Led Zeppelin IV UK LP 1ST RED/ PLUM A3 / B4 NEAR MINT-

	£		122
	$		162

LED ZEPPELIN - 4

ORIGINAL RED AND PLUM ATLANTIC PRESS

WITH UNIQUE SLEEVE ERROR INSIDE THE GATEFOLD!!

POSSIBLY ONE OF A KIND???

• CATALOGUE:ATLANTIC  2401012
• MATRIX: 2401012 B3 (CROSSED OUT) A//3  1.2  2401012 B//4 1 1 9 
• SIDE ONE DEAD WAX HAS 'PECKO DUCK' ETCHED INTO THE DEAD WAX, SIDE 2 HAS 'PORKY' ETCHED INTO THE DEAD WAX
• NO PETER GRANT CREDITS
• SUPERHYPE CREDITS  
• INCORRECT SPELLING OF MISTY MOUNTAIN HOP (TOP)

I  WANTED TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME DETAILING THE SUBJECT OF AN ORIGINAL FIRST PRESS SLEEVE, BECAUSE OVER TIME SLEEVES AND INNSERS HAVE BEEN SWAPPED ON THIS ALBUM IN PARTICULAR TO THE POINT THAT IF YOU HAVE LITTLE KNOWLEDGE THEN YOU MAY WELL END UP WITH A PLUM AND ORANGE LABELLED DISC SITTING INSIDE A GREEN AND ORANGE LABELS ISSUE SLEEVE. SO I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN WHAT YOU NEED TO BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR

FIRST OF ALL THE SLEEVE ON THE VERY FIRST ISSUES WERE MADE OF A SLIGHTLY THICKER CARD THAN LATER REISSUES, AND THEREFORE IT WAS STRONGER. TAKE A LOOK ON THE INSIDE OF THE OPENING EDGE AND THE CARD USED SHOULD BE A SLIGHTLY LIGHTER SHADE OF BROWN THAN THE CARD USED ON THE LATER ONES. MOST OBVIOUS OF ALL IS THE FACT THAT THE LATER SLEEVES WERE SEMI LAMINATED WHERAS A CORRECT FIRST ISSUE IS DEFINITELY NOT LAMINATED.

THE INNER SLEEVE IS ALSO DIFFERENT, AND IS VERY EASY TO TELL APART FROM ANY THAT HAVE BEEN SWAPPED. THE FIRST ISSUE MUST HAVE FLIPBACKS OVERLAPPING THE EDGES AND STUCK DOWN OUTSIDE OF THE INNER, AND IN ADDITION THE FIRST ISSUE IS A DARKER SHADE OF GRAY THAN REISSUES

I TELL YOU ALL OF THIS SO THAT YOU ARE IN THE KNOW AND CAN AVOID A HYBRID CONCOCTION, EVEN IF THIS PARTICULAR SET IS NOT FOR YOU

THE RECORDS

THE LABELS

THE RED AND PLUM LABELS ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. BOTH BASE COLOURS ARE RICH AND VIBRANT, AND THE WHITEBAND IS  NOT SOILED AT ALL ON SIDE ONE, WHEREAS THERE IS SOME RUBBING TO THE WORD 'ATLANTIC' ON SIDE 2. THE BLACK TYPEFACE IS UNRUBBED AND PERFECTLY LEGIBLE. FINALLY THERE ARE JUST 8-10 TINY SPIDER LINES CLOSE TO THE SPINDLE HOLE SHOWING THAT THIS SUPERB VINYL HAS  HAD LIMITED PLAY SINCE 1971 SOME 40 YEARS AGO. THERE IS STILL SHARDS OF VINYL INSIDE THE SPINDLE HOLE

THE VINYL

THE HEAVYWEIGHT VINYL IS FLAWLESS IN DAYLIGHT AND HAS RETAINED ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL SHEEN AND LUSTRE. ONLY UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE OF PLAY WITH SOME VERY VERY WISPY HAIRLINES VISIBLE BARELY

PLAYING THE RECORD

I BELIEVE THAT IF YOU ARE GOING TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON A FANTASTIC COLLECTIBLE VINYL, THAT YOU SHOULD BE GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR WHAT YOU ARE BUYING. I HAVE THEREFORE INVESTED IN THE SOFTWARE THAT ALLOWS YOU TO DO JUST THAT.

I HAVE RECORDED THE ENTIRE ALBUM FOR YOU TO LISTEN TO BEFORE DECIDING TO MAKE A BID. I NOW DO THIS WITH ALL MY LISTINGS AS I KNOW THAT BIDDERS WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO HEAR THE RECORD BEFORE LAYING A BID. THIS IS A SERVICE I AM DELIGHTED TO BE ABLE TO OFFER MY CUSTOMERS

THE CLARITY OF THIS ALBUM IS PURE FIRST PRESS, AND THE INTRODUCTION TO 'ROCK AND ROLL' IS JUST INCREDIBLE

THERE IS NO DISTORTION TO THE SOUND SHOWING THAT THE FEW PLAYS THE VINYL HAS RECEIVED WAS COMPLETED WITH AN UNWORN AND CORRECTLY WEIGHTED STYLUS

THE VINYL PLAYS BEAUTIFULLY THROUGH BOTH SIDES WITHOUT ANY SERIOUS BACKGROUND CRACKLE

THERE IS THE ODD BIT OF VERY LIGHT VINYL NOISE HEARD ONLY IN THE VERY QUIETEST OF PASSAGES. RIGHT AT THE END OF 'STAIRWAY'

ON SIDE 2 THERE ARE A COUPLE OF TINY DUST POPS AND A LITTLE VERY LIGHT VINYL NOISE HERE AND THERE, AGAIN IN THE QUIETEST MOMENTS IF AT ALL

FOR ME THIS SUPERB VINYL GRADES NEAR MINT MINUS TO NEAR MINT

DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT THOUGH, TAKE A FULL LISTEN AND JUDGE IT FOR YOURSELF

THE SLEEVE

 UNLAMINATED STRONG CARDED ORIGINAL ISSUE SLEEVE. THE FRONT SURFACE IS FLAT AND CLEAN AND HAS NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES

THE COLOURS REMAIN UNRUBBED AND THERE ARE FIVE TINY LINES NEAR THE SPINE. I FELT THEM AS I RAN MY FINGER DOWN THE SPINE EDGE.THEY ARE INVISIBLE OTHERWISE

THERE IS NO RINGWEAR OR EVEN A TRACE OF RECORD SHAPE EITHER.

THE  BOTTOM LEFT CORNER TIPS ARE RUBBED SLIGHTLY

THE TOP AND BOTTOM EDGES HAVE VERY LIGHT SHELF WEAR IN THE FORM OF LIGHT RUBBING. THERE ALSO APPEARS TO BE A SCUFF TO THE VERY BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER WHERE ALL OF THE COLOUR HAS COME AWAY FOR ABOUT ONE INCH INTO THE EDGE

THE SPINE IS IN TOP CONDITION. VITUALLY ALL OF THE COLOUR INTACT WITH JUST THE TOP AND BOTTOM TIPS LIGHTLY

RUBBED

THE OPENING EDGE SHOWS LIGHT WEAR IN THE FORM OF BURRING TO THE EDGES IN SPOTS.

THE REAR SURFACE IS SIMILAR TO THE FRONT. UNCREASED AND ALL OF THE COLOURS INTACT WITH JUST THE BAREST TRACE OF RECORD SHAPE AT THE VERY TOP EDGE, AND ONE TINY MARK JUST BELOW THE TOP EDGE

OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A RATHER UNIQUE ERROR

THE INNER PICTURE IS ACTUALLY TOO SMALL FOR THE SIZE OF THE GATEFOLD. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS BEFORE ON ANY COPY I HAVE HANDLED. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE TOP AND RIGHT EDGES ARE SHORT OF THE EDGE BY A QUARTER OF AN INCH WHICH EXPOSES THE PATTERN THAT IS ON THE FRONT OF THE GATEFOLD

I HAVE NO IDEA OF HOW THIS HAS HAPPENED, I CAN ONLY SPECULATE THAT WHIEVER HAD THE JOB OF FITTING THE INNER PANELS TO THE FLIPBACKS SOMEHOW MISSED, AND IT IS THEREFORE QUITE LIKELY THAT THE LEFT AND BOTTOM EDGES WERE HANGING OVER THE EDGE OF THE SLEEVE AND HAD TO BE TRIMMED. JUST A EDUCATED GUESS THAT THOUGH

WHATEVER THOUGH IT IS A VERY UNUSUAL EXAMPLE OF THIS SLEEVE AND POSSIBLY THE ONLY ONE IN EXISTANCE LIKE IT

THE ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVE IS INCLUDED, WITH THE FLIPBACKS. I HAVE DETAILED AT THE TOP OF THE LISTING WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR THE INNER TO BE A CORRECT FIRST ISSUE AND THIS ONE IS EXACTLY THAT DESCRIPTION

WHAT IS AMAZING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR INNER IS THAT THERE ARE NO CREASES WHATSOEVER. IT IS TOTALLY FLAT AND ALL OF THE SEAMS REMAIN UNSPLIT

THE SLEEVE GRADES NEAR MINT MINUS AND THE INNER SLEEVE MUST GRADE MINT MINUS

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOSE TO GO FOR IT

GARRY