LED ZEPPELIN I Scarce UK 1970 Atlantic Plum EX++ LP

	£		168
	$		223

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4. Europe £10. Rest of World £14. ALL signed for. – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

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.

Label Conditions: Both immaculately clean, fresh and hugely attractive. Any spindle marks are very small, few and faint. So hard to find these early Zeppelin albums that are so obviously lightly played.

Cat Number: 588171.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 114 grams. Not one of the heaviest copies I have ever had, but a quality copies that really delivers.

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 late 1970 as proven by the code on the inner sleeve (seen in close-up). This one has a superbly attractive cover that includes the first silver (or grey) strip on the bottom edge (soon 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 1 6 & 588171 B 4 1 1 3 (there is one digit correction on side one, an ‘8’)

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 always 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 super example with a gorgeous cover – up there with the very best I have seen, certainly for some time – and clean record that without doubt, has been played little (and with utmost care). Two beautiful labels also, most are seen swathed in spindle marks and scuffs with handling grubbiness – we have all seen them. This may not be the heaviest pressed example I have held, but this record truly delivers and few will be disppointed. Check out my scans to see the difference.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): a fully laminated, single format with orange lettering and includes the scarce silver strip on the bottom edge. It was printed and made in England by MacNeill.

Lamination: Front & Back: This iconic rock cover is very attractive indeed and retains a genuine freshness and I will never state this lightly. The laminate both sides is very shiny and clear with any marks minimal and faint, seen only critically under light. This has the usual fine lifting on the spine edge, being a pale cover, this has minimal visibility or visual impact and few will ever not have this as the very least – the only difference, most have far more. The back edges shows where the laminate ends a few millimetres short of full width, so often these areas grubby and darken quite severely. This one has minimal traces of any discolour at all, that makes a considerable difference to the visual appeal. The front has a few very small surface creases – low level half moons towards the right edge and with normal visibility, these show little. Any on the back are very few and fine and show even less. Even under light, there are barely any traces of friction rubs or dulling so that famous old giant Zeppelin artwork can be enjoyed to maximum advantage, fully focused and precise with superb clarity. Fogged laminate ruins the graphic, but no worries on that score here. Nice to see the silver-grey strip present too, most see it omitted as only slightly ones saw it removed altogether. The flats on the spine ends – these are quite deeply pinched in manufacture – are well defined and neat, avoiding the usual bending and dinking seen so often. Overall, looks for this beauty are exceptoinal and one for even the more discerning collector.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both practically as new and dead straight, fully laminated and even these retain fine shine. My finger test located no scuffs or abrasions to the tight and solid laminate. Just one tiny surface chip on the bottom (but look hard).

Right Edge(s), and Type: Very clean, razor sharp with no wear and guaranteed, untrimmed. No burring or thickening at all, and again, this make a huge difference. The front edge again sees the laminate end strip, still wide and very clean and barely aged. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: A very fine spine: solid, straight with any compression slight and no laminate cracks. The ends are deeply tapered in manufacture and these retain excellent shape and unbent definition. All text is perfect and unworn and again the laminate shines, again still very smooth to the fingertips. Just a couple of ultra fine surface hairlines that hardly even show, this being very critical again.

Corners: A tiny rub to the front bottom right but little else and all retain supreme pointed shape. Again little short of as made and few will avoid the odd dink or knock over the years. The spine end definition is usually clean and precise as can be seen on my close-up pictures.

Cover Summary: A strongly attractive example with genuine freshness and pure good looks – and this is a cover over forty one years old as reitterated by its original inner sleeve. With so few blemishes, this should please most-all collectors – one to hold and enjoy and likely never to need upgrading.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: many do not even consider these important – I disagree. This Polydor-style polylined inner has it’s history too and being date coded 1270 tells the owner the era of manufacture. Okay, not a first-made, but in terms of this classic album, still a very early one (please see my close-up picture of this detail). An inner that has aged a little with the usual toning and darkening of the adhesive on the seams. The window circles are very crisp and neat, both undamaged with a crystal-clear lining that is firmly in place. Unusually, this is barely crinkled at all. 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: EXCELLENT(++): a very fine visual copy that is very clean, shiny, intense black and quite solidly pressed. Only ultra fine surface marks seen under light, I feel very sure this record has been played little. Compare to many, if not most seen on the Plum labels, played to near destruction with deep penetrating scratches, grubby and dulled surfaces and labels with multitudes of spindle marks. This super copy is light years away from any of that, I would never even contemplate buying or offering records like that. A copy that offers superb sound and fine looks, this should please most collectors again.

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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This landmark album plays up to and most-all beyond it’s impressive visual grading. Massively powerful, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing 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 almost never 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 sound and echo, 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 very well indeed (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 as quitely as I have heard – not dead silent – few ever will be, but this way above the norm and average. I feel nigh-on certain, none will ever be totally silent on vinyl, any surface sound here is very gentle and faint and it will take an exceptional copy to better this critical passage. 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 hit the skins harder than this legendary drummer. Overall, this copy has minimal surface sounds and no pops or significant clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a highly demanding album. Hear those incredible running basslines grinding 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 adverts, but so many vintage classics were written off by worn or damaged sylus that stripped and wrecked 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 not only avoided such abuse or accidents, it still offers genuine thrilling sound. Some listeners like to just be reminded with the odd minor blemish that are actually listening to a 40+-year-old record, if clinical silence is demanded, well the digital format will offer just that. But the sheer thrill and drama of the original mix and mastertape 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 on that organ opening on side two – I state again, FEW, if any will ever avoid it. Both record and cover will prove difficult to find much better and merit strong recommendation. An evergreen rock masterpieces that simply refuses to age.

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 - on average ONEADAY, a couple more at weekends if time permits, hence the name - time rarely allows for more as I Play-Grade virtually every record I offer in their entirety, 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 its 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. What you see is what you get and scanned labels will give a more accurate representation of the genuine colour than flash photography where light is variable. I cannot guarantee total accuracy for colours however but most will be very close. 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 Rondo Red moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Terrarium 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 and the cost of this lavish packing is NOT even charged for, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners and bubble wrap 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 less than one in two thousand+ based on over 8,000+ items sold in over 10 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. Even one of these stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. 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 as me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, 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 and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). 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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £2 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£46 maximum]) = £10. (Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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’.