DAVID BOWIE - BOWPROMO - THE HUNKY DORY SAMPLER - VERY RARE 1971 PRE-RCA PROMO

	£		1,250
	$		1,492

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Lots of items with low buy it now prices, including many with FREE UK P&P!


I haven't got time to play all these records or to grade everything individually and so, they are offered for sale as shown.
Please look at the photographs - all photographs are of the actual item on offer.


And for added peace of mind . . .

. . . All my items have a full money-back guarantee - if it's not as described you can return it for a full refund.
 

But . . . (I know that this should be common sense) . . .

. . . please ensure that you have read and understood the description before buying.

Thank you.


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The recording sessions for the album that would become Hunky Dory took place at Trident Studios in London's Soho between June and August 1971.

Bowie’s contract with Mercury Records expired in June 1971 and his Manager Tony Defries had no intention of renewing it. To help secure a new recording contract Defries arranged the pressing of 500 promotional disks through Gem Records (a small independent record label based in Regent Street, London) containing 'rough mixes' of seven songs by Bowie on side A and five tracks by Dana Gillespie on side B.

Because the LP came with a plain white cover and had no printed labels, its matrix number (BOWPROMO 1A-1/1B-1) is the only way to identify it. Sometimes called ‘The Hunky Dory Sampler' most of the Bowie tracks on the BOWPROMO LP would later be included on 'Hunky Dory' and 'Ziggy Stardust'. These weren't the final versions of the songs; they were 're-mixed' before their commercial release, and in some cases, such as the vocal for 'Eight Line Poem', parts were re-recorded.

While Ken Scott finished mixing the album in August, Defries flew to New York with copies of the BOWPROMO LP and within days he had signed a deal with RCA.

The earliest copies used by Defries to secure the recording contract had just plain white labels (like this one), some have the album’s name handwritten on them (the original spelling was ‘Hunky Dorie’) and once Bowie’s RCA contract was signed and the promo record was no longer required, the remaining copies were labelled up with a Gem Records label and handed out as gifts to friends and musicians linked to Gem.

This is a complete, early example with plain white labels, tri-flipback plain white outer cover and plain inner sleeve with ‘Made in England’ and the patent number on it. The cover and sleeve have some mild signs of age and use but no splits, tears or damage. The labels have a few minor marks and light spindle marking suggesting that the record was not played very often. The vinyl has a few hairlines and fine marks, but nothing significant and play-grades around Excellent.

This is a unique opportunity to own a piece of musical history - the record that got David Bowie signed to RCA Records and kick-started his rise to Superstardom.

Please check out my other items.

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Information about descriptions and gradings.
All photographs are of the actual item you will get. Where gradings are given these are based on the UK RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING SYSTEM. This grading system differs from some other grading systems, in particular the Goldmine grading system. Please make sure that you are familiar with the UK record collector grading system before you bid or buy.

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I have some very simple terms and conditions. Please read them and ensure that you understand them before bidding. Thank you.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• My items are fully guaranteed - if it is not as described you can return it for a full refund, including postage. Refunds for visually graded records which are returned based upon the buyer's assessment of the record's playgrade, will not include postage costs in either direction.
• Your bid is binding, so please make sure you have READ and UNDERSTOOD the WHOLE LISTING before you bid. I will not accept returns where the buyer has not read or not understood something which is stated/shown in the listing.
  
• I accept Paypal and postal orders (in UK Sterling GBP) for all purchases.  I also accept cheques (in UK Sterling GBP) on orders OVER £50.
• Please pay for your item within three days of the auction closing. If you are intending to bid on other items and wish to pay when they have closed, please contact me to let me know. I reserve the right to cancel any transactions and offer the item to the second highest bidder if no contact or payment is made within three days.

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POSTAGE & PACKING

I care about the records I sell and believe that they need to be carefully and securely packaged to ensure that they survive their journey through the post. Vinyl is removed from the sleeve for posting and the contents will be protected with rigid cardboard stiffeners. All packages are labelled "Do not bend" and securely sealed with "FRAGILE" parcel tape.

I support the use of recycled materials and so I may sometimes use recycled packaging. If you wish your item to be sent in entirely new packaging please let me know before paying for it. Thanks.

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P&P charges

My P&P charges are 'totally transparent'. Please read below and if you have any questions about P&P costs please contact me BEFORE you bid. Thank you.

Sending items costs more than just the stamps on the package, but I try not to charge more for packing and posting your item than it actually costs me to do so. I need to cover the cost of packing materials, plastic sleeves, new inner sleeves (where applicable), transportation, fees and charges associated with sending the item (including fees incurred to receive the cost of postage and, where applicable, currency exchange) etc. To cover these expenses I add a nominal figure to the basic cost charged at the post office. For UK sales I add £1.10, for European sales I add £1.90 and for transactions outside Europe I add £2.30. These are nominal amounts and the actual cost to me is always higher than this. I do not view P&P costs as a means of making money.

To quote an exact cost for every LP is difficult because of the wide variance in weight (e.g. Abbey Road weighs around 230 grams whereas Led Zeppelin III weighs around 390 grams). But the majority of single LPs, when packed, will weigh around 550 grams and I have based my P&P rates on this.

Double LPs will be charged as two LPs, triple LPs will be charged as three LPs. Box sets etc will be charged according to weight.

Depending on the precise weight of your parcel, you may occasionally end up paying a few pence more or a few pence less than it actually costs me, but if there is a significant discrepancy in your favour I will refund the difference.

UK P&P costs

UK Standard service - items valued below £50 are sent using first class recorded post. The cost for this is as follows:

One to four LPs (with a combined total value below £50) = £5.20.

UK Special Delivery - Any order valued over £50 will be sent fully insured using Royal Mail Special Delivery and the total cost of this will be £9.35 for one to four LPs and £12.00 for five or more LPs . Please wait for my invoice before paying.

Any order valued below £10 can be sent using second class standard mail, free of charge.

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Airmail (with tracking and insurance) to any country OUTSIDE the UK

Europe

First LP or 12" = £13.60, each additional LP or 12" add £2.20.

Rest of the world (anywhere outside Europe)

First LP or 12" = £17.50, each additional LP or 12" add £3.80.

Overseas orders weighing more than 2kg or valued over £500 may be split into two or more packages as appropriate so they can be sent using Royal Mail's Small Packet Rate, so please wait for my invoice on larger multiple purchases.

Customs declaration for overseas orders: Please note that for overseas orders outside the EU I need to complete a customs declaration and must enter the value of the package on the declaration.

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 If you have any queries please email BEFORE you bid.