THE DOORS Strange Days RARE Orig UK 67 MONO LP + INNER

	£		149
	$		197

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: THE DOORS

Album Title: Strange Days

Producer(s): Paul A. Rothchild.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Strange Days; You’re Lost Little Girl; Love Me Two Times; Unhappy Girl; Horse Latitudes; Moonlight Drive.

Side 2: People Are Strange; My Eyes Have Seen You; I Can’t See Your Face in My Mind; When the Music’s Over.

Cat Number: EKL 4014 Mono.

Label/Format: Elektra – First press orange labels with black text and a rough textured finish. (second pressings had silver text and were smooth).

Label Conditions: Both have only light+ spindle marks and look attractive. A single letter ID mark has been cleverly obscured on each side, still visible but hardly major.

Mode / Speed: Mono / 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: 129 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: Rare as a first pressed mono UK copy. This one includes the rare inner and a very strong one too. Original Doors albums in comparison to the likes of other 60s giants like The Beatles, Stones, Cream, Hendrix, Who et al. are far rarer and elusive and sold quite poorly initially. This album astonishingly did not chart in the UK - unbelievable but true. This one also includes the UK manufactured, fully laminated cover and the mono cut is highly sort-after and prized.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: EKL 4014 A1 / EKL 4014 B1

Muscians: Jim Morrison - vocals; Ray Manzarek - keyboards, marimba; Robby Kreiger - guitar; John Densmore - drums.

Brief Artist & Album Info: The Doors’ second album redefined their uncompromising art. The disturbing sounds of Ray Manzarek’s organ work provided the musical cloak through which guitarist Robbie Kreiger and vocalist Jim Morrison projected. Few singers in rock possessed his authority and emotional intensity. Strange Days contains some of the quartet’s finest work, from the apocolyptical vision of ‘When the Music’s Over’ - with its famous eerie line The Scream of the Butterfly - to the memorable quirkiness of ‘People are Strange’ and ‘Moonlight Drive’. The graphic ‘Horse Latitudes’, meanwhile, confirmed Morrison’s wish to be viewed as a poet, a stance ensuring The Doors were always more than just another rock band. This masterpiece, their second in the greatest year in music, 1967, the ‘Summer of Love’ is an astonishing work and boasts a very famous and surreal cover with its bizarre circus type figures. Also included here is the original lyric sheet/illustrated inner which again is rare in the UK. Even though the edges are split from the record’s movement, it’s still in very fine condition and how does this show up? How this wonderous album did not even make the charts in the UK is a complete mystery: I guess the nation was taken over by the Sgt Pepper phenomenon and lets face it the competition was intense with so many classics issued that great year. How many copies of this initial UK mono pressing were manufactured I dont know, but they surface all too rarely. Initially selling poorly and copies that were bought often being subjected to heavy playing on basic 60s record players with thick stylus and heavy arms that probably rendered many copies unplayable. A time with long steel spindles that often allowed records to be stacked and dropped atop each other – it hardly bears thinking about – but it happened. No wonder so many are rendered unlistenable. This one is in lovely all-round condition and plays distortion-free. It has a few very light marks with the odd sporadic click but most all is superb and this benefits from greater volume than the debut. The famous old cover with its laminate blows away the US version and this has minimal blemishing. This will not be easy to find much better and I enjoyed hearing this again in mono after what had been far too long. The mono mix being somewhat different from the stereo with greater bass dynamics and clout. The Doors albums are not available on CD in the mono mode so the original vinyl records are the only way they can be enjoyed – like the band themselves – they are unique.

Cover Grade and Format: EX(+), a single format, laminated front and back. Manufactured in Great Britain by Polydor Records Limited, London. This has EKL 4014 (mono) in small type at the top of the back and front, but a glaring error on the spine with the EKS stereo 74014 number. One of the most famous covers in rock history and a highly attractive one with only mild wear or blemishing.

Cover Lamination – Front & Back: Immensely shiny and clear with just a mild record rim dull on the back and a small arc at the top of the front. This is fully adhered with no lifting or blistering and is devoid of peeling. The artwork looks superb and is bought to life by the lovely, little aged laminate. A few creases: just two of note on the front one on each left and right edge and barely in the ‘moderate’ category. The back has even less and any faint one hardly even shows. The laminate ends short on both sides on the opening edge, but the exposed strips are in fine clean shape with minimal blemishing. Actual marks are few and faint but slight pressmarks are evident when viewed under light but normal viewing, which is what most would choose to do, makes this cover look superb on both sides. It will prove difficult to find much better these strange days.

Top Edge: Unworn.

Bottom Edge: Similar, the odd faint surface graze being critical.

Right Edge: Very neat, clean, quite sharp with little wear and no feathering. Record entered on right edge.

Spine and Text: A very fine spine too: Solid, uncompressed and straight, any rubs are tiny and confined to the very ends, odd microscopic chip only. Text is pristine perfect under the solid and still shiny laminate. I reitterate again, the major error of this mono cover having the stereo Cat. No and ‘Stereo’ printed here. All other references on the sleeve are the correct mono.

Corners: All four show very little wear at all, any small amount present is on the very tips. All retain great shape.

Cover Summary: A splendid all round example of this rare original mono 60’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This fine, rare item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner: Not seen this many times and never as lovely as this. Most copies of this album will not include the rare inner. Although all edges have splits – all neatly, and repairing would not prove difficult – I have not hesitation in grading as EX as the very minimum. Clean with few marks and very little creasing, any present is low-level and minimal. The record enters from the right hand side when viewing the band picture. What stark images they are too, this is a legendary inner and rarely included in a UK version. The other side has the song lyrics in full. Do not underestimate the rarity of this inner and finding one much better will also prove incredibly difficult. A prime piece for the serious collector and Doors fan.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++ / EX, side one is little short of Mint(-) and looks fantastic, I can barely see a mark at all. Side two has one small mark on the second song. This has a few very low-level ticks, the music is sufficiently powerful and loud to almost lose them and this caused me little concern at all. The music is so brilliant and captivating, such a minor blemish on a record of this quality is almost superfluous. Just ask yourself, how many will have so few or minor blemishes anyway? With the vast majority that get offered graded at VG or less, this beautiful clean record has to be put into context. A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and very solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors again.

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: The sound is rich and detailed and has that typical dynamic mono sound which is quite different from the stereo mix. The album is beautifully produced by Paul A. Rothchild and this is just the way he wanted it to sound - no tampering, remixing, remastering etc. This is the real thing and nothing will better it. A clean pressing with minimal surface sounds, deep grooved and more loudly mixed than the debut. The hugely important factor is the total lack of any distortion, that really unwanted sound caused by groove wear that caused the high frequencies especially to break up and clip. All this album remains sharp, clean and clear with no inherent echo or loud crackling. Both channels are noise free and equal, often on mono records one channel will play noisy while the other is quiet, the result of a badly aligned or even chipped mono stylus that caused uneven wear. Mono albums were never designed to play on modern stereo turntables but when they play this well they give a sound in a class of their own. Very different from the stereo versions, but both are essential of course. This was a nervous but delightful to play grade, Strange Days is one of my favourite Doors albums and I adore this band as does my wife since I introduced her to them back in 1983 - as far as I know the mono mix is not officially available on other formats. I am still almost speechless to the sounds on this record, it leaves the CD version in its tracks. Owning a UK mono cut of this masterwork is a privilege and most will treasure this one. If however, the few light ticks on ‘My Eyes Have Seen You in My Mind’ are an issue, please do not bid. It’s very rare indeed if any mono album will play through with no blemishes at all but this gives a superb account of itself. I have to emphasise again, they are very light and faint indeed.

Final Summary: A classic album in all respects and in lovely all-round condition, the inclusion of a UK laminated cover along with the very rare illustrated lyric inner is the icing on the cake. Strange Days has elements of psych and surrealism, the cover will tell you that, every track is sublime and this album remains essential in every sense of the word. Even later reissues of Doors albums on the later label formats are drying up now, you can imagine how unlikely the originals are likely to show. Such is the scarcity of this great record its clearly a wonderful opportunity not to be missed. The ‘Lizard King’ rarely sounded more inspired than this – a truly timeless piece of work.

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 out ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is no bad thing. Also: any item with a value over £40 will have to be insured as well, but for any item that sells for over £150, I will pay the extra insurance (then the lower shipping price applies).

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 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 4,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course of 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 (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4. (Only for items under £40)

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (Compulsory for items over £40).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, [£500 Maximum]) = £11.

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, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500 Maximum) = £15.

For items that sell over £150, I will pay the insurance, so the lower shipping price will apply.

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’.