JEFFERSON AIRPLANE Crown of Creation RARE UK MONO LP

	£		127
	$		169

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE

Album Title: Crown of Creation.

Producer(s): Al Schmitt.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Lather; In Time; Triad; Star Track; Share a Little Joke; Chushingura.

Side 2: If You Feel; Crown of Creation; Ice Cream Phoenix; Greasy Heart; The House at Pooneil Corners.

Label/Format: RCA Victor – original format (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: These original matt black labels are fresh, clean and very attractive. Spindle marks are only light, few and faint as seen under angled light. Just two or three in fact on side one and just one or two more on side two. I have never seen a lesser played original mono example of this magnificent record.

Cat Number: RD 7976.

Mode / Speed: Mono Record (cover 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: 143 grams. A typical very solid pressing, at this time by Decca.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Rare: more so in mono and especially in very lightly played condition. This will prove hard to find a great deal better.

Original Year of Release: 1968.

Matrix Nos: WPRM 0547-2K / WPRM 0548-2K

Mothers / Stampers: 2? U / 1 U

Musicians: Marty Balin - guitar, vocals; Jack Casady - bass; Spencer Dryden - percussion, organ, vocals; Paul Kantner - guitar, vocals; Jorma Kaukonen - guitar, vocals; Grace Slick - keyboards, vocals. Guests: Charles Cockey - guitar, vocals; David Crosby - guitar; Tim Davis - congas; Bill Goodwin - drums; Dan Woody - bongos.

Brief Info: Another stunning album, their fourth overall but third in the UK. The quality of the music just went from strength-to-strength. Uncompromising and political, the incredible power and impact of the cover imagery led the way for what to expect. Right from the very beginning, Grace Slick is in tremendous form with her weird and strangely bizarre tale of ‘Lather’, until fairly recently remaining a mystery to who this somewhat disturbing song was about. On a Jefferson Airplane DVD Grace herself explains the song was written about Spencer Dryden, the drummer and about his refusal to really grow up and enter the world adulthood. This amazing song sets the tone for one of the greatest rock-psych albums of the 1960s. The final song, ‘The House at Pooneil Corners’ is truly disturbing, dark and bleak and describing the aftermath of annhilation. “Everything someday will be gone except silence; Earth will be quiet again; Seas from clouds will wash off the ashes of violence; Left as the memory of men; There will be no survivor my friend.” A high intensity song that really does send a shudder down the spine, just listen to the lyrics while viewing that immensely powerful front cover image. All this with a backdrop of wailing, bendy-strings, siren-like electric guitars and chaos – remember this song was written at the time of the Vietnam war and the world’s fear of atomic conflict. The Airplane were masters of hard-hitting songs with scathing lyrics that had real meaning and substance. This band made four absolute classic studio albums in the 1960s and all their output pre-70 is essential. The front cover on this title is truly awesome and is one of the 1960s most memorable sleeves. This example does it high justice and it is one that does not wear well, especially the unprotected back. What a joy to hear such a clean mono copy too, without doubt, this has been very lightly played and then with utmost care. A few minor surface traces or hairlines seen under light, but no damage or scratches from heavy tracking record players of the day – an astonishing record from one of the greatest ever US groups.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: a single format with front Clarifoil laminate. This covers the closed edges and ends on the back via the spine. Printed in England (SP Ltd). This infamous Hiroshima bomb photograph was supplied by the USAF. This is the stereo sleeve with the SF prefix. It is hardly unusual to see a mono record inside a ‘mono’ cover – but this could be an issue for the highly discerning collector, so please be aware.

Laminate & Front: One of rock’s most powerful covers and they always look so much better with lamination – remember, this was dropped more into the 70s. The colour and intensity of the artwork is much richer and vivid seen on the early covers, but Clarifoil is not without it’s issues. So often it lifts and dulls to ruin the appearance. This front has aged only very modestly and still looks impressive. A fine shine is retained, along with clarity and a good degree of freshness. There is a less than moderate crease near the left edge and one or two others that are even lighter still and show little. A few edge hairlines are rarely avoided of course. There is mild rim impression near the top and bottom edges with light dulling there, but not a great deal else. Adhesion is nigh-on total which makes a big difference to appearance and little spoils the appearance of this dramatic artwork.

Cover Back: The back is impressive and with so many seen with deep penetrating ringwear, the general lack of here has to be great news. There are light traces towards the left but few originals will show a great deal less. Clean with barely any creasing and minimal rubbing, this unforgiving unprotected dark back will seldom be seen much better. Note: this has hte SF stereo prefix, hence a stereo cover.

Top Edge & Bottom Edges: A tiny chip on the top, little else and both still smooth to the touch with no scuffing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with barely any wear. Any thickening or burring is very faint indeed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: A typically thin spine on this style of cover and looking impressive. Like the back, this has the SF stereo prefix. Solid, straight with only very slight compression. All text is perfect and unworn which is very well centred. Totally smooth, clear and white, the ends are gently tapered in manufacture.

Corners: All impressive, any tip rubs are tiny and very fine to excellent shape is retained.

Cover Summary: A very striking cover: it just gives light hints to it’s tremendous age, but still an excellent example of this very wear-prone cover. It will please many collectors for sure.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): a superb vintage inner that has aged little, this always gives strong clues to the lack of usage of the record itself. Still white with barely any darkening, two crisp and neat window circles with clear a clear polylining. Barely any creasing and all edges unsplit with no repairs. This is UK patented with ‘Foreign Patents Pending’ text.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a very impressive visual copy that plays as good as it looks too. Very clean, shiny, jet black and pressed on heavy thick vinyl. Any surface marks are few, fine and very faint - I for one would be delighted to find all mono records this clean and little used (or abused). Visually a lovely record that should please many, if not 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 snippets 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 classic album, which I personally consider a masterpiece, plays up to it’s high visual grading and most-all even above, with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is as good as it can get from this title that – being honest – was never a hi-fi production – but the music and content is so brilliant, who cares? Minimal traces of any surface sound and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing – but RCA were pressed by Decca at this time, so this is no major surprise. Shame they did not stick with this supreme company beyond the late 60s as pressing quality then declined. Few copies will match or outperform this vintage early pressed black label RCA classic. Both channels are clean and sharp, I feel very sure this record has seldom been handled let alone played and nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this groundbreaking record. I doubt if this copy has seen light-of-day for decades and will prove immensely difficult to ever find better and can be strongly recommended. I politely remind, the main issue for the highly discerning is the cover – which is stereo – the record being mono.

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 QED Silver 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 10 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please as 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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.