SKIP BIFFERTY LP - Mono UK Black/Red Spot RCA Labels

	£		215
	$		285

A very, very rare LP with high book value  - "SKIP BIFFERTY" from the band with the same name on RCA VICTOR - RD-7941 ~ (MONO 1967)

This is in stiff, medium weight 146 gram vinyl and has the matrix numbers "WGBL-0029-1K" on side 1 and "WGBL-0030-1K" on side 2, (these numbers are repeated on the labels); the Mother number is "1" and the Stamper reference "B" on both sides.

This copy then is one of the very earliest pressed, from the first Mother set, as evidenced by the very rare black labels and the matrix numbers above and must represent a very sound investment for those into that, but it's also a very playable copy for those actually into the music, (like me!).

This auction then is for an exceptionally rare and highly collectable LP from this fairly short-lived psychedelic freak rock band in the even rarer, highly collectable early MONO Black Label/Red Spot label version from 1967, that was only very briefly available before being withdrawn and replaced with a version with orange labels; it is musically one of the finest recordings of it’s time and this black label version is actually a different mix to those more common orange label versions, being grittier, harder and a bit looser overall. (Very much more like The Small Faces, which is hardly suprising as Marriott and Lane were involved in it's production and certainly oversaw the rough-mix down of this first version).

Check my bidder’s feedback - you will see I describe my records 100% truthfully so you can bid in confidence.

The record itself is pressed in medium grade, fairly stiff vinyl and is very clean on both sides, with just a couple of spindle marks on the labels, which are the correct silver print with satin black ground, the RCA VICTOR legend being in white and the RCA logo being the correct "RED SPOT" of white print on a circular red ground; there are no stickers, marks or writing on them and no hole wear - I have played this of course, but only a handful of times, as I taped it, and so it still has a tight spindle hole.
There are very, very minor sleeve marks on the record surfaces, which has minimal surface noise, NO clicks or jumps and NO crackles or pops and obviously NO scratches!
I have just played this VERY, VERY LOUD, to check it out once more, (OK, twice......), because it’s just so damn GOOD!
(I must be completely nuts clearing these records out, but I do not play them any more, which is sad............)

The cover is the original "Clarifoil" laminated front, Clout & Baker Ltd UK printed one, in good condition with just one very minor crease at the top LHS, no spine creases or splits and just a really tiny bit of corner wear at the lower and trailing leading edges, minor record entry edge wear, but no shelf wear, no marks, no writing, no stickers and just a tiny amount of pressure rubbing visible on the cellophane and rear lower fold.
Unusually, it bears the legend "1968" printed on it, but I bought it in 1967 and the vinyl itself is 1967, so they must have planned a later release for the LP. (There was a lot of confusion around the release date and I was lucky to get it because the copies were withdrawn very quickly from the shops!)

This cover is as good as you will get for one that has actually been used and not box stored!

The sleeve is the original and correct plastic lined, square corners, plain paper one, with some old folds, but no tears, minor age browning and no writing or marks.

Using the Record Collector grading system; the vinyl is thus better than EXCELLENT on both sides, (I would say, NEAR MINT, but this is not an available category!), the cover and sleeve are also EXCELLENT.

Skip Bifferty were one of my favourite live bands of the day and I saw them many times live at gigs in London, mostly at the Marquee Club. They were musically exceptional and far better and more adventurous than was ever caught on record.
The band split when Don Arden did his usual managerial screwing of them and reformed as Heavy Jelly, their one single as HJ being far more representative of them live, then they dissipated off into other bands; I still see bassist Colin Gibson playing locally in several outfits - old psychedelicists never grow old you see, we just go on and on and on ..........

(The links below will give you more on the record and the band if you want to follow their musical paths)

Links:

http://peppermintstore.blogspot.com/search/label/Skip%20Bifferty

Http://www.alexgitlin.com/npp/skipb.htm

The provenance is good for this record as I can vouch for it’s history, since I bought it new, having great trouble obtianing it, despite having a mate who ran a record shop; generally, all my records are from my own personal collection, built up since the early 1960’s and have genuinely been played very little and then only on quality turntables, (Garrard Zero 100, Lab 80 and Goldring GL75), set up with a low tracking force, using Shure, then Grado then Stanton cartridges over the years. All records have been dry stored, vertically, in the dark in a proper custom made record shelving system and only ever played by myself and NEVER loaned to anyone and especially, never, ever partied!

The packed weight of this item is estimated at 490g and signed for postage via 2nd class Recorded Delivery is now shown as £2.35 to UK addresses, insured to £34.00, (if the final value goes over this, then I shall send it Special Delivery in the UK, insured to £500.00 at £5.05).
LP’s will now be sent in the heaviest grade of mailer available, (600gm) with double board stiffeners, and this is charged at an additional cost of £0.63 but will take up to 2 LP's safely for those who wish to combine postage on multiple bids, (each LP will be protected with a waterproof plastic bag).
No other packing charges are added; you just pay what I pay!

NB: This item may be picked up in person, or will be despatched securely, so it will need to be signed for on delivery; I will not send it care of a business address without written acceptance of your liability for loss, theft or damage, nor to a PO box.
Carriage charges, where indicated, are for zone 1 UK post codes only. If you are in other zones or are an overseas bidder, you can get an estimate of carriage costs by checking with the www.royalmail.co.uk web site, entering the package dimensions and estimated volumetric shipping weight shown above and choosing the International Shipping options, plus an additional insurance fee if appropriate to the item's final value, but please note that additional packing may increase the packed weight and hence the actual cost.

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