Led Zeppelin IV Vinyl LP Plum Atlantic 1st Variation 1971 Deluxe 2401012 A3 B3

	£		54
	$		72

welcome to

MY COLLECTING PASSION

Unexpected health issues have brought me to the point that after forty years of collecting I want to part with my vinyl and try to fund some bucket list experiences. 

I am reluctant and excited to be making the move to sell my entire record collection. One record at a time. 

I've really enjoyed collecting records and crate digging wherever I went. Some were bought new at the time or release. Others I bought used from record shops, markets, secondhand shops.

These items are all from my own personal collection. I am not a shop!

I will take the time and care to give you all the information that you seek and provide your records in a safe and timely manner or your money back.

BEFORE YOU START BIDDING

Here are some things that are good to know in advance.

Most of my collection has been carefully boxed and stored for a number of years.I'm just unpacking some of it now. I will give them a simple clean before playing but all will have some amount of dust and I leave any deep cleaning up to you, as everyone has there own preferences.

• I play test every record from start to finish.

• I write more about any flaws than I do about the great bits.

• Vinyl is played with a Thorens TD 165 turntable and Rotel amp.

• A track by track assessment is given.

• I use the U.K Rare Record Price Guide used for grading.

• The definitions for each grade are displayed below the listing.

• Postal information and prices are also displayed below.

• Records are provided with an additional white inner and poly sleeve.

• Records OVER 40 GBP will be shipped Royal Mail Special Delivery to enable insurance cover. The cost is 8 GBP. Please wait to be invoiced.

• I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

and finally the listing

LED ZEPPELIN

IV

General information about this record.

First pressing variation with rare corrected matrix in the run out, and inverted feather side two, Kinney / Superhype inc credits. No Peter Grant credit on label. Morris credits on inner sleeve. 

Record label.Date.Country

Atlantic DELUXE 2401012 1971 U.K 

Matrix.Stampers.Mother codes.

I start with the matrix numbers then work anti clockwise around the dead wax.

A.(Stamped) 2401012 (XX'd over stamped onto B//) A// 3  1  3.   8.    (etched) PECKO DUCK

B.(Stamped) 2401012  B//3  1  2. 10. (etched PORKY)

GRADES

We'll take a look at the record sleeve, inner and any additional inserts. Visually grade both labels and both sides of the vinyl. I will play each side through and give a track by track analysis and grade. From those grades an average grade is reached for each side.

finally the grades

THE SLEEVE

FRONT.

The front panel at first glance looks perfect. No names, tears or stickers. No rubbing or bad marks. However! At one point this was pinned up on the wall so there are two small hole, top and bottom right hand side. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. 

BACK.

Looks good too. Couple of pin holes top and bottom lefthand side. Couple of small dirt marks, top centre, and just above the central tree top. There is a name written in faded pen top left corner.

SPINE.Really good. No splits, very little compression. No significant rubbing along the edge. Some moderate rubbing to the corner ends.

OPENING. Good and flat. No feathering, no rips.

CORNERS.

Top left front , light to moderate rubbing, Top right front just minor rubbing to tip. Bottom right front, mild rubbing to tip, bottom left, light to moderate rubbing.  Now the corners at the back. Top left, moderate rubbing and a small section of cover missing. Top right, light wear, Bottom right light to moderate rubbing. Bottom left, minor rubbing. 

TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES.

There are no splits in any of the edges, including the spine. Hardly any signs of rubbing present and these edges look very well indeed. 

INNER GATEFOLD PANELS. Looking very presentable. No bad marks or stains. There are a couple of tiny marks and that is about it.

A generally well looked after sleeve. Had it not been for the pin holes I would be inclined to have graded it as excellent plus. But as the holes are there it grades very good minus. 

INNER SLEEVE

Original paper inner sleeve, slightly textured paper, with more of a grey hue. Some pressing are more brown than grey. We have the five credits at the bottom, including the Keith Morris and Graphreaks credits. These are omitted from later inners. I don't know why they used this kind of paper, because it gets so soft over time through handling. Lyric side; some staining to top edge, tears and small sections missing. Short 1.2cm tear bottom edge. Track listing side. Tear at the top, couple of small feint marks. Left and right edges both have the very initial stages of developing into large splits, each has a 1 inch split at their respective centres. The bottom edge is completely split right along its length. The condition is good/fair.

LABELS

SIDE ONE. Looks great, no bad marks, light spindle traces. Grades as excellent. 

SIDE TWO. Like side one, but there is a tiny scratch on top of "Marketed by" at the base of the label. Grades excellent minus.

let's have a listen

LIVE AUDIO GRADINGS

SIDE ONE

Black dog. Some moderate crackle in dead wax lead into and being "hey hey mama" Some muffled pops a couple of times. Recording itself is sounding big and full. Track does sound dusty but not overplayed and top and bottom end frequencies are clear and hold together. Classic riff. Guitar on the solo sounds really in your face Grades very good minus.

Rock and roll. Many times I have blasted this out. Great track. Full of energy that isn't let down by the audio quality here. Bass is sounding fat and full. No faults or points to mention, sounds top notch, light crackle hardly and grades excellent minus.

The battle of Everymore. Typically as is often the case with these 50 year old pressing of this album we have some crackle in the intro of this relatively quiet track. No too bad though, but there, and here and there. Vocals and all the harmonies and backing vocals are really distinct and hold up well. Mandolin is sounding really good. No real sign of any deterioration from over playing. Did I mention that the harmonies are amazing. The sound didn't break up when they peaked. An enjoyable listen that grades as very good plus.

Stairway to heaven. The acoustic guitar has been really well recorded. You can hear the fingers slide on the strings between chords, nice. We have some dusty crackle all through the acoustic section. Lovely sounding recording. The transition in the makes me wonder section is sweet. The low notes of the keyboard sound super lush and full. There is still dusty crackle, but I the song sounds so immense I could easily forget about it despite it being there. Also the older the track gets the less I notice. No pops or clicks so far. The snare drum sounds sweet as does the ride cymbal that's mixed way back in parts. Just getting into the big bit now -guitar solo time. How can you not play an air guitar to this. No signs of being overplayed, the audio is standing up well. Ah, that snare again. Great. Crackle on his last lines. Both sides would like a clean.Grades as very good plus. 

Well all in all the audio has stood up really well with this side. There were no loud pops, or repeating ticks. The needle never jumped or got stuck. Crackle as mentioned is present, but never overpowering. This side grades as very good.

SIDE TWO

Misty mountain hop. Another loud sounding mix again. A little bit of low crackle in the dead wax and tiny bit of the song. Top end frequencies hold up when Plant gets screaming. There's quite a lot of vocal overdubs you can make out. The bass sounds full with no distortion. There's some good drum fills in this. Really good. Grades as excellent minus 

Four sticks. Percussion sounds clear and you can hear all thats going on. Wow ok, when things kick off, it's loud. Frequencies are push to the limit but hang in there, just. The bass end is quite powerful in this recording. Really good. Grades excellent minus

Going to California.Guitar and vocals sound really clear and loud. Some crackle and a couple of low pops. Not unusual for this track, or for its age. There's a little bit of fuzz for a split second. Nice interplay between guitar tracks. Grades very good plus

When the levee breaks. A nice fat sounding mix. Harmonica on the go, sounding perfect. The vocal performance is monumental in parts. There's perhaps a little fuzz of the very top end. But it's a loud mix, and this would not be out of place with pressing technologies of the time. The kick drum is super punchy. The drums are awesome, some crazy fills and rolls. Grades as very good plus. 

Another enjoyable, listenable side with no major issues other than mentioned. Grades excellent minus.

VISUAL GRADES

SIDE ONE

Nice flat vinyl with no bumps or waves. Pretty good gloss to both sides albeit a little dusty. Plenty of unmarked surface area, but also plenty of fine marks and scratches. Many of the scratches look light weight, some more moderate. Lengths vary from tiny to very long. This was my go to playing copy for sometime, so it shows signs of having a history and party favourite. Grades as good.

SIDE TWO.Much like side one. Looks well played and sows fine marks and scratches. There is a harder looking scratch at the starting mid-way in track three and runs into the start of four. The audio grades will tell us if any of these marks ten up during playback. Grades good.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Well, all in all that was a grand playback session. Plenty of memories attached to this album. The audio has stood up very well and with no major issues. It is not a final upgrade in any way, but it has a lot of life left. This could suit a collector or fan that is looking for a decent playing copy with early pressing credentials whilst seeking that pristine copy to add to their collection.

I still have many LP's and singles to list form The Beatles, Led Zeppelin,Pink Floyd,The Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa. A bit of old blues, some jazz, rock and film soundtracks. I list in no particular order, just as I unpack them. If you would like to find out first and get updated then please go ahead and follow me or save me as a seller. eBay will send you notifications when I put up a new listing.

GRADE DEFINITIONS, POSTAL AND PAYMENT INFO BELOW.

GRADING YOUR VINYL

I use the classic U.K Rare Record Guide grading system. Detailed below are their guidelines.

MINT

The LP or single is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items are in perfect condition.

EXCELLENT 

The LP or single shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and/or creasing.

VERY GOOD

The LP or single has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and an occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover and contents without any major defects.

GOOD

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing edges, spine splits, discoloring etc.

POSTAGE

All records come with a protective poly sleeve, and new white inner. Records are shipped outside of the sleeve within reinforced cardboard packaging to ensure safety during transit.

I post to most locations worldwide. Please check before bidding if I can send it to you. Prices in GBP

U.K - 1-3 single LPs 4.00 Royal Mail Second Class Signed for

U.K - 1-3 single LPs OVER 40 GDP 8.00 Royal Mail Special Delivery to enable insurance cover.

Europe -12.95 Royal Mail International Signed for. For each additional LP or 12" add 2.20

USA - Australia, Japan -18.95 International Signed for. For each additional LP or 12" add 3.80

Overseas orders valued over 80 will be insured for an additional 3.90

PAYMENTS

Paypal

Is accepted from all buyers. Payment must be made no later than three days after the sale closes. If payment has not been made within this time I reserve the right to re-list the item.

Cheque or Postal order

UK buyers are also welcome to pay by cheque or postal order. Payment should be received no later than five days after the sale closes. Please allow one week for cheques to clear once being received.

I hope I have covered everything you need to know. Message me if you have any questions. I am happy to help. 

Thanks for stopping by!