David Bowie THE RISE & FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST 1972 UK LP 1st 1E/1E PLAYS MINT -

	£		94
	$		125

DAVID BOWIE - ZIGGY STARDUST

PLAYS TO A MINT MINUS  GRADE

A GENUINE EARLY FIRST PRESS FROM 1972

FIRST ISSUE EX++SLEEVE

CATALOGUE:RCA SF 8287

MATRIX: BGBS0864-1E / BGBS0865-1E (NOTHING LOWER)

TITANIC CREDITS ON THE LABEL

ZIGGY STARDUST WAS RELEASED ON JUNE 6TH 1972 AND REACHED ONLY NUMBER 5 IN THE UK CHARTS. IT HAS SINCE GONE ON TO ACHIEVE LEGENDARY STATUS, AND HAS BEEN REISSUED MANY TIMES. THERE IS OF COURSE ONLY ONE GENUINE FIRST PRESS

SO HOW TO TELL A FIRST PRESS?

THE SLEEVE MUST HAVE 'VICTOR' UNDER THE RCA LOGO TOP RIGHT CORNER NOT 'INTERNATIONAL'

THE SLEEVE MUST ALSO HAVE  BLURRY IMAGES AND TEXT , IN PARTICULAR THE TOP RIGHT CORNER

THE REAR MUST HAVE NO MENTION OF 'MAINMAN' ACCREDITATION

IT MUST BE A ROBERT STACE SLEEVE

THE LABELS MUST BE GLOSSY AND NOT MATT

THE VINYL MUST BE HEAVY AND NOT FLIMSY

THE LABEL MUST HAVE 'TITANIC' CREDITS not mainman

THE MATRIX MUST BE STAMPED AND NOT ETCHED

THE MATRIX NUMBER MUST BE BGBS 0864 1E / 0865 1E

IF ANY OF THESE ARE MISSING THEN YOU ARE NOT LOOKING AT A VERY FIRST PRESS

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE GLOSSY ORANGE LABELS ARE IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION. THE GLOSSY LABELS ARE EVIDENCE OF A FIRST PRESS, AS LATER PRESSES WERE RELEASED ON LIGHTER VINYL WITH MATT LABELS

THERE ARE NO MARKS OR STAINS ANYWHERE ON EITHER SIDE. THE BASE COLOUR FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THE JET BLACK TYPEFACE IS CLEAR AND UNRUBBED AND THEREFORE PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. 

THERE ARE NO SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE SPINDLE HOLE

THE VINYL

THE RECORD GLEAMS LIKE NEW AND COULDN'T LOOK ANY BETTER. ALL OF THE ORIGINAL LUSTRE HAS BEEN RETAINED. 

THERE ARE NO VISIBLE MARKS OR ANY SIGNS OF HANDLING ON THE DISCS IN DAYLIGHT, AND IT LOOKS FLAWLESS, 

AND EVEN UNDER A MAGNIFYING LED HALO ALL I SEE I ONE VERY FINE ANGEL HAIRLINE HANDLING LINE ON THE LAST 2 TRACKS OF SIDE TWO (TOTALLY NON SOUNDING) AND INVISIBLE IN DAYLIGHT

PLAYING THE RECORD

THE LP PLAYS THROUGH BRILLIANTLY ON BOTH SIDES

THE SLEEVE ADVISES TO PLAY THIS LOUDLY, AND THAT IS BECAUSE THE STEREO MIX IS SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT. CLEAR AS A BELL AND CUT VERY LOUD INDEED

THERE ARE NO BACKGROUND CRACKLES AND NO LOUD CLICKS AT ANY POINT

THERE IS NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE WHATSOEVER, AND ONLY A COUPLE OF RANDOM SECONDS OF VERY LIGHT STATIC HEARD  IN A COUPLE OF THE LINKING GROOVES / SILENT PASSAGES

THE LP PLAYS WITHOUT ANY DUST POPS OR STATIC TICS

A REAL PLEASURE TO HEAR THIS ALBUM AS IT WAS INTENDED TO BE HEARD 50+ YEARS ON

I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SUPERB DISC MINT MINUS!!!!

A FINAL UPGRADE EXAMPLE IN MY OPINION

THE SLEEVE

UNLAMINATED ROBERT STACE SINGLE SLEEVE - 1ST PRESS NO MAINMAIN CREDITS

THE FRONT SURFACE IS IMMACULATE AND IMPORTANTLY NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES, AND ALL OF THE DELICATE COLOURS HAVE BEEN RETAINED APART FROM THE TINEIST SLIVER OF WHITE UNDER THE NTOP EDGE

THERE IS NO RING WEAR WHICH IS AGAIN A RARITY, AND ONLY THE BAREST SHADOW OF RECORD SHAPE WHEN ANGLED INTO THE LIGHT

THE FOUR CORNERS ARE SHARP AND SQUARE AND NO RUBBING TO THE CORNER TIPS

INCREDIBLY THERE ARE JUST TWO TINYPRESSURE LINES BY THE  SPINE. ONE ON THE TOP EDGE, THREE ON THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND TWO THUMB LINES NEAR THE OPENING EDGE 

THE TOP EDGE IS FULLY COLOURED APART FROM A TINY SPECK OF RUB TO THE RIGHT TIP END

THE BOTTOM EDGE HAS A FEW FLECKS OF UNDERCARD VISIBLE

THE SPINE IS FLAT AND HAS NO SQUASHING, THE WHITE HAS AGED A LITTLE AND THERE ARE TWO MSALL PAPER NICKS NEAR THE TOP

THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL VERY SHARP, WITH A SMALL  BIT OF FEATHERING IN THE MIDDLE

THE REAR SURFACE IS JUST AS CLEAN AND MARK FREE AS THE FRONT.THERE IS REFERENCE TO 'A GEM PRODUCTION' BUT NOTHING ELSE.AGAIN THE COLOURS ARE ALL THERE, AND THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES. A FEW EDGE PRESSURE LINES AND A LIGHT OUTLINE OF RECORD SHAPE

THE LYRIC INNER SLEEVE IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. AMAZINGLY NO SEAM SPLITS WHICH IS RARE. NO CREASES EITHER. IT HAS LIGHTLY AGED THOUGH

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS  SLEEVE EX++