LED ZEPPELIN I Blue Cover & Textured Labels.

	£		446
	$		590

ONEADAYRECORDS – Delivering the Classic Albums to the World

Please see my Detailed Packing Description Further Down & All Shipping Costs and Options – NOTE: I now apply the Ebay ‘4-day’ rule for non-payment.

Artist or Band: LED ZEPPELIN

Album Title: Led Zeppelin (One).

Producer: Jimmy Page.

Executive Producer: Peter Grant.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Good Times Bad Times; Babe I’m Gonna Leave You; You Shook Me; Dazed and Confused.

Side 2: Your Time is Gonna Come; Black Mountain Side; Communication Breakdown; I Can’t Quit You Baby; How Many More Times.

Rarity, Details, What’s on Offer: Firstly, this record came from a private collection and immediately it appeared unusual. This is the legendary Led Zeppelin debut album with the very rare first turquoise cover, that part is relatively straightforward. What was inside is more unusual and curious however. All information from ‘experts’ via the internet, text books and collectors say the first Plum record should have Superhype credits on the labels and uncorrected matrixes. I am NOT going to dispute that or debate the issue in any way, I believe it to be true, end of. What was inside this cover is something different and I do believe it could be equally rare and potentially even more so. Obviously via my label scans, a UK-pressed Atlantic Plum copy with Warner credits, but, both labels are rough surfaced with moderate texturing. I have seen, held and had many Led Zeppelin albums over the years but never, ever seen any of their Plum albums with textured labels. No matter what the pressing or title – I to IV – ALL have been smooth finished and this is my first ever sighting of one with the rough surfaces. And these ARE rough, not just slightly but very distinctively so, I have tried my best to now on the label picture and scans, these uploaded to highest resolution I could. Now whether this record came with this rare blue cover is debatable, possibly even unlikely, that I do not know and am not prepared to speculate too much on. I am simply offering what I purchased to be sold on Ebay. YOU the collector decide, what IS for certain, there are two rare elements to this set. The turquoise cover is graded Very Good mainly due to corner rubbing and grazing (mainly on bottom right) and some creasing and fairly minor laminate issues. Nothing really serious and still a very nice looker, but clearly not for the perfectionist. Certainly one for the right collector who really wants one without the massive expense of a high grading Excellent or Near Mint example. The record has light surface marks and NO penetrating scratches and offers very clean and very enjoyable sound. Regarding the labels, these look lovely, being clean and fresh with spindle marks fine and light, clearly played but only modestly. Now I have seen a number of textured Plum Atlantics before, but these usually from around the 1967-68 era and as far I knew, were dropped thereafter, hence finding this 1969 record inside this cover came as something of a surprise – almost in a pleasant way – if it belonged in this cover or not, this HAS to be a rare pressing of this record and certainly one for the specialist Led Zeppelin collector. Was this pressed textured by mistake or was it a tiny run of? – I have no idea, but I have yet to find anyone else who has seen one quite like it before. The Polydor inner sleeve is date coded B 1/8370. So there you have it, this is what is on offer, a very rare original cover (no disputing that of course) and potentially a very rare and unusual pressing of the record (you decide). All the information on conditions are below as usual.

Label/Format: Atlantic – Red and Maroon (‘Plum’) format. BOTH are textured with the Warner / Arts / Jewel music credits.

Label Conditions: Both look very impressive with the texturing pronounced and clearly visible and easily felt by the fingertip. These are clean with only light and fine spindle marks seen under light. These labels vary to the smooth versions with different type styles. The most obvious are the credits on this pair are in TWO lines rather than one. The ‘SIDE ONE’ and ‘SIDE TWO’ text is much more compressed with no letter spacing as per the standard label and the Catalogue Number is smaller too. Any other differences are more subtle but clearly these label are VERY different.

Cat Number: 588171.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 120 grams.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Original Year of Release: 1969

Matrix Nos: 588171 A // 1 3 1 7 / 588171 B 4 1 1 4 (side one is error corrected)

Musicians: Jimmy Page – Robert Plant – John Bonham – John Paul Jones.

Brief Info: Originally issued in very small numbers in a turquoise sleeve lettered sleeve as per this one. Quickly reprinted and replaced with the far more familiar orange lettering and logo, why this happened is again again a matter of debate and speculation. The legend started here, formed from the ashes of the Yardbirds, but this self-assured debut album immediately established them in their own right. Faultless musicianship combined with strong material to create an emphatic statement of purpose. Blues standards are extensively reworked and original songs are as powerful and memorable as found on any debut album ever made. Page’s guitar explores the instrument’s potential with dazzling runs of sonic inventiveness, while Plant takes the lead vocal into new realms of expression. Raw and loud this has moments of true brilliance and many still are convinced this was their best ever album – a tough call for sure. Led Zeppelin albums are always best enjoyed on the Plum labels from 1969 to 1971 as these are (obviously) the earlier cuts. Of all the LZ albums I find this first album is always the one that seems the most played often in poor conditions, okay its the oldest but not by much. It simply was adored by early owners and often played into submission. This record is pure raw-power and plays very well with few blemishes – it’s a highly demanding album and rarely plays to absolute perfection, the organ intro to side two is always the most difficult area. I have described what is on offer above, it’s unusual and nice and one that will possibly give the more ‘average’ collector a chance to own one of the most prized rock albums ever made – the cover for many is the bedrock of any serious record collection.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Quite High: although protected, this often suffers laminate issues and does not age as well as may be thought.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD: properly grade as such and arguably worthy of a (+). A single fully laminated format. This is one of rock’s most desirable covers with the original turquoise lettering and logo on the front. It was printed and made in England by MacNeill Press.

Lamination, Front & Back: One of the most iconic covers ever issued and very rare with the turquoise front. That eerie large black and white zeppelin with the blue detail looks far more menacing than the orange reprint and this does it very fine justice. ‘Very Good’ for this seller does not mean trashed or badly worn, far from it. Any wear to this cover is modest and for a cover made with thin card dating right back to 1969, this is a very fine example overall. Okay, it does have some blemishes and a little wear. There are some creases, most all are on the lighter side of moderate, half moons and hairline edge types with just one on the front (top right corner area) that can be said to be moderate. With direct full-on viewing, these creases show far less and little spoils that classic zeppelin graphic. The laminate retains fine shine, clarity and even freshness with any friction rubs or dulling being modestly light and little. There is a little lifting on the front spine edge (as is the case on many) and more on the back on the same area. This has relatively modest visibility with a fairly light to light background. A few small areas have peeled or chipped here and also on the bottom corners that have grazed and rubbed. The main areas of both sides look very nice, the bottom right corner has the most real wear but little else spoils the interesting areas – the graphics and text. Just enough to remind of age and the fact it has been held and enjoyed. Truly, I have seen examples of this in shops with massive price tags attached in two or three rungs of the ladder conditions DOWN on this one making this example looks highly impressive in comparison. This is a strong Very Good (or even a little better) example and many fans will enjoy owning it. Not for the perfectionist of course, but you pays your money, you takes your choice (as we say in the UK).

Top & Bottom Edges: One small central chip on the bottom edge. Apart from the corners, there is little other wear..

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, fairly sharp with little wear, no feathering and guaranteed untrimmed. I think a small and light repair to the bottom right corner has been made, possibly a small split, this clearly has received a dink in the past. Record entered on this edge.

Spine and Text: Quite solid but thin, quite straight with only modest traces of compression. Some hairline crease-cracks and odd toning spot traces. Practically all the laminate is still strongly attached with just peeling to the rubbed tip areas. Importantly, all the text is near perfect and unworn as can be seen on my close-up pictures.

Corners: Top Left: light rubbing on back, very minor on front. Top Right: A little rubbing on the top and front, very little on the back. Bottom Left: A small front peel with light scuff, the corner tip surface eroded, the back has little wear. Bottom Right: This has a moderate corner area peel on front, less on back. A likely small repair for a very small split. This probably was dinked and grazed but overall, has been carefully improved to now look very presentable. The back tip area has eroded to card. This one corner has the most wear on the entire cover, which in real terms should reitterate the rest is quite impressive. I have shown this corner in relative close-up along with the vitally important blue logo so this will show exactly what it looks like.

Cover Summary: Very rare and still in very fine shape overall. Creasing and laminate spine lifting is very difficult to avoid. The corner wear detailed above is the reason this has been graded ‘VG’ rather than more near EX territory. An impressive turquoise example for the little more ‘tolerant’ collector who does not care to pay (sometimes four figure sums) for a high grading Excellent or Near Mint one. Not for the perfectionist but many fans of this legendary rock band will enjoy having it. Any doubts, do not bid – again, ‘You pays your money – You takes your choice’. Better ones exist and do sometimes surface to be offered – but at vast prices. This being the right example for the right collector.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(-): the Polydor lined inner is date coded B 1/8370 and is in very respectable condition. Some mild creasing and crinkle but both window circles are practically pristine with the lining very clear and barely creased at all. One moderate and one small edge split and some mildish age darkening.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(-): a very fine visual copy that is clean with fine shine, intense black and solidly pressed. This has numerous very fine surface marks and hairlines seen under light but NO penetrating scratches, hence no pops or clicks were noted. More unusually for a Plum pressing, side two has FIVE distinct track bands with standard joining grooves. Whereas all others I have seen with this label have just two bands. Side one appears exactly the same. With many examples rendered unplayable with years of use and abuse, this has more than withstood the test-of-time. Clearly played but still offering lovely sound with little unwanted. This is an unusual pressing with enough variations to interest the specialist collector. Like the cover, not for the visual perfectionist, but a solid and enjoyable example, any doubts…

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 landmark album plays above it’s high visual grading with little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. An album of immense power and raw dynamics, this record is capable of awesome intensity when played at high volume. ‘Dazed and Confused’ – my personal favourite Led Zeppelin track ever – plays with incredible power. For some time, the sound is restrained with that beautiful eeriness, but you can just feel it’s ready to explode at any time and the finale does just that with a cresendo of sheer raw power. This gave me that rare ‘tingle factor’ that only the very best recordings and albums ever can. Check out too the start of side two with it’s incredibly hard to track solo organ introduction that almost never plays devoid of some (often severe) crackle or distortion. In fact I have heard examples of this that literally break-up totally with severe noise and horrible groove-wear sound and echo, and this even on clean looking copies. This intro is critical and highly uncompromising, few examples will play this even well let alone ‘perfectly’. In most cases, only the exceptional copies that have received few plays on more sympathetic equipment have any real chance these days. This copy makes a very fine fist of it with only gentle, light traces of any crackle (and this too on a revealing deck and system). Few will better this overall and it can be played loudly with a high degree of confidence – not silent, but reasonably close in real terms. When the bass and drums kick in, VERY hard it can almost make you leave your seat. Any other surface sounds are minimal and no pops or clicks were noted and this is a generally an impressive clean pressing for a highly demanding album. Hear those running basslines grinding and the percussion has real zing and breathtaking realism. Page’s guitar splinters through the speaker-cloth as does Plant’s awesome, expressive vocals. This is powerhouse blues-rock at its very best. I filed this under ‘Rock Classic’ and this is a supreme example of the genre. Remember this album’s age and vintage and what is could have been subjected too. I know I state this often in my adverts, but so many vintage classics were written off by worn or damaged needles that stripped and wrecked those delicate groove walls. One arm drop or jolt and there goes another one written-off, such decks took no prisoners with massively high tracking weights. Although there are a number of mainly fine surface marks, this has clearly avoided such abuse or accidents and certainly has not been overplayed. Few copies will outperform this somewhat unusual (even mysterious) pressing significantly I feel sure and this was an awesome experience to hear again. Any of the visual and audio blemishes are light and minor and I enjoyed this immensely. I state again, I do not know the full history of this record and cover, it came from a private collection. We all know records can get swapped around and I am not going to speculate on this item on offer too much. I simply am stating what IS in front of me and what IS on offer. There is NO disputing the cover or what it is, the record is unusual for sure and something of a curate’s egg. Interesting for certain but whether it belongs in the turquoise cover is doubtful. Read, digest, ponder, decide. For the last time, if anything causes you uncertainty, do not bid. I do not put reserves on items and my opening bid is my minimum selling price. I am sure specialist dealers would be more than happy to be offered this item if it fails to sell.

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 QED Silver 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.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or prompt payment is a problem, please do not bid.

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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

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. If you cannot pay, DO NOT BID.

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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £10. (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 [£46 maximum]) = £14. Add £4 per extra LP. (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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.