DAVID BOWIE, ZIGGY STARDUST.. 1972 UK RCA 1st PRESS

	£		146
	$		193

Hello, my name is Nick (aka playgraderecords). I have been an avid record collector for many years, building up an extensive collection of mostly blues/rock, psych, progressive and classic rock albums from the mid sixties to early seventies period. I have decided to sell off a few choice albums in either the Fixed Price or Auction formats. These offerings represent the crème de la crème of my 35 years of record collecting and are of the highest quality. My grading is strict and any significant defects will be mentioned. You can rest assured that a record that I grade as MINT- will be both visually and aurally as fine a copy as you are ever likely to find (hopefully my feedback and 4.94/5.0 "item as described" rating will bear this out). My descriptions are concise and in accordance with the GRADINGS detailed below. I will not bore you with the unnecessary duplication of song lyrics, and self-respect will not allow the use of ridiculous words like "awesome, mega, hyper", etc., or endless exclamation marks. Customer satisfaction is of the highest importance to me. In the unlikely event that you are not entirely happy with an LP for any reason, I will refund you in full upon return without any hassle.

From my own personal collection it is my pleasure to offer an exceptional MINT- example of the brilliant studio album by DAVID BOWIE titled “THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS”, Catalogue Number SF 8287. This is an ORIGINAL 1972 UK STEREO 1st PRESSING on the ORANGE RCA RECORD LABEL, with a stunning 1st ISSUE ROBERT STACE MATT-FINISH SINGLE SLEEVE. Complete with the correct 1st issue lyric/picture inner sleeve. [The orange RCA labels have a glossy finish and have the earliest “Titanic Music” credits. The matrix numbers are the earliest BGBS 0864 1E and BGBS 0865 1E. The lyric/picture inner sleeve also has the earliest “Titanic Music Limited” credits].

The sleeve is in EX+/MINT- condition with virtually no wear and only a couple of small handling creases near the opening edge of the front cover. You can see from the photos that this is a beautiful example of this notoriously wear-prone sleeve. I have taken plenty of photos from all angles so that you can judge the exceptional condition for yourself.    

The heavyweight 150g vinyl is in MINT- condition. The glossy RCA labels are like new with no obvious spindle traces. I can confirm that the record has only received a few careful plays on top end hifi. Both sides play MINT- throughout with no deterioration in sound quality and barely any unwanted noise at all. The audio playback is very dynamic and vibrant, providing a truly compelling listening experience. The tiny amount of surface sound present is both random and transient, and is not intrusive in any way. In my opinion it was inherent in the pressing when new. It is without question the nicest 1E/1E copy that I have listened to in years.

The lyric/picture inner sleeve is in unmarked EX+ condition with only a few minor creases.

Overall this is a stunning 1E/1E copy of Bowie’s iconic Ziggy Stardust album which will grace any record collection.

GRADINGS

The records that I offer for sale have been critically play-graded, at loud volume, on a Rega P5 turntable fitted with a high end cartridge. I will only sell records that play to a high standard. My grading is strict and in accordance with the following descriptions:

·         MINT- Record is superb, almost like new, with just a few sleeve removal type surface marks and no deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve is near perfect in all respects.

·         EX Record is a top quality example, with just a few very light surface marks which do not sound, and barely any discernable deterioration in sound quality. Sleeve has slight wear and/or creasing.

·         VG Record has some visual surface marks, but still plays to a high standard without any major deterioration in sound quality – just a few clicks or light surface sound in places. Sleeve has normal wear and tear without any major defects but is still very presentable.

     All records can be expected to rotate sufficiently evenly on the turntable for there to be no effect whatsoever on the audio playback. Minor warps or dishing will not be mentioned as virtually all records display these features to some degree and no record is perfectly flat.

PACKAGING         

LPs are packaged with care and well protected to ensure that they arrive safely in the same condition as they leave me. Records are removed from both inner and outer sleeves in order to prevent seam-splits in transit.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE

LPs posted outside of the UK will only be sent International Signed-For with insurance at the following cost:   

Europe - £12.95

Worldwide - £16.80