JOY DIVISION Closer SCARCER ORIG UK 1981 FACTORY EX+ LP, GREAT SOUND/COVER/INNER

	£		82
	$		109

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, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for 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 if possible.

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.

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: JOY DIVISION

Album Title: Closer

Producer & Engineer: Martin Hannett

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Atrocity Exhibition; Isolation; Passover; Colony; A Means to an End.

Side 2: Heart and Soul; Twenty Four Hours; The Eternal; Decades.

Cat Number: FACT 25

Label/Format: Factory with matt, quite smooth surfaces, these have the distinctive ridges.

Label Conditions: Both clean, fresh and attractive with any of the very few spindle marks mostly fine and light.

Country of Manufacture: England

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 110 grams.

Rarity: The early pressed ‘original’ Joy Division albums are now becoming increasingly scarce and still highly prized and sort-after. The first two albums have notoriously wear- and age-prone covers and finding very fine all-round copies is always difficult. This is the Lyntone Recordings Ltd pressing as confirmed by the run out messages seen below, one of the least-seen variants on an album that was pressed in quite small numbers several times with subtle differences between 1980 and 1981. This copy is a standard solid black pressing (not translucent) which is correct for this pressing.

Original Year of Release: July 1980

Matrix Nos: FACT 25 A1 / FACT 25 B-1

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘OLD BLUE?’ / ‘LYN 9438’

Musicians: Ian Curtis – vocals, guitar; Bernard Sumner – guitar, synthesisers, bass; Peter Hook – bass guitar, guitar; Stephen Morris – drums.

Album/Band Information: Like ‘Unknown Pleasures’ (also on offer) – this is another classic, it was Joy Division’s second album and a stunning follow up to the groundbreaking debut. Both the band’s only two full studio albums are definitive gems that should be included in any serious collection. Fronted by Ian Curtis, a man whose vocal intensity made Joy Division so unique. Rarely has a singer sounded more troubled, moody and at times, desperate, he suffered badly from epilepsy. All his emotion on this album was real which makes both albums all the more chilling. But amongst the darkness their is a beauty to the the band’s music and the listening experience is never bleak. Joy Division had an original sound, drums and bass high in the mix and they often lead, being more dominant than the guitar and keyboards. The lyrics are deeply complex and Curtis would not discuss their meaning. This timeless record proudly stands up there with the all-time greats and always features in any list compiled by critics and buyers alike. A masterwork of rarely-rivaled intensity, power and darkness, it sold quite well and peaked at No 6 in the UK album charts. The final song, ‘Decades’ goes beyond beautiful and I have rarely heard the mellotron sounding so wonderful or put to better use. If any listener is not moved by this haunting song, they simply don’t like music or have no soul, this is simply hypnotic and beautiful, few could fail to be moved. This album has refused to aged and with several modern bands sounding quite similar, I recommend the younger vinyl fan to listen to Joy Division. A vinyl gem and as powerful as the likes of The Doors, Velvet Underground and Patti Smith’s first albums. Ian Curtis, one of the last truly great vocalists, a desperate man demanding to be heard, tragically taking his own life after the conclusion of this album. I still remember the day: I was listening to John Peel’s 10 o’clock radio show when he announced his death. John was almost too choked to talk and just played the music for a while. He was really that great, Closer demands to be heard and enjoyed forever. Joy Division’s legend and popularity fails to diminish, their records are much sort-after and even a full length feature film – ‘Control’ – was released covering their formation and works up to Curtis’s death. Like their music, this too was a very moving experience. This a very fine and appearing little played Lyntone pressing that includes an unsplit inner sleeve. The next paragraph was written by Colin Larkin about this groundbreaking release, it features in the Virgin top 1000 albums book, it was voted No. 68 best album of all time:

“The news of singer Ian Curtis’s suicide still hung in the air when this album was released. Given the deep introspective nature of Joy Division’s music, his death invested ‘Closer’ with an even greater pessimism. Yet there is a fragile beauty in its content and if Curtis’s voice seems more distant, it complements the sparse textures created by mesmerizing synthesiser lines and occasional, highly effective, piano. Slow, hypnotic tempos increase the sense of brooding mystery and if the few faster songs provide musical relief, their lyrics prove equally tortured. Eerie, yet compulsive, ‘Closer’ confirmed Joy Division’s pre-eminent place in rock’s pantheon.”

Cover Grade, Format and Contents: EXCELLENT: arguably better for one that seldom wears well. A single unlaminated format with matt surfaces that have gentle texturing (or roughness to the fingertip). Includes the card inner sleeve, this one cut with square corners. The inner printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. It is likely the main cover was the same. There are variant to this cover, some were more textured than others, some were even smooth and later one, with more shiny surfaces. Most deem the matt textured ones to be the earliest ones.

Cover Front & Back: Easily as difficult as ‘Unknown Pleasures’, it being white, unprotected, textured and made with quite soft card, it has little chance of not getting worn or grubby. Any discolouration on this one is light and little, traces near the edges is close to impossible to avoid, and this has little more than that. I quickly state, this one has no enhancements whatsoever and has been cover-protected for many years. A small burr on the right entrance edge with the odd tiny tone spot to politely remind this is a 37-year-old cover, but the lack of rubbing, sticker marks or creasing (the small burr apart) makes this a very fine example and still looking impressive as-seen.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both straight and generally clean with minimal traces of grubbiness or wear. No splits, tears or thinning, seldom seen these areas better.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with just the small thickening-burr towards the bottom. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced. Being quite soft card, the odd small thumb crease again is so hard to avoid as the barest minimum.

Spine and Text: A very impressive spine, solid, straight with minimal compression, also generally clean. All text present and strong, and for good measure, very well centred.

Corners: All corners are crisp and very neat with minimal trace of wear. No knocks or dinks and excellent shape retained.

Cover Summary: An impressive all-round example of this very fragile and unforgiving early 1980’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. With only the slightest traces of age and hardly any real wear, it should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): and arguably even better. An unlined thicker textured card matt inner with right angle corners. This is superb and barely aged or blemished at all with all edges fully intact with no repairs or creases. The white card beautifully clean, unaged, toned, virtually as fresh as when made. Not seen many to match or better this.

Vinyl Visual Grading: EXCELLENT / EXCELLENT(++): one side has a couple of very fine surface marks that do nothing. With many early copies of this album purchased by younger music fans of the day, this album so often got heavily played and damaged, this one appears little used and still offers impressive clean sound. Very clean with fine shine, any other blemishes are minimal ultra fine and faint. Viewed in natural room light, little even registers. As stated, this is a solid black pressing – not translucent – it is an impressive record that should please many collectors.

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 Factory Records classic plays even above it’s high visual grading with little to fault bar the odd contact trace sound between a couple of songs. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is immense with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound with no tracking issues*. Any surface sounds are minimal, the songs plays impressively and this does have a few quiet passages. Overall an enjoyable clean pressing for a record of this era. Few available copies will outperform this early Lyntone pressing significantly I feel sure. The vinyl experience of this album surpasses any other version I have heard with really powerful delivery of Curtis’s voice and dynamic warmth of the instruments, especially drum and bass. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and (mostly) carefully handled. Nothing of any note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this quality record, the inbuilt power and detail in these early releases will not be beaten. This could prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended.

* 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. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. 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. 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 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. 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 17­ 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. 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’.