LED ZEPPELIN IV - RARE UK 1971 ATLANTIC PLUM LP

	£		127
	$		168

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.

Artist or Band: LED ZEPPELIN

Album Title: Led Zeppelin (IV).

Producer: Jimmy Page.

Executive Producer: Peter Grant.

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Black Dog; Rock and Roll; The Battle of Evermore; Stairway to Heaven.

Side 2: Misty Mountain Hop; Four Sticks; Going to California; When the Levee Breaks.

Label/Format: Atlantic – red and maroon (‘plum’) format. There are at least five variations on this label. The very first includes an inverted feathers symbol and a Peter Grant credit, also ‘LED ZEPPELIN’ appears much lower down towards the bottom of the label. These were soon corrected to this, the more ‘standard’ 'Plum' label with the Jimmy Page producer credit and higher band name – OR SO IT MAY APPEAR – with close inspection, it is clear this one offered a new error, as side two includes the title ‘Misty Mountain Top’ which should have been ‘Hop’. So this variant is the penultimate ‘Plum’ version that was soon corrected again to the correct title of ‘Misty Mountain Hop’ and now error-free (Please see my label scans).

Label Conditions: Both are clean, fresh and attractive with just one small dull spot on side one seen under light. Spindle marks are light to light+ but very fine and faint.

Cat Number: 2401012.

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: 119 grams. This a quite typical weight for this record.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: Much scarcer on the plum labels, very quickly to be changed to far more common orange and green ‘Kinney’ format. The inner sleeve and covers both changed in appearance too. This has the matt-finished cover and heavier, darker inner sleeve. Both ultimately fragile and prone to wear – the inner especially that is often seen with tape reinforcing on the edges to avoid splits. This one had edge splits which I have neatly repaired and has a small tear near the top. The cover has rubbing on the bottom edges and a few marks, but overall, sound and still quite attractive. Also, I have found this album to have variable pressing quality, crackle and even pressing sounds are far from uncommon. This has little to fault apart from a few gentle and brief ticks on ‘Stairway’, little else overall, even though the record has a noticeable mark on side two that does not sound. The pressing itself is better than many I have heard with minimal surface noise and overall, an enjoyable copy that offers very impressive sound. So not an easy album in all respects and this one a little more unusual and rarer with the label error on side two as mentioned above.

Original Year of Release: 1971

Matrix Nos: 2401012 A // 3 1 2 1 6 & 2401012 B // 3 1 2 5

Run-Out Groove Etchings: ‘PECKO DUCK’ & ‘PORKY’

Musicians: Robert Plant – vocals, harmonica; Jimmy Page – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin; John Paul Jones – synthesiser, bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin, recorders; John Bonham – drums. Guests: Sandy Denny – vocals; Ian Stewart – piano.

Brief Info: After the issue of three sublime albums already, how could this legendary band offer even more? Well the answer was with this untitled album, always known as IV. It’s unscripted sleeve design suggested anonymity, but nothing was left to question over this album’s content. An undisputed masterpiece within the genre of ‘Rock’. Led Zeppelin were never so stident as on ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and ‘Black Dog’, two selections of undiluted brilliance. The blues standard ‘When the Levee Breaks’ is massively powerful, particularly through John Bonham’s thunderous drumming, and the group’s love of folk forms surfaces on the graceful ‘Battle of Evermore’, complete with a cameo from Fairport Convention’s Sandy Denny and the beautiful mandolins. ‘Stairway to Heaven’ has, of course, become the album’s best-known track, but the anthem-like stature it has since assumed should not obscure its groundbreaking companion songs. This album left much of heavy metal, and indeed rock itself, trailing in it’s wake. It charted at 1 in the UK and 2 in the US and has become an evergreen classic of huge stature and remains as popular and in-demand as when first issued. Conditions for collectors is always an issue. These monolithic masterpieces were so often played to destruction and so many fail to please when played on modern highly clinical equipment. The finer grooves on this album often meant just a tiny fine mark or light scratch sounded more freely than on earlier albums. The perilous final seconds of ‘Stairway’ often meant arms being lifted prematurely resulting in scratches on those ultra fine innermost grooves with annoying loud clicks ruining those vital last few words. Finding a copy that gives that ultimate audio satisfaction is challenging and so many crackle either with variable pressing quality or over-playing on old record players that simply tracked at vast weight. Covers often seen very tatty and tired looking, often grubby, rubbed, ringworn and severely creased. The originals are matt finished, and they do not wear well unless kept and handled carefully. The inner sleeve is even more prone to wear and damage and few are ever seen devoid of major splits and tears – this copu did not escape all. But still an overall very fine example with all the pieces described below. It is not a copy for the highly discerning or visual purist, but with the label error and generally very fine sound, it certainly will appeal to many collectors.

Cover Grade and Format: VERY GOOD(+): a matt, smooth finished non-laminate gatefold format. Printed and made in England and including the original darker unlined inner sleeve.

Cover Front: The front has little to fault and main reason for the cautious grading are the bottom edges that have rubbed. The main blemish is a small surface scuff to the bottom near the centre but little else apart from a few ultra fine and faint surface marks seen right up close. Clean, still fresh and barely any creasing at all. The avoidance of sticker marks is also worthy of note as many are seen with sizeable tears.

Cover Back: Quite similar again with four small surface rub-chips near the top edge. A little adhesive smearing here appears likely, almost certainly within manufacture – it is hardly uncommon, and it gently stuck here and there. Faint rim impression but barely any hint of any ink erosion, and again, few evidence of creasing.

Cover Inner Gatefold: Little to fault inside at all.

Top Edges: Moderation rubbing to both.

Bottom Edges: The front edge is light to moderately rubbed. The back is heavier and over moderate, but is NOT split or repaired.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front is closed, neat and crisp. The back opening is clean and mostly sharp with just a little light thickening or burring near the centre, this is guaranteed untrimmed.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight with little compression but lightly tilted to the right. Folded quite square, so the edges meet up closely and near parallel. The ends have rubbed but little on the main area of the spine and both folds retain practically all ink.

Corners: Moderate rubbing on the right ones, less on the spine, the top has a naturally ‘open’ type finish in manufacture. Fine shape is retained with a little mild rounding or erosion of the bottom back right.

Cover Summary: A very respectable example of a difficult cover. With the main faces and spine in very fine and attractive shape, my grading I feel is possibly overly harsh. Most wear is on the edges and corner tips and clearly not for the highly discerning collector. But the record offers excellent sound and more than compensates, that being the more crucial factor for me. This cover will still please many collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: NEAR EXCELLENT: graded on the basis that is looks attractive with little real wear, the one visual factor being a small tear on the front top edge with a small piece of card missing. Both sides retain rich colour as the originals should have and there is barely a crease to be seen. As mentioned further up, the edges had split – hardly unusual as most do. I am certainly a high percentage of these would have been split from new due to movement in transport to the retailer. Thus many are seen with and without splits with large pieces of tape reinforcement to prevent damage or hold together any present. This has NO tape or tape marks and I have very neatly repaired the splits. An inner that was not lined and made with soft card, the back has two external flipbacks which are both solid and totally undamaged. Clean, fresh and very attractive with no ring wear, that too unusual. The main issue being the small top tear, that apart impressive.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: clean, shiny, intense black and quite solidly pressed. I feel sure this has been played only modestly, side two has one moderate surface mark that can be seen but NOT heard. A couple of very fine surface hairline types on side one seen under angled light are also superficial and innocent. One ultra tiny mark just in from the beginning of ‘Stairway’ has five or six very faint ticks but little else (had to find this with a magnifying glass), it really is that tiny. A few faint surface traces with scrutiny that most record of this age and popularity will rarely escape, but overall, this is a strong example, especially so for sound which is never guaranteed as many are so often noisy probably due to mass production as this was a sure-fire bestseller from day one. The one more visible mark on side apart, this is an attractive record that again will please many collectors but not the perfectionist.

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 timeless classic plays plays even above it’s visual grading with very little to fault – and how glad I am to be able to state that. So often I am less than impressed with even clean looking copies of this title. I am sure mass production did not help, crackle and surface noise is quite common and ruins the real pleasure of these lovely songs, especially the more gentle acoustic ones. This beauty offers strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear and sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are very light and infrequent and no pops or major clicks were noted and this is one of the better-pressed copies I have heard in a while. As stated above, five or six very gentle ticks were (just) heard a little way into ‘Stairway’, but barely any others. The moderate (but non-penetrating) mark on side two, is practically ignored, which was tested immediately prior to purchase and given the green light. This gives a very impressive account of itself, this played also on very sensitive equipment. Only the most critical audiophile who play their albums at very high volume on high-end equipment would possibly not be delighted with this 41-year-old record. Realistically, few plum copies will outperform this early pressing significantly I feel sure. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – personally, I can easily tolerate the odd gentle reminder of what I am listening too, an original vinyl record, not a squeaky clean digital version. The details, dynamics, grace and power of these wonderful songs via the original analgoue format cannot be matched or beaten even with the odd minor trace of surface sound present. A copy devoid of pressing noises or distortions, clean and practically devoid of crackle. When heard somewhere near it’s best, this is an album of immense beauty and it’s hardly any wonder most collectors want this in their collection. I am simply telling it the way it is and leaving little (and hopefully nothing) to chance. The cover had some wear, the inner, although very attractive, had edge splits and a small tear and the record has a few marks – but the sound is great. Not for the highly discerning, but a very solid all-round example that many will enjoy owning for sure.

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’.