David Bowie : Aladdin Sane 3T / 3T 1st Press inc Fan Club Insert 1973

Relisted due to previous over-grading of fan club insert :-)

This first pressing plays with STUNNING quality on both sides i.e. no interference!  The clarity, depth and power of the audio is second to none and two tracks grade as Mint- all the others are Mint!  It has clearly not been played very much and again deserves to be classified as a FINAL UPGRADE archive pressing.  The vinyl is very clean indeed with only a small number of very faint hairlines.

The cover is one of the best I have seen in a long time and has only very minimal wear and the lyric inner is also in superb condition which makes a change.  Only a limited number included the David Bowie fan club insert and this one is in excellent shape overall with only a little corner creasing, one that is slightly more obvious on the back.

RS 1001 (LSP 4852) // CPRY 4543 - 3T / CPRY 4544 - 3T // A2AAO & A4D etched on the run out grooves

The audio on S1 is Mint(-)

The audio on S2 is Mint(-)

The gatefold is Ex+

The lyric inner is Ex+

The fan club insert is Ex-

The labels are Near Mint-

Visual description

The vinyl is in great condition and still has a very strong glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Under a strong light I can only find a small number of faint hairlines that obviously have no impact on the audio.  The run out grooves are very clean and the orange RCA Victor labels have hardly any spindle wear and only a couple of those minor 'crinkle' lines that you sometime see.

Play grading

'Watch That Man' begins perfectly and the opening verses have no interference either.  It plays loud and true sounding as clear as it did back in '73.  The first chorus is 'as new' and that applies to the entire track.  A typically glam number from the era you cannot fault the clarity, power and depth of the audio.  Right through to the final note it plays with immaculate precision and it easily provides a Mint start to the album.

The intro on 'Aladdin Sane' has no background and the first vocal is equally as clean.  It continues to play with sublime clarity through every section and as always I am listening to every second of every track.  Each note is so clean and precise and from start to finish this plays with pure Mint audio.  The piano led end instrumental plays with stunning quality with the bass very high in the mix.  What a version!

'Drive In Saturday' more than keeps up this fine standard and plays with perfect clarity and... no interference.  The sonic quality can correctly be called 'as new' and once again Mint is no exaggeration.

The intro on 'Panic In Detroit' has no intrusion and Bowie's opening vocal is equal to that.  From then on it plays with wonderful clarity and power and again I cannot find fault.  This may be a little repetitive already but every vocal and instrumental section quite simply plays 'as new' with no background of any kind.  No minus required even this is Mint

The 'glam' guitar intro on 'Cracked Actor' is perfect and from then on plays with genuine power and if there is any inner groove distortion it is barely noticeable.  The sonic quality from the first note to the last and there is no background on the long fade out either.  Let's say Mint- although I think the minus may be a little harsh :-)

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'Time' is another track that plays with sublime clarity from the very first note.  Every section plays with such clean sound and there is zero intrusion on the audio.  A stunning Mint version.

The intro on 'The Prettiest Star' is faultless as is the rest of the track!  There is no need to elaborate this is Mint from start to finish and as I often say that includes the fade out which is an important part of any song in my opinion :-)

'Let's Spend The Night Together' plays with supreme power and no interference.  A 'busy' track as per the original and yet the sonic quality is as strong as it ever was.  It plays with infinite precision and Mint is deserved.

'The Jean Genie' plays to the same high end standard with genuine power and depth.  Once again you can tell just how well this vinyl has been cared for as there is no interference.  Classic Bowie in every sense and another Mint track.

The piano intro on 'Lady Grinning Soul' plays so clearly and the opening vocal is just as impressive.  It continues in the same way and again the clarity is just stunning.  No clicks, pops or static and only a couple of barely audible ticks and I do mean barely audible!  A handful of insignificant static ticks at the end of the fade out so I will grade as Mint- but you can't really fault the audio.  A superb album!

In summary this first pressing plays to the highest standard possible in my opinion.  There is no interference on either side and it easily qualifies as a FINAL UPGRADE archive pressing, audio just doesn't get any better!  It plays with incredible clarity, depth and power and there is no static getting in the way of the 'listen' either.  It cannot have been played very much and I would say this is the definitive version.

The Gatefold, Lyric Sleeve and Fan Club Insert

The cover is in excellent condition with only very minimal shelf wear and is one of the finest examples I have seen in a long time.  It is a cover that is susceptible to a lot of wear but this one has been preserved very well.  The edges and wide spine are so clean and even the corners have barely any wear.  The opening edge has only a couple of minor crimps also.  The predominantly white front cover is still very white!  There is just one very small mark below 'Bowie' and the rest is super clean with no creasing.  The back cover just has a small number of minor specks and what looks like a small 'print' mark in the credits.  The inside of the gatefold is in beautiful condition and has retained its original colouring perfectly and has only a couple of minor spots plus the inner spine is undamaged.  A stunning example overall.

The lyric inner is again so often found in poor condition but not this one!  It has only minor rubbing on a couple of edges and one small corner crease.  It is unmarked, has no creasing and the opening edge is pristine.  The fan club insert has not been filled in - it is unmarked and has just one corner crease on the back and a tiny one in the top right corners.

Play tested on my Rega P2 Turntable / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

RS 1001 (LSP 4852) // CPRY 4543 - 3T / CPRY 4544 - 3T // A2AAO & A4D etched on the run out grooves

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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