COCHISE LOVE’S MADE A FOOL OF YOU 7” SINGLE/PROMO PACK Clearwater B J Cole

	£		20
	$		26

You are looking at a 7” vinyl promo single of  ‘Love’s Made A Fool of You’ b/w ‘Words of a Dying Man’ by Cochise, housed in a 12”  die cut LP sleeve with an insert and poster issued on the United Artists label which I purchased still sealed in ancient shrinkwrap around ten years ago. I have played side one of the single once and it sounded fine. If you’re unfamiliar with Cochise, they were an English country rock band signed to UA and represented by Clearwater, the famous Ladbroke Grove management company who also handled Hawkwind, High Tide and other psychedelic greats. I bought it when I was flush and having heard Cole play with artists like The Stranglers and David Sylvian (and being partial to country rock and Clearwater bands), wanted to hear it. Sadly, it’s not my thing. I’m not sure when it was issued – circa 1970-71?- and I don’t know how designed it, but my suspicion is Barney Bubbles (maybe a more expert collector knows).

Immediately after purchase, I sheathed the 12” sleeve in a heavy duty clear PVC outer sleeve. I removed the single itself from the die cut 7” sleeve and slid it into a brand new reproduction stock UA sleeve (in the classic 70s brown/cream livery, not pictured) purchased from covers33.  The original sleeve and the resleeved single were then sheathed in a heavy duty clear PVC outer sleeve. The single and its attendant material has been stored carefully ever since in my smoke-free home.

On opening the shrink, I discovered that the single had been further sealed into its die cut sleeve with ancient, stiff sticky tape. This had, unfortunately, stuck to the edge of the run-on groove of the A side of the record. The tape was the kind common in the sixties and early seventies – eventually it hardens, goes dry and flakes off. I was able to remove it, but some dry brown residue was left on the mouth of the sleeve and on the rear base on the left. It sounds bad, by the irony is that the sleeve is given ‘ancient relic’ status by the presence of a product that has changed beyond recognition (you’d never get modern tape off so easily, even after forty years). I have cleaned the tape residue on the run-in grove (it affects about 1 cm) with Covers33 vinyl solution, but it probably needs professional cleaning – I noticed this before the one play I gave the single and was careful placing the needle, which I’m sure any dedicated vinyl obsessive would.

Inside the 12” die cut sleeve are two immaculate printed items, a mini-poster/prospectus (29 cm tall, 25 cm wide when gatefold-opened) that depicts the band and lists personell/instrumental roles and bears the Clearwater logo and (even better) a large poster of Cochise himself, which measures around 60cm tall, 35 cm wide).

The whole package is beautiful, a wonderful relic of English psychedelia. Although I’m a UA freak due to my Hawkwind/Stranglers obsessions, it deserves to go to a collector who will really appreciate this lovely collectable and frame the inserts for display. I’ve curated the item as well as I can, knowing that one day I’d have to pass it on. I need the space and the money, so the time has come...

I would grade this record as Excellent, despite the mentioned flaw (I reserve Mint grading for vinyl only for records that are still sealed in shrinkwrap and hence never played – as I said, I played this once and it sounded fine). I’d grade the sleeve as Near mint-Mint and the inserts as Mint. I collect print media (primarily books and have done for over 3 years) as well as records and I’m a condition obsessive.

The record/pack will be supplied in the PVC outer sleeve described and the single will remain in its UA repro sleeve and alongside the die cut sleeve, will also remain in a PVC sleeve. Packaging will be a professional cruciform cardboard mailer source from Covers33, the record collecting accessories dealer all the pros use.

Please note that I do not sell outside the UK under any circumstances, so please don’t waste your time or mine by asking. Many thanks!