ALICE COOPER Pretties For You RARE ORIG UK 69 STRAIGHT

	£		155
	$		205

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: ALICE COOPER

Album Title: Pretties For You.

Producer(s): Alice Cooper.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Titanic Overture; 10 Minutes Before the Worm; Sing Low, Sweet Cheerio; Today Mueller; Living; Fields of Regret.

Side 2: No Longer Umpire; Levity Ball; B.B. on Mars; Reflected; Apple Bush; Earwigs to Eternity; Changing Arranging.

Label/Format: Straight – original UK format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both immaculate: very clean and attractive with only a couple of ultra light and faint spindle traces and no wear around the hole area. Barely played, from the same collection as the Fire album I am currently offering.

Cat Number: STS 1051.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

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 135 to 145 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, many 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 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare: a commercial failure like the majority on this highly collectable Frank Zappa label. Quickly deleted and later reissued as a double set as ‘School Days’ with the second Straight album ‘Easy Action’ as the band’s popularity grew after the success of ‘School’s Out’. The artwork for both albums was dropped and a new cover was printed. More often seen as a US import and most of them on Warner Brothers. This original British issue has the E. J. Day cover and the uncensored panties front cover. The ultra sensitive US market would not allow this cover to be seen without a sticker covering the girls knickers – crazy, but true. So most of these covers that surface are seen with a sticker cover-up or damaged where the owner’s tried in vain to remove the sticker to see what was beneath. At this time, there were two distinct rules regarding what was allowed on both sides of the pond. In the UK, nudity and sexual content was mostly overlooked, so famous covers like Blind Faith’s debut and Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland were allowed to be sold with no censoring. Both had alternative covers in the US. Whereas in the UK, drugs or drug references were scored upon and usually censored or banned. So phasing on the ‘purple berry’ reference on ‘Wooden Ships’ by Crosby, Stills and Nash on their debut album was made here and Jefferson Airplane’s classic ‘White Rabbit’ was banned from airplay and omitted from their ‘Surrealistic Pillow’ album. Please see my close-up pictures to show the underwear and imprint details. Near mint copies of the very first UK-made cover and record are very rare indeed and seldom will be seen or offered. If anyone has seen or owns a better example, I sure would like to see it.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: STS 1051 A1 / STS 1051 B1

Musicians: Alice Cooper – vocals, harmonica; Glen Buxton – lead guitar; Michael Bruce – rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals; Dennis Dunaway – bass guitar; Neal Smith – drums.

Brief Info: Vincent Damon Furnier, better known to the world as Alice Cooper, a name initially given to just the band but adopted quickly for the band’s leader and vocalist. Initially known as The Earwigs and then The Spiders and changed again briefly to The Nazz, a name also used by Todd Rundgren’s band so another name was chosen – Alice Cooper – a name chosen as a gimmic for their often outrageous stage shows and dress. The early band were really going nowhere, often gigs were short as audiences walked out. This hugely negative reaction was spotted by Shep Gordon, a music manager who introduced the act to Frank Zappa. By this time, Zappa had formed his own label, Straight Records, and he was looking for suitable acts to promote it. Zappa and Straight specialised in acts there were a little ‘different’, bands and artists that had little commercial potential and were far too ‘out there’ for most listener’s tastes. Specialisting in the strange and bizarre with infamous facts like The GTO’s (Girls Together Outrageously), Larry (Wild Man) Fischer, Tim Buckley, Rosebud, Jeff Simmons, Junier Mintz, Tim Dawe and Lord Buckley. Only a tiny few on this label ever went on to any commercial success including Captain Beefheart and Alice Cooper themselves. Zappa himself chose the acts that were to appear on Straight and this has now become a highly collectable and sort-after label. It was interesting listening to Cooper himself on ‘Planet Rock’s’ breakfast show a few weeks ago talking about the early days and his indebtness to Zappa for signing his band. ‘No-one else would touch us’ he said. This debut album was a commercial flop, just scraping into the US charts briefly and selling a mere handful in the UK where few were even made and quickly deleted. ‘Pretties For You’, with artwork that was apparently a picture in Zappa’s living room, was controversial in his native America where the white pants were covered over with a sticker. America had a major intolerance of anything sexual. The EJ Day British version was not censored and is highly sort-after by Cooper collectors. Musically this is early acid-psych era Alice, sounding very different to the slick glam-rock-horror act they later became famous for. It includes a track ‘Reflected’, that was later changed to become the big hit single ‘Elected’. I rate the early ‘alternative’ Alice Cooper sound highly, it includes the original and the very best line-up that made the name famous in the early to mid-70s. The man was my teenage years hero along with Zappa, the man who put his band on the road to superstardom. After all these years, this is my very first ever UK copy, my own from years ago was a US Warner Green label example and, like most all, with the censored cover cover-up. This copy is immaculate with a stunning near mint cover and record that plays like brand new. No real surprise, as this came from the collection where the owner played them once or twice only, and this too on a quality stereo system. This psych-underground gem was the launching-pad to a long and successful career and long may the he continue. It was great to hear him acknowledge his success to the chance and faith Zappa gave him. Clearly Frank saw something no-one else could and the rest is history. A highly significant part of glam-rock history and very rare indeed. I truly feel a better example will never become available for sale, this is close to perfect.

Cover Grade and Format: Grading this rare original UK cover less than Mint(-) would hardly be doing it full justice. An unlaminated gatefold format that was printed and made in England by the EJ Day Group. This was never censored or covered-up as can be confirmed by my close-up of what the American’s thought of as a sensitive area.

Cover Front: This is superb and has barely anything to fault, the lack of rubbing and creasing is a huge bonus for maximum attractiveness. The same goes for grubbiness of which there is barely any, a faint trace near the top edge if being really critical. A very fine trace of toning on the spine fold is being equally fussy, but I will mention all I see however minor. Any marks are minuscule and even under light, this reveals little unwanted. The colour is rich and vivid and has not faded at all, I doubt if it’s seen daylight for decades. This front will prove incredibly difficult to find better than this.

Cover Back: The only noteworthy blemish on what is a stunning back, is a tiny graze near the top edge towards the left corner (but look very hard to see it). Check out the superb artwork of the early band, I have taken a close-up of Alice to show just how unworn this artwork is. All very similar to front, odd tiny mark or faint surface crease but significantly no ringwear, this too with a heavy-pressed record inside for over 40 years. I can hardly believe the age of this album, but seeing (and hearing) is believing, this is gorgeous.

Cover Inner Gatefold: The inside is near perfect and looks handled with no fingermarks on the matt black surfaces. A minuscule trace of a thumb crease near the right edge if being crazy-critical.

Top Edges: A couple of ultra light rub traces only, both very straight.

Bottom Edges: Very light rubbing only, it barely shows being a pale coloured surface.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear or feathering, no trimming. One small and minor burr trace on the front, again being critical. Record enters on the back edge.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight, with minimal compression and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. All text is perfect and unworn with minimal traces of wear to the pale colour surfaces up to the ends.

Corners: The spine pair have rubbed a little, the right four are very neat and sharp.

Cover Summary: A superb all round example of this very wear-prone and rare late 60’s cover, one that will prove immensely difficult to find better. This extraordinary original UK cover should please most-all collectors.

The Inner: The original unlined white inner is included in around EX condition. It has toned and has two corner creases but all edges unsplit with a super-neat window circle. It has the text ‘Made in England’ and ‘Patents Applied for’.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: A stunning Mint(-), A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and quite heavily pressed. A copy played two or three times only and showing just one fine hairline on side two that has NO sound. Visually a stunning record, one time has overlooked, it will please most-all collectors again.

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: The rarest UK Alice Cooper by far: this record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a solid dynamic range and detailed sound. Not a hi-fi masterpiece but it sounds exactly as made and no-one can ask for more than that. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing (especially for Straight), that were often variable. Few copies will get close, to outperform this first-pressed record I feel is nigh-on impossible. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled. I am certain as I ever could be, this record has not been out of the cover since the late 60s – most all from this collection were the same. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this truly ‘lost’ record – the living-legend of Alice started here. This copy will prove close to impossible to find better and my highest possible recommendation is mandatory.

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’.