DAVID BOWIE Aladdin Sane SUPERB ORIG UK 73 EX LP + Inner.

	£		45
	$		60

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

PLEASE NOTE: Overseas packets that go through the customs system, can take up to 4 to 6 weeks to process and deliver, this IS normal. For Russia, this can take even longer and is out of my control, so please be patient.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible even yet another Royal Mail price hike, I will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably a little heavier.

Artist or Band: DAVID BOWIE

Album Title: Aladdin Sane

Producer(s): David Bowie & Ken Scott.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Watch That Man; Aladdin Sane (1913–1938–197?); Drive in Saturday; Panic in Detroit; Cracked Actor.

Side 2: Time; The Prettiest Star; Let’s Spend The Night Together; The Jean Genie; Lady Grinning Soul.

Label/Format: RCA Victor – first issue format with the very smooth high gloss (shiny) surfaces.

Label Conditions: Two stunning clean examples and certainly up there with the very best I have seen on this famous Bowie album. Both these labels look practically brand new, they have that very deep orange finish with the full gloss surfaces that are ultra smooth to touch. I am struggling to find a single spindle trace and bear in mind just how popular this album was. This another impressive record from the same collection as the ‘Ziggy’ I am currently offering.

Cat Number: RS 1001 (LSP 4852).

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 124 grams A quite typical weight for this album.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Moderate: in terms of units made and sold, this is not too hard to find. However there are factors to be taken into consideration. Many are later pressings with those glossy labels changed to the matt format. Pressing quality is a major factor also – and by the most important as far as I am concerned. RCA pressings from around 1970 to this time were highly variable in quality. Many were noisy and often had hidden distortions in even the most pristine looking grooves. Try finding immaculate pressings of Jefferson Airplane’s ‘Volunteers’ and Bowie’s ‘Hunky Dory’ – two popular albums, but so many disappoint. Same goes for ‘Ziggy Stardust’ and some of the more obscure RCA albums like the Andy Roberts debut and ‘Fresh Maggots’. These are just titles that spring to mind, there are many others too. This one plays with STUNNING sound and is beautifully recorded, that just makes less than perfect pressings all the more frustrating. Some copies of this album initially included a Fan Club insert, however, this one does not have it. The packaging is also worthy of mention: the main cover is often seen very grubby and cleaner ones are certainly more of a challenge to find and the card inner sleeve often has edge splits and even heavy ring wear. So to sum-up: this is a fairly common album, but the early-pressed ones with the shiny labels that play to the highest standards especially are hard to find when found in clean and hardly worn, unsplit covers. If, like me, sound is the priority, this stunning records delivers.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: CPRY 4543-3T / CPRY 4544-3T

Stampers: A2AD / A2AF

Musicians: David Bowie – guitar, harmonica, keyboards, saxophone, vocals; Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals; Trevor Bolder – bass; Mick ‘Woody’ Woodmansey – drums. Guests: Mike Garson – piano; Ken Fordham – saxophone; Brian ‘Bux’ Wilshaw – saxophone, flute; Linda Lewis, ‘Honey’ Franklin. G. A. MacCormack – backing vocals.

Brief Info: From 1969 to 1973 represented, for me anyway, Bowie at his brilliant best, and this album, his sixth, was the most astonishing climax to his, and the glam-rock era. This is a VERY strong early copy and they are not found so easily as may think. This is a beautifully recorded album with real high-fidelity sound values. Shame sometimes let down by pressing quality, probably rushed out to meet the demand of the fast rising superstar. This plays nigh-on flawlessly and almost left me aghast. All nine of the self-composed tracks are pure Bowie classics, the tenth being a cover of the Jagger-Richards ‘Let’s Spend the Night Together’ – a brilliant version it is too. Any fan of this great artist could hardly fail to treasure this quite magnificent early-pressing of this breathtaking work. No insert, but the record’s delivery of the music is far more important – that is priceless.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): and one that sets a high standard. An unlaminated gatefold format with a matt smooth finish. Made in England by Shorewood. Includes the lyric inner but no fan club insert.

Cover Front & Back: Unlike the music and the great man himself, this cover does not age so well, but this one has remained in very fine condition with barely any wear and any discolouration very mild. The lack of ringwear, creasing or real grubbiness is a huge bonus too. Just one gentle half moon surface crease on the front and any very fine surface marks, dulling traces or blemishes only seen under angled light. Overall, clean and fresh with lovely rich colour – this one of the most iconic covers in rock history.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Superb with little to fault at all, any hint of darkening beyond minor.

Top & Bottom Edges: All four straight and close flat, any hints of rubbing are gentle and light, again with minimal traces of discolouration.

Right Edge(s), and Type: All very clean and sharp and guaranteed untrimmed. Barely any hint of thickening or burring, the record is stored on the back.

Spine and Text: A superb spine: solid and very thick as the early ones were. Straight, uncompressed and folded square, so the edges meet up flush and parallel. Even this spine shows minimal traces of discolouration or ageing which again is unusual. All text is perfect and unworn and there is hardly any surface wear or rubbing at all including the folds that are all unscuffed or chipped.

Corners: All corners are in great shape with hardly any wear. All well defined and neat with excellent or better pointed shape retained with NO dinks.

Cover Summary: One of the 70s most iconic and famous covers. Just holding this one will give pleasure when looking this nice. This highly attractive, little aged example should please many, if not most collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: generally clean with most of any rubbing light. There are small rim rubs on the edge opposite the opening each side, but with many seen with full ring wear and deep rubbing, this has survived well. Also, all edges are unsplit with no repairs, movement slicing of the edges is also commonly seen on this and similar style inners. Generally clean with minimal creasing and a neat opening that is also guaranteed untrimmed.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT to EXCELLENT(+): a very fine visual copy and one that has avoided heavy playing. Many bought by teenage girls on issue and played into destruction on less-than-worthy record players, collectors my age will remember them well. This is clean with a fine shine, intense black and solidly pressed. Even slightly later pressings were much thinner and some even pressed on the dreaded Dynaflex, so thin it bends in the middle. A few fine and faint surface marks seen under light, but purely superficial, side two has hardly anything. I know I have stated this many times, but those hard card unlined inner sleeves are never surface-friendly for the record, and many were scuffed even from day one. There are NO penetrating marks on either side and the sound quality is fantastic. Visually a strong record that should please many, if not 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 snippets 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 classic record plays even above it’s visual grading with practically nothing to fault. Superb high fidelity sound with real punch and incredible dynamics with stunning details. Any surface sounds barely even registered and no pops or clicks were noticed and this is a superb pressing that has a loud and forward – genuinely exciting sound. No rasping pressing noises or distortions, all the vocals and instruments are crisp, focused and precise. Mention of the title track must be made with it’s famous, almost free-form piano break, this has in-the-room quality and realism that will leave any listener breathless. Those tinkling keys have beautiful resonance and clarity, the details embedded in these grooves will never be beaten by the digital format and the details and separation are top-drawer. The depth and dynamics are simply lost on other formats as are the complex vocal parts. This album has the most perfect production and sound qualities, stereo imagery is faultless and this will make any worthwhile system sound amazing. With pressing quality variable, this one was the ultimate pleasure and does this classic nigh-on maximum justice. This too being played on a very sensitive system that reveals all what is good (as well as the bad) on any record and there is nothing bad on this one. Nothing spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record, I enjoyed this immensely. This record will prove difficult to find much better and merits my highest recommendation.

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 Terrarium Black terminated cable). All records I offer on Ebay are cleaned on a professional VPI-17 vacuum machine before play-grading for the cleanest and best possible sound and will include a brand new lined inner and protective cover too. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

PACKING - THIS IS WHAT YOU GET.

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 new VPI-17 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 boxes (NOT Mailers, these do not offer any real protection). The record(s) are 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 at least TWO, 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. When larger boxes are used, 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. 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. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 8,000+ items sold in over 10 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 stiffeners cannot be bent by hand, so what chance 2 inside a box? Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE. I discount of course for multiple purchases with a maximum of FIVE records per box (one double can sometimes be included subject to total weight). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of FOUR days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site and they take the Ebay consequences (a strike or removal from the system). Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £8. (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 [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £3 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: ALL OVERSEAS (non-European) e.g. USA (ANY PART OF); South America; New Zealand; 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: I will cancel any bids I feel are time-wasters. 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 necessarily 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’.