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GRACE SLICK/PAUL KANTNER Sunfighter RARE UK PRESS+BOOK. End price: GBP 31 End date: 2010-08-08 Start price: GBP 14 Start date: 2010-08-01 Number of bids: 8 Auctioned at: ebay Country: Great Britain ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down with Picture & All Shipping Rates. Artist or Band: GRACE SLICK and PAUL KANTNER Album Title: Sunfighter. Producer(s): Paul Kantner and Grace Slick. TRACK LIST: Side 1: Silver Spoon; Diana; Sunfighter; Titanic; Look at the Wood; When I Was a Boy I Watched the Wolves. Side 2: Million; China; Earth Mother; Diana 2; Universal Copernican Mumbles; Holding Together. Label/Format: Grunt – a UK pressing on very substantial weight vinyl with matt finish. This label is well known for very thin pressings, often on Dynaflex, especially the US versions (Please see my label scan). Label Conditions: Both practically like new: very clean, fresh and attractive with only one ultra light and faint spindle trace on side two, and struggling to find any on side one. This record played once and looking practically as made. Cat Number: FTR 1002. 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: 150 grams. An almost unheard of weight for Grunt. This is almost a freak pressing. [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: Quite rare as a UK pressing and this includes the highly elusive book. Most found are US imports with US thick card, wear-prone covers, wafer thin Dynaflex record and no book. I cannot remember ever finding this UK complete set before, this too with a record played just once and a little-worn cover. The book fully intact and attractive too. Do not under-estimate just how elusive this one is, as most seen here are imported, it suggests few of these were even pressed here. Original Year of Release: 1971 Matrix Nos: APRS 8713-2E / APRS 8714-2E Mother & Stamper Codes: A1 Y / A1 C Musicians: Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar; Grace Slick – vocals, piano; Jack Traylor – guitar, vocals; Jerry Garcia – guitar; Papa John Creach – electric violin; Craig Chaquico – lead guitar; Bill Laudner – vocals; Jack Casady – bass; Spencer Dryden – drums; David Crosby – vocals, tambourine; Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar; Graham Nash – Arp, vocals; Chris Wing – drums; Pat Gleeson – Moog, piano; John Vierra – synthesiser, keyboards; Phil Sawyer – sound effects on ‘Titanic’; Peter Kaukonen – guitar, mandolin; Shelley Silverman – drums; Joey Covington – drums; Steven Schuster – flute, saxophone, horn arrangements; Tower of Power (Greg Adams, Mic Gillette) – horns. Brief Info: The second album issued on the new Grunt (part of RCA) records just after the ‘Bark’ album. The two principal members of Jefferson Airplane are joined by the rest of the band and a host of other famous musicians of the era (as seen above). It very much carries forward the JA sound and is a real gem of an album, so often under-appreciated here. This was not a big seller and it’s much harder to find than most of their others. One of the very few copies I have seen that includes the rare lyric book (US printed, I think all were) and finding a complete UK pressing is never to be taken for granted as most were imported US pressings. Some almost bizarre and typically uncompromising lyrics, this is a strong album. The song ‘China’ is about the artists’ daughter as seen on the cover and book. A copy so clean and unused, I can never imagine finding another one like it again, it’s taken me years just to find this one. The fairly typical low-fi JA production is again evident but a better, cleaner copy will not be seen or heard, this record is exactly as made and will delight fans of this wonderful band. This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: based on the far more common US version, rarely seen devoid of major rubbing and ringwear. This much more elusive UK-made version will prove slightly more resilient, but I can imagine most will still be rubbed, grubby and ringworn. Apart from some relatively minor edge rubs, this is a beauty as I hope my pictures show. Cover Grade and Format: EX and for a cover this unforgiving, I think a (+) is appropriate. An unlaminated gatefold format. Printed and made in England by Howard’s Printers and including the rare book which IS printed in the USA. I feel as sure as I can be, no UK printed covers were made (unless somewhat proves to me otherwise). Cover Front: One of rock’s most beautiful covers: rarely seen in worthy condition to really enjoy, this bucks-the-trend big-time and looks fabulous. The baby is China Kantner, the artists’ daughter for which one song is about. This is vibrant and richly coloured and not faded, rubbed and tired looking like most of the more common US versions. A few faint and very light surface marks but clean and uncreased, this front has more than withstood the ravages of time and any mistreatments and the long wait to find an available example has been worth it. Cover Back: Dark and with a 150 gram LP inside, most would expect some moderate or even heavy ringwear, but no. Any traces are ultra fine and faint as are any tiny edge creases. A back to more than complement the gorgeous front, this will also take some beating. Cover Inner Gatefold: The only blemishes on this centrefold are a tiny few chips on the left edge. That apart, little else to fault on such a dark inside. A very surreal, almost psychedelic graphic too. Top Edges: One very small chip on the back edge, little else and both very straight. Bottom Edges: Light rubbing, more moderate near the corners. Right Edge(s), and Type: The sealed left edge has rubbed with two or three chips. The back opening edge has little wear and most is sharp with no feathering or trimming. Odd tiny burr trace only. Spine and Text: A super spine that has survived almost unscathed. Solid, straight, uncompressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. Just one tiny chip only that has just clipped to the top of the ‘T’ in ‘SUNFIGHTER’. All other text is perfect and unworn and the artwork is practically unworn and clean up to the ends. Corners: All corners have rubbed, mostly fairly lightly but a little more on bottom right and top left. Very fine shape is retained to make them look neat. Cover Summary: A very strong and unusually attractive all round example of this clearly wear-prone early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. UK-made ones are elusive and the number of US imports seen reitterate few were even made. This beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors. The Inner: The RCA unlined white inner is included. This has some creasing to the bottom corners and a small price sticker removal pull. But clean and intact. The Book: EX, this being very critical, all the inner pages are in superb condition. This 16-page book (side can be seen against the cover), was printed in the United States and I think all were, but that is an educated guess and not a definitive statement. I have never seen a UK book anyway. Only slightly marked down because the two original staples are tarnished, clearly not made with galvanised wire. But both are solid and unstressed or loosened. The front cover has a tiny faint stain on thte China’s shoulder area (but look hard). A few ultra small and faint thumb ruffles on the front cover only show under light and there are no tears. The same on the back cover with a few fine creases near the top. All pages are very clean and crisp, there are line drawings and all the lyrics are printed. The book style is very similar to the one in ‘Blows Against the Empire’ and this one is very nice indeed and it makes a fine change to be able to offer one. Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Mint(-) and little short of full Mint. A supreme visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and unusually heavily pressed. Grunt records are well-known to be made wafer thin, and I state again, this is almost a freak pressing on this label. A copy now played just twice after my sound check which proved to be exceptional. Visually a superb record that should please all collectors. 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 truly outstanding record plays up to its high visual grading with nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is as good as it will ever be, but is typically an average recording in terms of high fidelity sound, fans of this band will know what I mean. Any surface sounds are minuscule and barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Few copies will match or outperform this heavyweight pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has hardly been played and has largely been well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, still such an under-appreciated gem in my opinion. This record will prove nigh-in impossible to find better and can be strongly recommended, certainly one for the serious JA fan. 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. Equipment Used for Play-Grading: I now play-grade ALL the records I offer (unless clearly stated to the contrary) on the following equipment: Deck: Linn LP12/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with QED Silver terminated cable). 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. PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE. 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, often the very next day after payment is received or within two to three days maximum (unless on holiday). I only use FIRST-CLASS Mail. The record’s cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW 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. 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. All records are posted in professional thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR ULTRA THICK stiffeners for maximum extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffeners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will even be Double Boxed if deemed necessary and possible. The thick record and stiffener ‘sandwich’ is then thickly embedded into bubble-wrap to bulk out the record inside the box to centre the item inside to reduce the risk of damage still further. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. Customers requests or special needs for P&P will be respected if at all possible but ‘Signed-For’ posting is NOT an option anymore. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. I do not profit on posting and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners and bubble wrap make a near impregnable fortress for safe shipping and this is used inland and overseas for ALL my records, not just the rare and expensive. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than one in two thousand based on over 6,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. The only damage rate acceptable for this seller is ZERO and I think my packets will offer just that. It would take a vicious postman or postal service to damage these for sure. Even one of these stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below: 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. 1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP. Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only): 1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP. Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (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. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer, so read the item description carefully. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help. Thank You. 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’.