CREAM – Fresh Cream – RARER UK 1966 EX++ MONO LP, GREAT RECORD, COVER & SOUND.

	£		150
	$		199

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: CREAM

Album Title: Fresh Cream

Producer(s): Robert Stigwood

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: NSU; Sleepy Time Time; Dreaming; Sweet Wine; Spoonful.

Side 2: Cat’s Squirrel; Four Until Late; Rollin’ and Tumblin’; I’m So Glad; Toad.

Label/Format: Reaction – Deep violet matt format with smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both look superb: ultra clean, fresh and highly attractive with only a couple or three light, fine and faint spindle marks. An age defying mono record that looks hardly played reitterated by wonderful clean sound.

Cat Number: 593001

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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: 138 grams. A very fine solid weight, made in the era of quality.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: Scarce: this classic in mono is difficult to find in such clean condition.

Original Year of Release: 1966

Matrix Nos: 593001 A 2 420 1 1 3 0 & 593001 B // 1 1 5 1 9

Musicians: Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals; Jack Bruce – bass guitar, harmonica, vocals; Ginger Baker – Drums, vocal.

Brief Artist & Album Info: One of many classic rock debuts from the 1960s, Fresh Cream were a British super group in their infancy. It features five non-band titles and not a composition credited to Clapton at all – but with the quality of material included did it really matter? Brilliant virtuoso blues-rock, the Cream legend began here. This is a fantastic early-pressed mono example that sounds brilliant from the very beginning to the very end with barely anything to fault. I had the pleasure of playing this at high volume, and quite honestly it left me aghast. It has been some time since I experienced a mono copy of this album on vinyl in such lovely clean condition. The warmth, dynamics and detail from this beautiful record are astonishingly good – this is superbly recorded and few survive in such condition. The cover, so highly prone to wear is in impressive condition as well. A copy to please many, if not most collectors, they surface so infrequently these days, especially in mono like this.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: arguably better, this seldom wears well. A single format with front laminated, this laminate protects the top and bottom edges but not the spine that clearly makes it highly vulnerable to wear. The back is smooth and matt finished. Printed and made in England by Ernest J. Day and has the ‘Patent Pending’ text. The Polydor-style polylined inner is included as seen.

Lamination & Front: Being a dark cover, this will show all forms of wear or issues more than most, hence this is often seen tired and scruffy looking. This front remains impressive with far fewer laminate issues than usually seen. It retains excellent shine, freshness and clarity with minimal dulling (even under light) and no lifting. That is a major plus for a dark cover. There is a very fine horizontal laminate crease near the top left and just one half moon above Clapton’s head, this only mild. A small crease on the bottom right corner tip, but few others apart – a few tiny edge hairlines nigh-on impossible to avoid. Not seen too many better than this, even the left and right ends where the laminate ends naturally short have minimal hint of wear and remain clean. With typically thin card, this vintage mono cover has fared well for all these years.

Cover Back: A back that never ages well and is massively prone to all forms of wear time, handling and mistreatment can inflict upon it. There is minimal evidence of such abuse on this one and this looks attractive to the eye compared to most I have seen. The lack of grubbiness is nice to see for a chance, any traces ultra light, there are a tiny few, equally tiny tone spots and the merest hint of a sticker outline trace near the top right, this given away by a little fine toning around the right area outline. This remains hardly creased or rubbed with hardly a trace of rim impression and no actual ring wear – that seldom avoided either. So just the politest hint of age, but way, way above average (to say the least). A very fine back to complement the impressive front.

Top Edge: Unworn, but due to the thinness, not entirely straight.

Bottom Edge: Almost the same with a little wear to the corner tips.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean and impressively sharp with minimal thickening with no chipping or feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: This is incredibly delicate being thin with no laminate protection. So the fact that most of the text is present is a huge plus. The ‘The Fresh Cream’ text is largely intact and still easy to read as seen. Many of these are badly rubbed, grubby and even threadbare with no text at all, putting one like in true perspective. This remains clean and solid, but it has gently bowed, that far better than laminate lifting in my opinion. Actually one of the best spines I have seen on this sleeve and not often seen as such.

Corners: The top two corners are superb with little to fault. A little rubbing to the bottom pair, but hardly major, the right in particular only small. The odd gentle tip crease with very fine to excellent shape retained with no bashes, any dinking evidence little and light.

Cover Summary: An attractive all-round example that really does retain excellent freshness and fine good looks – not perfect – few ever will be – but one to please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: a Polydor-style polylined inner, date-coded in the 1960s as the first number is 0 after the /, but the other digits appear not to have printed properly, so I would be guessing what they are – and I do not do guessing. Two immaculate window circles and the lining very clear indeed. Minimal creasing and solid, unsplit edges with no repairs. Some darkening (as usual) on the seam adhesive areas to give clues of age, but still a very nice vintage inner sleeve.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading & Sound: EXCELLENT(++): a superb mono record, very clean with fresh very shiny playing surfaces with any surface traces few, ultra fine and faint as seen with utmost scrutiny under bright angled light. Viewed in average room light, this looks stunning – and is for a record this age and mode in particular. This retains incredible lustre and ‘newness’ that few mono records of this popularity ever will. Highly impressive visually and clearly played very little which is reiterated by the highest audio quality. Fully focused, crisp and distortion-free sound with minimal traces of surface sound and no tracking issues*. No damaging worn stylus have been near this beauty, I doubt if this has seen light-of-day for decades. Clearly little played, and then with due care and lightly handled and generally well stored. We all know what these vintage classics can and usually do look and sound like these days – most will have it so many times before. A debut classic time has largely overlooked and a gateway into the recording studio itself when played on suitable and worthy equipment. This has a very loud and powerful mix, a harmonica blown at times to destruction and almost saturating the sound with intense volume and intensity. Beautifully produced with that classic warm,dynamic delivery of the music, this the connoisseur’s mode of the era. A copy that may be matched (by a small minority) but will prove beyond difficult to find better. This deserves a good home and I hope any winning bidder enjoys it as much as I did. The record is outstandingly good and the cover very pleasing too. One that merits strong recommendation.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.