DAVID BOWIE Ziggy Stardust Orig UK 72 EX++ LP & Cover.

	£		72
	$		95

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Album Title: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Producer(s): David Bowie & Ken Scott.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Five Years; Soul Love; Moonage Daydream; Starman; It Ain’t Easy.

Side 2: Lady Stardust; Star; Hang on to Yourself; Ziggy Stardust; Suffragette City; Rock n Roll Suicide.

Label/Format: RCA Victor – Original genuine first orange pressing with the ultra shiny, glass smooth finish. Importantly this has the ‘Titanic Music’ credits which indicates a first pressed 1972 copy. [Pressed on real high quality vinyl – NOT DYNAFLEX!] (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both immaculate and looking brand new, and this is no exaggeration. Definitive and ultra attractive with no discernable spindle marks and the supreme glossy finish looks hardly even handled. What a joy to offer and own one of the most famous albums of all-time as a genuine early 1972 pressing and in sublime condition. This record was purchased by a male fan back in 1972, played no more than once or twice and carefully stored away. This record has not seen light of day since that famous year and is unlikely to ever be found in lessed played condition and has to be one of greatest true classic records I have ever held. Just one faint surface blemish with no sound, this really will prove difficult to find better.

Cat Number: BGBS 0864 (SF 8287).

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: 127 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 140 to 150 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, 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 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The earliest pressings from 1972 on the RCA Victor label are very scarce, make no mistake. This copy is pressed on REAL vinyl, NOT Dynaflex. This is easily determined as RCA orange copies pressed on the stuff had the word ‘Dynaflex’ printed on the labels – they are best avoided, they usually sound terrible and are not audiophile standard. The price guides seem to value ALL RCA copies the same which is plain stupid. The title itself is fairly easily found but most are later pressings, often pressed on Dynaflex or imported wafer thin US pressings. The majority on RCA International with different coloured labels or matt finished orange RCA’s, the true original glossy labels are far more elusive. A solidly pressed UK example with the -1E/-2E matrixes in pristine conditions will rarely be found. The matrixes on this example are deeply machine punched and very clear and precise in solid roman type (please see my close-up of the highly sort-after -1E matrix). For those who bought this album when first released, most played them into submission and finding originals that play anything like perfectly are incredibly difficult. Often fans bought later copies as replacements for their originals. The more discerning collectors who do own the first made pressings will rarely want to part with them – and why would they? Not only that, the cover is a nightmare for rubbing and ringwear, when was the last time you saw this album with a cover like this? (More details on this one further down, this one is somewhat different). Also, the very delicate lyric inner is near immaculate and has just one small bottom edge split but devoid of creasing and that is near impossible as it’s made with very thin unlined paper. This record is 38-years-old, how many will ever be found like this? Only one in a thousand copies of this title will be found in such conditions, I occasionally see this at fairs but invariably the cover is heavily worn and tatty, the lyric inner often missing or so damaged and torn it’s hardly worth having and the records worn and clearly heavily played. Often US pressings or Dynaflex copies that sag in the middle, pressed so thin you can almost see through them. This Bowie masterwork is without doubt a 1972 pressing with the -1E/-2E matrixes, -1E/-1E’s do exist but are even more elusive. For fans needing this album or an upgrade, a better one is unlikely to be found, do not lose this outstanding, and genuine 1972 pressed copy.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: BGBS 0864-1E / BGBS 0865-2E (Again please see close-up). All deeply punched in block characters. Later copies were scripted and appear scratched on.

Musicians: David Bowie – vocals, guitar, saxophone; Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals; Trevor Bolder – bass guitar; Mick Woodmansey – drums.

Brief Info: The most suprising statistic about this groundbreaking masterpiece is the fact it only made number 5 in the UK and a lowly 75 in the US for without doubt this is one of greatest albums ever made. It’s totally timeless and its popularity and charisma only strengthens as it ages (a bit like the man himself). Bowie’s ability to reinvent himself has allowed the singer to follow a fascinating career. The blend of rock star persona and alien creature defining Ziggy Stardust was probably his greatest creation. Reinforced by the support of legendary guitarist Mick Ronson, Bowie produced some of his finest songs, from the raucous ‘Suffragette City’ to the prophetic ‘Rock n Roll Suicide’, also arguably his finest ever song ‘Starman’ which never fails to delight - the singer would famously declare Ziggy dead during a live concert. Science fiction was combined with the love of theatre to bring a visual nature to an album that remains central to Bowie’s wide-ranging catalogue. The opening song is blood-chilling: the apocolyptic ‘Five Years’ is bleak in its intensity and pulls no punches lyrically as planet Earth is dying ‘…With just five years left to cry in’. It boasts one of the most famous covers in music history too - can any record collection ever be complete without a copy of this record? This copy on offer is a beauty and has lovely sound, the best details from the earliest of pressings. The cover, never laminated is always seen worn and rubbed as is the frail illustrated inner, very thin paper always makes this seen torn or split or worse. The record has clearly hardly even been handled and could almost pass as new, the beautiful glossy RCA Victor labels have to be seen to be fully appreciated. You will be hard pressed to find either better than these. Early examples are far more elusive and with all three components in truly superb condition this is a massive bonus - this is a wonderful album and it plays beautifully. Remember, this glam-rock gem was widely purchased by teenage girls of the early 70s, being honest and hopefully fair, many did not really know how to look after records well, a high percentage of these were played into the ground on low-end, often portable record players. Hence many are seen in unplayable, bordering on attrocious conditions. This was owned from new by a man in his mid-twenties who clearly knew how to treat a record and cover and was played on a better quality stereo system, just a couple of time only. The difference will be immediately apparent. Bowie gave the world Ziggy – the Starman – and one of the most famous catch-phrases ever to burst-forth from any record – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’! This was his route to superstardom.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: the standard covers for this album are wear-prone enough, but this one is a little different as explained in detail below. It will prove immensely difficult to find better.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++. Most-all covers for this album were made with standard thickness card, but this one is somewhat different. This sleeve is immensely thin and has a light silkly sheen to the surfaces. It has all the attributes of the 1972 made cover being a single unlaminated format that has the RCA Victor logo (NOT INTERNATIONAL) as seen on many reprinted repressings. This has the SF 8287 (LSP 4702) number and only the ‘GEM PRODUCTION’ text and logo on back and NO ‘Mainmain’ reference, these came post 1972. Printed and made in England by Robert Stace. It includes the very fragile, thin paper lyric inner. This appears to be a variant made with much thinner card the likes I have never seen before and it bends substantially when held in one hand, so any winning bidder, please avoid this at all costs. It has a better finish to the surfaces than a ‘standard’ cover with paler hue to the artwork that when put side-by-side, does look a different shade and actually has more fine detail. All else is the same but the card used on this one is very different and may appeal to Bowie connoisseurs who want any major variation on this landmark album cover.

Cover Front: One of the most famous album covers of all time and rarely will it be seen looking better. I have to mention again just how thin and flimsy this one is and clearly a different type of card has been used on this one. The artwork seems clearer and more ‘polished’, still matt finished but which a mildly silky sheen. The colours not as dark and filled-in, hence more details is seen, the browns are certainly a paler shade. Being so thin and fragile, a little creasing is almost unavoidable and a light crease is present with low visiblity near the bottom left corner area. A couple of three tiny and ultra fine half moons are also just visible but any other creasing are ultra fine edge hairline types and few of them at all. Under light, a fine record impression can be seen which has not rubbed any ink, thus no ringwear, few will ever avoid this as the very least. Retaining supreme freshness being clean and highly attractive, this unusual card variant will prove very difficult to find better.

Cover Back: The back is nigh-on identical to the front with little to fault, the lack of visible rubbing and penetrating ringwear is a major bonus and few escape it.

Top Edge: One tiny chip away from being as made. Very thin and fragile but fully intact with no rubbing, this being incredibly straight too.

Bottom Edge: Practically the same again, any rub traces are tiny and very faint.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with no wear of note, any burr traces again are tiny and barely even register. This is guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: The spine is in fantastic condition too: Solid, straight, with possibly some compression. Again very thin and the text a little low of centre, but all is near perfect and practically unworn and its whiteness if fully retained.

Corners: All corners are in great shape which is remarkable for what is clearly a much more fragile version of this cover. Odd tip crease or tiny tip rub but little else to fault.

Cover Summary: An incredible all round example of this very fragile 70’s cover, one that will prove incredibly difficult to find significantly better. A very flimsy cover made with very thin card that is ruthlessly uncompromising. I am actually wondering if this was a first-made and then it was decided to increase the card weight. That is pure spectulation but for sure, I have never seen one quite this before. It’s truly incredible it has survived in such stunning condition, and this belonged again to a connoisseur collector. One to hold, view and cherish, with so many badly worn or damaged, this is practically perfect for its great age. Beware of ‘Mainmain’ logo examples on the back being offered as originals, they are not, they came after the year of issue (or later still). This beautiful item should please most all collectors and it really is different so could appeal to the specialist Bowie fan.

The Inner: EX++, the only blemish of note is a small split on the bottom edge that few ever escape. Made with ultra thin paper and unlined, this is rarely seen unsplit or torn. Indeed, many were even purchased split as movement in transit knifed these fragile edges especially as the record rim is quite sharp. So many are seen split on all sides and this one small split is substantially below the normal found. Clean, fresh and devoid of any noteworthy creasing, this again unusual. Any crease traces are tiny, few and faint. This retains superb whiteness with just a couple of tiny and faint tone spots (but look hard). Even the recessed top opening is pristine with no bending or burring. The record has left little impression simply because the LP was put into a polylined replacement. It also has the Gem Production credits and is copyrighted by Titanic Music, it includes all song lyrics. This fragile inner is very difficult to find looking this clean and fresh with so little wear or edge issues.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Critically graded EX++, with any surface blemishes or hairlines being ultra fine, faint, very few and totally superficial. A much better 1972 pressed example will prove very difficult to locate and few will ever be offered better with the rare -1E matrix included. One very small mark on ‘Starman’ has no sound. A superb clean and fresh visual copy that is intense black, shiny and solidly pressed. A copy barely even ‘run-in’ in vinyl terms, this is up there with the very best ‘classics’ I have had to offer on Ebay. Often records had the odd light mark on even from new, all buyers will have seen them. Remember these things were handled in manufacture and packing and blemishes happened. A high percentage of this record were bought by young teenagers from the ‘Glam-rock’ era, most would have been played on vintage record players that had little finese and massive tracking weights. This beauty bucks the trend and was really carefully looked after and barely even played. Visually a super record that should please 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: This superb and genuine early pressed record plays up to its high visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Nothing will ever beat a first pressed vinyl copy of this classic album. The sound is so clean with details any CD collector will have certainly not have heard before. The sounds just flow with crispness and real sonic power – the pace and rhythm is second-to-none and the ‘Starman’ could almost be in the room with you. Practically devoid of surface sound on the music, with just a couple of traces between a couple of songs on side one when played at substantial volume. No pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly intense and demanding album. Later pressings of this were variable and avoid those wretched Dynaflex copies at all costs. The sound on these near virgin grooves are definitive and this can be played loud, as the cover suggests, with real confidence. Few copies will match or outperform this earliest of pressings I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – time has not changed this one, a real pleasure to view and hear. This copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’!

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 2M moving magnet 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.

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 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. 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’.