THE DOORS Strange Days UK Orig+inner Mono N/M

	£		195
	$		258

Hi, I am Mike, I am 46 and have been a music collector and enthusiast for over 33 years now. We all wish we could turn back the clock and buy those wonderful brand new records from the 60s and 70s, but alas, this is not possible; so I always try to offer the finest and most accurately described and graded records I can find. No vinyl/music lover really would choose to buy second-hand, but this is only way now to own these valuable, prized and ellusive items now. 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, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirity, not just bits to guess a grade (on a Rega 3 deck with Ortofon cartridge) - 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 reader – 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. 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 or sticks or writing on covers or labels unless clearly stated to the contrary. Thanks for your interest and Good luck – MIKE.

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. 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. Item wants are always welcome - email me with anything needed, you never know - I may just have a copy in stock. I by quality single items and collections also (Email me please if you have quality items for sale).

Debutant Bidders: Many sellers refuse first time buyers: I do not follow this practice (everybody has to start somewhere), but I would appreciate any first timer letting me know their intentions of their intended payment method and very prompt communication, preferably before any bid or soon after the auctions ends. This gives confidence that their intentions are honourable, and I in return guarantee extra special good feedbacks to get zero rated Ebayers off to a flying start to help them with future transactions. NOTE: I WILL NOT ACCEPT BIDS FROM UNREGISTERED USERS, I will cancel them immediately, and sorry, I cannot give valuations on people’s personal items just for their own curiosity, no item can be accurately valued blindly.

Please read all the information carefully - these adverts take an age to compile properly - so it’s well worth a few minutes of your time to read the details thoroughly. I really cannot take any responsibility if any bidder fails to read any facts that are clearly stated in the advert - Thankyou.

Artist or Band: THE DOORS

Album Title: Strange Days

Cat Number: EKL 4014 Mono (This was also pressed in stereo).

Label and Condition: Elektra, original full orange format with side one being quite smooth but side two having the more rough textured feel and finish. Stunning clean examples that show only very light spindle traces - most records of this type and age are seen with a mass of spindle marks that regularly blend into a solid mass. Wear around the centre hole is zero and this fits tightly around my centre spindle. This stunning copy looks hardly played. (Please see label scans for all information needed).

Country of Manufacture: Gt Britain

Rarity: Rare, and clean copies with the insert and a near mint cover are very rare indeed, this is quite possibly the rarest album in collectors terms I have ever offered. Original Doors albums in comparison to the likes of other 60s giants like The Beatles, Stones, Hendrix, Who et al. are far rarer and ellusive. This album astonishingly did not chart in the UK - unbelievable but true. A copy like this will hardly ever show up on Ebay or anywhere else these (Strange) days. Investment quality 60s mono classics are at a premium, and Doors albums are among the most highly prized items to find and own now. UK copies are like gold dust and I am sorry my minimum selling price has to be so high, but this cost me very deep and was very lucky to get hold of this one. Quite honestly it could be likely I will never find another copy of this original ‘lost’ mono album again in anything like this condition. Its not quite perfect, but if anyone can find this record or cover much better they are indeed very lucky - cherish it.

Original Year of Release: 1967

Matrix Nos: EKL 4014 A1 and B1 (these are beautiful pink sharp and completely unworn). The tiny pressing stamper just appears to be -1/-1. I would feel sure this is a very first UK pressing.

Brief Artist & Album Info: The Doors’ second album redefined their uncompromising art. The disturbing timbre 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, where every nuance and inflection bore an 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 is the original lyric sheet/illustrated inner which again is rare in the UK. 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 original mono pressing are still around in near mint condition would be few I would guess. Initially selling poorly and copies that were bought being likely to been subjected to heavy playing on crude 60s decks with thick and heavy arms, it must be very few indeed (please see the paragraph further down ‘mono vs stereo’ to put this into perspective. Available copies like this will be virtually non-existent, so if the serious collector of pure quality needs this one, well its here. A record like this is a true investment and better than cash in the bank and I was not even sure whether to even offer it. But I have decided and here it is. Its a real beauty and it should please most collectors even the connoisseurs reading this. Full grading is below.

Cover Grade and Format: Mint(-), 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. This simply has to be seen, its condition blows away its age and I can hardly imagine finding a better example - one of the most famous covers in rock history deserves the best and this must be close to THE best. An astonishing item that will grace any serious collection.

Cover Lamination: Beautiful, clean with deep shine and no peeling. There is a tiny, very fine dry area near the spine edge, but as small and light as they get and it shows up little. Creasing is almost zero and there is only a couple of minor fine indent traces on the back that again hardly show - I am being as critical as possible for this one as its just so important and rare and the serious collectors need to know all including the fine details and minute flaws.

Cover Front: Absolutely superb: a very dark finish under that lovely laminate. Few blemishes at all this does this covers importance full justice. Clean and unworn or damaged and no ringwear at all. There is maybe a small hint of a pressmark from the heavy record inside - its probably been in there for eons so this is hardly any major surprise, but let me emphasise this is as light as they get and again can hardly even be seen unless viewed critically under angled light. Any dulling is minimal too, this has been carefully stored in a protective cover and it shows in the quality.

Cover Back: Virtually the same as the front, few blemishes and looking terrific.

Top Edge: Unworn.

Bottom Edge: Unworn.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with little wear. Record entered on right edge.

Spine and Text: Solid and square - beautifully shaped with no wear until the very end tips, text is near perfect under the uncracked laminate.

Corners: All four show a little minor wear, mostly on the very tips on the spine side. All still nicely shaped.

Cover Summary: A supreme all round example of this rare original 60’s cover, one that could prove near impossible to find much better. This stunning item should please most collectors.

Inner Grading: EX. This rare inner is nice but has light ruffling, still unsplit or torn and pretty clean and neat. All the songs lyrics are printed on one side and the other side has a classic b/w picture of the band.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-)/EX++ An amazing copy with just one fine, light mark on side two, this has the odd light and very faint tick, but most all is lost in the very loud dynamic mono mix and this is just about the only negative on this whole record. Its a super heavy pressing and jet black. Super clean and shiny and that one mark apart its near perfect - a wonderous sight for an album this age and rarity. Just holding this one gives pleasure, how many collectors have been lucky enough to even do that?

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This plays just as close as mono copies ever will to the highest grading. Just a few faint ticks from that mark but will a copy ever show up that is 100 per cent perfect - I would seriously doubt it and this is pretty damn close. The sound is rich and detailed and has that typical dynamic mono sound. 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 loudly mixed. 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 and both channels are virtually noise free and equal. Mono albums were never designed to play on modern stereo turntables; but when a clean, lightly played record shows up, 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 delight to play grade - as far as I know the mono mix is not officially available elsewhere. This is almost too precious to offer but this is what I do. I just hope the winning bidder enjoys it half as much as I did.

Mono vs Stereo, an overview: Always a matter of opinion which is better or more important. For any serious collector where there is a choice e.g. Beatles, Stones, Hendrix etc. both are essential. True Stereo albums give great imagery and presence whereas mono albums usually are more dynamic, louder and present the detail more clearly. Mono albums are far harder to find in genuinely top playing condition. Most were heavily played, particularly the truly great bands and artists, often covered in mark and scratches, many severe and labels that were a mass of spindle marks. The majority were played on vintage and unsubtle decks with heavy tonearms and thick styli (often sapphire, not diamond, that chipped more easily) that rendered heavy wear in a very short time to many a fine classic record. Wear to the delicate groove walls, particularly the innermost tracks to the labels were most vulnerable where the tracking angle became more severe and the backdrag actually stripped the delicate groove walls. This resulted in surface noise and mild/moderate distortion or worse. These old decks tracked by sheer weight and little of any refined engineering. Next time you see such a deck at a local record fayre, feel the weight of the arm, it almost makes you wonder how any records survived at all. The point of this paragraph is emphasise that when a truly clean, lightly played and great sounding 60s mono album (or stereo come to that) is offered, treasure it, because for sure they are truly getting vary rare and precious - beware - demand only play-graded records. As a general guide to rarity, mono was the far more common format from 61–65; Around 66–67 the balance was roughly equal, then from 68-69 the balance swung more to stereo, making monos from these dates far scarcer, even rare - this guide is important and effects values greatly.

Track Listing: Strange days; You’re lost little girl; Love me two times; Unhappy girl; Horse latitudes; Moonlight drive; People are strange; My eyes have seen you; I can’t see your face in my mind; When the music’s over.

Album Played For Grading: Yes.

Final Summary: What a stunner, the ‘lizard king’ rarely sounded much better. A VIP album in all respects and I am proud to offer it. 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 Butterfly format have almost dried up now, you can imagine how unlikely the originals are likely to show. Trashed and worn copies may get offered, be very careful, this album is in a class of its own and apart from that small mark on side two, which is only really a light blemish when put into context, I unreservedly recommend it, this will increase in value and become even rarer in a very short time – Mike.

Payment Details please read carefully:

UK First Class: = £2.50; Recorded Delivery (Recommended) = £4.00 Special Delivery (Next day, insured up to £250), the best service available = £6.00

Europe Air Mail: = £4 Insured: £8.00

Overseas, non-Europe e.g. USA, Japan, Australia etc. Airmail:= £7; Insured with recorded delivery (where available) = £11.00

Singles: (Packed to the high standards of the LPs)

UK First class: = £2.00 Insured: £4

Europe Air Mail = £3.00 Insured: £5.50

Overseas, non-Europe (as above) Airmail £3.50 Insured: £6.00

Doubles add extra £1, triples add extra £2. Box sets add extra £3 (£4 overseas and Europe)

Any item that sells for over £85 will be sent Special Delivery in the UK at no extra cost. Items over £125 get the same service Overseas. This is gives peace of mind for the winning bidder and myself for valuable items. Reduced postage of course for multiple items.

The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£28). PLEASE NOTE: I will NOT use surface mail, its too slow, with a higher risk of loss and damage.

Mailing Details: Please note I do not profit on postage (my packing standards are high and the package weighs a little more. All records are sent in plastic covers with the record taken out of the sleeve and sent in professional mailers with FOUR professional stiffners for extra protection (if space allows), I do NOT use old cardboard boxes or cereal packets for protection. More expensive items are also inserted into a de-luxe heavy duty padded bag AS WELL to give that extra protection. I truly want ALL my items to arrive to their destination in the same condition they leave me. I will also include in most cases a brand new lined inner, but will include the original inner if available and in a condition to be given.

I accept cash for payments worldwide in UK Pounds Sterling, Euros or US Dollars - but this at the senders own risk. Please send registered and insured if this method is chosen. I cannot accept responsibility if any cash payments do not turn up. This system is very reliable and rarely goes astray. The same goes for any shipped uninsured item, I can only try to claim for any undelivered or damaged article at basic insurance levels if no enhanced insurance is requested and paid for (unless the value threshold is high enough for me insure as standard, see above)

Overseas bidders please note conversion rates for Pounds to Dollars and Pounds to Euros will be charged at 1.7 to cover PayPal or cash conversion costs.

PLEASE NOTE: Any PayPal user can now pay me with UK Sterling if they wish with no need to convert to US dollars (although they still can if they wish to). Any instant PayPal transaction from anywhere in the world will mean the item will be sent immediately - it makes deals fast and very efficient.

Potential Bidders: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. I now only accept PayPal, International money orders or cash from overseas bidders (UK Sterling, US dollars or Euros). Cash, cheques, postal orders and PayPal are fine from the UK. I allow maximum 3 days for communication and 7 days for payment to arrive - if this does not happen I will relist the item and may send negative feedback unless an explanation is given. Fast deals get great feedback from me. Any questions - please ask. Please keep watch on my Ebays, I have other interesting items coming very soon. Thanks for looking.

My Guarantee: As listening to every single record I offer all the way through is difficult timewise, can I make it clear 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. I still endeavour to play all the items in their entirity for grading if at all possible and is usually the case.