Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna MFSL Test Pressing

$

120

This  record  came  from  our  personal collection 

Stevie Nicks - Bella Donna ultra rare Mobile Fidelity test pressing LP

This auction is for a test pressing of the limited-edition half speed mastered pressing of Stevie Nicks' first solo album, Bella Donna.  Released in 1981, Bella Donna caught the public's fancy, quickly reaching number one on the Billboard charts and providing no less than four hit singles.

AllMusic.com gives the album four and half stars, saying:

Stevie Nicks' solo career was off to an impressive, if overdue, start with Bella Donna, which left no doubt that she could function quite well without the input of her colleagues in Fleetwood Mac. The album yielded a number of hits that seemed omnipresent in the '80s, including the moving "Leather and Lace" (which unites Nicks with Don Henley), the poetic "Edge of Seventeen," and her rootsy duet with Tom Petty, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around." But equally engaging are less exposed tracks like the haunting "After the Glitter Fades." Hit producer Jimmy Iovine wisely avoids over-producing, and keeps things sounding organic on this striking debut.

Because the album was both popular and well-produced, Bella Donna was issued by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs in a limited-edition release. 

Every title ever issued by Mobile Fidelity is collectible in its own right; their pressings from 1978 through 1989 were pressed in Japan by JVC on their proprietary Super Vinyl, an exceptionally resilient, dead-quiet vinyl compound. These records were mastered at half speed; both the tape and the cutting lathe were run at half the normal speed, allowing the cutting head to cut a more accurate groove in the acetate.  The finished product featured dead-quiet vinyl, with improved dynamics, better imaging, and tighter bass.  By their very nature, all of Mobile Fidelity's titles were limited-edition pressings; the company was interested in a high-quality product, rather than a mass produced one.

Many early pressings of albums released by Mobile Fidelity are collectible and often sell for several hundred dollars apiece when they come up for sale.  This particular copy of Bella Donna is even rarer; as it is a test pressing.

Test pressings are pre-production issues intended for in-house use only to test the integrity of the stampers and to make sure that the finished product will sound as intended.  Typically, only a handful of test pressings of any record are manufactured, strictly for record company employees' use in evaluating what will become the finished product.  While it is impossible to know how many copies of a test pressing of such albums exist, it wouldn't be unreasonable to guess that the quantity is less than 20.

THE RECORD

The record is pressed on medium weight, 140 gram vinyl (approx.) using JVC's proprietary Super Vinyl compound.  Aside from a spindle mark or two on the labels, the record has no marks whatsoever and easily grades M-.  It probably hasn't had more than one or two plays.  We grade it at M-.

Stamper numbers in the dead wax are:

Side one:  MFSL-1-121 A3
Side two: MFSL-1-121 B5

The record has custom Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs Test Pressing labels, with the word '“Sample" stamped on each side, along with MFSL-1-121A and MFSL-1-121B stamped on each side, respectively.

This is an original, Japanese-pressed record issued as an American release by MFSL.  It is not a counterfeit or reproduction of any kind.

The record is pressed from beautiful, translucent, quiet, '“Super Vinyl".

The record is an analog recording, and due to the half speed mastering and dead-quiet JVC Super Vinyl, sounds terrific.

THE COVER

The cover is a plain white cover with no markings or writing on it, aside from someone having written 'Stevie Nicks “Bella Donna" on it in ballpoint pen. 

Test pressings of MFSL albums do turn up from time to time, but some titles seem to be more common than others.  We've been collecting Mobile Fidelity albums since the late 1970s, and this is the only copy of a Bella Donna test pressing that we have ever seen.

All in all, a beautiful example of a very rare audiophile and Fleetwood Mac Collectible.

Note: We will be out of town until Friday, August 2.  We will be available to answer email during this time but will not be able to mail any packages prior to that date.

Refund Policy:

We do our best to describe items accurately.  Items may be returned for a refund, less postage, at buyer's expensive within 14 days of receiving the package.   Sealed items may not be returned once opened.  We do not offer partial refunds. 

Packaging:

We use thick cardboard boxes specially designed for LPs and cardboard fillers to ensure records are well protected during shipping.  If your item is damaged during shipping, please contact us so that we may file an insurance claim.

Shipping & Payments:

We ship worldwide, but we do not ship to France, Italy, or South America.

Shipping costs will be calculated after the winning bid is submitted to ensure that costs are accurate depending upon resident's address, the item's weight and type of shipping service.

Combined shipping is available.

Multiple purchases can be consolidated into one shipment. Items must be paid together in a single transaction for the combined rate to apply. Please request an invoice at the end of the auction, so that we may provide you with the discounted shipping rate. We suggest that you wait for us to invoice you first because more than likely your international shipping cost will be reduced from eBay's shipping calculator once we verify the actual weight and adjust the shipping price.

Payment must be completed within 7 days of purchase or auction win. Items ship within 2 business days of receiving cleared payment.

Shipping Services:

-Domestic Flat Rate
USPS Media Mail: $4.00 (2-9 business days/ Includes Delivery Confirmation + Insurance)

-International**
USPS Priority Mail (6-10 business days/ Includes Tracking Number + Insurance)  Please note: This form of shipping is expensive, but is required for international buyers in order to meet PayPal shipping requirements. 


**Please refer to the shipping calculator at ircalc.usps.gov for approximate international shipping rates.

Note for International Buyers
For customs purposes, all items will be declared at closing auction price. Custom delays could be expected on high priced items. Duties and taxes are the responsibility of the buyer.

Customer Service
We appreciate our customers. If you have questions regarding any of our items, please feel free to contact us. Questions are generally answered within 48 hours. If any issues arise, we will be happy to work with you to insure customer satisfaction.  We appreciate 5 star feedback and will do our best to work with you to earn it. Those who leave positive feedback will receive it in return.

Note: We will be out of town until Friday, August 2.  We will be available to answer email during this time but will not be able to mail any packages prior to that date.

Refund Policy:

We do our best to describe items accurately.  Items may be returned for a refund, less postage, at buyer's expensive within 14 days of receiving the package.   Sealed items may not be returned once opened.  We do not offer partial refunds. 

Packaging:

We use thick cardboard boxes specially designed for LPs and cardboard fillers to ensure records are well protected during shipping.  If your item is damaged during shipping, please contact us so that we may file an insurance claim.

Shipping & Payments:

We ship worldwide, but we do not ship to France, Italy, or South America.

Shipping costs will be calculated after the winning bid is submitted to ensure that costs are accurate depending upon resident's address, the item's weight and type of shipping service.

Combined shipping is available.

Multiple purchases can be consolidated into one shipment. Items must be paid together in a single transaction for the combined rate to apply. Please request an invoice at the end of the auction, so that we may provide you with the discounted shipping rate. We suggest that you wait for us to invoice you first because more than likely your international shipping cost will be reduced from eBay's shipping calculator once we verify the actual weight and adjust the shipping price.

Payment must be completed within 7 days of purchase or auction win. Items ship within 2 business days of receiving cleared payment.

Shipping Services:

-Domestic Flat Rate
USPS Media Mail: $4.00 (2-9 business days/ Includes Delivery Confirmation + Insurance)

-International**
USPS Priority Mail (6-10 business days/ Includes Tracking Number + Insurance)  Please note: This form of shipping is expensive, but is required for international buyers in order to meet PayPal shipping requirements. 


**Please refer to the shipping calculator at ircalc.usps.gov for approximate international shipping rates.

Note for International Buyers
For customs purposes, all items will be declared at closing auction price. Custom delays could be expected on high priced items. Duties and taxes are the responsibility of the buyer.

Customer Service
We appreciate our customers. If you have questions regarding any of our items, please feel free to contact us. Questions are generally answered within 48 hours. If any issues arise, we will be happy to work with you to insure customer satisfaction.  We appreciate 5 star feedback and will do our best to work with you to earn it. Those who leave positive feedback will receive it in return.