LED ZEPPELIN PHYSICAL GRAFFITI 1975 UK 1st press SSK 89400 all inserts EXCELLENT

	£		93
	$		123

LED ZEPPELIN PHYSICAL GRAFFITI

A sparingly played and overall lovely condition copy, with gleaming vinyl and truly excellent audio reproduction, of this highly sought after 1975 UK first press rock classic, on the SWAN SONG record label, SHVL 804

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    SSK 89400 A1 with stampers "D" and "4" at 8 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively

Side 2    SSK 89400 B5 with stampers "A" and "1 7" at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock respectively

Side 3    SSK 89400 C1 with stampers "D" and "3" at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively

Side 4    SSK 89400 D1 with stampers "C" and "1 0" at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock respectively

The vinyl is in overall excellent (EX) condition - actually, to be precise, disk 1 is excellent plus and disk 2 is very good plus. Both vinyls are completely flay, nicely weighted ie not light and flimsy as later re-issues were pressed, and give off a beautiful jet black sheen. For disk 1 it is difficult to detect any blemishes at all, even under a bright light - remarkable for a 46 year old piece of vinyl such as this. Disk 2 is not quite up to that level even though it gleams in normal daylight: close inspection under a bright light does reveal a couple of very light (and superficial) paper scuffs on side each side along with a few small and very wispy hairlines, and on side 3 there are two small but slightly more visible and just feelable scuff marks, next to each other, at the very beginning of track 4 which does result in some light clicks at the beginning of "Ten Years Gone" : no sticks or jumps and although the clicks are "background" they are audible (though not sufficiently intrusive to significantly impede upon the enjoyment of yet another great track on this brilliant LP).

The condition of each label is near mint (NM). Pristine labels with all black text upon the beautifully coloured and Swan Song logo background in perfect condition - not even the usual one or two faint spindle trails...perfect! Note the absence of any Warner Brothers logo on any of the labels - a unique identifier of true UK 1st pressings.

The condition of the original outside non-laminated die-cut "windows" cover is at least very good plus (VG+) with the "SWAN SONG/484 KINGS ROAD, LONDON SW10" address at the top on back. There is some minor, light intermittent scuffing on each edge though the edges themselves remain firm and with no splits or cardboard creasing. The red spine text is all intact apart from the partially obscured  "S" in "PHYSICAL" where there is a tiny scuff. There is a little rubbing on the corners but this is minimal.

 The two custom inners are in excellent plus (EX+) condition with firm, unscuffed edges, no rips, tears, seam splits or creasing, and all colours and art work remaining beautifully intact. The codes "SSK 89400/A" for disc 1 and "SSK 89400/B" for disc 2 are on the bottom right back corners, and the  2-page folded insert (with just a single fold - again, specific to 1st pressings) that has songs titles, credits, and text "Sleeve printed and made in England by Gothic Print Finishers Ltd., London SE9 2EQ" remains in great condition with no tears or creasing. Note that I always use a new, plain white replacement inner sleeve(s) for shipping purposes in order to protect the original(s).

The quality of the audio is an overall excellent (EX). Actually, the quality of the audio on disk 1 (sides 1 and 2) is stunning with great tone and clarity throughout and no sticks, jumps, repeats, clicks, interference, or background crackle. Disk 1 comes across as having been sparingly played. And for the majority of disk 2 the sound quality is the same, but there are some minor glitches : towards the beginning of "In The Light" there are some light background clicks (I counted x4 and then a further x7, though close inspection revealed no obvious cause and I stress that these clicks are more background than foreground), and towards the beginning of "Ten Years Gone" there are the aforementioned two small, light but just feelable scuff marks which do result in some repetitive clicking during the first third of this track - again, not nasty clicking (and certainly no skipping or sticking) but it is audible (I counted x32 rotational clicks in total). So not quite perfect but nothing here to prevent every track making for a great listen on this classic Led Zep rock masterpiece. In summary I would grade the quality of the audio on sides 1 and 2 as excellent plus, on side 3 as excellent, and side 4 as very good plus.

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. CUSTARD PIE

2. THE ROVER

3. IN MY TIME OF DYING

Side 2 :

1. HOUSES OF THE HOLY

2. TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT

3. KASHMIR

Side 3 :

1. IN THE LIGHT

2. BRON-YR-AUR

3. DOWN BY THE SEASIDE

4. TEN YEARS GONE

Side 4 :

1.NIGHT FLIGHT

2. THE WANTON SONG

3. BOOGIE WITH STU

4. BLACK COUNTRY WOMAN

5. SICK AGAIN

Finally there is a fabulous and rare piece of Led Zeppelin memorabilia which comes with this LP, notably an original double-page spread advert of the 1975 UK Physical Graffiti tour from the centre pages of New Musical Express, dated March 15, 1975.

In summary a truly impressive condition copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1975 Led Zeppelin UK 1st press rock classic, made even more desirable by it's completeness of the die-cut outer, original custom inners, and single fold insert  and the original 1975 NME tour advert. The whole LP remains a great listen, is a "must" for any serious rock vinyl collection and will only continue to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 50 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 65 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard mailer, along with extra protective flange edges, with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £4.00, Royal Mail 1st class, signed for; 

Continental Europe £13, and Rest of the World £17 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail tracked and signed for

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler