These early Zappa albums were treasured by the few and totally misunderstood by the majority – he put the sneer into underground rock. The brilliant satire of the Sgt Pepper cover should have guaranteed extra sales, but no. It failed to even chart in the UK, and it only made 30 in his native America (US copies are easier to find). Zappa’s scathing wit homed in on modern middle-class America and the West Coast hippies and his fears of what was to later imerge. Nineteen amazing songs of avant garde rock, doo-wop, some almost routine pop and hilarious dialogue, which was so hip it has never dated. Zappa made us confront the obvious, and the results were alarming. This album reconstructs music and then turns it inside out - it was so far ahead of its time, as was the man himself, few but the brave could accept it. A surreal collage, a psychedelic masterwork that blends together to form the perfect ‘alternative’ album for that crazy time. Treated voices, strange sounds, a needle being scratched over a record, sections recorded backwards, phasing, short classical interludes, surf sounds, classical music and finally, the band going off their heads on ‘The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny’ which was Zappa’s answer to ‘A Day in the Life’ from the more famous album. It’s almost incredible how so much entertainment and sound can be compressed onto an album that lasts less than 40 minutes. Among all the weirdness (Zappa describes this as a ‘monstrosity’ on the cover’s inner) there are stark messages too: ‘Who Needs the Peace Corps’ ran through a list of Frisco cliches, Augustus Stanley Owsley III, the scene’s acid-maker; the ‘psychedelic dungeons’ that were the hippie clubs; Bill Graham’s celebrated venue, the Fillmore. Zappa’s criticism of the hippies wasn’t just grouchy; it was urgent, political and frightening. ‘Concentration Moon’ gave warnings about the internment camps Richard Nixon was readying for non-conformists, while ‘Mom and Dad’ was a chilling premonition of how establishment forces would respond to the anti-war movement (in 1971, when the National Guard University, Zappa’s lyric became a prophecy and a bloody reality). ‘Absolutely Free’ and ‘Flower Punk’ mocked flower Power. The album concludes with ‘The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny’, an outrageous sonic-montage designed to outdo George Martin’s ‘mind blowing’ orchestration at the end of Sgt Pepper. This band were not pretty, but special, very special indeed and the originality of this album and all Zappa’s early works is undeniable.

Now what makes owning an original Money so important? Well many, who only discovered this album later via the Select reissue or modern CDs, may not know how this original varies or even sounds. There are several versions of this title, a highly controversial record that has varying degrees of cuts, edits and censoring. The Verve Select reissue is almost considered THE definitive version, but this original copy shows how this album evolved as censoring relaxed. This copy has more censoring, a totally different mix and from the original tapes, FAR MORE DETAILS. Some parts were omitted and some less familiar parts actually included (later to be deleted again) [are you following me?]. For those who have the CD version of this album (excluding that dreadful remixed overdubbed effort way back, only of interest as it is totally uncensored) these were based on the Select reissue version. This original mix has never made it to the silver format and is never likely to unless it can be mastered from a vinyl copy. The original 4-track master tapes, when Frank acquired them back, were badly damaged, hence new bass and drum parts were mixed on to the first CD issues – this was scorned upon and loathed by Zappa fans. Then the later CD issues were mastered from the 2-track masters but lack the details you will here from this record. That makes a vinyl record the only format to truly hear what this album should really sound like and believe me, there is NO comparison. The stereo mix is very different to the mono version too and is unique to vinyl. I will mention the major differences in this original stereo pressing compared to the Select stereo reissue. The line in ‘Who Needs the Peace Corps’ police kicking the s**t out is cut out completely. The line about working with The Velvet Underground is INCLUDED (strangely this is omitted from the reissue). The line ‘Flower Power SUCKS’! is omitted from ‘Absolutely Free’. The track ‘Hot Poop’ is now just a long loud snork. Many of the snorks on this version are different too. The line on ‘Absolutely Free’ ‘I don’t do publicity balling...’ now has the word ‘balling’ omitted. The line in ‘Let’s Make the Water Turn Black’ referring to ‘the apron and her pad’ is completely missing. Apparently the censors thought the word ‘pad’ was referring to a sanitary towel but refers simply to moma, a waitress taking orders in ‘Ed’s Cafe’. Such was the paranoia from the record label about anything Zappa wrote, even if it was ‘innocent’. Ironically, the lyrics to the censored songs were still included on the cover. Much of this may sound negative for having the original, but you could not be more wrong, it’s interesting how censorship and acceptability can develop and change with time. As most will know, Zappa was against any form of censorship. Money has several variations, I believe the US copies vary again, some even use bleep-outs in places. But for most the essential copies of this are the original stereo, as here, the original mono version and the Verve first reissue (the first CD reissue is interesting in some aspects, as it has ALL censoring taken out, including the, even now, controversial lines in ‘Harry You’re a Beast’ fully intact and unphased). This is a fine all round copy: the record looks super-clean and lightly played with few marks on the playing surfaces and labels. The sound is generally fine but does have a little faint surface sound in places. My LP12 is ruthlessly revealing and this light surface sound will be even less apparent on less sensitive equipment. The cover is very nice indeed with only minor blemishes. Wilson and Zappa’s production is second to none and the complexity of the engineering was just so advanced. With many rife with deep scratches, severe groove wear and terrible sound in accordance, this is a highly respectable, very early pressed copy. Remember what these records were played on and the likely types who originally bought them – almost certainly not hi-fi buffs, lets be fair and honest. A high percentage found are total right-offs and just to see a copy with clean Verve black labels and very clean and shiny playing surfaces is a thing of real beauty. The famous ‘Pepper’ spoof cover has more than stood the test of time and looks lovely. Inside especially is stunning. I decided to use the inner ‘Pepper’ cover as my display picture for Ebay, that’s the one Zappa originally wanted to use to make the spoof total and complete but this was objected too and the compromise had to be made. I have included with this copy the insert, taken from a copy of the ‘Old Masters’ boxed set. UK copies for a very brief time included this infamous spoof insert before it was withdrawn – it was again a parody of the Pepper insert. I have only ever seen one UK ‘original’ and that back in my school-days and I would guess many collectors have never seen one at all. This looks superb and puts that extra piece of icing on the cake.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Moderately high. Only the earliest (S)VLP copies of this cover were fully laminated and included two internal flipbacks. These flipback ends often stuck together from sticky ends and pulled their surfaces. This has only light traces of this. Like the ‘Pepper’ cover, the spine is always prone to losing its laminate and then the surfaces wear and lose their design and text. Although the lamiante has shed from this spine, all the text and surfaces remain unworn (please see my spine close-up).

Cover Grade and Format: EX+ a gatefold format and fully laminated on all surfaces. The inside has two large external flipbacks on the top left and right which are unique to the first made. Printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse.

Cover Lamination – Front & Back: Solid, very fresh and very clear with lovely deep shine and still with an ultra smooth finish. There is barely any dulling or friction rubs even when viewed under angled light. Practically all fully adhered with just tiny (and I do mean tiny) lift on the bottom front edge (look hard). Under light there are ultra fine and faint surface marks but normal viewing reveals practically nothing. The lack of significant creasing is a massive plus too, a couple of modest ones on the back and one on the front again with little visual impact. Some of the usual fine edge types but these will rarely not be seen on covers this age and again they barely even show. There is darkening to the laminate end on the front near the top left edge, the laminate has peeled from the spine which is very common on this highly prone cover, but the spine surface is practically unworn. The sheer clarity of this laminate allows for maximum pleasure from this amazing artwork and the inside laminate is simply breathtaking with just one crease. Any pressmark from the record on the back registers little and lesser amounts would be near impossible. The laminate ends a few millimetres short on the front opening edge and the exposed strip has darked a little. Both sides looks lovely with (arguably) just enough to remind this is a 42-year-old cover. The Mothers from left back to right front were: Zappa; Mundi; Gardner; Estrada; Preston; Black and Underwood.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Folded nice and square - these often weren’t, this centrefold is equally as important as the outer faces. It was originally meant to be the outside but forced to switch after objection. This centrefold is near reference standard and is truly beautiful. The laminate so clear and shiny, it almost appears sprayed on. Unlike the first pressed reissues, this centrefold was also fully laminated and included the top edge flipbacks. These have a nasty habit of sticking together, often very badly and pulling the surfaces from their often sticky ends – few avoid it. This has minor traces of this happening but with minimal damage or effect to the red flipback end. Both are in super condition overall, clean and undamaged. Incredibly, the laminate on the centrefold hinge is barely cracked and very solid, most flake, dry and peel.

Money hailed the arrived of Cal Schenkel, Zappa’s most suggestive visual interpreter. It replicates Pepper brilliantly, but turns it all around. It was photographed by Jerrold Schatzberg in his New York studio. The blue sky of The Beatles classic now becomes a black thunderstorm with lightning flashing. The flowers for the band name now are vegetables and the band are attired in dresses. The Mothers were flanked by executive producer Tom Wilson on one side, and Jimi Hendrix on the other. A photo of manager Herb Cohen’s daughter, Lisa, was placed in Hendrix’s arms (Please see my cover close-up). The lady on the right of Frank is Gail Zappa, heavily pregnant with Moon Unit (his daughter). Darker images of guests appear, MGM lawyers insisted on printing bars across the eyes of anyone in the collage who was still alive (other than players or those involved I would presume): their paranoia simply made it still more dark and sinister. Eric Clapton guests on this album too. In the sleevenotes, Zappa advised listeners to read ‘In the Penal Colony’, a short story by Franz Kafka that dealt with homoerotic abuse, colonialism and military/judicial atrocity – this album and cover remain a disturbing experience to this very day.

Top Edges: Unworn and still with very solid laminate that remains smooth the fingertip with no scuffs. Both very straight too.

Bottom Edges: Lightly scuffed near the centre of the back and a couple of small chips on the front. That apart simlar to above.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and sharp with very little wear and no feathering. Record can enter on either edge as both are open with NO glue marks so clearly manufactured this way. Remember initially, this cover was to include the Pepper insert but was then removed and withdrawn. This cover with its double opening edges was probably one of the very first made that was designed to include the insert. (it does here now even it’s not an original).

Spine and Text: A lovely spine visually as it has barely any wear to its surface. But, like most, the laminate has peeled off. Still solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meeting up perfectly together and parallel. All text and artwork is present with barely any wear or fading, very large and bold and of course includes the coveted SVLP 9199 cat. number. Again this makes this cover quite different from the reissues. (please see my spine close-up).

Corners: Little real wear and all retain very fine and neat shape.

Cover Summary: A high quality all round example of this incredible and daring 60’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find much better. I reiterate, this is the SVLP original with its unique full lamination and inside flipbacks and double entrance openings. Who, but Zappa would dare issue a cover like this? Now over 40 years old, this has survived very well indeed, these Mothers were not pretty but were one of the greatest inventive bands of all time.

The Inner: EX but has a bottom edge split. A plain white unlined inner and in fine condition also. Very little creasing or ruffling, few marks or gum darkening. Other edges very sound, the bottom split being the only blemish of note on this original inner which has the text ‘Patent applied for’ .

The Insert: As new and taken from the Old Masters box set.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX. This is very solidly pressed and retains a fine shine and is clean and intense black. It has a few light surface marks and fine hairlines, these have no sound. The detail on the 4-track original mix is incredible, the most psychedelic record ever and the stereo mix is just so ‘out there’. To fully appreciated the complexities of this recording, listen to it through a pair of high quality headphones. Let the mind focus on the sound and words as the mix goes from one ear to the other leaving the senses reeling. It does take a few listens to fully appreciate but well worth perseverance. The best albums are never instant, if they are they invaribly become boring and this never does and never will. Although there is a little light surface sound in places, the lack of pops or clicks is unusual. Just one jolt or arm drop on a Dansette or similar single speaker record player and there’s another copy ruined and many stereo copies would have been played on such equipment. Large scuffs and deep scratches, awash with grimy fingermarks and dulled vinyl, that’s more the normal on records like this. Most unlistenable, even unplayable, this is a very attractive record that still sounds fine.

Album Played For Grading: Yes. [I play ALL records I offer before submitting to Ebay, also the record is played in its entirety unless clearly stated otherwise. I do NOT play snippetts or joining grooves to check for sound quality and quietness – I play from the beginning to end via clinically revealing B&W speakers that include the legendary tweeter from their awesome Nautilus range that reveals every blemish or miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This fine record plays up to its visual grading but not above. There is a little mild surface sound apparent in places but I reitterate quickly, its very mild and gentle and less revealing equipment than Linn and Naim will be less clinical hence even less of an issue. No pops or clicks were noted and the sound overall very fine. I feel most collector will enjoy this vintage original album, just enough to remind of its age and the discerning audiophile collector maybe better to wait for an absolute pristine copy to come along – but they don’t often for all the reasons I have outlined above. Most does play to a high standard and with the superb details only this original record can offer. The sounds Zappa and Wilson mastered into this album are unique and incredibly weird and this is the original Mothers at their very best. Little spoilt my pleasure in hearing this legendary album yet again. I have probably heard this album more times than any other and it never fails to please and raise a smile. If anyone has doubts on the sound which is a fraction down on the near mint ones I usually offer, do not bid. Pristine copies of this album, as a genuine original are getting rarer and rarer to find and usually attract large bids. This could be the perfect copy for the right collector for the right price.

End Piece: I make no apology for the length of this advert, I adore this album, and finding a worthy copy for offering is always a pleasure. For those who think Sgt Pepper is the Lord of all albums, well this Zappa creation was the anti-Christ. How many times I’ve heard this album I could not even estimate, but for certain I never tire listening to it. There is always something hidden away I discover on every listen and I discovered even more sounds on this incredible early stereo pressing. Hearing it on a vintage vinyl format makes this one extra special - no CD version really compares, how could it with the original master tapes destroyed? The cover alone is worth any price - its unique and daring, would anyone else but Zappa dare to reconstruct the Pepper cover? It remains a mystery, even today how he got away with it - McCartney apparently was not amused. The sounds embedded in these vintage grooves are a testament to Zappa’s greatness and the same can be said of this legendary band too. It truly delights me that more and more younger listeners are getting into the world and music of Frank Zappa, bored by modern mediocrity. I am always happy to help or advise all I can on the man and his music. It just remains a shame that only after the great man’s death does the world finally wake up to fully recognise his genius. ‘Money’ is weird, it’s wonderful, and it’s here, enjoy this classic forever in the definitive first stereo mix. Not quite pristine sound throughout, but still a very fine listening experience and it will please many, but not the connoisseurs this time. Personally, a little gentle surface sound is better than the clinical 2-track CD versions - YOU decide.

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 (SECOND Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = FREE. This is the new Ebay rule. HOWEVER I STRONGLY URGE UK WINNERS TO PAY THE £3 FOR THE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE AS THE PACKETS WILL ARRIVE MUCH FASTER AND SAFER.

1 LP (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £3.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500).

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

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

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

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’.