JOY DIVISION Unknown Pleasures RARE Orig TRANSLUCENT LP

	£		130
	$		172

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Artist or Band: JOY DIVISION

Album Title: Unknown Pleasures

Producer & Engineer: Martin Hannett.

Rarity & SPECIAL NOTE: The actual record itself is not overly scarce, it sold fairly well, but this copy is a little special. One of the earliest pressings ever made that can genuinely be called a ‘first pressing’. The definitive proof of this is simple: hold any copy of this record up to direct light – a ceiling light is fine – then what do you see? Most copies will look no different, but as in this case, the record becomes translucent. This means the record will allow light to pass through it and gives a very eerie red glow (please see my picture of this fact). Notice the red hue on my label scan as the light passed over it but the blacknesss on the turntable. Only the earliest pressings were made with translucent vinyl and are very difficult to find. Being honest, I was unaware this first album had this effect, the same as the ‘Closer’ first pressings, but seeing is believing and it has. The red effect is VERY rare and seldom seen, I had to take this without flash as it washed out the effect totally. When seen for real the effect is even more dramatic. Light can pass through what appears to be black vinyl (please see the record on my turntable, it looks like an ordinary black copy) but now takes on a very different red appearance when held to light. Translucent means light can pass through an object but not detail, it’s like semi-transparent but this will only be apparent when held up to fairly bright light. I asked my wife to hold up this record to my ceiling light so I could take the picture to prove this is no lie, I hope the picture does this justice, it looks pretty amazing, even surreal when seen for real. I have other copies of this record in stock, but none are translucent. Regular ‘solid’ black vinyl copies are slightly later pressings but some still very early and many share the same textured cover, so that is NO proof of genuine first-made. Only a tiny percentage were pressed as ‘translucents’. Few exist and these are the true ‘first pressings’. I offered one of these last year, and when something unusual and scarce is seen on Ebay, many others come out of the woodwork to try and cash-in, (not surprisingly in this case), not many others did proving the genuine rarity of this rare piece. Clearly, a copy for the serious Joy Division collector and any connoisseur record fan, these will not be seen or offered often and can be deemed as ‘rare’. It appears the price guides are unaware of this fact. Seeing is believing and this is definitive proof the legendary translucent’s DO exist.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Disorder; Day of the Lords; Candidate; Insight; New Dawn Fades.

Side 2: She’s Lost Control; Shadowplay; Wilderness; Interzone; I Remember Nothing.

Cat Number: FACT 10.

Label/Format: Factory (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both generally clean and attractive, with just a light and faint handling trace on the white side. Spindle marks are only light and fine and show little.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 116 grams. [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).

Original Year of Release: June 1979

Matrix Nos: FACT-10-OUTSIDE 1 A / FACT-10-OUTSIDE 1 B

Stamper Codes: AJ 1 /AK 1

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘A PORKY PRIME CUT’ / ‘STEP’ on side one / ‘A PORKY PRIME CUT’ / ‘THIS IS THE WAY’ on side two.

Musicians: Ian Curtis – vocals, guitar; Bernard Sumner – guitar, synthesizers, bass; Peter Hook – bass guitar, guitar; Stephen Morris – drums.

Album/Band Information: Now recognised as a bona fide classic, this was Joy Division’s classic debut album and few first albums have hit the mark quite like this. Both the band’s only two proper studio releases are definitive gems that should be included in any serious collection. Fronted by the tragic Ian Curtis, a man whose vocal intensity made Joy Division so unique. Rarely has a singer sounded more troubled, moody and at times, desperate, he suffered badly from epilepsy. All his emotion on this album was real which makes both their albums all the more haunting. But amongst the darkness their is a stark beauty to the the band’s music and the listening experience is never bleak. Joy Division had an original sound to their music, drums and bass high in the mix and they often lead, being more dominant than the guitar and keyboards. The lyrics are deeply troubled and complex and Curtis would not discuss their meaning. Clues of his desperate plight went ignored until it was too late. This timeless record proudly stands up there with the all-time greats and always features in any list compiled by critics and buyers alike. A masterwork of unrivalled intensity, power and darkness, it did not sell well initially, charting at only 71 in the UK and not at all in the US, but after the success of the hit single ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, more interest was shown. Hence the extreme rarity of the first-made examples. This album has not aged one iota and with several modern bands sounding quite similar e.g. The Editors, I recommend the younger vinyl fan to listen to Joy Division but be prepared for a fairly unsettling experience. A vinyl gem and as powerful as the likes of The Doors, Velvet Underground and Patti Smith’s first albums. Ian Curtis, one of the last truly great vocalists, a desperate man demanding to be heard, tragically taking his own life after the conclusion of their second album, ‘Closer’. I still remember the day: I was listening to John Peel’s 10 o’clock radio show when he announced his death. John was almost too choked to talk and just played the music for a while. He was really that great, both their only studio albums demand to be heard and enjoyed forever. Joy Division’s legend and popularity fails to diminish, their records are much sort-after and even a full length feature film was released covering their formation and works up to Curtis’s death, and now more recently a full documentary film too. Like their music, this too was a very moving experience. This very early translucent copy, almost certainly even rarer than the ‘Closer’ equivalent, does full justice to his and the band’s memory. You are unlikely to hear a much finer copy, it’s never an easy one as it has several quiet passages but this copy gives a great account of itself. The non-standard semi-transparent vinyl appears not to affect sound like some ‘gimmick’ vinyl can and often does –but was this a ‘gimmick’ anyway, many collectors do not hold their albums up to light bulbs and I would guess many will not even know this record differs immensely depending on the pressing. The cover is delicate, it MUST be kept inside a protective sleeve (provided of course) to keep its good looks. Any rubbing against other albums in a storage rack will scuff and rub the fragile black ink on the finely textured surface. Better still remove the record from the sleeve altogether to avoid ugly ringmarks and grubbiness in the future. This one is a beauty as is the white inner. The next paragraph was written by Colin Larkin about this groundbreaking release, it features in the Virgin top 1000 albums book, it was voted No. 111 best album of all time:

“Joy Division’s music inhabits an eerie, twilight world. Decay and alienation envelop singer Ian Curtis, whose cavernous, but dispassionate, voice belied the intensity he brought to bear. Rolling drum patterns, thudding bass lines and uncluttered synthesizer combine to create a dank, brooding atmosphere, chillingly supporting the songs’ bleak lyrics. Yet listening to Unknown Pleasures is not a depressing experience. The group generate a terse excitement, emphasizing individual strengths and avoiding unnecessary embellishment. Their sense of commitment is utterly convincing and few debut albums can boast such unremitting power”. – A perfect description I can add nothing else too – simply listen to this record whenever possible. Regardless of era or age, this for me, is one of the greatest albums ever made and I strongly recommend it.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: [Unlaminated covers are always the most vulnerable for rubbing, fading, sticker tears and ringwear, gatefolds are more prone still and the darker they are, the more this type of wear occurs and shows. Some sleeves have a textured finish or die-cut shaped edges or ‘windows’. These are even more delicate and the hardest to find in top condition. Fully laminated covers are more resistent to wear but often the laminate ages with dulling, creases and blistering. Many 60s covers have outer flipback construction, these are very vulnerable to damage]. (US covers are the most fragile of all, very rarely laminated and made with thick brittle card that rubs and ringwears badly. Seams and edges split easily). Please see format below to access this cover’s potential for wear and damage.

Cover Condition and Type: Mint(-) and one of the very best examples I have yet had and only my second to include the ultra rare translucent vinyl. A single unlaminated format, printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd. It has a matt finish, made with very soft and thin delicately textured card, it’s very fragile and prone to rubbing, ringwear, tears and scuffing. It comes with the unlined inner.

Cover Front & Back: Remember even the slightly later printings of this cover were smooth and untextured and look and feel very different. Only the early copies were textured but NOT all the records inside were translucent (and that’s not putting too fine a point on it) – these connoisseur pressings are very special and had only very limited distribution – they are rare, make no mistake. This cover is a gem: very clean, fresh and highly attractive with any traces of rubbing or marks very light and few – hardly any infact. The front has practically nothing to fault at all with barely even a crease or surface blemish to be seen and the back is pretty much the same. Devoid of any noteworthy creasing (bar couple of edge hairline types), marks with no scuffing and even the entrance edge is very sharp and neat. The texturing is very pronounced and beautifully made – the flat, more shiny later examples pale into insignificance in comparison. The lack of ‘speckle’ e.g. rubbing to the textured areas which caused white spots is always fantastic news but rare to find and when was the last time you saw this one with no ringwear?. This has avoided it by the most careful of storage with the record stored out of the cover. It has clearly received modest handling and been supremely well protected since new, without doubt one of the best ‘Pleasure’ covers I have yet seen for some time – well being honest, possibly THE VERY BEST EVER.

Top & Bottom Edges: Both practically as made and any wear is microscopic. Devoid of scuffs and no wooliness, splitting or weakening of the fragile card. Try to find these better.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no burring, wear, no feathering. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: The spine is superb and has no rubbing. Solid, straight and for a change, no compression. All text is pristine perfect and unworn and never take this for granted on this unforgiving cover.

Corners: All super-neat and sharp with barely any traces of wear or noteworthy creasing.

Cover Summary: A near reference standard example of this very fragile late 70’s cover, one that will prove near impossible to find much better. With both sides not even showing a single fingermark on the critically revealing matt black surfaces, this goes beyond unusual. And speaking from experience, when fingersmarks get applied to this cover, they will not come off. I have scutinised this very close too for touch-ins, and truthfully, I can see NO evidence of any whatsoever. Seldom seen with so few visual blemishes or wear, this beautiful fresh original item should please most-all collectors – even the connoisseur collector can consider this one.

The Inner: Mint(-), unlined with ALL closed edge unsplit or torn - this is so unusual, many were split on purchase with the sharp rimmed vinyl often sawing through in transit to the retailers. Overall, clean and attractive, devoid of grubbiness and any marks minuscule. There is a faint hint of a semi-crease on one corner but look hard to seen it. Overall, freash and attractive and it will prove immensely difficult to find better.

Vinyl Visual Grading: Graded EX, this is a fine example. There are very fine surface marks and the odd hariline or two, these have NO sound of course. There is one tiny mark at the very start of the final song that has a couple of mild clicks but these were the only two I noted on the entire album this rare pressing plays beautifully. Very clean and shiny, solidly pressed and appearing a normal black colour – but as outlined above, this is the rare red translucent first pressing. Again I refer to my picture that shows the eerie red semi-transparent vinyl, conclusive proof of an elusive first press – I can now imagine many owners of this record will be holding their copy to light to check this out – only a tiny percentage of these will show light through, these pressings are rare and elusive and I feel sure most will end-up disappointed. This record has been only modestly and it plays with fantastic sound as described below, it should please 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 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: A copy that plays even above its visual grading with practically nothing to fault. The audio reproduction is wonderful as most first pressings usually are. Joy Division always sound better on vinyl - the bass and drum power more defined and intense than CD versions. Ian Curtis’s forward vocals will send a shiver down the spine, that’s how he wanted to be heard. This copy plays with barely any unwanted sounds – the couple of brief clicks at the start of the final song the only blemishes I really noticed and it will match or blow most others away. The sound of the smashing bottle on ‘I Remember Nothing’ is incredibly realistic with incredible impact on the ear. Ultra clear, distortion-free audio with massive dynamics and detail and with a superb intense production that does the songs full justice. Overall a strong sounding copy of this masterpiece and it’s amongst the best I have heard. Finding a copy that plays dead silent throughout is a tough ask, not an era of outstanding vinyl quality being honest, but this I feel will please most-all fans and collectors. This record sounds absolutely AWESOME on my LP12!! – a real gateway into the recording studio itself, the music and Curtis simply takes over. This gave me than rare tingle factor and I am sure it will to you too. High recommendation is mandatory, this remains one of my personal favourite albums of all-time, the rarity of the translucent vinyl should appeal to the fans and serious collectors but the music is eternal for all.

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: I now offer the fastest possible posting, mostly the very next day after payment is received or within 48 hours maximum. 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 thick stiffners for even extra protection. 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 and well as 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 NOT surface mail abroad. I never make 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, with the total costs including ‘standard’ or ‘optional extra insurance’ P&P – ALL UK and Russian packets go out non-negotiable Recorded Delivery. My ‘loss’ or ‘damage rate’ is less than 0.1 per percent based on over 4,000+ items sold in over 7 years of Ebay trading and I consider that pretty exceptional.

PLEASE NOTE: I will now only send packets to Russia with Recorded Delivery at a cost of £7 per single LP. If this is unacceptable to Russian collectors, please do not bid. I only want my records to arrive safely and this gives packets a better chance to do so. Also ALL UK packets will be sent with either Recorded or Special Delivery as standard (both have to be signed for). All shipping costs and rules can be found after my description. If they are not acceptable, please do not bid.

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 & OPTIONS:

Posting & Packing: UK & CHANNEL ISLANDS all now sent Recorded Delivery:

1 LP (First Class Recorded Delivery with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) [Signed For] = £4 (OPTIONAL).

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: ALL EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA (NOT RUSSIA, see below) (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £5.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £9 (OPTIONAL).

Posting & Packing: RUSSIA (Recorded Only, if this is unacceptable, please do not bid):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ only £7) = £9 (OPTIONAL extra insurance as above).

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 (Small Packet Standard with Standard Royal Mail Insurance) = £8.

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with included Insurance to Item’s ‘Sold’ Value, £500* Maximum) = £13 (OPTIONAL).

* If Rules allow for that country.

PLEASE NOTE: I always get a Royal Mail ‘Proof-of-Posting’ receipt for ALL packets that are sent out and I am happy to prove this to any customer who wishes to see it via email.

Payment Conditions:

I prefer PayPal or cheque from UK winning bidders. I can accept PayPal from overseas bidders.

The customer can choose their method of shipping with the exception of second class or surface mail overseas – these I will NOT use. The winner bidder chooses his/her posting method and if uninsured is chosen, its their decision and they have to stick with it, I can accept no responsibility if an item is lost in the post. I can only try to claim at standard levels if no enhancement is chosen (£39).

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’.