MILES DAVIS - Bitches Brew SCARCE Orig UK 1970 N/M LPs

	£		107
	$		142

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: MILES DAVIS

Album Title: Bitches Brew.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Pharoah’s Dance.

Side 2: Bitches Brew.

Side 3: Spanish Key; John McLaughlin.

Side 4: Miles Runs the Voodoo Down; Sanctuary.

Label/Format: CBS (Please see label scan for all information needed).

Label Condition: Four super clean, fresh and attractive examples. Just two or three faint spindle marks on the first record and struggling to find any at all on the second.

Cat Number: S 66236.

Mode / Speed: 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: 121 / 123 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 135 to 145 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, many 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 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Super clean, orange label copies of this jazz-rock classic are quite hard to find, finding the four records looking like this will never be easy and that’s no understatement

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: S-66236-A1 / S-66236-B1 & S-66236-C1 / S-66236-D1

Brief Artist & Album Info: Is this the greatest jazz album of all time? Well only Coltrane’s A Love Supreme and Davis’s are serious contenders for me to challenge this crown. This is a stunning double set and was as pioneering in the field of modern music as any ever made. Its influences can still be heard today and this massive set should even appeal to non-jazz fans. This long album has only six tracks - awesome sound with a distinctly cutting edge that includes Bennie Maupin’s eerie deep bass clarinet that sends shivers down the spine. Davis at times play a fragmented trumpet that shreiks and rips through the speaker cloth - this is pioneering electric jazz fusion that almost single handedly invented a few form of music. The backing is of the highest quality imaginable, the players were: Davis - trumpet; Wayne Shorter - soprano saxophone; Lenny White - drums; Bennie Maupin - bass clarinet; Chick Corea - electric piano; Jim Riley - percussion; Jack DeJohette - drums; Harvey Brooks - Fender bass; Charles Alias - drums; Dave Holland - bass and John McLaughlin - electric guitar. Larry Young played electric piano as does Joe Zawinul on some tracks. What makes this copy that extra bit special is the immaculate conditions of the records, they are as close to mint as any ‘used’ record gets. The sound is astonishing, clean and breathtakingly clear and will make even a high end deck sing with joy. If anyone, anywhere has these two records better I would love to see and hear them. Records this clean and fresh especially for a classic set like this are a rare and beautiful thing. The cover is ultra wear prone (sorry to keep repeating this, but its true, double sets with no laminate are unforgiving for ringwear and rubbing), this one is very fine and virtually free of any ringwear that blights so many, if not most. This will be hard to find much better. So a terrific set that should please most collectors needing this groundbreaking album.

Cover Grade and Format: EX or very close too, expecially considering what most look like these days, a gatefold format, not laminated. Printed and made by the E. J. Day Group.

Cover Front: A splendid front with stunning artwork, even this design entered Davis into new realms of excellence for his covers - this was nearly as groundbreaking as the music enclosed. With such strongly coloured artwork and lack of protection happy to say this front still looks very attractive indeed. This is very clean with few marks at all, devoid or rubbing and ringwear too. Barely a crease to be seen but mild gripper lines in manufacture near the top, reciprocated on the back too, proving it’s a ‘natural’ blemish (but showing little). This front will not be easy to find much better.

Cover Back: Similar again and again the lack of ringwear or creasing is significant. A little light rubbing from the bottom edge encroaches into view and there is a light stain near the wrists of the hands at the bottom which has very modest visiblity. Both sides ruthlessly revealing and intolerate, this is a splendid overall example.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Very clean indeed and little to fault again, classic picture of Davis too. Rarely seen this centrefold look better.

Top Edges: Little wear at all.

Bottom Edges: Less than moderate, patchy rubbing on these prone storage edges.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear and no feathering, neither have been trimmed. Records entered on right outside edges.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with little compression, slight tilt to right but folded square with the right edges meeting up well. The artwork and text is unrubbed or eroded.

Corners: Cornerwear is mainly light around the tips and neat shape and definition is retained.

Cover Summary: A very fine all round example of this very fragile early 70’s cover, one that will prove difficult to find significantly better. This strong item should please many collectors.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Anything much less than a Mint grading would be an insult to this pair. I have rarely seen records approaching 40 years old better than these. A supreme visual pair that are super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. Barely a mark to be seen on all four sides, these looks really amazing. A pair not even ‘run-in’ in vinyl terms and how many will be found like this? Visually super records that should please all collectors reading this.

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 super pair play up to their high visual grading with nothing to fault, a bold statement maybe over four lengthy sides, but true. Powerful, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear, including that awesome trumpet and bass clarinet - sound quality is astonishing with a massive dynamic range and very rich sound and details. Devoid of surface sounds and no pops or clicks were noted. Clearly this pair of records have hardly been played and have been sparingly and carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this pair, a set that never fails to impress when heard so clean. This is powerhouse electric jazz fusion with strong rock elements, the band sounded in the room and this ‘Bitches Brew’ is spellbinding. As groundbreaking, challenging and mesmerising as when first issued in 1970, this is truly an incredible listen. These records will prove near impossible to find better and I mean that with all sincerity.

End Piece: The greatest jazz-rock album ever, well possibly? This is my favourite era of Miles Davis work - the modern ‘electric’ period. The previous album In a Silent Way was almost a prelude this stunning, earth-shattering Bitches Brew double set. This album, and the ones that followed should appeal to fans of rock music equally, not just jazz connoisseurs. This is a work of immense beauty and has a sound and atmosphere that few records could ever match. Dark, brooding with real menace, that bass clarinet growls below the surface and when the full band get into gear all hell lets loose. An ear shattering and blistering set that took the jazz world by storm - a massive departure from his early acoustic traditional material. I strongly recommend this classic album and copy, with both records looking and sounding like new housed inside a splendid cover, my highest recommendation is mandatory.

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: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

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

NOTE: I NO LONGER SEND TO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION. ANY BIDS WILL BE IGNORED.

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’.