DAVID BOWIE Ziggy Stardust – SUPREME UK NEAR MINT -1E/-1E ULTIMATE FIRST PRESS.

	£		287
	$		380

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: DAVID BOWIE

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 – ultimate first press with the gorgeous shiny, smooth surfaces. These appear practically as-made

Label Conditions: Both intensely coloured, ultra clean and fresh with no spindle marks. This purchased from new by one owner on, or very close to issue day, hardly played and put to tape. Reference standard, they are unlikely to be found better.

Cat Number: SF 8287 (LSP 4702)

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: 125 grams. A fine weight for this album.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity & Info: The album itself moderate, a big-selling album that really promoted all his previous and subsequent works. But this copy is a little special. An ultimate first issue pressing, purchased on, or very close to issue day. It includes the prized -1E/-1E matrixes (as seen on my pictures). These are way, way harder to find, and this copy has hardly even been played. Like many other David Bowie albums I am currently offering, this was purchased new by one collector. Most played once or twice, and put to tape, this not a guess or selling ploy, a pure fact. This collection was purchased privately from the owner, not a third party. Finding this classic album like this goes beyond difficult, so many were played to near destruction, often by teenagers of the time on the most basic of equipment and trashed. This record is sensational, and barely run-in in vinyl terms, both playing surface and labels are superb. All great news of course, but pressing quality for this, and other RCA albums is the most important factor, so many are let-down by pressing issues and unwanted sounds, often severe and degrading. Well this beautiful record is superbly pressed as well. The play-grade proved a delightful experience with hardly anything unwanted. I know for a fact this is so often not the case. As this album embraced the record-buyer’s imagination, sales and demand grew. Repressed in considerable numbers, some even on Dynaflex, an inferior vinyl substitute as oil became scarce and expensive, the standards became variable and often poor. But prior to this album, Bowie’s catalogue was not selling overly well. Mass production means variable standards just to get items in the shops. This ultimate first issue – and matrixes never lie – suffers no such issues. Put simply: this is an outstanding record. The classic cover hardly worn at all, only a fine crease near the top stops a Mint(–) grading, but remains one of the finest I have seen to date. The fragile inner sleeve with traces of age, but totally unsplit, and guaranteed the original that came with the copy. I hate mix-and-match, and unless desperate, I will not do it. This set is exactly as purchased from the one owner, and they hardly get earlier or better. Such copies in this all-round condition are rare, even very rare when this criteria is met. To make this copy even more interesting, I have included a promotional small poster that was displayed in the shop where the lady bought her records. It was given to her by the retailer around the time the couple bought this record, it clearly was made to promote the forthcoming new pressing of this ‘The Man Who Sold the World’. In fact she was given three of these ‘posters’, I am also offering one with the rare original dress cover ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ as well, I am keeping the last one myself for time being anyway. Note the clothes and the new hairstyle Bowie has, it matches the new black and white cover for the RCA version of that album that was soon to be forthcoming as interest increased. All three have a tiny pin-holes in each corner where the shop displayed them, but are nigh-on perfect that apart – again a genuine piece from 1972. I would imagine these are rare in their own right. For sure, I have never seen them before, and to date, found one else who has either. So this is a rare and great opportunity to own one of Bowie’s best ever albums in superb condition along with a promotional piece for the earlier album. No better way to remember Ziggy, the ‘Starman’, this could prove a substantial upgrade for fans and collectors, and not one to be lost lightly.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: BGBS 0864-1E / BGBS 0865-1E [deeply and very clearly machine punched as seen, NOT scripted or scratched like most].

Other Codes: A1G / A1G

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 glam-rock masterpiece, is the fact it only made number 5 in the UK and a lowly 75 in the United States, for without doubt this is one of greatest rock albums ever made. Up until this point, his previous albums had not sold in any great numbers, thus true first issues of Ziggy Stardust are rare – the -1E/-1E deeply punched matrixes are highly prized and cherished by fans and all collectors. Totally timeless, it’s popularity and charisma only strengthens as it ages. Bowie’s ability to reinvent himself has allowed the singer to follow a fascinating career – his recent death came as a massive shock to his worldwide audience. The blend of rock star persona and alien creature defining Ziggy Stardust was probably his greatest creation. Buoyed 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 ‘Starman’ which has reached legendary status. Science fiction was combined with his love of theatre to bring a visual nature to an album that remains central to Bowie’s wide-ranging catalogue. The opening song is chilling: the apocalyptic ‘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’. This is early 1970s glam-rock as it’s ultimate best. It boasts one of the most famous covers in music history. This copy on offer is fantastic condition, purchased new by one owner and put to take, the record remains practically as-made back in 1972. Combine that fact with ultimate first pressing matrixes, this will rarely be seen or heard better. The cover is almost equally impressive, this rarely wears well, and few ever stored in protective covers quickly enough to avoid wear and ageing. Well this appears hardly handled and retains surpeme deep colour and freshness. As stated further up, one minor, light crease near the top of the front, but barely any rubbing or ageing at all, they are rarely seen better. The well-known lyric inner sleeve also impressive, light toning traces and minor crinkle, but importantly, and more unusually, no splits, tears or repairs. This record plays superbly and was a genuine joy to play-test. Bowie gave the world Ziggy – the Starman – and one of the most famous phrase-lines ever to burst-forth from any record – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’! This was his route to immortality, his sad loss shocked the music-loving public and for those of my age, especially so.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): (and this being critical), a single unlaminated format that has the RCA Victor logo (NOT INTERNATIONAL) as seen on many reprinted repressings. With the GEM production logo and NO ‘Mainmain’, those came a little later in 1973, or when the first were used up. Reprintings included ‘Mainman’ near the top right corner. This has matt, smooth surfaces and made with quite thin card – hence very prone to all forms of wear. Printed and made in England by Robert Stace. This includes the very fragile, thin paper lyric inner sleeve.

Cover Front: An iconic cover for a classic album, one of the most famous in the history of rock. Most collectors will want only the near very best, and this qualifies. The aforementioned light and fine crease near the top right apart, this has little else to fault. The unforgiving dark surface almost devoid of rubbing and any other creases tiny, ultra fine and faint, the fewest I have seen to date on this thin card sleeve. Any rim impression from the record is minuscule, there is no loss of ink at all, and no sticker marks or issues. No press marks or scuffing, even under angled light, this retains suprreme freshness and quality. Even the edge folds have no rubbing, and that is rarely seen either, also no light fading or washout of the graphics or colour. Such covers are also highly prone to this, the owner stored his records in cases. A front of quality and class, it will take something near remarkable to better it.

Cover Back: A tiny few ultra fine edge hairlines apart, this back is as close to Mint as they get. The lack of ugly ring wear and rubbing is rarely avoided on this back, but this one has barely even a rim press trace. Simply magnificent for the connoisseurs.

Top Edge: Very straight, without even a hint of bowing or bending, this has no wear at all.

Bottom Edge: Alost amazingly, this storage is the same again.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly very sharp with minimal traces of thickening or burring viewed end-on, these entrance edges are guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced. Note the wider graphic area on the right hand side, these vary from cover-to-cover. Also seen end-on, emphasises just how thin the card is.

Spine and Text: A stunning spine, a word more than justified, just take another look. This is immaculate and ultra clean and fresh. Solid, straight with nigh-on perfect box shape and virtually uncompressed, any hints are minuscule. All text is pristine perfect and unworn with perfect centering as seen, such details make the difference between average and exceptional as purists demand.

Corners: The perilous corners and tips are also superb with barely anything to fault. Any hint of tip rubbing goes beyond tiny, Immaculate near mint shape retained with no knocks or dinks. A hard card protective sleeve has preserved these and all other areas to exceptional levels.

Cover Summary: Never under-estimate how difficult a pre-Mainman examples of this famous cover are to find with such little wear. Few who bought this initially stored them in protective covers and owners (a high percentage teenagers) often wrote names on them for loaning out. This is a near archive-quality example, and an ultimate first, stored with considerable care and clearly, hardly even touched, it should please most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: arguably better, few of these thin paper, unlined inners survive unsplit or torn these days. This has the Gem production only text and has ‘Titanic Music’ credits with the 1971/1972 copyrights. It has gently aged with a little mild darkening of the paper near the edges, this seldom avoided. No hard creases, a little crinkle near the left bottom corner. The wave-style top opening edge crisp and very sharp, clearly the record had hardly been removed. So with only gentle clues of age, this is also quite exceptional, and being fully intact with no repairs, it is more than worthy and a match for the outstanding cover and record – and guaranteed the genuine one that came with this copy.

The Promotional Poster: NEAR MINT: bar a single tiny pin-hole in each corner. Not part of this actual album, but a lovely complementary piece to go with it. Given to the original owner by the retailer around the time of this album’s purchase, it promotes the then forthcoming new reissue of ‘The Man Who Sold the World’, which would have the new artwork. Bowie, now Ziggy-style, has the same clothing as featured on the RCA reissue, the back is plain. Again, this is 100% genuine, the purchaser was given three, I am offering one other with the magnificent first pressing Dress Cover ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ I am also offering, the other stays here for now. All are the same. Never seen one of these before, and I would think a rare piece in its own right, certainly a nice extra for any winning bidder.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: MINT(–): anything less would not be doing a hardly played first issue record full justice. This is a beautiful visual copy that is very clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed. A copy hardly even run-in in vinyl terms with any surface traces ultra fine, light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light, hardly anything of note at all. No penetrating stylus marks at all, indeed, viewed in average room light, this record and its stunning labels could practically pass for new. Few records even straight from the shop were ever ‘pristine’ or blemish-free, and is naive to think otherwise. Records were handled in factories and inserted in covers, hairlines and blemishes occurred – fact. I doubt if many Ziggy’s will look better than this, and will they include the -1E/-1E matrixes? Visually a beautiful 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 snippets 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This landmark, popular and groundbreaking Bowie album plays up to its high visual grading with hardly anything of note to fault. It offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. First issues include clearer and ultimate detail and fidelity that many subsequent pressings seem to lack. Manufacturing quality is of utmost importance, and I have found over the years Bowie and many albums on this label are hugely variable. Often ruined by distortions, noise, crackle and pressing bumps and clicks. Well this has avoided such issues and was a joy to play-grade. Any surface sounds are minimal and hardly even registered, overall, an exceptional clean pressing with no tracking issues*. No groove wear or degrading, it has hardly been played, then on a very worthy turntable and cartridge. Few copies, let alone genuine first pressings will outperform this I feel sure. Stored and handled with utmost care by just the owner prior to sale, both cover and record have hardly seen light-of-day, and within a non-smoking environment. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, I just wish all copies could play like this – alas, it is rarely the case. It will prove immensely difficult to find this set significantly better and it merits my highest recommendation. All elements could prove a major upgrade for collectors.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 programs. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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/Hercules/Cirkus with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

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 new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. I do not profit on posting, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14­ 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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 necessarily 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’.