DAVID BOWIE - DIAMOND DOGS - OUTSTANDING UPGRADE - A1/B1 UK PRESS - NEAR MINT

	£		36
	$		47

Please read the Terms and Conditions lower in the listing about payment, postage costs and insurance BEFORE placing a bid. Thank you.

I am happy to answer any questions, but please read the listing carefully before sending a question or placing a bid. I try to provide comprehensive details and information in every listing so the answers to most questions should be found below.

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During more than seven years of trading on ebay, I have received nearly 2,300 positive feedbacks from over 1,800 individual customers, almost all from the sale of vinyl records.

I take great pride in ensuring that my records are always described accurately and fairly. All my items come with a money-back guarantee - if it's not as described, you can return it for a full refund.

Bidders outside the UK please note: I send all items tracked and insured. Depending on the value of your order, the cost is an extra £5.15 or £7.75 on top of the standard airmail rate. I do not make a profit on this service - I only charge what Royal Mail charges me. For further information please click on the icon and see below for full P&P and insurance details.

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Having 'broken-up the band' during the summer of 1973, Diamond Dogs was the first album for four years on which Bowie would not have access to Mick Ronson's skills as an arranger or his instrumental prowess.  Bowie was the album's sole producer and had intended to play every instrument himself.  Although he relented on this and drafted-in some well-known musicians for drums, bass and keyboards, the vast majority of the instruments heard on Diamond Dogs are played by Bowie and it is the only album ever, on which he is credited as lead guitartist!

Despite this (or perhaps because of it) Diamond Dogs is a major triumph which has really stood the test of time. It is also one of those albums that really benefits from being heard on the original vinyl rather than on CD. This is a truly exceptional example which appears to have hardly ever been played and which looks and sounds fantastic.

This has the following matrix numbers:

Side 1: ARL1-0576 A-1  Oly

Side 2: ARL1-0576 B-1  Oly

Detailed description
Vinyl: The vinyl looks great and has clearly been very well cared for. Under bright light, just a few very fine hairlines and marks were visible, but nothing significant. I have played the entire record and it sounds fantastic. There is almost nothing to fault apart from a very, very soft swish that I could hear in the slow fade-in to 'Sweet Thing' (but it really is very quiet, even through headphones, and can only be heard because the reversed instrumentation fade-in is so quiet - as soon as the first chord comes in, it could not be heard at all.) For the sake of accuracy and completeness I would mention that there is some soft background noise and crackle which can be heard in the quiet parts and the run-ins/outs, fades, silent grooves and intros and the occasional random click. But there is absolutely nothing loud or intrusive anywhere. Most of this album sounds Near Mint, but to cover the tiny issues mentioned above I would grade both sides as Excellent plus (Ex+). This is a superb example and was a real pleasure to listen to.
Labels: The labels have no writing, stickers etc and minimal spindle marking, suggesting that the record has rarely been played. For completeness, I would mention that both labels have some slight irregularities at the edges and some surface marks (not around the spindle holes) which show up if you tilt it in the light, but nothing bad.
Sleeve: The sleeve is immaculate. I cannot recall having seen another one as good as this. This is the original sleeve with a factory-sealed left edge and no printers credits on the rear. It is really nice and clean with no damage, writing, splits, tears or stickers etc and minimal signs of use. Being hyper-critical, there is a tiny, feint bit of ring wear and slight shaping around the disk at the bottom of the rear and one tiny blemish which shows up if you tilt it in the light. But these are mentioned purely for completeness. This is easily the best I've seen. It looks pretty much like new.
Edge wear: There is no wear to the edges apart from at the tips of the corners. The spine is solid and firm and the text is all 100% readable. There are just light signs of use at the opening.
Corner wear: light
Inner sleeve: Plain

Detracting features not covered above:  None. This is a superb example. The cover looks almost new and the record sounds incredible. It would be very hard to find a better one.

Please check out my other items and take advantage of reduced postage costs for multiple buys.

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Information about descriptions.
My items are always described accurately and fairly. I always do my best to point out any blemishes which might detract from the item and all photographs are of the actual item you will get.

Play-graded vinyl: I play grade records where possible but I don't have time to play them all. I always state in the listing if I have played a record prior to describing it.

Visually-graded vinyl: Unless specifically stated in the listing, vinyl is visually graded.  A visual grading will identify physical flaws (such as scratches) and can help determine whether a record has been cared-for properly. I always do my best to give a fair assessment of any visible marks on the playing surface, but a visual grading will not identify noise or crackle caused by non-visible sources. Most of the records I sell are between thirty and fifty years old and so it is likely that there may be some background noise even if they look perfect. Please see Terms and Conditions below for my refunds policy for visually graded records.

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I have some very simple terms and conditions. Please read them and ensure that you understand them before bidding. Thank you.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• My items are fully guaranteed - if it is not as described you can return it for a full refund, including postage. Refunds for visually graded records which are returned based upon the buyer's assessment of the record's playgrade, will not include postage costs in either direction.
• Your bid is binding, so please make sure you have READ and UNDERSTOOD the WHOLE LISTING before you bid. I will not accept returns where the buyer has not read or not understood something which is stated/shown in the listing.
  
• I accept Paypal and postal orders (in UK Sterling GBP) for all purchases.  I also accept cheques (in UK Sterling GBP) on orders OVER £50.
• Please pay for your item within three days of the auction closing. If you are intending to bid on other items and wish to pay when they have closed, please contact me to let me know. I reserve the right to cancel any transactions and offer the item to the second highest bidder if no contact or payment is made within three days.

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POSTAGE & PACKING

I care about the records I sell and believe that they need to be carefully and securely packaged to ensure that they survive their journey through the post. Vinyl is removed from the sleeve for posting and the contents will be protected with rigid cardboard stiffeners. All packages are labelled "Do not bend" and securely sealed with "FRAGILE" parcel tape.

I support the use of recycled materials and so I may send some items in packaging which has been previously used or which has been made from other cardboard packaging. If you wish your item to be sent in entirely new packaging please let me know before paying for it. Thanks.

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P&P charges

I need to cover the cost of postage and packing materials, but I try not to charge more for packing and posting your item than it actually costs me. I do not view P&P costs as a means of making money.

However, to quote an exact cost for every LP is difficult because of the wide variance in weight (e.g. Abbey Road weighs around 230 grams whereas Led Zeppelin III weighs around 390 grams). But the majority of single LPs, when packed, will weigh around 500-550 grams and I have based my P&P rates on this.

Occasionally, you may end up paying a few pence more than it actually costs me and occasionally you may end up paying a few pence less than it actually costs me. If there is a significant discrepancy in your favour I will refund the difference.

Double LPs will be charged as two LPs, triple LPs will be charged as three LPs. Box sets etc will be charged according to weight.

UK P&P costs

UK Standard service - items are sent quickly and securely using first class recorded post, which includes insurance up to £46. The cost for this is as follows:

First LP or 12" = £3.80, each additional LP or 12" add £0.80

First 7" or CD = £1.90, each additional 7" or CD add £0.50


UK Special Delivery - Any order valued over £46 will be sent fully insured using Royal Mail Special Delivery and the total cost of this will be £7.55.  Multiple-item orders weighing more than 1kg or items valued over £500 will cost slightly more to insure, so please wait for my invoice before paying.

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Airmail (with tracking and insurance) to any country OUTSIDE the UK

Europe

First LP or 12" = £10.95, each additional LP or 12" add £2.00.

First 7" or CD = £6.85, each additional 7" or CD add £0.60.

Rest of the world (anywhere outside Europe)

First LP or 12" = £14.45, each additional LP or 12" add £3.50.

First 7" or CD = £8.15, each additional 7" or CD add £0.90.

Overseas orders weighing more than 2kg or valued over £500 may be split into two or more packages as appropriate so they can be sent using Royal Mail's Small Packet Rate, so please wait for my invoice on larger multiple purchases.

Customs declaration for overseas orders: Please note that for overseas orders outside the EU I need to complete a customs declaration and must enter the value of the package on the declaration.

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 If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.