LED ZEPPELIN III RARER Orig UK 1970 Plant & Page Credits.

	£		66
	$		88

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World.

Postage: UK £4.75. Europe (including Russia) £12.50. Rest of World £16.50. All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all. More details on this 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 ‘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: LED ZEPPELIN

Album Title: Led Zeppelin III

Producer(s): Jimmy Page [Executive Producer: Peter Grant].

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Immigrant Song; Friends; Celebration; Since I’ve Been Loving You; Out on the Tiles.

Side 2: Gallows Pole; Tangerine; That’s the Way; Bron-y-aur Stomp; Hats Off to (Roy) Harper .

Label/Format: Atlantic – Red and Maroon (‘Plum’) format. This is the much rarer original format that denotes a ‘first pressing’ with the Jimmy Page and Peter Grant credits near the top. Also the 2401002 Catalogue Number with no break (Please see these details on my label scans).

Label Condition: Superb examples, very clean, fresh and highly attractive. Deep, rich colour and amongst the least spindle marks yet seen on a genuine first issue. Any of the tiny few present are faint and very small.

Cat Number: 2401002.

Mode / Speed: Stereo / 33.3 rpm.

Weight of this Record: 145 grams. Above average weight for this album.

Country of Manufacture: RECORD & INNER SLEEVE: England. COVER: Germany.

Rarity & Overview: The title itself is moderate. But first pressings with the label details as seen above are much rarer. The Peter Grant credit was soon removed and the catalogue number then included a hyphen. The Jimmy Page credit remained but was then moved down the label nearer the 6 o’clock position. These original labels are far more elusive and far less seen, especially in such lovely clean conditions.

This early example includes the German-made cover. Actually these are scarcer than the UK version and the fact it is made in Germany does not mean it is a ‘foreign’ copy. These were made in Germany for the British market under contract, possibly to meet demand as this is a more specialist cover with the moving wheel and die-cut window front. In most-all aspects they are the same, but for the collector, a variant, as the inside text is transposed from right to left as seen in my close-up picture. Also, of the few German-made ones I have seen, most are of a better standard, inasmuch there are fewer laminate issues. Many UK ‘Day’ ones have laminate adhesion issues with crease lines and sometimes blisters. This German cover has no such issues with superbly neat laminate coverage on all surfaces. An interesting and top-quality contract variant and this is a very fine example.

Original Year of Release: 1970

Matrix Nos: 2401002 A7 1 1 5 / 2401002 B-5 1 2 1 1 [‘GHC’ is the possible initial credit as well]

Run-Out Groove Etched Messages: ‘Do what thou wilt’ / ‘So mote it be’.

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

Brief Info: A masterful third release - arguably and unfairly overshadowed by I, II and IV. This a more varied album with more use of acoustic instruments than previously. A wonderful set with it’s beautiful moving wheel packaging that was designed by ‘Zacron’ (Visual Creations). A graphic artist of the London scene of the 1960s. His logo is seen on the inside bottom right corner area. Again peaking at No. 1 in the UK and US, this band could do little wrong at this time. With this label format, it is recognised as a first issue, they are far harder to find than the second label design. A German-made variant for the British market, it includes (of course) the wheel cover, that has the inner gatefold text transposed from right to left. The record appears hardly played or even handled, but that has left it’s mark so-to-speak. Records with those Polydor polylined inners can acquire ‘inner bag rash’ – that is dulling from the lining when left undisturbed for many years. This one has three line areas from a crinkle in the lining that has left moderate dulling which does marr the otherwise superb surface. The goods news is the record still plays superbly with minimal traces of any sound from these dulled areas. Any faint sound is pretty much all lost in the loud areas of sound and anything is very faint and brief indeed – this too, being played on an ultra revealing Linn LP12 turntable. Many Polydor family records with these inners get affected by this trait, and unless severe, most escape any audio issues and as stated, this has minimal traces at all – side two is little short of immaculate. So the record is not for the visual perfectionist, I make that very clear, but these areas are only quite narrow and fine and this superb and little used early pressing still offers fantastic sound. Played blind, you would hardly notice anything and this copy REALLY ROCKS!

Cover Condition and Details: EXCELLENT(+): a fully laminated gatefold format with the moving wheel with 11 die cut windows on front. A contract variant, printed and made in Germany with the transposed inside text as mentioned above.

Cover Lamination – Front & Back: Even though this cover is fully laminated, if often ages badly. All 11 circle windows are crisp and neat with no burring or damage. The wheel rotates quite easily and is enclosed far more neatly than the UK version with totally sealed edges – these often open badly but not so here. The laminate itself retains an excellent shine, clarity and freshness and with practically full and neat adhesion. So no lines of crinkle, dulling, mottling or lifting as seen on many, and that is a major plus. The lack of yellowing or edge toning also a positive, and the edge recess for the wheel is immaculate. There is a gentle crease on the top right corner and a couple of other corner tips, but few others and little detracts from what is one of the cleanest and freshest examples of this famous cover I have seen for some time.

Cover Gatefold Inner: Apart from the same corner area creases, there is little else to fault at all, and few will ever retain such cleanness and general lack of discolouration. Again I reitterate: this German-made cover has the transposed inner text which makes it a major variant for the specialist Led Zeppelin fan.

Top Edges: These have proper folds which means they will not open. With close viewing, the back centre has a small laminate peel and a possible tip-in, but both still look very neat and impressive.

Bottom Edges: Again neat, straight and barely worn with a lovely smooth finish.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front closed wheel edge is immaculate and totally unworn with a closed folded laminated edge. The back entrance is equally impressive with both edges crisp and clean with barely even a hint of thickening or burring. For good measure, this is folded with precision, so all the edges meet up flush and parallel. These small details make all the difference.

Spine and Text: Very solid and dead straight with minimal compression. A natural recess from opening with a little cracking of the laminate, but most remains with any flaking or loss very small indeed. All text present with just a hint of sinking into the naturally formed, but gentle recess. One of the better spines on this cover that are often seen quite worn.

Corners: A little tip rubbing and creasing with very fine to excellent shape largely retained.

Cover Summary: A deceptively difficult cover, often with many laminate issues and ageing. But this one has far less to fault and still looks very attractive indeed. A lovely contact variant example to hold and enjoy – it should please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT: the Polydor-style lined inner has aged little and that often tells the story for the rest of the set. As usual, a little discolouration and only a little bottom corner creasing with all edges unsplit and no repairs. The lining is very clear with only modest crinkle as seen through two immaculate crisp window circles. To emphasise the vintage of this issue, this has the date code 0870, actually a month or so prior to final release.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: This one is difficult to grade visually as side one has a couple of lines of inner lining dulling, almost like a cross. That apart, both surfaces are very impressive indeed, and I would grade this EXCELLENT(+) or better minus that. Any surface marks are minimal and very faint indeed, and the dulling is largely ignored altogether, any audio traces heard are very brief and ultra faint. Very clean with a very fine shine, intense black and very solidly pressed with an above average pressing weight (based on others I have had previously). Clearly the inner dulling will not be for the visually discerning, but for sound, this will still take some beating.

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 rarer early pressing plays for most-all, even above it’s high visual with very little nothing 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. As stated above, this really excels and without doubt has that bit extra in terms of detail, punch, dynamic range and sonic delivery. NOT all plum pressings of this record are the same – it is not that easy to explain, but the more discerning audiophile collectors who own high-end equipment will know exactly what I mean. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and no pops or significant clicks were noted and this is an exceptional clean pressing. Vintage Polydor-family records often acquired surface dulling from the polylined inners – this happens when the record is left undisturbed for many years and this trait is well-known. Unless severe, this is largely superficial, and only the merest hint of sound is briefly heard on the odd small area or so. Where these two dull lines cross is on the loudest part of ‘Celebration Day’, and practically of anything faint is lost in the music. Being honest, I have few copies of this classic sound much cleaner and these early cuts really deliver. Those stunning acoustic guitars have an in-the-room quality and I am sure this even sounds a little louder cut than the later ones. Few copies will match or outperform this top quality pressing I feel sure. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played very lightly and had probably not seen light-of-day for decades – thus the inner issue. A one-owner-from-new copy and no damaging old heavyweight stylus have been near this prized copy. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – in fact it is one I will remember for some time. Yes, the dulling IS a visual flaw, let me make that quite clear and plain, but the sound will still take some beating. So not a copy for the connoisseur, but many fans will still enjoy it. Even with the dulling on side one, this merits high recommendation to the right collector.

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’.