Artist:       Method Actor
Title:         Method Actor
Label:       BLP BLPR-001-88
Format:    12" 33 1/3 RPM Vinyl LP
Genre:       Pop/Alternative Rock
Condition: New Old Stock - Factory Sealed

This is a still sealed original 1988 US pressing vinyl LP. It is unopened and has no overstock/cutout/deletion mark.

This is the 'Real McCoy' - it is not a reissue, import, cassette, or CD.  This was the first recorded work released for Eva Cassidy who was taken from the music world by cancer in 1996.

Track Listing:

1. Look In To My Eyes
2. When It's Too Late
3. Laugh With Me
4. Stay
5. Forever
6. End The Rain
7. How Will It End
8. Getting Out

The members of Method Actor on this LP are: Eva Cassidy - vocals; Jim Campbell - drums; Kenn Fiester - bass; David (Lourim) Christopher - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards;

Addition musicians include: Ned Judy - grand piano & synthesizers; Bob Fiester - guitar; Tom Crawford and Marc Izzi - Sax; Tom Prasada-rao - Violin.

Note: This is a vinyl LP NOT a CD!

A Cutout is NOT a defective return!

In short, a cutout is a 'discontinued item'.  It is a way for the manufacturer/distributor to know that they have chosen to no longer keep it in stock and it was sold to the distributor at a discounted price. 

Records, CDs, & Tapes that stores don't sell, can be sent back to the distributors for a full credit. In that way, the stores can afford to stock items that they are not sure if they will sell or not.  When the manufacturer/distributor decides that they are no longer going to carry a particular item in their stock, they mark all of their current stock of that item in a way that involves cutting part of the cover and then they sell it all to "cutout distributors" with the understanding that these items are not returnable for full credit.

When retail stores return their stock that didn't sell, the distributor can then check to see if any of the items are 'marked' (cutouts).  If they are marked, the distributors know this was a discounted item and are not obligated to give credit to the store for the return.

The same type of thing is done in the book trade.  If you were to go into a discount book store, you may note that many of the books are 'marked'.  Most will have a black mark placed on the edges of the books.  Some of them (usually the paperbacks) will have a corner of the cover or dust jacket cut off (just like a record).

The misconception with a cutout is that many people think that it means they are "seconds/defects".  That is not the case.  Cutouts are NOT defective returns. They are overstocks. The 'mark' is intended to identify an item so that the distributors who purchased it, cannot buy an overstock item and then return it at a later time to the record company for a 'full refund'.

THE CUTOUT MARK DOES NOT INDICATE THAT THESE ITEMS WERE DEFECTIVE IN ANY WAY.

The type of 'mark' varies among the different companies. On 45s, a full case of 45s is put on a drill press and a hole is drilled through the box - passing through the label, vinyl, and any picture sleeve that happened to be there - this type of mark is referred to as a 'Drill Hole - DH'. This has a MAJOR drawback in that if too much pressure is used on the drill press, it will crack the vinyl. This practice was also used for a short time on LPs but not by many companies - Phillips/Mercury/Smash comes to mind.

On LPs, there are several methods used - all involved marking the cover in any number of ways. (sometimes more than one)

1. Drill press as above but only through the corner of the jacket. (Drill hole - DH)
2. Power saw that cuts a slit into the jacket edge - but missing the record! (saw mark - SM)
3. Power saw/Paper cutter that cuts off a corner of the jacket. (cut corner - CC)
4. Punch that punches out a hole in the corner of the jacket. (punch hole - PH)

There were other methods used less frequently (rivet in the upper left corner comes to mind) but you don't see too many of them. The practice continues to this day with CDs. Most of the time the CD case and inside paperwork is cut through with a saw or a hole is cut through the UPC symbol.

On some rare occassions a record manufacturer would mark a jacket with a cutout type mark when a record was given away as a promotional item.  Capital Records did that in the 1970s/80s by punching a large (> 1/2") hole in the cover, usually in the upper right corner.  Others used the cut corner (CC) tactic.  However, the majority of the time you run into a cutout it was as a result of an overstock sale.

Our record grading explained

A (+) or (-) following a grade is an indication of the more (-) or less (+) imperfections on a particular item.

SEALED (SS): You can be assured that the vinyl is as it was manufactured and has never been played. The cover may have slight corner ‘dings’ or possibly a cutout mark (cutout marks will ALWAYS be photographed/described). If we think that the cover of a sealed LP shows more than a small amount of wear we will describe the condition with two grades such as VG+/SS where the first grade indicates the condition of the sealed cover.

MINT (M): Mint means absolutely perfect. Nothing less can be described as mint. Even brand new purchases may not qualify as mint. We, personally, do not believe ANYTHING is perfect so the highest rating we give is Near Mint.  Anyone can pick up a new item and find some kind of imperfection.

NEAR MINT (NM): It should look like it was just purchased and sound the same. Common imperfections found on items we grade as near mint would be very minor corner dings on the cover or vinyl imperfections caused during the manufacturing process that DO NOT affect play.

VERY GOOD (VG): As Rockin’ Records puts it – "Records in very good condition should have a minimum of visual or audible imperfections, which should not detract much from your enjoyment of owning them". Imperfections that may result in a VG rating include: Slight wear ring, possibly evidence of a removed (or still attached) sticker, minor writing on the cover, very small seam split (less than 1 inch?). The vinyl may have visual marks such as paper scuffs, fingernail marks, slight stacking/sliding scratches caused by records rubbing together. NOTE: Any record that has a scratch that can be felt with the edge of your little finger and can be heard as a constant ‘POP’ every time it is encountered, is NOT a VG record. Slight background static/hiss/clicks may be heard on a VG record.

GOOD (G): A record described as in Good condition will show definite signs of wear and tear, indicating that it was not properly taken care of by its former owner. Even so, records in good condition should play all the way through without skipping. IF A RECORD SKIPS, IT IS NOT IN GOOD CONDITION. Constant background static/hiss/clicks may be heard on a G record but it won’t over power the music. The cover should be complete but there will be seam splits, distracting marks/writing, and/or stickers.

FAIR (F): A record described as in Fair condition will show definite signs of abuse, indicating that it was abused by its former owner. Records in fair condition may occasionally skip when played. Frequent over powering background static/hiss/clicks/pops will be heard on an F record. It may also have scratches that can be felt with the edge of your little finger and can be heard as a constant ‘POP’ every time it is encountered. It really should not be played as it will damage the stylus. The cover may not be complete and there will be large seam splits, very distracting marks/writing, and/or stickers.

POOR (P): A record described as in Poor condition should have the vinyl cut from around the label and the label used as a coaster. The cover can’t hold the record any more because it is totally split apart or missing pieces.

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Shipping Information

Media mail - $4 (to US destinations only) $0.50 for each additional LP shipped in same package.

All records are shipped in 200 lb test cardboard containers designed specifically for shipping records through the mail.