MIKE OLDFIELD TUBULAR BELLS, GENUINE 1ST UK PRESS, PRE-EMI, NO SUFFIX, VERY RARE

	£		50
	$		66

All my items have a full money-back guarantee - if it's not as described you can return it for a full refund.

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P&P charges for bidders outside the UK: Please note that I send ALL international items tracked and insured, which costs more than the standard airmail rate.

For further information please see below for full P&P and insurance details.

 
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A genuine first pressing of Tubular Bells is among the hardest to find of any of the mainstream prog or rock collectables.

The commonly claimed '1st pressing' is an EMI-pressed record with 2U/2U (or even 2U/3U) matrixes in a laminated E. J. Day cover. But that is actually a second pressing.

The first pressing has the same labels and laminated cover but the record wasn’t pressed by EMI and the cover wasn’t printed by E. J. Day.

Tubular Bells was released on 25 May 1973, but sales were initially very slow, with the album not even entering the charts for the first two months, and spending only two weeks in the top ten during the whole of 1973.

However, on 5 January 1974 the BBC arts programme 2nd House, transmitted a performance of the album (played live in a studio setting without an audience) and in February, the film The Exorcist, which used the introduction to Tubular Bells in its soundtrack, was released in the UK.

After this, Tubular Bells became massive: starting in February 1974 for the next year and half (until May 1975) it was only outside the top ten for four weeks and during the Summer of 1974 the album spent ten consecutive weeks at number two, before finally topping the UK album chart in October 1974, sixteen months after its release.

By the end of the decade it had become the UK’s third best-selling album of the 1970s, and is estimated to have sold in excess of 15 million copies worldwide.

But the album’s slow rise to fame means that true first pressings are extremely rare and, because of this, sellers frequently claim later EMI pressings as first issues.

But the first pressing was not even pressed by EMI and came in a laminated cover printed by Robor Limited. It was pressed at the Lyntone pressing plant in Holloway, North London and does not have the familiar stamped matrixes, mothers and stampers associated with EMI-pressed records. They have a simple, hand etched matrix number with no number suffix (and no mother or stamper information).

There weren’t many of these made and it is said that, once the EMI pressings were available, Virgin recalled all remaining Lyntone copies because they were considered to be inferior to the high quality EMI pressing. So, even if the quality of the first pressing doesn’t match the EMI pressing, they are incredibly rare and hard to find.

This is one of the very rare genuine first pressings. It has the Robor cover and the following 1st press matrix numbers which are etched, not stamped:

Side 1: V-2001-A

Side 2: V-2001-B

Detailed description
Vinyl: The vinyl looks great and has retained its original high sheen.  Under bright light, just hairlines, fine marks and normal signs of play were visible, but nothing significant. I have played the entire record and it sounds great. There is some background noise in the quiet parts and some occasional quiet tics in the background and a few places where you get a very soft click for a handful of revolutions, but there is absolutely nothing intrusive anywhere and no loud, persistent clicks. Much of this LP is very quiet and I doubt that it is possible to find an original 1st pressing that genuinely plays flawlessly all the way through.  I would play-grade both sides around Very Good Plus (VG+) to Excellent minus (Ex-).
Labels: Both labels look superb with absolutely no signs of damage, writing, stickers etc, just light spindle marking.
Cover: The Robor cover is really nice and clean with no damage, writing, splits, tears or stickers etc and just light signs of use. There are some creases around the edges and corners and some minor laminate peeling but nothing major. This is a very nice example.

Detracting features not covered above:  None. This is a nice example of a rare and genuine first pressing.

Please check out my other items and take advantage of reduced postage costs for multiple buys.

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Information about descriptions and gradings.
My items are always described accurately and fairly. I always do my best to point out any blemishes which might detract from the item and all photographs are of the actual item you will get. I am aware that different grading systems have different definitions and so I try as much as possible to describe items in plain English, rather than simply using gradings. Where gradings are given these are based on the UK RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING SYSTEM. This grading system differs from some other grading systems, in particular the Goldmine grading system. Please make sure that you are familiar with the UK record collector grading system before you bid.

Visually-graded vinyl vs play-graded vinyl: Many people collect vinyl and never play it, whereas other people collect records because they want to play them. A visual grading will identify physical flaws (such as scratches) and can help determine whether a record has been cared-for properly, but it will not identify noise or crackle caused by non-visible sources. Most vintage records are likely to have some background noise even if they look perfect. I believe that records are for playing and so I try to play-grade records whenever possible. I always state in the listing if I have played a record prior to listing it. If I have play-graded the record I will usually only give a brief description of how the record looks (i.e. not a visual grading). The grading in the listing will be a play-grading and may be slightly different from the grading that the record would receive from a purely visual inspection. Most vintage records are not 100% perfectly flat and so I will only mention this aspect if it is very significant or has an impact on the way the record sounds. If I haven't play-graded the record, it will be given a visual grading.

Play-grading MONO records: Mono records and stereo records have different grooves. A stereo record produces a stereo sound via both lateral and vertical groove modulation whereas a mono record is not intended to produce any sound from vertical modulation. Playing a mono record with a stereo cartridge will create distortion because it is trying to pick-up the vertical (stereo) part of the signal, whereas this is not intended to be heard on a mono record and so is just noise.  Using a pre-amp with a mono switch will eliminate the noise caused by vertical modulation leaving just the lateral groove signal which is how the record was intended to be heard. Based on the assumption that most people choosing to listen to a mono record will have the right equipment to listen to it, I play all mono records via a pre-amp with a mono switch.  My play-grading is based on how the record sounds when played through a mono switch. If you do not have a mono switch on your amp or pre-amp you will be reproducing the noise from the vertical part of the signal and so the record will not sound as good. This is not any fault of the record, it is inherent to playing any mono record through a system that it was not designed for.

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I have some very simple terms and conditions. Please read them and ensure that you understand them before bidding. Thank you.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• My items are fully guaranteed - if it is not as described you can return it for a full refund, including postage. Refunds for visually graded records which are returned based upon the buyer's assessment of the record's playgrade, will not include postage costs in either direction.
• Your bid is binding, so please make sure you have READ and UNDERSTOOD the WHOLE LISTING before you bid. I will not accept returns where the buyer has not read or not understood something which is stated/shown in the listing.
  
• I accept Paypal and postal orders (in UK Sterling GBP) for all purchases.  I also accept cheques (in UK Sterling GBP) on orders OVER £50.
• Please pay for your item within three days of the auction closing. If you are intending to bid on other items and wish to pay when they have closed, please contact me to let me know. I reserve the right to cancel any transactions and offer the item to the second highest bidder if no contact or payment is made within three days.

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POSTAGE & PACKING

I care about the records I sell and believe that they need to be carefully and securely packaged to ensure that they survive their journey through the post. Vinyl is removed from the sleeve for posting and the contents will be protected with rigid cardboard stiffeners. Packages are labelled "Do not bend" and securely sealed with "FRAGILE" parcel tape.

I support the use of recycled materials and so I may sometimes use recycled packaging. If you wish your item to be sent in entirely new packaging please let me know before paying for it. Thanks.

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P&P charges

My P&P charges are 'totally transparent'. Please read below and if you have any questions about P&P costs please contact me BEFORE you bid. Thank you.

Sending items costs more than just the stamps on the package, but I try not to charge more for packing and posting your item than it actually costs me to do so. I need to cover the cost of packing materials, plastic sleeves, new inner sleeves (where applicable), transportation, fees and charges associated with sending the item (including fees incurred to receive the cost of postage and, where applicable, currency exchange) etc. To cover some of these expenses I add a nominal figure to the basic cost charged at the post office athough the actual cost to me is always higher than this. I do not view P&P costs as a means of making money.

To quote an exact cost for every LP is difficult because of the wide variance in weight (e.g. Abbey Road weighs around 230 grams whereas Led Zeppelin III weighs around 390 grams). But the majority of single LPs, when packed, will weigh around 550 grams and I have based my P&P rates on this.

Double LPs will be charged as two LPs, triple LPs will be charged as three LPs. Box sets etc will be charged according to weight.

If, when you receive your item, there is a significant discrepancy in your favour, please contact me and I will refund the difference.

UK P&P costs

I offer three UK services. I DO NOT offer 'click and collect', 'collection in person' or FREE postage, so please do not select these options if they appear in the invoice.

UK Standard service - Items valued up to £20 are sent using either Hermes courier or Royal Mail Second class. Usually delivered within 3-5 days of despatch.

For items or combined purchases valued above £20 I use the following service, so please wait for my invoice:

UK First class recorded post. The cost for one to three LPs is £5.20. Usually delivered within one day of despatch.

For more than three LPs please enquire before bidding.

UK Special Delivery - Any order valued over £80 will be sent fully insured using Royal Mail Special Delivery (next day delivery guarantee) and the total cost of this will be £9.35 for one to four LPs and £12.00 for five or more LPs . Please wait for my invoice before paying.

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Airmail (tracked and/or signed) to any country OUTSIDE the UK

Europe

First LP or 12" = £13.60, each additional LP or 12" add £2.20.

Rest of the world (anywhere outside Europe)

First LP or 12" = £17.50, each additional LP or 12" add £3.80.

Please note that overseas orders outside the EU need a customs declaration with the value of the package.

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 If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.