David Bowie ZIGGY STARDUST 1972 UK LP 1st -1E/-2E MINT SLEEVE, MINT MINUS AUDIO

	£		292
	$		387

PLAYS TO A MINT MINUS!!!!!! GRADE

A GENUINE EARLY FIRST PRESS FROM 1972

FIRST ISSUE MINT !!! SLEEVE

• CATALOGUE:RCA SF 8287
• MATRIX: BGBS0864-1E / BGBS0865-2E (ONLY 1E/1E IS LOWER)
• TITANIC CREDITS ON THE LABEL

ZIGGY STARDUST WAS RELEASED ON JUNE 6TH 1972 AND REACHED ONLY NUMBER 5 IN THE UK CHARTS. IT HAS SINCE GONE ON TO ACHIEVE LEGENDARY STATUS, AND HAS BEEN REISSUED MANY TIMES. THERE IS OF COURSE ONLY ONE GENUINE FIRST PRESS

SO HOW TO TELL A FIRST PRESS?

THE SLEEVE MUST HAVE 'VICTOR' UNDER THE RCA LOGO TOP RIGHT CORNER NOT 'INTERNATIONAL'

THE SLEEVE MUST ALSO HAVE VERY BLURRY IMAGES AND TEXT , IN PARTICULAR THE TOP RIGHT CORNER

THE REAR MUST HAVE NO MENTION OF 'MAINMAN' ACCREDITATION

IT MUST BE A ROBERT STACE SLEEVE

THE LABELS MUST BE GLOSSY AND NOT MATT

THE VINYL MUST BE HEAVY AND NOT FLIMSY

THE LABEL MUST HAVE 'TITANIC' CREDITS not mainman

THE MATRIX MUST BE STAMPED AND NOT ETCHED

THE MATRIX NUMBER MUST BE BGBS 0864 1E / 0865 1E

IF ANY OF THESE ARE MISSING THEN YOU ARE NOT LOOKING AT A VERY FIRST PRESS

HERE WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING SET OF DISCS OF THE PRESS WITH THE 2E MATRIX NUMBER FOR SIDE 2. STILL A FIRST PRESS FROM 1972

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE GLOSSY ORANGE LABELS ARE IN MAGNIFICENT CONDITION. THE GLOSSY LABELS ARE EVIDENCE OF A FIRST PRESS, AS LATER PRESSES WERE RELEASED ON LIGHTER VINYL WITH MATT LABELS

THERE ARE NO MARKS OR STAINS ANYWHERE ON EITHER SIDE. THE BASE COLOUR FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. THE JET BLACK TYPEFACE IS CLEAR AND UNRUBBED AND THEREFORE PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. THERE IS JUST ONE NEAR INVISIBLE TINY SPIDER LINE CLOSE TO THE SPINDLE HOLE

THE VINYL

THE RECORD GLEAMS LIKE NEW AND COULDN'T LOOK ANY BETTER. ALL OF THE ORIGINAL LUSTRE HAS BEEN RETAINED. THERE ARE NO VISIBLE MARKS OR ANY SIGNS OF HANDLING ON THE DISCS IN DAYLIGHT, AND IT LOOKS FLAWLESS, AND EVEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION THERE ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF VERY FINE WISPY HAIRLINES

PLAYING THE RECORD

THE LP PLAYS THROUGH BRILLIANTLY ON BOTH SIDES, AND I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A GOOD LISTEN TO THE SOUNDBITES WHICH DEMONSTRATE JUST HOW FANTASTIC THIS ALBUM SOUNDS. IN PARTICULAR THERE IS NOT ONE JOT OF DISTORTION TO THE SOUND AT ANY POINT

THE SLEEVE ADVISES TO PLAY THIS LOUDLY, AND THAT IS BECAUSE THE STEREO MIX IS SIMPLY MAGNIFICENT. CLEAR AS A BELL AND CUT VERY LOUD INDEED

THERE ARE NO BACKGROUND CRACKLES AND NO LOUD CLICKS AT ANY POINT

THERE IS NO EMBEDDED VINYL NOISE WHATSOEVER, AND ONLY A COUPLE OF RANDOM SECONDS OF VERY LIGHT STATIC HEARD IF AT ALL IN A COUPLE OF THE LINKING GROOVES

I HEARD 3 TINY ROTATIONAL TICS DURING THE FIRST TRACK ON SIDE ONE, AND TWO MORE IN THE LINKING GROOVE AT THE END OF TRACK THREE SIDE TWO

WITHOUT THESE I WOULD BE LOOKING AT A MINT GRADE

I AM HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SUPERB DISC MINT MINUS!!!!

BUT PLEASE TAKE A GOOD LISTEN AND JUDGE THIS SUPERB DISC FOR YOURSELF AS IT'S YOUR OPINION THAT TRULY COUNTS

THE SLEEVE

UNLAMINATED ROBERT STACE SINGLE SLEEVE - 1ST PRESS NO MAINMAIN CREDITS

THE FRONT SURFACE IS IMMACULATE AND IMPORTANTLY NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES, AND ALL OF THE DELICATE COLOURS HAVE BEEN RETAINED WHICH IS VERY UNUSUAL FOR THIS OFTEN ABUSED COVER.

THERE IS NO RING WEAR WHICH IS AGAIN A RARITY, AND NO RECORD SHAPE EITHER

THE FOUR CORNERS ARE SHARP AND SQUARE AND NO RUBBING TO THE CORNER TIPS

INCREDIBLY THERE ARE NO PRESSURE LINES BY THE  SPINE. NONE ON THE TOP EDGE, JUST ONE TINY ONE ON THE BOTTOM EDGE, AND NO THUMB LINES NEAR THE OPENING EDGE 

THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES ARE SUPERB. ALL OF THE COLOURS HAVE BEEN RETAINED AND FULLY RUN FROM CORNER TIP TO CORNER TIP. NOT EVEN ANY RUBBING TO THE CORNER TIPS

THE SPINE IS FLAT AND HAS NO SQUASHING, ALL OF THE TYPEFACE IS PERFECT AND FULLY LEGIBLE, AND THERE IS NO WEAR TOP THE SURFACE AND THIS INCLUDES THE TOP AND BOTTOM TIPS

THE OPENING EDGE IS STILL VERY SHARP, AND DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THOSE TINY THUMB NAIL NICKS EITHER

THE REAR SURFACE IS JUST AS CLEAN AND MARK FREE AS THE FRONT.THERE IS REFERENCE TO 'A GEM PRODUCTION' BUT NOTHING ELSE.AGAIN THE COLOURS ARE ALL THERE, AND THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES

THE MAIN REASON WHY THE SLEEVE IS IN SUCH SUPERB CONDITION IS THAT IT BEEN HOUSED INSIDE A PLASTIC OUTER FOR ALL OF IT'S LIFE

THE LYRIC INNER SLEEVE IS IN SUPERB CONDITION. AMAZINGLY NO SEAM SPLITS WHICH IS RARE. NO CREASES EITHER

I HAVE NO HESITATION IN GRADING THIS  SLEEVE MINT