Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device - 1978 Rigid Digits - Red Label - Rare
£
15
$
20
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Description
Stunning condition copy of this seminal 1978 single from Jake Burns & co. Buzz-saw guitars backing up the "Inflammable Material...." lyrics make this an unforgettable opening intro. Backed with the incendiary, "Wasted Life" this has to be one of the best debut singles of the era.
The very first pressings (limited to 500) came with hand-folded/glued picture sleeves and they are as rare as hen's teeth - fetching prices in the hundreds.
Sadly, it's not one of those but it's the next best thing - officially a second pressing, but still one of the early Rigid Digit releases before Rough Trade came sniffing around. These Re-issues with a machine-produced sleeve, came with a couple of colour variants. Most were ivory or yellow, and less commonly - red.
I've had a few of these over the years, but never one in as good a condition as this. I very rarely list anything as Mint condition unless I am 100% certain that it's still sealed or definitely un-played from new. I can't say for certain that this has never seen a turntable, but it certainly looks that way.
Artist: Stiff Little Fingers
Tracks: Suspect Device b/w Wasted Life
Rigid Digits Records Catalogue No: SRD-1 Matrix Nos: (Etched - very feint) SRD-1 A-1/B-1 The run-outs also carry the engineer's signature etching - which is an inter-twined T and B.
Vinyl: NM - Seriously!! Incredible for one of these singles. They were usually played until they wore out and few can have survived in this condition. Absolutely immaculate with a glorious lustre and sheen. Virtually un-marked and could easily pass for un-played. Ultra rare red paper labels with black-label text. Labels in pristine condition with no discernible spindle-wear.
Sleeve: VG+ and much more in keeping with what you'd expect to see for this 1978 copy. Classic machine-finished picture sleeve in thin matt-paper with the iconic home-made explosives black & white photo-montage. Record title printed in red at top left. Rear sleeve is a plain black & white band photo. Structurally, the sleeve is entirely intact. There's a little age-discolouration and some light foxing on the white areas on the rear. The seams are all glued down securely and there are no splits or creases. There's a little ring-wear evident on the rear cover and the opening edge has some minor wear.
This is a superb example of a genuine rarity and real collectors item and it's in incredible condition.
There are others for sale on here and other sites in far worse shape than this one for prices in excess of £50
Good luck if they get what they're asking for, but I like to think I price my stuff attractively, so I'm going to start it at a sensible price with no reserve and just see where it goes.
I'm happy to ship anywhere but GSP applies to overseas. Postage will be tracked & insured depending on final price.
As always, I offer a full, no-quibble money-back guarantee if any winning bidder not satisfied.
Any questions, feel free to get in touch and if you've made it this far, thanks for looking.
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