HUGH MUNDELL- DON'T STAY AWAY TOO LONG- YARD 12" EX-

$

116

Hugh Mundell - Don't Stay Away Too Long 

b/w Augustus Pablo - Stay Away Dub

Label:  Yard Music

Matrix Number : YARD DUB 1977 2A/2B

Visible Wear Condition (see below): EX-

Pressing Quality (see below): 7.5

Signal-to-Noise Rating (see below): HOT+

  Jacket Condition : EX- Came in plain white 12" jacket.  Some storage rubbing  to fronts, but no real edge wear.

     This is an original pressing of the 1977 release "Don't Stay Away Too Long", an early tune by the late Hugh Mundell, produced and backed by Augustus Pablo (label photo) on his Yard Music label.  The B-side is the usual dub mix of the song. This record sounds great: quiet pressing, gritty roots mastered hot and clear.  The greater signal-to-noise ratio of the 12" 45 RPM format also allows for a better dynamic range, so this tune has a live quality with a lot of punch.

This record is from my personal collection; I'm not a buy-and-sell-or-trade type of dealer. Like much of my vinyl, I bought this record when it came out, played it a few times, recorded it to cassette and then put it back in its sleeve for the next  years!  Visually, the vinyl shows little sign of wear.  It's been wet cleaned, then reviewed and archived to CD by me as part of the grading process.

Payment Terms:  Right now I only accept payment by PAYPAL INSTANT PAYMENT.  If you use PayPal, make sure your bank account is correctly linked to your PayPal account, so your payment will be virtually IMMEDIATE.

Shipping: High bidders may want to consider insuring their purchases, since even the best packed records do occasionally arrive broken, and you can only get all your money back if you fully insure your purchase.

Shipping cost depends on the location of the winning bidder.  Within the continental US, I ship by USPS Priority Mail (insurance optional) or Media Mail (cheaper but slower, no insurance) and there is a $4 handling charge. 

International purchases are usually shipped by USPS International First Class Mail (no insurance available), or USPS Priority Mail International (partial insurance included), plus a $5 handling charge.  To choose a USPS International Mail option for shipments to your country, click on or paste the following link into your browser:   http://pe.usps.com/text/Imm/immctry.htm

Weights:  One 45 in cardboard mailer = approx. 6 oz.
                          Each additional 45 = approx. 1.2 oz. 
                         

                          LP in cardboard mailer = approx. 1 lb. 2oz.
                          Each additional LP = 8 oz.

ABOUT JAMAICAN PRESSINGS

     With due respect, Jamaican pressings are not generally known for their high quality, although over the last 35 years I have encountered the occasional superbly hot, clear and quiet pressing. New York, UK and Canadian pressings of reggae music are often better than Jamaican pressings, but not always.  In my opinion, Jamaican pressings generally fall somewhere between 4 and 7 on the 1-to-10 rating scale (see below). Some manufacturers are consistently better or worse than others, but not always. Labels are often mangled, illegible, incorrect or applied off-center.  One or both sides of a record are often pressed slightly or wildly off-center (see below).

     It is essential to remember that the birth (and amazing development) of Jamaican popular music and its recording industry was a living miracle which flourished, and continues to do so against incredible odds.  A history of colonial exploitation with its racist slavery, together with a lack of marketable resources in today's globalized world market --- all this has not been kind to the beautiful  island of Jamaica and its resilient people.  Life in Jamaica continues to be a contradiction: physically primitive conditions with massive poverty alongside culturally rich complexity, innovative genius and sophistication.

     So working conditions in the pressing plants are often less than ideal:  it can be hot, smoky, crowded and noisy, but at least it's a job.  Access to good materials, equipment and maintenance is often difficult or unaffordable. When the economic oil crises of the 70's hit, fresh vinyl was scarce and expensive, so they started melting down old tunes and defective pressings, INCLUDING the paper labels.  I remember seeing these rusty oil barrels full of 45's out in back of the pressing plants.  They'd leave them out in the yard, filling up with rainwater and mosquito eggs, to soak off the labels!  It's a shame --- a great many musical treasures were destroyed in those barrels, but business was business, and I guess it still is. 

            MAY GOD BLESS.....        

RECORD GRADING STANDARDS

In grading the sound quality of a vinyl record (assuming it's been cleaned and there's no significant warpage), there are three main issues:

1.)  Wear from usage

2.)  Pressing quality after manufacture, i.e. the amount of surface noise such as pops/clicks/hisses/buzzes due to imperfecti ons in the grooves of the record like small pits or bubbles.  This is partially determined by vinyl quality/purity, temperature control and cleanliness of the record stamping machine.  Other problems include the record being pressed off-center ("drunk") resulting in a wobbly, pitch-wavering sound.  

        TIP for off-center pressings:  With 45's, you can compensate during playback for a drunk pressing by removing the centering "dome" from the turntable spindle, slowly turning the record by hand while observing in which direction the grooves are off center, and then pushing the record slightly off-center in the opposite direction until the grooves themselves are centered.  It's an acquired skill.

3.)  Mastering quality and the resulting Signal-to-Noise Ratio:  how loudly ("hotly") or softly ("sleepily") the record was mastered to the stamper from the master tape of the music. With a hot pressing, the loudness of the music overpowers and masks the fainter sound of the surface noise.  With a sleepy pressing, the music is dimmer and down closer to the level of surface noise; the listener has to turn up the volume, making the surface noise more audible along with the music.  Other mastering problems include exaggerated tone settings and distortion, especially in high frequencies ("S" sounds) and upper midrange frequencies ("squawking" in the vocals or other tinny instruments).  Too much bass and the needle will hop right out of the groove!

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Gradings for visually detectable wear on vinyl records

MINT (M) The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.  

NEAR MINT (NM+/-) As above, but only played a few times.  The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in nearly perfect condition.

EXCELLENT (EX+/-) The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.  

 VERY GOOD (VG+/-) The record has obviously been played many times, but dis plays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.  

 GOOD (G+/-) The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.  

 FAIR (F+/-) The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.  

 POOR (P+/-) The record will not play properly due to scratches, uncleanable dirt etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.  

 BAD (+/-) The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.

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Ratings for pressing quality on a scale of 10 down to 1

10:  No audible surface noise (nearly impossible to achieve).  Example:  Classical or audiophile music pressings on "virgin" high-quality vinyl and manufactured under "laboratory" conditions, often of European or Japanese origin.  Most really good pressings will only rate a 9 anyway.

 9:   Very few barely audible clicks. No pops at all.

 8:   Frequent softly audible clicks and no pops.

 7:   More frequent audible clicks and occasional pops.

 6:   Frequent audible clicks and pops.

 5:   Frequent noticable clicks and pops.

 4:   Very frequent noticable clicks and loud pops.

 3:   Extremely frequent loud clicks and loud pops, possibly with occasional hisses/buzzes.

 2.   Constant loud clicks and loud pops, with frequent hisses/buzzes

 1:   Virtually unlistenable, might as well've been pressed on peanut-brittle!

       Go buy the re-issue of the song on CD made directly from the master tapes.

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standards for RATING signal-to-noise ratio

             VERY HOT (+/-)

             HOT (+/-)

             AVERAGE (+/-)

             SLEEPY (+/-) 

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HOW I GRADE RECORDS FOR SALE

For records with a visual wear rating between VG and NM++, addition ratings for pressing quality and signal-to-noise ratio are included.  It's entirely possible for an M or barely played NM record to sound pretty bad because it was poorly pressed in the first place.

For records with a visual wear rating below VG, it is often too difficult to tell the difference between surface noises due to wear and those due to pressing quality, so only a single condition grading is offered.

About grading integrity:  it is my strict policy to grade these records as carefully and truthfully as possible.  It's a common complaint that many record sellers tend to overgrade their stock : more than once, I've purchased a few "VG+" or "EX" records on Ebay, and eagerly put one on the turntable only to find it's a nearly unlistenable mess.  Yuk! This is why I have no return policy:  my record description is intended to be honest and thorough enough in the first place, so you can decide if you want to buy it AS IS.

Payment Terms:

Currently I am only accepting PayPal Instant Pay. If you use PayPal, make sure your bank account is correctly linked to your PayPal account, so your payment will be virtually IMMEDIATE.

 Food for thought...     JAMAICAN  PROVERBS

Daakes' part a di night a when day soon light.
The darkest hour is just before the dawn.

Di