DAVID BOWIE Ziggy Stardust RYKO 1990 LP/CD Press Kit RALP 0134-2 PROMO +inserts
$
42
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Description
DAVID BOWIE The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars RYKO Analogue LP/CD Press Kit, RALP 0134-2, 1990.
This is an unusual promotional package. Ryko's idea was to present their new remaster of Ziggy Stardust on CD as the way the record always "should have sounded." And, in case you forgot what the album "used to sound like," they provide an "unremastered" record so you can compare and see how great a job Ryko has done. However, they took the questionable additional step of remastering the original LP to sound like a well-worn, scratched and overplayed copy, complete with pops, clicks, skips, the works. Strange idea. Seems like, already in 1990, they were concerned about suggesting a direct comparison between the new, remastered CD and the original vinyl LP. So while the vinyl record included in this press kit is in near mint condition and looks pristine, it actually sounds terrible, by design!
Ryko also created a "fake" original orange RCA label for the record, but wittily substituted RYK for RCA. So the vinyl is a curiosity, but the rest of this package is quite interesting. The inside of the LP's gatefold is covered with written promotional material, leading to and surrounding the CD, which is mounted onto the LP sleeve in a plastic envelope. The CD is printed with an image of Bowie and the track listing, and includes an intricately detailed booklet, with a collection of interesting pictures, that folds out into a complete lyric sheet. Nice! The CD is in near mint condition, unplayed, and includes five bonus tracks, four of which had been previously unreleased. The back of the CD booklet is missing part of the image because it had been stuck to the CD, but the CD is fine (see photo collage of LP & CD covers).
Three sheets of promotional material, including info on a CD trade-in plan, and a reprint of a 1987 Rolling Stone article on the lasting influence of the Ziggy Stardust album, are found inside the second, unused LP pocket in the sleeve. There is also a glossy photo sheet with two beautiful black and white photos of David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust. As described above, the top edge of the photo sheet has a curl caused by being caught inside the hinge of the gatefold sleeve for many years (see photo). [Note: the purple and green color bands visible in the right-hand photo are an artifact of my iPhone camera. They are NOT present on the photo sheet, which is pure black and white.]
Overall, a fascinating and unusual set and a great collectible; since it was promo-only, it is also quite rare. Unfortunately this copy was attacked by a rabid cat or a table saw, or something similarly aggressive, so the upper right top edge on the front of the LP is shredded in a pretty unsightly way. This blemish covers about half the top edge, and extends down about 1/4" onto the front surface (see photo collage).
Shipping $4 in the U.S. via media mail; international bidders pay actual postage cost for USPS First Class International shipping. The LP will be very carefully packed and shipped, with the record outside the sleeve. Check my feedback - this record will arrive safely.
Thanks for looking. Please email any questions.
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