Ray Hoff & Hoff Beats LP seriously RARE 1966 Clarion KILLER Garage RnB Beat VG+

	A$		281
	$		186

NOTE : All LP’s have been cleaned and played (except where Mint) to determine an accurate grading as possible ; if anything they have been under-graded to be on the safe side as collectors will always have slightly different interpretations on quality however I definitely feel you can bid with confidence here.
Postage costs for additional items will be combined to save on postage costs …Thanks.

Item : 12” Album

Artist : Ray Hoff & The Hoff Beats

Title : self-titled

Year : 1966

Issue : Australian 1st & only pressing – Clarion Records label # MCL-32,116 - mono

Songs :
SIDE ONE – “live medley”
a./ Chaser
b./ I Got My Mojo Working
c./ In the Midnight Hour
d./ Mercy, Mercy
e./ Ain't Doin' Too Bad (Parts 1 & 2)

SIDE TWO
1./ Bama Lama Bama Loo
2./ My Good Friend Mary Jane
3./ Sinner's Prayer
4./ Sweet Little Rock 'n' Roller
5./ Lookin' for My Pigs
6./ Uncle Willee
7./ Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go

From the late 1950’s through the 1960s, Sydney-born rock and R&B vocalist Ray Hoff led various line-ups of the Off Beats and the story goes he only chose the best musicians around for his band making him an influential and much admired leader. To top it off Ray selected the grooviest and funkiest songs for his band to cover further elevating the groups status as a name that commanded respect in Australian musical circles. Hoff's fame grew as a show not to be missed …. with his gruff, powerful, soul voice and uncanny ability as a song stylist alongside his energetic and talented sidemen his appearances were always drawing enthusiastic audiences.

Originally formed in Sydney but also based for periods in Perth and Adelaide, it is incredible that the Off Beats' popularity and credibility as a live act never made it past one album and a handful of singles. They were signed to RCA in Sydney, and their single of Chuck Berry's ‘Little Queenie’ had some success on radio, but didn’t set the charts on fire. Soon after, Hoff returned to Perth, having lost three band members to a new line-up of Billy Thorpe's Aztecs.

It was in Perth, 1966 that Ray put together a fresh line-up for his band, signed with Clarion and cut his one and only album which still ranks today as a beat and soul-funk marvel from the era.

Only two playable copies of this gem have been made available in the last 10 years which is indicative of its rarity … one listen is enough to want to take it straight to the ‘pool room’.

CONDITION : see 5 photos above
Vinyl : Better than one might expect. Has obviously been enjoyed but I wouldn’t say overly played. A number of marks each side but a nice thick platter and deep grooved which is why there are no skips or pops during playback … in fact I struggled to even pick-up any background noise which surprised me as much better looking LP’s have given a poorer quality sound. Still heaps of shine both sides and I reckon its worth a VG+ easily and I can’t see anyone being disappointed upon the first listen here.
Labels : Clean.
Sleeve : A reasonably good jacket here, especially considering how flimsily made this Clarion label LP is … in fact Clarion only ever issued 6 albums, a few more EP’s and were predominantly a singles label, which is still no excuse for this pretty-thin effort of a sleeve in comparison to it’s say, sister independent label ‘Spin’ (both subsidiaries of Festival) where Bee Gees, Ronnie Burns etc album covers were far superior in construction. Anyway condition wise the sleeve here has no writing and thankfully no splits which is a bonus. There is some minor ring-wear as per photos above and some creasing as well as some scratching to the front photo … plus a small ding to the top-right corner. The spine has a few pronounced centre nicks as well however, in spite of these minor faults, this cover stands up pretty well … add to that of course the extreme unlikelihood seeing another one to compare it to for many a long year and you’d be mad not to grab this and run a mile ‘tout de suite’!!

POSTAGE COSTS (albums are professionally packed and shipped with an outer protector plastic sleeve) :
To anywhere in Australia is AU$8.00. For 2 or 3 x LP’s the cost is $15.00.
For extra items costs will depend upon weight and destination however I will do my best to keep the combined total at a minimum. Australia Posts sliding rate scale often allows 10 albums to be posted for around $20.00, again dependent upon total weight and distance travelled.

1st class Air-Mail OVERSEAS :
NEW ZEALAND - $12 AUS
ASIA and JAPAN- $14 AUS
USA, CANADA, MIDDLE EAST - $15 AUS
EUROPE & REST OF THE WORLD - $20 AUS
Please note I no longer post to Brazil, Italy, France, Greece or to the Russian Federation.

PACKING INFORMATION :
My strong, safe and secure packaging has always been well received and appreciated by buyers.

PAYMENT METHODS :
within Australia : 1. Paypal (quickest and easiest) OR 2. Bank Deposit (this may take a day or two to confirm)
International : Paypal

Thanks for your interest in this item.