DAVID BOWIE Ziggy Stardust RARER ORIG UK 1972 1E/2E EX LP with SUPER SOUND/COVER

	£		56
	$		74

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 – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

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. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full 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. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

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: DAVID BOWIE

Album Title: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Producer(s): David Bowie & Ken Scott

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Five Years; Soul Love; Moonage Daydream; Starman; It Ain’t Easy.

Side 2: Lady Stardust; Star; Hang on to Yourself; Ziggy Stardust; Suffragette City; Rock n Roll Suicide.

Label/Format: RCA Victor – original shiny smooth surfaces and including ‘Titanic’ credits.

Label Conditions: Both practically as made – the small chips on the hole rim probably there from day one. These are clean and fresh with minimal hints of any spindle marks.

Cat Number: SF 8287 (LSP 4702)

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 127 grams. A fine weight for this album. Later pressings invariably became thinner, some so thin they almost sagged in the middle when held – Dynaflex, a cheap, featherweight vinyl substitute was just round the corner, a substance used by RCA for a while. Also the era of recycled vinyl, especially on records that sold well, but sound quality suffered badly. This first issue copy plays superbly and all evidence confirms this is pressed on purer quality vinyl.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: True pressings from 1972 on the RCA Victor label are scarce, especially little used ones with excellent covers and undamaged inners. This being very early indeed with the -1E / -2E matrixes. For those who bought this album when first released, most played them into submission and finding originals that play little short of perfectly are incredibly difficult. The more discerning collectors who do own the first made pressings will rarely want to part with them – and why would they? Often purchased by teenagers of the time, few were ever played, handled or stored with the respect they deserved and many played on cheap record players with worn out stylus often tracking a huge weights. Autochanger machines that stacked singles with arms weighted with old coins just to track often warped singles. Collectors my age or more will know exactly what I am talking about. The cover is also difficult to find without substantial wear as well, the early ones had very thin card. They not include any reference to ‘Mainman’, so beware of substitutions. There are variations of this cover, even as a 1972 issue: most I have seen are matt finished, but this very impressive example has the coated surfaces – I have seen very few of these before and I consider these quite rare in their own right. Finally the inner sleeve: this is incredibly fragile and thin as well. Finding one devoid of heavy creasing, grubbiness and especially without edge splits or tears is immensely difficult. These were sometimes even split from new from record movement (like Led Zeppelin 4s). The inner included with this copy is impressive as well, and fully intact.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: BGBS 0864-1E / BGBS 0865-2E [both deeply machine punched and very clear and easy to read]

Musicians: David Bowie – vocals, guitar, saxophone; Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals; Trevor Bolder – bass guitar; Mick Woodmansey – drums.

Brief Info: The most surprising statistic about this groundbreaking masterpiece is the fact it only made number 5 in the UK and a lowly 75 in the US for without doubt this is one of greatest rock albums ever made. Up until this point, his previous albums had not sold in any great numbers, thus true first issues of the pre-Ziggy titles are immensely rare. Totally timeless and it’s popularity and charisma only strengthens as it ages. Bowie’s ability to reinvent himself has allowed the singer to follow a fascinating career – his recent death came as a massive shock to his worldwide fans. The blend of rock star persona and alien creature defining Ziggy Stardust was probably his greatest creation. Buoyed by the support of legendary guitarist Mick Ronson, Bowie produced some of his finest songs, from the raucous ‘Suffragette City’ to the prophetic ‘Rock n Roll Suicide’, also one of his finest ever songs ‘Starman’ which never fails to please. Science fiction was combined with the love of theatre to bring a visual nature to an album that remains central to Bowie’s wide-ranging catalogue. The opening song is chilling: the apocolyptic ‘Five Years’ is bleak in its intensity and pulls no punches lyrically as planet Earth is dying ‘…With just five years left to cry in’. This is early 1970s glam-rock as it’s ultimate best. It boasts one of the most famous covers in music history. This copy on offer is very fine – side two has a couple of fine straight line marks – both have NO sound at all. These are not stylus marks, they are dead-straight lines cannot be inflicted on a record like this. Non-feelable or penetrating, one is seen more than the other, but are totally superficial. There is little else to fault on two clean fresh looking playing surfaces that have two beautiful clean labels. The cover, never laminated is usually seen worn and rubbed as is the frail illustrated lyric inner. This is one of the very few originals I have seen with the coated surfaces with a lovely semi-gloss sheen. This makes the cover appear more lush, making the graphic darker and giving lustre to the surfaces, as per all originals, it has no Mainmain text and was printed by Robert Stace. This cover variant is much rarer and harder to find. The record itself is so often ruined by mass-production and inconsistent pressings – often with irritating crackle and invisible pressing rasps or distortion – a fact I know from experience, and I will not offer them. Matrixes and and stampers never lie, this is one of the earliest made before mass-production set in – the difference in audio quality is more than obvious and these early lesser-used copies are the very best way to experience this legendary set. Bowie gave the world Ziggy – the Starman – and one of the most famous catch-phrases ever to burst-forth from any record – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’! This was his route to immortality, his sad loss shocked the music-loving public and for those of my age, especially so.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a single unlaminated format that has the RCA Victor logo (NOT INTERNATIONAL) as seen on many reprinted repressings. With the GEM production logo and NO ‘Mainmain’, those came in 1973 reprintings, only 1972 covers omitted ‘Mainman’. More unusually, as stated above, this has the coated surfaces which give a semi-shiny smoother finish, these were made in far less numbers and are actually quite rare to find. This has the SF 8287 (LSP 4702) number and it was printed and made in England by Robert Stace. This includes the very fragile, thin paper lyric inner.

Cover Front: An iconic cover for a classic album – this front has little wear and the graphic has a more ‘de-luxe’ finish with the coating. Fresh, clean and lacking the usual rubbing and ringwear most as seen with, clearly the coating has played its part in preservation. The famous graphic is darker and looks, arguably, more detailed. I have had several Ziggy’s over the years, but seen very few of these cover variants – I have no explanation why a few have these surfaces, but I do know they are not seen often. The only issue of any real note, a few gentle creases, but given the thinness of the card, this has withstood time and handling very well. This cover exudes freshness and that is rare in-itself.

Cover Back: The back is largely the same and few pre-Mainman originals will better this substantially I feel sure. One or two gentle surface marks and a few mostly mild creases again, but standards are high for this more unusual example.

Top Edge: Thin, very straight and barely worn at all, this I consider exceptional.

Bottom Edge: As above, rare to find the storage edge like this especially.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with a few traces of thickening or burring viewed end-on, these entrance edges guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced. Also viewing end-on reiterates just how thin this early card really is.

Spine and Text: A super spine: very clean, crisp and sharp with any compression gentle and very light. Solid, straight and clean, all text is pristine perfect and unworn as seen, also very well centred on a fairly narrow depth for good measure.

Corners: A tiny tip rub on the bottom right leading tip, little else. Better than excellent shape retained with no knocks or dinks. Rarely are corners seen better on this usually well-handled cover.

Cover Summary: Never underestimate how difficult a pre-Mainman example of this famous cover is to find with such little wear. Few who bought this initially stored them in protective covers and owners (often teenagers) often wrote names on them for loaning out. This is never easy in such condition, also the coated surfaces make this a very interesting and elusive variant for specialist Bowie collectors. My hunch is, this protective coated surface was dropped (like the initial copies of ‘Hunky Dory’ that were laminated) due to cost saving and getting units into shops when music fans discovered the brilliance of this album. So the matt version is considered standard and considerably easier to find. This unusual variant should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: arguably better, this being somewhat critical on an inner made with ultra thin paper and unlined, this is rarely seen unsplit or torn but this one is just that. This has the Gem production only text and has ‘Titanic Music’ credits with the 1971/1972 copyrights. This one has aged little, a few tiny hints of toning, but no hard large or deep creases, just a little crinkle as most would expect as a bare minimum. Generally still clean with reasonable freshness, the odd tiny nick on the top opening, but all edges are unsplit with no repairs – that is pretty unusual.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: Grading this record is not easy as, as stated further up, side two has a couple of straight line marks, but I am certain this record has been played very little. These marks are non-penetrating, purely superficial with NO sound. So I will say under-graded at Excellent. This record plays superbly for most-all with very little unwanted. That always has to be the main criteria for any record, especially one I know for a fact often has sound issues in manufacture. Vinyl purity as this time was (to say the very least) variable, and albums that gained popularity and were subsequently mass-produced to meet demand, usually suffered the most. This is still a very fine clean and fresh visual copy that is solidly pressed on pure, real vinyl – I state that because many of these were soon pressed on wafer-thin Dynaflex and mixed vinyl. The oil crisis of this period meant recycled vinyl was often used and noise-free pressings were never guaranteed. Visually still impressive, any other marks or blemishes being very fine, light and faint as seen critically under bright angled light. There are no penetrating stylus scratches – the very straight, more visible marks cannot be inflicted by a stylus – all arms will arc and cannot make marks like this, whether the disc is rotating or not. This record plays superbly with all the clarity, dynamics and detail you would hope and expect of a genuine -1E/-2E very early pressing. So not visually pristine, but it will still take quite a special copy to better it – and for audio quality – that will prove still harder.

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 superb early issue plays even ABOVE its high visual grading with barely anything to fault. The cover states ‘to be played at maximum volume’, well this copy can be with confidence, this has great production, detail and dynamics – shame many are ruined by inconsistent pressings – but this one failed to disappoint. Yes true, this offers impressive, clean audio quality this from start to finish and was a pure thrill to listen too. Offering strong distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp, clear and fully focused – sound quality is immense with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Nothing can beat a first pressed vinyl copy of this classic album that has not been over-played or abused. The sounds just flow with crispness and real sonic power – the pace and rhythm is second-to-none and the ‘Starman’ could almost be in the room with you. Any surface sound minimal and faint with no tracking issues*, this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly intense and demanding album. Even the run-ins and that delicate drum fade-in on ‘Five Years’ is noteworthy for it’s quietness and largely the same for the delicate piano intro that opens side two. These delicate areas often ruined by loud crackle or even scratches with careless placement of the stylus from way back. Later pressings especially, became even more variable and avoid those wretched Dynaflex copies at all costs. The sound on these clean grooves and purer vinyl will not be easily beaten. Few copies will outperform this almost earliest of pressings I am certain. Both channels are clean and sharp with no clipping or invisible flaws or rasps. I am certain this record has been played sparingly and generally with due care and stored within a non-smoking environment. I am sure those fine visible lines were likely there from day one in manufacture, I reiterate, they are non-penetrating and superficial. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, love to say all played like this, but alas not the case – I have heard some real shockers over time. For audio performance and for all in general, this copy merits strong recommendation, not one to lease easily – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’! – there are few better ways to remember the great man than this monumental classic, and this does it high justice.

* 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.

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 taken with a digital camera or scanned - they are NOT improved, cleaned-up or made better looking than they are with camera trickery or enhancing with digital programmes. 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 - bid with confidence - excellence comes as standard and so does Near Mint regularly. 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 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable). 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 14 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 – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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’.