JOY DIVISION – Closer – RARER UK 1980 RED TRANSLUCENT 1st PRESS EX FACTORY LP.

	£		122
	$		162

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details nearer the end of the listing.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: JOY DIVISION

Album Title: Closer

Producer & Engineer: Martin Hannett

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Atrocity Exhibition; Isolation; Passover; Colony; A Means to an End.

Side 2: Heart and Soul; Twenty Four Hours; The Eternal; Decades.

Cat Number: FACT 25

Label/Format: Factory with matt, smooth surfaces.

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

Country of Manufacture: England

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 121 grams. Actually one of the heavier copies of this I have held.

Rarity: Moderate: but this one is a considerably rarer red glow translucent first pressing. I consider these even harder to find than the ‘Unknown Pleasures’ translucent – both are much prized by collectors. This record has an eerie red glow when held directly against a bright light, a light bulb is perfect as seen in my picture. Translucent means light will pass through, but cannot be seen through with the eye. This record when viewed normally looks like a standard black copy, only when viewed under a bright light will the red glow affect be seen.

Original Year of Release: July 1980

Matrix Nos: FACT 25 A1 / FACT 25 B-1

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘OLD BLUE?’ on side one.

Musicians: Ian Curtis – vocals, guitar; Bernard Sumner – guitar, synthesisers, bass; Peter Hook – bass guitar, guitar; Stephen Morris – drums.

Album/Band Information: Like ‘Unknown Pleasures’ – also on offer as a red translucent first issue – this is another classic, it was Joy Division’s second album and a stunning follow up to the groundbreaking debut. Both the band’s only two full studio albums are definitive gems that should be included in any serious collection. Fronted by the tragic Ian Curtis, a man whose vocal intensity made Joy Division so unique. Rarely has a singer sounded more troubled, moody and at times, desperate, he suffered badly from epilepsy. All his emotion on this album was real which makes both albums all the more chilling. But amongst the darkness their is a real beauty to the the band’s music and the listening experience is never bleak. Joy Division had an original sound, drums and bass high in the mix and they often lead, being more dominant than the guitar and keyboards. The lyrics are deeply complex and Curtis would not discuss their meaning. This timeless record proudly stands up there with the all-time greats and always features in any list compiled by critics and buyers alike. A masterwork of rarely-rivaled intensity, power and darkness, it sold quite well and peaked at No 6 in the UK album charts. The final song, ‘Decades’ goes beyond beautiful and I have rarely heard the mellotron sounding so wonderful or put to better use. If any listener is not moved by this haunting song, they simply don’t like music or have no soul, this is simply hypnotic and beautiful, few could fail to be moved. This album has not aged one iota and with several modern bands sounding quite similar, I recommend the younger vinyl fan to listen to Joy Division. A vinyl gem and as powerful as the likes of The Doors, Velvet Underground and Patti Smith’s first albums. Ian Curtis, one of the last truly great vocalists, a desperate man demanding to be heard, tragically taking his own life after the conclusion of this album. I still remember the day: I was listening to John Peel’s 10 o’clock radio show when he announced his death. John was almost too choked to talk and just played the music for a while. He was really that great, Closer demands to be heard and enjoyed forever. Joy Division’s legend and popularity fails to diminish, their records are much sort-after and even a full length feature film – ‘Control’ – was released covering their formation and works up to Curtis’s death. Like their music, this too was a very moving experience. This a very fine and appearing little played red translucent original that includes an unsplit inner sleeve. The next paragraph was written by Colin Larkin about this groundbreaking release, it features in the Virgin top 1000 albums book, it was voted No. 68 best album of all time:

“The news of singer Ian Curtis’s suicide still hung in the air when this album was released. Given the deep introspective nature of Joy Division’s music, his death invested ‘Closer’ with an even greater pessimism. Yet there is a fragile beauty in its content and if Curtis’s voice seems more distant, it complements the sparse textures created by mesmerizing synthesiser lines and occasional, highly effective, piano. Slow, hypnotic tempos increase the sense of brooding mystery and if the few faster songs provide musical relief, their lyrics prove equally tortured. Eerie, yet compulsive, ‘Closer’ confirmed Joy Division’s pre-eminent place in rock’s pantheon.”

Cover Grade, Format and Contents: EXCELLENT: a single unlaminated format with matt surfaces that have gentle texturing (or roughness to the fingertip). Includes the card inner sleeve that was printed and made in England by Garrod & Lofthouse. It is likely the main cover was the same. I also include with the copy a Factory flexi-disc. The listed songs are ‘Komakino’ and ‘Incubation’. This will be scarce, it plays at 33.3 rpm and sounds terrific. Many flexi-discs offer terrible sound – this is NOT one of them, any surface sound minimal, the music simply fantastic.

Cover Front & Back: Easily as difficult as ‘Unknown Pleasures’, it being white, unprotected, gently textured and made with quite soft card, it has little chance of not getting worn or grubby. Well this has little of either, any ageing or discolouration gentle, little and very light, a little light darkening of the very edge of the spine folds. A small crease on the bottom left corner tip, but hardly any others, grubbiness is minimal, any traces faint and few, the odd small ‘white’ area to the cream coloured surface on the back purely in manufacture. The famous solemn graphic on the front is pristine. For such a ruthless and uncompromising sleeve, this has fared very well.

Top & Bottom Edges: Mainly straight and generally clean with the odd trace of grubbiness or friction rub. No splits, tears or thinning.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, mostly sharp with few traces of thickening as seen viewed end-on. Record enters on this edge that is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, mostly straight, slight compression and generally clean. A very small tone spot is seen, most of the text present and intact. Just slight clipping or rub traces here-and-there, but easily all legible and largely solid, this again on an unforgiving soft pale surface.

Corners: As stated, a smallish crease on the bottom spine end corner tip. But any rubbing is minimal with very fine shape retained with no ugly discolouration that is hard to avoid on these paler fragile card sleeves.

Cover Summary: An impressive all-round example of this highly fragile and unforgiving early 1980’s cover, one that will prove very difficult to find much better. Seldom seen this clean and little worn, it should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(++): and arguably even better. An unlined thin card inner with a fairly smooth matt surfaces. Minimal traces of discolouration or rim impression with hardly any creasing and all edges unsplit (with no repairs). This integral part will seldom be seen better, especially with pristine recessed unthickened opening top edges.

The FREE flexi-disc: EXCELLENT: I found this thin flexi-disc inside the cover, so a superb, and quite rare bonus. This appears little played, it has a few small ‘kinks’, but plays superbly well with no tracking issues*. This plays at 33.3 rpm, so that will keep surface sound down compared to a 45 rpm flexi. Brilliant songs and sound way exceeded my expectations – this sounds great. Not part of the actual album on offer as such – but any fan of Joy Division will treasure this as well extra free bonus item I feel sure.

Vinyl Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++) / EXCELLENT: side two has a smallish fine mark, the only blemish on the entire album being honest. Around half-a-dozen very faint ticks just noted, even these are largely masked by the music – the album plays with supreme sound this tiny blemish aside. And I am taking very faint ticks indeed, I would doubt too many genuine first issue red translucents will better this. Any surface traces ultra fine and faint viewed more critically under bright angled light. This is very clean with lovely shine and freshness, without doubt, hardly played and sounding terrific. This record appears like a normal black copy when viewed in normal room light, but comes to life with that eerie red glow when placed in front of a bright light source like a lamp bulb (as my picture was taken to show the effect). Even with the small mark and near minuscule brief blemish, this 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 minuscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This exceptionally clean and hardly played Factory record plays even above it’s high visual grading with hardly anything to fault bar the tiny few faint ticks I mentioned above. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is immense with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound with no tracking issues*. Any surface sounds are minimal to none, and this is an exceptional clean pressing for a record of the more ‘modern’ era (well ‘modern’ for me anyway). Few copies will outperform this true first pressing significantly I feel sure. The vinyl experience of this album surpasses any other version I have heard with really powerful delivery of Curtis’s voice and dynamic warmth of the instruments, especially drum and bass. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and has been generally well stored and (mostly) carefully handled – a possible tiny mishap – but in the real world, they happen. I state again, for those who only selectively read parts of my listings – this IS a translucent pressing as seen on my main display picture – these are rare and elusive and much prized by collectors. Barely anything of real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this quality record – if the tiny blemish is an issue – wait for the ‘perfect’ first issue – but they will rarely, if ever surface these days. This will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended. Please check out my other two Joy Division albums I am currently offering as well – a first issue ‘Unknown Pleasures’ and the rare Hessian cover first issue of ‘Still’.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.