DAVID BOWIE Ziggy Stardust RARER Orig UK 1972 EX++ LP

	£		29
	$		39

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.25. Europe (including Russia) £12. Rest of World £16. ALL signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes.

NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment. I try to keep my P&P prices as low as possible after the very significant Royal Mail price increases and will never compromise on solid, safe packing.

Album Title: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

Producer(s): David Bowie & Ken Scott.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Five Years; Soul Love; Moonage Daydream; Starman; It Ain’t Easy.

Side 2: Lady Stardust; Star; Hang on to Yourself; Ziggy Stardust; Suffragette City; Rock n Roll Suicide.

Label/Format: RCA Victor - matt finished. Importantly this has the ‘Titanic Music’ credits which indicates a 1972 copy. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with barely any spindle traces at all.

Cat Number: SF 8287 (LSP 4702).

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: 142 grams. Above average and quite possibly my heaviest copy yet. Later ones, as most will know, became very thin and flimsy, often pressed on Dynaflex.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The earliest pressings from 1972 on the RCA Victor label are scarcer than later ones. This copy is pressed on REAL vinyl, NOT Dynaflex. Very easily determined as RCA orange copies pressed on the stuff had the word ‘Dynaflex’ printed on the labels – they are best avoided, they usually sound terrible and are not audiophile standard. The price guides seem to value ALL RCA copies the same which is plain stupid. The title itself is fairly easily found but most are later issues. A solidly pressed UK example with early -2E/-2E matrixes in lightly played conditions will always prove more challenging to find. The matrixes on this example are deeply machine punched and very clear and precise in solid Roman type. This one also has scripted matrixes as well (A /B). -1E matrixes from the same year also exist which I have had a small few times. For those who bought this album when first released, most played them into submission and finding originals that play really well are difficult. Original covers did NOT include the ‘Mainman’ logo on the back that was printed below the ‘GEM’ production. Again this was added quickly after 72. Also, the very delicate lyric inner is seldom seen untorn, split or heavily creased (of a combination of all). This inner again has the ‘Titanic’ credit and no reference to Mainmain. This record, almost unbelievably, is now over 40 years old, and so many of the first issues were often badly treated by younger buyers of the time. Well this one appears very little played, but mention of pressing quality has to be made. RCA after they left Decca were never as good with somewhat variable quality. This album (amongst many others) often suffered with pressing sounds and less than quiet. The only really noticeable blemish on this one is some inherent crackle towards the end of the final song, which I have encountered before, I actually played ‘Rock n Roll Suicide’ first to check, and it was present (but less than previously). There is little else unwanted overall and is purely within the pressing itself. Finding an early Ziggy that plays pristinely is immensely difficult, and given that fact, I thought this more than worthy as few will have a great deal less to fault. It is just one of those things – I can hardly remember the last ‘Hunky Dory’ or ‘Aladdin Sane’ I heard pristine, they all seem to have faults. So overall, this is a nice copy – not perfect, but strong all-round – and they are not easy to find.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: BGBS 0864-2E [SF 8287 A] / BGBS 0865-2E [SF 8287 B] The first deeply punched in block characters. The second [bracketed] are scripted.

Musicians: David Bowie – vocals, guitar, saxophone; Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals; Trevor Bolder – bass guitar; Mick Woodmansey – drums.

Brief Info: The most suprising statistic about this groundbreaking masterpiece is the fact it only made number 5 in the UK and a lowly 75 in the US for without doubt this is one of greatest albums ever made. It’s totally timeless and it’s popularity and charisma only strengthens as it ages (a bit like the man himself). Bowie’s ability to reinvent himself has allowed the singer to follow a fascinating career. The blend of rock star persona and alien creature defining Ziggy Stardust was probably his greatest creation. Reinforced by the support of legendary guitarist Mick Ronson, Bowie produced some of his finest songs, from the raucous ‘Suffragette City’ to the prophetic ‘Rock n Roll Suicide’, also arguably his finest ever song ‘Starman’ which never fails to delight - the singer would famously declare Ziggy ‘dead’ during a live concert. Science fiction was combined with the love of theatre to bring a visual nature to an album that remains central to Bowie’s wide-ranging catalogue. The opening song is the chillingly apocolyptic ‘Five Years’, bleak in it’s intensity and pulls no punches lyrically as planet Earth is dying ‘…With just five years left to cry in’. It boasts one of the most famous covers in music history too - can any record collection ever be complete without a copy of this record? This copy on offer is nice and has fine sound for most-all, but as stated above, has some inherent crackle towards it’s very end with little else unwanted, just the merest trace here and there – blink and you will miss it. So often RCA pressings could disappoint – I almost get fed up stating this – but quality around this time was hugely inconsistent. The record itself is superbly recorded and produced, but sometimes manufacture quality let it down. Often invisible distortions, pressing bubbles, pits and crackle spoil the wonderful sound. This one for most all plays quietly with no pops or clicks but brief crackle here and there towards the end of ‘Rock n Roll Suicide’ – a known pressing issue is found here sometimes. The cover, never laminated is most always seen worn and rubbed as is the frail illustrated inner, very thin paper always makes this seen torn or split or worse. Remember that glam-rock era? – I do – this was one of the definitive records from this period, it was widely purchased by teenage girls of the early 70s, being honest, many did not really know how to look after records, a high percentage of these were played into the ground on low-end, often portable record players. Hence many are seen in unplayable, bordering on attrocious conditions. This one appears very little played with only modest cover wear and a superb inner sleeve that (for a chance) is intact and clean. Bowie gave the world Ziggy – the Starman – and one of the most famous catch-phrases ever to burst-forth from any record – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’! This was his route to superstardom.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: made with thin card and the earlier ones with thicker records inside usually left their (rim) mark freely. Most are seen rubbed, faded, ringworn, badly creased and even torn. Later ones were coated with a more shiny surface and of course these will be seen in better conditions more often. But the matt originals without the Mainmain logo are a far different matter.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(–): a single unlaminated format, made with thin card with matt surfaces. It is very delicate indeed and includes all the attributes of the 1972 printed cover. It has the RCA Victor logo (NOT INTERNATIONAL) as seen on many reprinted repressings. This has the SF 8287 (LSP 4702) number and only the ‘GEM PRODUCTION’ text and logo on back and NO ‘Mainmain’ reference, these came post 1972. Printed and made in England by Robert Stace. It includes the very fragile, thin paper lyric inner.

Cover Front: One of the most famous album covers of all time. A little gentle rim impression and faint rubbing around in places – very mild ring wear in other words – but few will ever escape some. Still clean and attractive with rich colour but there is some creasing near the bottom left corner, also on the top corner opposite. These are moderate, and like rubbing, also hard to avoid totally due to the lack of strength in the card. A little light corner tip rubbing and traces on the bottom edge too.

Cover Back: The back is similar with less creasing and again, only mild rubbing around the thick record’s rim skape. Any marks are few and fine and overall, this is attractive.

Top Edge: A light central rub and mild movement impression. Little overall rubbing, the right corner end apart.

Bottom Edge: Light to moderate rubbing.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, generally sharp with very little wear at all. Barely any thickening and any burr traces few and tiny as viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge which is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, reasonly straight with some compression in places. Practically all text present and unworn which is never guaranteed on a relatively thin spine – this seen on my close-up picture.

Corners: All the cornertips have moderate rubbing with fine to very shape retained.

Cover Summary: Not for the more discerning fan or collector, but I make not light of the fact, this is a very delicate cover as a true original. Never solid and some indeed were actually made thinner than this one. It has some wear, mostly to the edges and some creasing. But for overall looks and appearance, it’s still more than very respectable and many collectors will enjoy it.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): and exceptional. This has the Gem Production credits and is copyrighted by Titanic Music, it includes all song lyrics. This fragile inner is very difficult to find looking this clean and fresh with so little wear or edge issues. Made with thin unlined paper, few survive unsplit and this one is just that and with NO repairs. The top opening is recessed and fragile, it remains very crisp and neat indeed, all sure signs the record has not made the trip out many times. Aged little with minimal traces of adhesive darkening and still white. One small corner crease but that’s about it and for sure, this is one of the best I have seen for some time. Clearly, these inners can and will often be mixed-and-matched, this is the one that came with this copy, again beware of substitutions that do not have the criteria needed to be a first.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): and looks hardly even played with any surface blemishes or hairlines being very few, fine and fain. Most of any minor marks being within the pressing, another trait of this label at this time. Overall, a very clean and still fresh looking example that is intense black, shiny and very solidly pressed at way over average weight. A copy I feel sure has received few plays, reitterated by the label evidence and lack of spindle traces. I am not strictly a spindle-mark counter, but the fewer I see the more I like it, and this one has barely any. A high percentage of this record were bought by young teenagers from the ‘Glam-rock’ era, most would have been played on vintage record players that had little finese and massive tracking weights. This one bucks the trend more and appears little handled at all. Visually a super record that should please 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 more elusive and genuine very early pressed record plays mostly up to it’s high visual grading with very little to fault except the quite brief, but moderate crackle near the very end. This a trait of this particular pressing that I have heard several times before on -1E and -2E (or a combo of both) pressings. The other 10 songs all offers strong, distortion-free sound (never take that for granted on this, or any RCA pressing), all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Regarding distortion (or severe pressing sounds) the invisible menace of even the cleanest, minty looking records. I have heard several examples of this, and other early Bowie albums that have it. I had a genuine first pressed ‘Hunky Dory’ with the laminated cover some while ago. The record sounded terrible, so-much-so, I did not even offer it, and that is a very rare one indeed. RCA records around this time were highly variable, some can play near perfect, some far less so and many somewhere inbetween. Some collectors will know the ‘Fresh Maggots’ album on the same label, this is reputed not to even exist without severe blister marks that make the surfaces look like Brail, and quite frankly, unplayable. And the first Andy Roberts album similar with less than perfect sound. This ‘Ziggy’ has no other significant pressing issues other than crackle near the end of ‘Rock n Roll Suicide’ that is only relatively brief in terms of a full long-playing record. I noted no pops or clicks and that is a bonus, so NO penetrating scratches, pits or bumps to negotiate. In terms of dynamics and detail, nothing will ever beat an early pressed vinyl copy of this classic album even with the odd blemish. The sound is so clean with details any CD collector will have certainly not have heard before. The sounds just flow with genuine power – the pace and rhythm is second-to-none and the ‘Starman’ could almost be in the room with you. There is little else unwanted on this set bar the aforementioned, any other surface sound is gentle, ultra few and brief and given the facts, this is still a very pleasing, hardly played copy. Later pressings of this could be even more variable and avoid those wretched Dynaflex copies at all costs. Few copies will significantly outperform this heavy pressing I feel sure. Play-grading this album is essential, pressing nasties cannot be seen, only heard and often this album will disappoint. Again – this is not perfect – but somewhat above average and not ruined by heavy usage on a primitive record player. The brief crackle at the end apart, nothing else spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – time has not changed this one, a real pleasure to view and hear. I remind, I play-grade all my records on very sensitive equipment. Not for the perfectionist, but this copy could prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended to many – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’!

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] = £4.25

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 (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 (£17 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’.