LED ZEPPELIN I - SCARCE EX UK 1971 ATLANTIC PLUM LP, SUPER SOUND & LOVELY COVER

	£		84
	$		111

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: LED ZEPPELIN

Album Title: Led Zeppelin (One)

Producer: Jimmy Page

Executive Producer: Peter Grant

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Good Times Bad Times; Babe I’m Gonna Leave You; You Shook Me; Dazed and Confused.

Side 2: Your Time is Gonna Come; Black Mountain Side; Communication Breakdown; I Can’t Quit You Baby; How Many More Times.

Label/Format: Atlantic – Red and Maroon (‘Plum’) format with early Warner Credits. Both are matt with smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both clean, fresh and attractive. Any of the few spindle marks are very small, light and faint.

Cat Number: 588171

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 142 grams. A very solid weight for this one.

Country of Manufacture: England

Rarity: The title itself on the ‘Plum’ label is moderately scarce with the orange coloured cover. The turquoise covers are far rarer and command massive prices, mostly out of reach for the ‘average’ collector. This is an early copy from mid-1971, the inner sleeve being date-coded -471 (April 1971). This one has a very attractive cover that includes the first silver (or grey) strip on the bottom edge (soon to be removed thereafter) and a record that offers clean and very powerful sound that generates real excitement when played at volume on a quality system.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: 588171 A//1 1 3 4 1 & 588171 B 4 1 1 1 (side one has the error correction).

Musicians: Jimmy Page – Robert Plant – John Bonham – John Paul Jones.

Brief Info: A very small run of early copies were issued in a turquoise sleeve lettered sleeve and some had Superhype credits. These were quickly changed to the more familiar orange versions as per this – the reasons still after all these years unclear with rumour and counter-rumour and now it seems even unclear if the turquoise covers and Superhype credits were even the very first. I cannot say with any degree certainty either, I prefer to explain what I have on offer and it’s condition. What is certain, the legend started here – formed from the ashes of the Yardbirds, this self-assured debut album immediately established them in their own right. Faultless musicianship combined with strong material to create an emphatic statement of power and purpose. Blues standards are extensively reworked and original songs are as immense and memorable as found on any debut album ever made. Page’s guitar explores the instrument’s potential with dazzling runs of sonic inventiveness, while Plant takes the lead vocal into new realms of expression. Raw and loud this has moments of true brilliance and many still are convinced this was their best ever album – a tough call for sure. Led Zeppelin albums are [in most cases] best enjoyed on the Plum labels, they just seem to have that extra detail and clarity as well as very loud and dynamic sound qualities that are never bettered – all audiophile collectors and fans will know exactly what I mean. Of all the Led Zeppelin albums I find, this first album is always the one that seems the most played, often in the poorest conditions. Okay it’s the oldest, but not by much. It simply was adored by early owners and often played into submission. When clean and lightly played copies come along, they are not to be taken for granted. This is a lovely example with an impressive cover. The record appears little played – side one has a fine light surface mark that has no audio affect and sound quality throughout is clean and immense. Even that difficult organ introduction on side two is immaculate, that as I always state, far from easy. The lack of distortion or crackle on this most challenging passage means the difference between average and exceptional.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: a fully laminated, single format with orange lettering and includes the orginal silver strip on the bottom edge. Printed and made in England by MacNeill Press and includes the 1971 date-coded inner sleeve.

Lamination – Front & Back: This iconic rock cover is very attractive indeed and retains a high degree of freshness and I will never state this lightly. The laminate both sides retains excellent shine and clarity with any dulling gentle and light as seen under angled light. This has far less of the usual spine edge lifting, with just fine slivers each side that shows little. The front has a few quite light half moons near the right side with just one tiny one on the back. A cover that rarely escapes these as a bare minimum, there are no large heavy or impact creases. Minor corner rubbing and a tiny chip on the back entrance edge near the bottom, but look hard. The artwork both sides clean and attractive without the usual toning and grubbiness to the edges, The lack of toned cracks and creases is a plus, because again, this cover is most prone to them.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both are superb with full laminate which is smooth and straight, a tiny tip rub to the top right corner. My finger test located no scuffs or abrasions to the tight and solid laminated surfaces. The lack of bowing always a major plus.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Very clean, equally sharp with hardly any wear and guaranteed untrimmed. The lack of thickening and burring great news. The laminate ends front and back still clear, the fine exposed strips very much still present. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: Still solid, straight with a little patchy compression, just a couple of very fine laminate cracks. All text is perfect and unworn under the solid clear laminate.

Corners: A smallish rub on the top right tip, any others are tiny indeed. Very fine shape mostly retained with minimal hint of dinking, and certainly no bashes.

Cover Summary: An attractive example that has withstood the rigours of handling and storage well, not to mention the considerable age and popularity. Not pristine, but somewhat above average, one to please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): this Polydor-style polylined inner has it’s history too, it being date-coded 0471 tells the owner the exact era of its manufacture. This translates to April 1971, so this copy a slightly later one, confirmed by the records matrixes listed above. Gently aged little with some toning and darkening of the adhesive on the seams that is rarely avoided. Both window circles are very crisp and neat, totally undamaged with a very clear, fresh polylining. No edge splits or tears (or repairs) with no hard creases, writing or marks, this inner is the icing of authenticity on this prestige album.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT / EXCELLENT(+): so excellent on average. As said already, side one has a fine surface mark, but has NO sound. Then under light, very fine hairlines or wispy traces – side two has very little at all. A very fine visual copy that is very clean with excellent shine and very solidly pressed. A lovely looking record, like the cover, way above average. So many seen heavily played, badly scratched, dulled with labels plastered in spindle gouges. The most important factor being sound quality, this plays superbly throughout. So again one to please many, if not most collectors.

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 landmark album plays even above it’s impressive visual grading with little to fault bar. Offering massively powerful, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear with no tracking issues*. Sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. An album of immense sonic power and raw dynamics, this record is capable of awesome intensity when played at high volume on worthy equipment. ‘Dazed and Confused’ – my personal favourite Led Zeppelin track ever – plays with incredible clout. For some time, the sound is restrained, even mellow, but like a tinder keg it’s ready to explode through your system, and the finale does just that with a cresendo of sheer raw volume. This gave me that rare ‘tingle factor’ that only the very best recordings and albums ever can. Check out too the start of side two with it’s incredibly hard-to-track solo organ introduction that seldom plays devoid of some (often severe) crackle or distortion. In fact I have heard examples of this that literally break-up totally with severe noise and horrible groove-wear, and this even on clean looking copies. This intro is critical and highly uncompromising, few examples will play this even well let alone ‘perfectly’. Only the exceptional copies that have received few plays on more sympathetic equipment have any real chance these days. Here, this impossibly difficult intro plays SUPERBLY (this too on a high-end and critically revealing turntable that takes no prisoners in revealing all). This organ passage is notoriously difficult and most will fail to please the more discerning listener. I am delighted to be able to say, this plays almost close to perfect – almost silent in fact – few ever will, this way above the norm. I feel nigh-on certain, none will ever be totally silent on vinyl, but any surface sound here is less than minuscule. When the bass and drums kick in, VERY hard it can almost make you leave your seat, the slam on the drum is astonishing with Bonzo’s crashing stick-work immense – few ever hit the skins harder than this legendary drummer. Overall, this copy has little unwanted at all, an exceptional clean pressing for a highly demanding album. Hear those incredible running bass-lines and the percussion, that has real zing and breathtaking realism. Page’s guitar splinters through the speaker-cloth as does Plant’s awesome, expressive vocals. This is powerhouse blues-rock at it’s very best. I filed this under ‘Rock Classic’ and this is a supreme example of the genre. Remember this album’s age and vintage and what it could have been subjected too. I know I state this often in my listings, but so many vintage classics were written off by worn or damaged sylus that stripped and destroyed those delicate groove walls. One arm drop or jolt and there’s another one ruined, such decks took no prisoners with massively high tracking weights, sometimes exceeding 10 grams. This has never been subjected to such trauma and has survived very well. Okay, one minor surface mark shows slightly, but totally superficial, and it still needs quite close examination under light to see it. The sheer thrill and drama of the original mix and master tape sound that only vinyl truly offers will not be beaten. A copy that appears well stored and only lightly handled and certainly not overplayed, this was highly enjoyable (to say the least). Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this astonishing record – I always expect a trace of crackle or minor click on such a record, but this has very little. Both record and cover will prove difficult to find much better and merit strong recommendation. An evergreen rock masterpiece that simply refuses to age.

* 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 programs. 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’.