LED ZEPPELIN IV Rarer Orig UK 71 Atlantic Plum EX++ LP

	£		103
	$		136

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Artist or Band: LED ZEPPELIN

Album Title: Led Zeppelin (IV).

Producer(s): Jimmy Page.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Black Dog; Rock and Roll; The Battle of Evermore; Stairway to Heaven.

Side 2: Misty Mountain Hop; Four Sticks; Going to California; When the Levee Breaks.

Label/Format: Atlantic – Original red and maroon (‘plum’) format. There are subtle variations in the text on some of these labels. Being honest, it interests me little. I prefer to concentrate on conditions and audio quality which I consider far more important. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean and attractive with only light to light+ and faint spindle marks and no wear around the hole area. Any handling traces are faint and minor and both are really fresh, without doubt, this copy has not been played or handled many times.

Cat Number: 2401012.

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: 121 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 135 to 145 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, many 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 50 records from these eras.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Much scarcer on the plum labels, a later issue on such and soon to be changed to far more common orange and green ‘Kinney’ format. The inner sleeve and covers both changed in appearance too. What I find hard also is to find a copy of this that will nigh-on perfect. I am certain these early pressings were mass-produced at speed to meet demand and pressing standards are often variable. This classic album is often marred by crackle and surface noise and so many were played to destruction and sound terrible. Finding lightly played ‘Plums’ is far harder and this one plays beautifully. So-much-so, it’s the first one of these I have offered for some time as several I have hard have not passed by stringent audiophile standards. If a record does not please, why should it please others? This copy passes in all departments – cover, inner and record – all of which are fragile.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 2401012 A // 3 1 4 1 & 2401012 B // 4 1 1 5

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘PECKO DUCK’ & ‘PORKY’

Musicians: Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica; Jimmy Page – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin; John Paul Jones – synthesiser, bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin, recorders; John Bonham – drums. Guests: Sandy Denny – vocals; Ian Stewart – piano.

Brief Info: After the issue of three sublime albums already, how could this legendary band get even better? - well the answer was with this untitled album, always known as IV. It’s unscripted sleeve design suggested anonymity, but nothing was left to question over this album’s content. Led Zeppelin were never so stident as on ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and ‘Black Dog’, two selections of undiluted brilliance. The blues standard ‘When the Levee Breaks’ is massively powerful, particularly through John Bonham’s thunderous drumming, and the group’s love of folk forms surfaces on the graceful ‘Battle of Evermore’, complete with cameo from Fairport Convention’s Sandy Denny and the beautiful mandolins. ‘Stairway to Heaven’ has, of course, become the album’s best-known track, but the anthem-like stature it has since assumed should not obscure its groundbreaking companion selections. This album left much of heavy metal, and indeed rock itself, trailing in its wake. This album charted at 1 in the UK and 2 in the US and has become an evergreen classic of huge stature and remains as popular and in demand as when first issued. Conditions for collectors is always an issue. These monolithic masterpieces were so often played into destruction and so many fail to please when played on modern highly clinical equipment. The finer grooves on this album often meant just a tiny fine mark or light scratch sounded more freely than on earlier albums. The perilous final seconds of ‘Stairway’ often meant arms being lifted prematurely resulting in scratches on those ultra fine innermost grooves with annoying clicks ruining those vital last few words. Finding a copy that gives that ultimate audio satisfaction is challenging and so many crackle either with mediocre pressing quality or over-playing on old record players. Covers often seen tatty and tired looking, often grubby, rubbed, ringworn and creased. The originals are matt finished and they do not wear well unless kept and handled carefully. The inner sleeve is even more prone to wear and damage and few are ever seen devoid of major splits and tears. So many applied cleartape to the edges just to stop them splitting. The card so soft and frail, many were split when purchased due to record movement to the shops. Often the tape has fell off over time and left bands of residue and that does not look nice either – we have all seen them. This copy on offer has little to fault in all departments and could just be the copy you have been waiting for. Sound is my number one priority and this delivers beautifully. At last, a copy that most collectors can consider with high confidence.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High.

Cover Grade and Format: EX++ and one of the best all-round examples I have seen for quite some time. A matt finished non-laminate gatefold format. Printed and made in England and including the original darker unlined inner.

Cover Front: This front looks fantastic and devoid of the usual rubbing, creasing and grubbiness most seem to attract. Any marks on this are few and ultra faint and fine. With normal viewing, this looks as close to ‘perfect’ as they ever get and truly, this is one to cherish.

Cover Back: Pretty much the same again, a tiny few light surface marks seen under light, but this really will take some beating. Being a very late ‘Plum’ album, a lot of this had Kinney stickers put on the back, not this one. The lack of ringwear is great news too. With so many looking tired, shabby and grubby, this one is like a breath of fresh air.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Barely any real wear but a little, what appears to be glue residue marks near the top (above the lantern-holder’s head). Almost certainly minor smears from manufacture on the seams, hardly unusual and only small and minor anyway. Few handling traces and still looking very nice indeed, if these minor blemishes are an issue, do not bid.

Top Edges: Both look little short of as made. Highly unusual to see these so straight and devoid of wear.

Bottom Edges: Any rub traces are tiny, few and faint, again being the resting edges, they are exceptional.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, very sharp with no wear or feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this back edge.

Spine and Text: Very solid, straight, barely compressed and square, both right edges meet up perfectly together and parallel. The artwork is barely worn at all and very clean too, there was no text printed here (or anywhere on the cover).

Corners: Very tiny end rubs to the spine and even smaller on the right four and all retain very fine to excellent shape.

Cover Summary: A very strong all round example of this very fragile early 70’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. This beautiful item should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner: EX++ and truly an exceptional one. This is immensely fragile and that’s not putting to finer a point on the fact. Made with very soft card that is very thin and very prone to wooliness. So often seen reinforced with clear tape, often removed to leave ugly staining on the seams. The difference with this one is, the owner put the record inside a polylined cover to protect both inner and record. Always sound advice of course. With such care and good sense, this is as clean and fresh as when made and very unusually all the edges are intact and unsplit. Just the very centre of the bottom shows very slight stress from movement that the owner said was there when purchased. It has NOT penetrated. The two side edges are as solid as when they left the manufacturer and with NO repairs. The top opening is also immaculate with not even a burr trace or thickening, that is massively unusual, but as it was used as such, as you would hopefully expect. Both flipbacks used for construction are pristine and totally undamaged or lifted. There are just two fine manufacture creases on one edge, it will be more than obvious to the winning bidder these are simply as made. Unfaded, unworn, crisp and hugely attractive, this unlined soft card inner is almost as good as they get. Remember, later ones are more robust and much paler in colour so beware of substitutions.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EX++, A superb visual copy that is super clean, shiny, intense black and solidly pressed. A copy with minimal plays on all the evidence and any surface blemishes are ultra fine, few and faint. Most even fainter than hairlines with just the odd one or two of those. Realistically, few of these will ever look much better, one that has avoided many plays and certainly with care when it was. A keeper-copy that is unlikely to need upgrading, this classic will last indefinitely when played on quality lightweight equipment. Visually a super record that 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 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 timeless classic plays even above its high visual grading with nothing to fault – and how glad I am to be able to state that. So often I am less than impressed with even clean looking copies of this title. I am sure mass production did not help, crackle and surface noise is so common and ruins the real pleasure of these lovely songs, especially the more gentle acoustic ones. This beauty offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear and sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing – especially for this title which can often crackle and disappoint. Few copies will match or outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. 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. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record. The details, dynamics, grace and power of these wonderful songs via the original analgoue format cannot be matched or beaten. All is fully focused and sharp with no pressing sounds or clipping. When heard at it’s best, this is an album of immense beauty and it’s hardly any wonder most collectors want this in their collection. This copy will prove very difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. Do not lose this one.

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 QED Silver terminated cable). 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.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET - PLEASE SEE MY TYPICAL PACKING BOX PICTURE.

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 Moth 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 thick boxes (NOT Mailers or Cruciforms, these do not offer maximum protection). 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 THREE or EVEN FOUR 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. 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. Please see my picture of a typical finished box packet that will now be used on ALL transactions as from now. 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. These boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffners 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 6,000+ items sold in over 8 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 stiffners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 3 or 4 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FOUR records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

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.

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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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: 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. 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 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’.