CAPTAIN BEEFHEART Lick My Decals Off Baby RARER ORIG 1970 UK STRAIGHT EX++ LP

	£		34
	$		45

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all. More details on this nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: CAPTAIN BEEFHEART & THE MAGIC BAND

Album Title: Lick My Decals Off, Baby.

Producer(s): Captain Beefheart.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Lick My Decals Off, Baby; Doctor Dark; I Love You, You Big Dummy; Peon; Bellerin’ Plain; Woe-is-uh-me-bop; Japan in a Dishpan.

Side 2: I Wanna Find a Woman That’ll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have to Go; Petrified Forest; One Red Rose That I Mean; the Buggy Boogie Woogie; The Smithsonian Institute Blues (or the big dig); Space-Age Couple; The Clouds Are Full of Wine (not whisky or rye); Flash Gordon’s Ape.

Label/Format: Original UK Straight with matt, smooth surfaces (please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Beautiful clean examples of one of my personal favourite labels. Spindle marks are minuscule and being honest, hardly even a trace. An astonishing pair of Straights that will rarely been seen this clean again on this famous title.

Cat Number: STS 1063.

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: 150 grams. A substantial weight for any record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Although Beefheart’s highest charting album, this is quite elusive and has long been out-of-print on CD. Straight is a highly collectable label due to most albums on it selling in small numbers. Many were out-of-print quickly or were repressed on larger labels including this title. Never easy to find with a decent cover which is ultra prone to all forms of wear. Also not easily found with a record in supreme condition and this one is simply that.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: STS-1063-A1 / STS-1063-B1

Stamper Codes: A5 / A

Straight & Bizarre: Straight and Bizarre were two record labels formed by Frank Zappa and his business partner and manager Herb Cohen, they were manufactured and distributed by Warner Bros in the United States. Their intention was to promote and issue albums by very alternative and non-commercial artists (chosen by Zappa) and give himself and them the freedom to release their music without restriction and censorship. Straight was initially chosen for more accessible acts and Bizzare for the less mainstream, but it only briefly worked out with all but Lenny Bruce, Wild Man Fischer and The Mothers of Invention ending up on Straight. All except The Mothers albums issued in the US on Bizarre are rare and elusive with a few exceptions – Captain Beefheart’s classic ‘Trout Mask Replica’ surprisingly sold reasonable well as did this follow-up briefly, but few others did. Most were simply too weird and out-there for most people’s tastes or simply unknown acts (including Alice Cooper in the early days), and these artists’ albums were now highly sort-after by collectors. Straight album bands and artists were: Captain Beefheart (2), Alice Cooper (3), Tim Buckley (2, his most experimental). Jeff Simmons (1), Lord Buckley (1), Judy Henske & Jerry Yester (1), The GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously) (1), Tim Dawe (1), The Persuasions (1) and Rosebud (1) on Reprise/Bizarre. Both Straight and Bizarre folded in 1973 when Zappa’s new label Discreet label emerged.

Musicians: Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) – vocals, bass clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax, harmonica; Zoot Horn Rollo (Bill Harkleroad) – guitar and glass finger guitar; Rockette Morton (Mark Boston) – bass; Drumbo (John French) – percussion, broom; Ed Marimba (Art Tripp) – marimba, percussion, broom.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Beefheart’s second, and last recording for Frank Zappa’s Straight label consolidated the artistic freedom expressed on its predecessor Trout Mask Replica (still for me, one of the greatest albums ever made). Avant Garde blues-based rock and free jazz melt into a montage of sound. Jagged guitars and ravaged soprano saxophone splinter through the mix, while ex-Mothers of Invention drummer Art Tripp, herein renamed Ed Marimba, brings new rhythmic possibilities to the Captain’s heady sound. Beefheart prowls around the proceedings with consummate ease, his expressive voice and wonderful use of the English language, which echoes bluesman Howlin’ Wolf, emphasizing the adventurous nature of both music and lyrics. By demolishing previous notions of tonality and structure, Captain Beefheart (Don van Vliet) inspired a whole generation of post-punk disciples, from Pere Ubu to Sonic youth. It has been said, ‘Decals’ his own personal favourite album from his own catalogue. An album for long periods out-of-print and only very sporadic, very limited issues on CD were briefly available (currently out-of-print again). Always an artist popular with the critics, Beefheart’s music was so groundbreaking and cutting-edge he was always too extreme and weird to be popular with most. Few could understand his music and remains a cult artist with sales being only very modest. Decals is amongst his most challenging work, often referred to as a mini Trout Mask Replica. This second legendary set did not even chart in his native US but surprisingly did make No 20 in the UK. It’s long overdue that Don van Vliet is more understood and appreciated by more listeners than just the critics and musically adventurous – the man was a musical genius and most of his albums should be included in any serious collection – you may just never want to listen to ‘Pop’ music again.

Cover Grade and Format: NEAR EXCELLENT: mainly marked down for the usual rubbing on the bottom storage edge. A single unlaminated format with matt, smooth surfaces. Printed and made in England by Shorewood Packaging and of course has the original Straight logo and correct catalogue number of STS 1063. The Reprise reissues have a different number altogether.

Cover Front & Back: Up there with the most wear-prone covers ever made, those that have a first issue Straight copy inside especially so as the record’s are thick and heavy. Rarely seen devoid of substantial rubbing and ring wear, try finding any example without it, especially American copies. Also ugly sticker tears, often plastered in with thick black felt pen. I would consider both front and back of this one almost exceptional: neither have much rubbing at all with any present being mostly near the front bottom edge and corner tips. The lack of ring wear to either side is great news for those wanting original issues and not having to rely on modern repressings. Light friction rub traces and minor dulling with a few gentle surface marks are seen more under light, but the general lack of creasing with few present another plus-point and no sticker issues. Both front and back graphics are little short of pristine – the front with the Magic Band looking typically bizarre and the back a painting by the good Captain. Some American copies included a lyric insert, but the UK copies failed to include it.

Top Edge: Any traces of rubbing are light and patchy, most near the right corner area.

Bottom Edge: This storage edge has moderate and more consistent rubbing. Many ‘Decals’ covers are seen heavily coloured in to mask the rubbing which this one appears not to have had.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with little wear, any thickening or burring very tiny, little and faint. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with any compression little and very light. Clearly another perilous area of this cover and glad to say, this has survived with little real wear and again, no evidence of any tip-ins. The odd tiny letter clip to the text, but practically all present, strong and perfectly easy to read as seen in my close-up picture. This another significant bonus, I have seen several of these with no text at all.

Corners: All corners have moderate rubbing with mostly fine shape retained. Again, how many will not have rubbing here? – NO tip-ins or enhancements on these again.

Cover Summary: Bottom edge and corner tip rubbing apart that few, if any will survive without, this is a very nice, strong example. It will never prove easy to find much better as a Straight first issue, it should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a plain white solid unlined inner with little to fault at all. Barely any creasing and no edge splits or repairs, some gentle, natural darkening but little else.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a record that can go either way – many are seen totally trashed from heavy use by the big fans – or consequently, in very fine conditions from collectors who bought from curiosity and hated what they heard and hardly played it. This is a beautiful visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and heavily pressed. Also superbly pressed with fantastic, nigh-on perfect sound throughout. Any surface blemishes or marks, very few, super-fine and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. Complex groove patterns verify this has intense and amazing sounds embedded and finding a better looking Straight will prove very difficult. Visually a super record that should please most collectors.

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 amazing record plays even above it’s high visual grading with practically nothing to fault, in fact one of the best copies I have ever heard. Straight Records were not always the best of pressings and often proved variable. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds barely registered and no pops or significant clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a very challenging album. This band sounded like no other and the complex musical structures can be followed easily on this excellent example and recording. The Captain’s voice is beyond my words, all remains focused and clear with no stressing to the highly complex signals that create his unique sound. The same goes for the freeform blowing of the soprano saxophone which proved to be his last for some time, all crisp and focused with no clipping. Few copies will outperform this original Straight example significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp and this vintage copy has suffered no heavy-tracing abuse from the distant past. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, one of the most challenging in the ‘rock’ field ever pressed to vinyl. This record will prove near impossible to find better with supreme labels and audio delivery, unreserved recommendation for one of the best by this unique and original musical genius.

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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

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, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my new VPI-17 Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. 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. All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. When larger boxes are used, the thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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 the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand+ based on over 10,000+ items sold in over 12 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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 (FIRST-CLASS Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

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

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You.

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 necessarily 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’.