DAVID BOWIE Ziggy Stardust RARE Genuine 1st Press UK LP

	£		141
	$		187

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: DAVID BOWIE

Album Title: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Producer(s): David Bowie & Ken Scott.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Five Years; Soul Love; Moonage Daydream; Starman; It Ain’t Easy.

Side 2: Lady Stardust; Star; Hang on to Yourself; Ziggy Stardust; Suffragette City; Rock n Roll Suicide.

Label/Format: RCA Victor – Original genuine first orange pressing with the ultra shiny, glass smooth finish. Importantly this has the ‘Titanic Music’ credits which indicates a first pressed 1972 copy. [Pressed on real high quality vinyl – NOT DYNAFLEX!] (Please see my label pictures). Also, hopefully the highly-prized, rare ultimate first pressing matrixes and stampers can be seen as well. Yes this is amongst the very first ever issued with the -1E / -1E stampers.

Label Conditions: Both immaculate almost as new. Definitive and ultra attractive with hardly a spindle trace to be seen, both surfaces have an incredible fresh sheen and appear almost unhandled. What a joy to offer and own one of the most famous albums of all-time as a genuine first pressing and in great condition.

Cat Number: BGBS 0864.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Warps: Assume all records I offer have no warping of any significance and all tracking is easy and effortless and should play on all turntables and even ‘budget’ decks.

Weight of this Record: 152 grams. My heaviest ‘Ziggy’ ever. [These days, many modern Audiophile reissues are pressed on super-heavyweight 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of ‘vintage vinyl’ was ever pressed this heavy. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged around 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and averaged more around 115 – 125 grams. Some records pressed around 1973 were very thin and light due an oil crisis and shortage around this time. Some records were even issued on recycled vinyl from this period and sounded poor with crackle and surface noise evident from the very first play. If any record I buy is deemed ‘recycled’, I will never offer it, I have a very simple test to detect these records if I suspect this to be the case other than audible imperfection. Some records from this period were even pressed on other materials the most notable was ‘Dynaflex’, used by RCA around this time. Although inferior to vinyl, this at least mostly sounded reasonably acceptable but pressings on this material were wafer thin and flimsy. Beyond the 70s, records often became thinner and lighter still but most played fine but were never quite the quality as from the ‘Golden Era’]. (This was based on ‘average’ weights for 20 records from these eras. Later pressings were usually lighter still).

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: First pressings from 1972 on the RCA Victor label are scarce, make no mistake. This copy is pressed on proper vinyl, NOT Dynaflex. This is easily determined as RCA orange copies pressed on the stuff had the word ‘Dynaflex’ printed on the labels – they are best avoided, they usually sound terrible and are not audiophile standard. The price guides seem to value ALL RCA copies the same which is plain stupid. The title itself is fairly easily found but most are later pressings, often pressed on Dynaflex or imported wafer thin US pressings. The majority on RCA International with different coloured labels or matt finished orange RCA’s, the true original super-smooth, glossy labels are far more elusive. A heavy pressed UK example with the -1E/-1E matrixes in lovely conditions will rarely be found. For those who bought this album when first released, most played them into the ground and finding originals that play somewhere near perfect are incredibly difficult. The more discerning collectors who do own the first made pressings will rarely want to part with them – and why would they? Not only that, the cover is a nightmare for rubbing and ringwear, when was the last time you saw this album with a cover like this? Also, the very delicate lyric inner is near immaculate also and for a change, unsplit or torn and devoid of creasing and that is near impossible. This record is 37-years-old for goodness sake, how many will ever be found like this? Only one in a thousand copies of this title will be found in such conditions, I occasionally see this at fairs but invariably the cover is heavily worn and tired looking, the lyric inner often missing or so tatty and torn it’s hardly worth having and the records worn and clearly heavily played. Often US pressings or Dynaflex copies that sag in the middle, pressed so thin you can almost see through them. This Bowie masterwork is up there with the best I have ever seen and collectors will know just how difficult this one is. For fans needing this album or an upgrade, a better one as a genuine -1E/-1E first pressing will never be easy, do not lose this outstanding, and genuine first pressed example.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: BGBS 0864-1E / BGBS 0865-1E

Stamper Codes: A1 AW / A1 AK

Musicians: David Bowie – vocals, guitar, saxophone; Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals; Trevor Bolder – bass guitar; Mick Woodmansey – drums.

Brief Info: The most suprising statistic about this groundbreaking masterpiece is the fact it only made number 5 in the UK and a lowly 75 in the US for without doubt this is one of greatest albums ever made. It’s totally timeless and its popularity and charisma only strengthens as it ages (a bit like the man himself). Bowie’s ability to reinvent himself has allowed the singer to follow a fascinating career. The blend of rock star persona and alien creature defining Ziggy Stardust was probably his greatest creation. Buoyed by the support of legendary guitarist Mick Ronson, Bowie produced some of his finest songs, from the raucous ‘Suffragette City’ to the prophetic ‘Rock n Roll Suicide’, also arguably his finest ever song ‘Starman’ which never fails to astound - the singer would famously declare Ziggy dead during a live concert. Science fiction was combined with the love of theatre to bring a visual nature to an album that remains central to Bowie’s wide-ranging catalogue. The opening song is blood-chilling: the apocolyptic ‘Five Years’ is bleak in its intensity and pulls no punches lyrically as planet Earth is dying ‘…With just five years left to cry in’. It boasts one of the most famous covers in music history too - can any record collection ever be complete without a copy of this record? This copy on offer is strong – the record has one hairline mark on side two but has no sound. A couple of three light clicks are evident mainly on joining grooves in a couple of places but practically all the music is immaculate and sounds stunning as you would expect and want from the ultimate first pressing. The cover, never laminated is always seen worn and rubbed as is the frail illustrated inner, very thin paper always makes this seen torn or split or worse. You will be hard pressed to find either better than these. Finding a clean and hardly played record is a massive bonus - this is a superb set and it plays beautifully with little unwanted. Remember also, this was purchased by many young fans of the time – he had great schoolgirl ‘teen’ appeal at this time of course with his spectacular ‘glam-rock’ image – few were discerning hi-fi buffs and so many of the early pressings were played on less-than-worthy record players, hence so many early copies are in poor condition. Such record players ofen were used to play 45rpm singles, often stacked and arms weighted with coins to stop then skipping – all true – most of a similar age to myself would remember and seen them. Needles worn down to stubs or chipped and grinding into delicate grooves – it makes you cringe these days even thinking about it, but it was almost normal for the time. Few ever protected their covers either and the inners got destroyed. This rarest original has suffered no such abuse or heavy treatment. Bowie gave the world Ziggy – the Starman – and one of the most famous catch-phrases ever to burst-forth from any record – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’! This was his route to superstardom.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+.

Cover Grade and Format: Even with a few very light surface creases that hardly show, I am more than happy to grade this famous cover Mint(-) (or as close at they really get). There is practically no wear to any surface and that is near impossible to find on the first made. A single unlaminated format that has the RCA Victor logo (NOT INTERNATIONAL) as seen on many reprinted repressings. This has the SF 8287 (LSP 4702) number and it was printed and made in England by Robert Stace. Only 1972 pressings had the’ GEM’ logo and NO Mainmain underneath. These came in 1973. Please see this logo in close-up and please note, the marks around this area are NOT creases or scratches. Simply part of the graphic of course. This includes the very fragile, thin paper lyric inner.

Cover Front: As stated above, a couple of very light surface creases that are so fine they have not disturbed any ink. Those apart, and they hardly even show anyway, there is little else to fault with any marks or blemishes being minuscule. Rich dark colour as the originals should have, this has not faded on iota and looks little handled. This was made with thinnish card so there is a a faint trace of record impression but absolutely no ringwear or rubbing. Clean, fresh and scuff-free, this famous front is definitive and it will prove very hard to find much better. If you see the word ‘International’ or the ‘Mainman’ logo on this cover, its a later printing/pressing, post 1972.

Cover Back: Practically the same as the front, even better if anything and the lack of rubbing and ringwear is a massive bonus, both sides look superb. Again a faint record impression near the top.

Top Edge: Unworn.

Bottom Edge: Unworn.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with barely any traces of wear and no feathering. Not quite straight nearer the top but only notices when viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge.

Spine and Text: The spine is exceptional and looks practically ‘as made’. Solid, straight, uncrushed, uncompressed and square. All text is perfect and unworn and it will also be difficult to find much better. Hope my pictures show the pristine Mint text and beautiful shape.

Corners: All four again almost as made with barely any traces of wear. All retain amazing crisp pointed shape and superb definition.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this ultra famous but somewhat wear-prone 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find significantly better. A fairly flimsy cover made this fairly thin card that is ruthlessly uncompromising. This beautiful item should please most-all collectors.

The Inner: Mint(-), close to Mint. Made with ultra thin paper and unlined, this is rarely seen unsplit or torn but this one is just that. There is not even any stressing to the edges that remain as solid as manufacture day – guaranteed NO repairs – this is almost impossible to find with all the edges as new. This copy was owned by an audiophile hi-fi connoisseur, he even placed a Japanese anti-static soft inner inside this. Probably the reason the edges have survived intact - few ever will. Clean, fresh and devoid of noteworthy creasing, even the recessed top opening is pristine with no bending or burring. Very slightly darkened with age but only very mildly so. The heavy record has left little impression and this sublime inner will again be nearly impossble to find much better. Again beware of substitutions from later copies that were a much brighter shade of white. This original again has the ‘Titanic Music’ and only the GEM Production credits.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX to EX+, there are very light and fine surface marks and a very fine hairline on the first song and one longer one on side two. Practically everything is superficial and has no sound. Just a very few ultra brief light clicks were noticed between a couple of songs that have nothing to do with the hairlines. Possibly a tiny pressing mark but so small I cannot see it. Overall a very fine visual copy that is intense black, very shiny and heavily pressed – my heaviest Ziggy yet. A copy only lightly played on all the evidence, of that I am certain. The lack of spindle marks on the labels would suggest no plays, but that proves nothing and it clearly has been played, but not much. Often records had the odd light mark even from new, all buyers will have seen than – I had to return a fair number back in the 70s as some pressing standards dropped. Remember these things were handled in manufacture and packing and blemishes happened. I reitterate, these marks are fine and almost totally superficial and have no impact on sound. In fact this record plays beautifully and was a thrill to listen too. Visually a super record that should please many, if not most collectors again – maybe just below connoisseur standard but maybe those prized matrixes will help?

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 snippetts 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 superb and genuine first pressed record plays even ABOVE its high visual grading with very little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is astonishing with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Nothing will ever beat a first pressed vinyl copy of this classic album. The sound is so clean with details any CD collector will have certainly not have heard before. The sounds just flow with crispness and real sonic power – the pace and rhythm is second-to-none and the Starman could almost be in the room with you. Few surface sounds just the very few low-level ticks as mentioned above, these are mainly on non-music areas with the odd tiny exception. Overall an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly intense and demanding album. Later pressings of this were variable and avoid those wretched Dynaflex copies at all costs. The sound on the original analogue recording is definitive and this can be played loud, as the cover suggests, with high confidence. Few copies will match or outperform this earliest of pressings I feel sure. If absolute dead silence is mandatory, well the CD version is an option but miss-out on one of rock’s most famous ever albums as it should be heard. The odd minor blemish, yes, how many records this age won’t have the odd click or crackle trace? It’s a 37-year-old vinyl record and the format seldom escapes entirely for all the reasons mentioned above. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been clearly well stored and carefully handled, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Practically nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – time has not changed this one, a real pleasure to view and hear. This copy could prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’!

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 with Ittok Mk IV arm and Ortofon Samba Moving Coil cartridge (tracks at 1.8 grams). Amps: Naim Nait 5i with Project USB phono stage and Chord interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional Moth vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

POSTING & PACKING: What You Get: To confirm to the strict Ebay rules on shipping, I must now send ALL my packets out ‘Signed-For’ with NO exceptions. Both buyers and sellers want their packets to have a safer journey and this is no bad thing. Also: any item with a value over £40 will have to be insured as well, but for any item that sells for over £150, I will pay the extra insurance (then the lower shipping price applies).

I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within three days maximum (unless on holiday). All records are posted in professional boxes (NOT mailers) with the record(s) 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 TWO VERY THICK stiffners for even extra protection – these are FOUR TIMES thicker than commercial stiffners and are custom-made for oneadayrecords. Really rare and expensive albums will be Double Boxed. The cover will be placed within a BRAND NEW heavy duty soft protective sleeve and the actual record will be professionally cleaned on my Moth Pro vacuum system to give ultimate clean grooves and playing surfaces and the best possible looks and ultimate sound quality. Printed address labels are used for clarity as well as a sender label. 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. 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 offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible. I will invoice any winning bidder as soon as possible after the auction ends. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 8 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional. I discount of course of multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per packet. I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included in the advert.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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. (Only for items under £40)

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (Compulsory for items over £40).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA including RUSSIA and nearby countries. (Airmail Only):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £8.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, [£500 Maximum]) = £11.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (any part); Australia; Canada; Japan and other Far East; (Airmail Only: I NEVER use Surface Mail):

1 LP, value less than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£39 maximum]) = £12.

1 LP, value greater than £40 (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500 Maximum) = £15.

For items that sell over £150, I will pay the insurance, so the lower shipping price will apply.

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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, I will cancel any bids I feel are timewasters. 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 minus the Posting and All Ebay costs as long as the item detail has been read and understood. I will not refund if any defect detail is clearly stated on the advert and missed by the buyer. If any overseas collector does not understand anything in my listing, please email and ask me to help.

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 neccessarily 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’.