FRANK ZAPPA Chunga's Revenge UK 1970s Reprise MINT LP

	£		36
	$		48

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Album Title: Chunga’s Revenge.

Producer(s): Frank Zappa.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Transylvania Boogie; Road Ladies; Twenty Small Cigars; The Nancy and Mary Music parts 1 to 3.

Side 2: Tell Me You Love Me; Would You Go All the Way?; Chunga’s Revenge; The Clap; Rudy Wants to Buy Yez a Drink; Sharleena.

Label/Format: Reprise (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both immaculate as new: very clean and attractive and I am struggling to find a single spindle mark trace at all.

Cat Number: K 44020.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 106 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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The original RSLP versions are scarcer than this Kinney 70s repress. That said, you don’t find practically Mint as made examples of this album often. The cover wears very badly if not stored and handled carefully. This matt finished red version is almost factory-fresh. The same goes for the record, many originals were played to destruction on less-than-worthy records players, often ruined by worn mono stylus that were still being used into the 1970s. Although this record is hardly a vinyl heavyweight, it plays with pristine immaculate, totally flawless sound from beginning to end and being honest, I have heard few better than this one. You want ‘as new’, well this is as close as it gets these days.

Original Year of Release: 1970. This Kinney copy was issued in the early to mid-70s.

Matrix Nos: K 44020 A1 [RSLP 2030 A1] / K 44020 B2

Musicians: Frank Zappa - guitar, vocals, harpsichord, Condor, drums, wood blocks, temle blocks, boo-bams, tom-toms etc; Ian Underwood - rhythm guitar, piano, electric piano, pipe organ, electric alto sax with wah-wah pedal; tenor sax grand piano; Max Bennett - bass; Aynsley Dunbar - drums; Jeff Simmons - bass, vocal; George Duke - keyboards, organ; Sugar Cane Harris - organ; Flo & Eddie (Mark Volman & Howard Kaylan) - vocals.

Brief Artist & Album Info: Zappa’s third solo outing after the controversial disbandment of the original Mothers of Invention line up. Chunga’s Revenge introduced singers Flo and Eddie (ex-Turtles Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan, a duo who later sang backing vocals for T Rex), also featuring several players from the previous solo album - the masterpiece which was Hot Rats from 1969. This album, never one of his most acclaimed, but for me highly underrated, contains many gems and several classic instrumentals. The best being the title track which features Ian Underwood on electric sax that gets the full wah-wah treatment. The beautifully melodic and catchy jazzy track Twenty Small Cigars, actually an outtake from the ‘Hot Rats’ and the glorious guitar driven ‘Transylvania Boogie’ with its gypsy rhythms. ‘Road Ladies’ describes the pleasures (and diseases) drived from the groupies around at this time. Chunga’s is a varied album and again never short of experimentation. Sugarcane Harris, a violinist plays organ on the title track and Frank himself plays all the percussion on the Varese inspired piece ‘The Clap’. This 70s repress is immaculate and is just a sheer pleasure to hold, view and play.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High: this is close to impossible to find devoid of rubbing and ringwear. The original covers with the heavy records are even more prone.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and a strong case for Mint(-). It’s an unlaminated gatefold format and was printed and made in England by MacNeill Press Ltd. The Kinney covers were only issued in red, the green versions were exclusive to the RSLP originals.

Cover Front: As near perfection as you will ever see, this is fantastic and pretty much devoid of any wear or creasing. Take another look, when was the last time you saw this better?.

Cover Back: Along with Burnt Weeny Sandwich and possibly the Freak Out double, the most ringwear prone Zappa back cover made. I can barely remember seeing this ultra dark purple ink with no ringwear, but this is as close as it probably ever gets. The colour remains very rich and strong and unfaded and again uncreased (bar the odd corner tip trace). One tiny chip near the bottom is almost nit-picking, again worthy of a second look. Both front and back are incredibly attractive.

Cover Inner Gatefold: This is perfect and looks fantastic with its ultra rich and dark artwork.

Top Edges: Both unworn and dead straight.

Bottom Edges: The odd tiny faint rub trace only, again both dead straight.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear or feathering. Record entered on this right outside back edge.

Spine and Text: Absolutely superb: totally unworn and thicker than the originals I have seen. Solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. The text is strong and unworn and the red ink totally unrubbed including the foldline hinges.

Corners: Tiny tip rubs and odd small tip semi-crease. All retain superb shape.

Cover Summary: Quite possibly the best red Chunga’s cover I have seen for years. You can only admire this one. If you know your Zappa well, you will know how shabby this cover is often seen. This is so clean and fresh, it could almost pass as new.

The Inner: This album includes its original plain white unlined inner which has barely any wear but has very slightly darkened with age.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: To grade this possibly unplayed record less than Mint would not be doing it full justice, so Mint it is. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and fairly solidly pressed on high quality vinyl. As stated above, not a heavy or thick pressing, but for sound this is nigh-on unbeatable, its lack of mass does not reflect in the high quality sound it contains. This has supreme clean playing surfaces and sounds fantastic too, I can not see a mark or blemish worthy of mention and it’s more than possible this has never been out of its cover. Visually a super record that should please all collectors who simply want an ‘as new’ copy to play and enjoy without worrying about being a first issue.

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 outstanding example plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is high and is as good as it gets. Possibly not one of Frank’s great productions but a quality system easily bring out the hidden details. Devoid of surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few copies will outperform this pressing significantly I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has hardly been played (if indeed at all) and has been clearly carefully stored and handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this top-grade Zappa record. This copy will prove near impossible to find better and unreservedly recommended.

End Piece: The back cover explains the vocals on this album are a preview for the following album - 200 Motels, it was the start of a new chapter in Zappa’s career, many fans were not sure at first - the original Mothers of Invention were much loved by their fans. Many found it unforgivable to disband them although several members still recorded with the new line ups. This album is was a pathway to the transition, and is an important stepping stone - if you missed this ‘solo’ album first time round, try it now, you are unlikely to hear a much cleaner pressing. With an immaculate cover and record, it hardly gets much better – the catalogue number apart, this is pretty much the same as the 1970 pressing.

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: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

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

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’.