DAVID BOWIE 'ZIGGY STARDUST' FIRST PRESSING APRS-6814 US DYNAFLEX RARE CLASSIC

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DAVID BOWIE 'ZIGGY STARDUST' FIRST US PRESSING  LSP-4702 (APRS-6814) ORANGE DYNAFLEX ~ A RARE CLASSIC
DAVID BOWIE (AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS) "THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST and THE SPIDERS FROM MARS"
LABEL: RCA VICTOR LSP-4702 (APRS-6814/6815) PRESSING: ORIGINAL 1972 U.S. FIRST PRESSING ~ STEREO ORANGE 'DYNAFLEX' RCA LABEL w/ ORIGINAL 2-SIDED INNER SLEEVE RELEASED : JUNE 16, 1972 RECORDED: JULY 1971 - FEBRUARY 1972 ~ TRIDENT STUDIOS LONDON PRESSED AT: RCA PRESSING PLANT ~ ROCKAWAY, NY ('R' IN MATRIX) PRODUCER: KEN SCOTT & DAVIS BOWIE ARRANGEMENTS: DAVID BOWIE & MICK RONSON ALBUM ARTWORK & DESIGN: 'MAIN ARTERY' A RARE CLASSIC 1972 ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING !!!! MATRIX (SIDE A):  APRS-6814-6S-A2W 'R' MATRIX (SIDE B):  APRS-6815-4S-C1D 'R'
CONDITION:  VINYL, INNER SLEEVE & JACKET ALL VG+ to VG++
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've been going thru my massive vinyl record collection these past few weeks and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 45 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
This week on EBay I am offering up this fantastic, clean 1972 First U.S. Pressing of David Bowie's classic "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" on the old orange RCA Dynaflex label.
This is my original copy, purchased back in the early 70's, shortly after it's release, that I've taken great care of for many years. See details on Condition below.
A nice, rare, original, complete, First Pressing of this classic album.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is pressed on the bright orange, early 70s, RCA 'Dynaflex' vinyl.
These early 70s orange 'Dynaflex' records were pressed on thinner, but much higher quality, vinyl. They get a bad rap, but this album, like most Dynaflex pressings, sounds amazing, mostly due to Ken Scott's fantastic production work and Trident's excellent mastering job.
This 1972 RCA First Pressing reveals just how deeply layered, textured, dynamic and intense the music is. The instruments are well separated, vocals are crisp & clear, and there's a good sense of space and depth. The overall sound is warm, intimate, vibrant and dynamic.
Every song is great and there are enough layers to the production that every listen gets better and reveals more. Lyrically and sonically, this album is a masterpiece. A fantastic, crisp, first pressing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Serving as Bowie's “Spiders from Mars” on this album were his regular backing band, guitarist Mick Ronson, drummer Michael “Woody” Woodmansey, and bassist Trevor Bolder.
The musicianship on this album is truly amazing, and you can tell that this was a unique, once-in-a-lifetime, band that really worked well together. They give 'Ziggy Stardust' a perfect glitzy combination of fantastic riffs, hooks, drama and dynamics.
Mick Ronson's contributions to this album can't be overstated. His playing invigorates the rockers like "Suffragette City," "Moonage Daydream," and "Hang Onto Yourself, and this album wouldn't be the Glam masterpiece it is without Ronson's stinging, snarling, expressive guitarwork.
In addition to his stellar guitar work, he wrote the limited string arrangements, played piano, and sang backup vocals.
David Bowie's vocals on this album are amazing. His androgynous voice can sound calm, frail, brittle, & broken, but also strong, positive, hopeful and determined. He can sound soulful, rocking and even punky, all depending on the context of the song. He sings like the 'cracked-actor' he was; his vocals and lyrics easily adapt and change to 'fit' every song perfectly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE STORY OF 'ZIGGY STARDUST' AND THIS CLASSIC ALBUM
Before Bowie endlessly reinvented himself, he was in danger of being dropped from his record company and lost to history.
What better way to make himself a Star than to create the ultimate rock and roll icon, an alien named Ziggy Stardust.
Bowie's glam rock fantasies and visions hit their apex with this album. One of Rock's most famous concept albums, "Ziggy" envisions an alien who comes down to Earth and saves mankind from themselves. 
This album tells the story of an orange-haired, androgynous, extraterrestrial rock star named 'Ziggy Stardust', who arrives on Earth as a savior and symbol of hope, but gets lost in his own ego caused by his stardom as a rock 'n roll superstar, leading to his eventual downfall. I t's an apocalyptic, science fiction tale of stardom and excess, wrapped in drama, glitter and pop, that rivaled Bowie's contemporaries like Mark Bolan (T.Rex), and Roxy Music for dominance in the emerging Glam Rock movement.
It set a new level of artistic freedom in music and re-defined how musicians approached their theatrical performance, their art, fashion, and creative expression.
Bowie's new Glam image made him a global superstar and his 'Ziggy Stardust' persona still lives on today, well after he famously and suddenly shed his glittery alien skin at the Hammersmith Odeon gig in July 1973. He quickly morphed again and became 'Aladdin Sane.'
Music was never the same after the release of 'Ziggy' in 1972 and the brief tour that followed. Ziggy’s strange tale began and ended with this classic album.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bowie was a true musical icon and a revered, brilliant artist. Over the years, few artists were as thoroughly innovative, outrageous, diverse, dedicated, and influential as David Bowie. 
"The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" was one of the 70's most important, influential, and acclaimed albums.
Whether you realize it or not, this album changed your life. There was nothing like it before 1972, and its influence has been felt, absorbed, interpreted, and reflected back by a generation of musicians.
It would be hard to overstate the musical and cultural impact this album had when it took the world by storm in 1972.
I went out and purchased 'Ziggy' shortly after its release and it definitely 'opened my eyes' to other music and records to add to my collection back then as an impressionable teen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The song selection for this album famously underwent several last minute re-arrangements and decisions, with some songs added, and some left off to become B-sides. Modern re-issues compile all the songs Bowie considered for this release, but the final song list for this original 1972 pressing includes: 
Five Years ~  Soul Love Moonage Daydream ~ Starman It Ain't Easy ~ Lady Stardust Star ~ Hang On To Yourself Ziggy Stardust ~ Suffragette City Rock 'N' Roll Suicide
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The songs work well together from beginning to end, and Bowie clearly intended this album to be listened to as an entire statement.
Despite that, every single song on this album is individually amazing; unique, distinct, and memorable. Each one being perfect in its own right, but each adding to the overall story.
The lyrics are well-written and well-thought out. Some of the best Bowie lyrics you'll ever hear. 
Album opener "Five Years" is, in my opinion, one of Bowie's best written songs of all time. It conveys the theme of apocalyptic destruction and hopelessness through it's soft, delicate, sorrowful, sound and sets up the 'theme' for the rest of the album.
I never really noticed it the first few times I listened to this album, but the style of music changes, just like Ziggy himself does, from the beginning to the end.
It starts out slightly melancholic, yet hopeful, with softer, piano based songs, but quickly becomes heavier, guitar-based and rocking, leading eventually to classics like 'Ziggy Stardust' and 'Suffragette City' that are almost proto-punk, something rarely heard in 1972. The album is an assault of dramatic arrangements, swaggering vocals, jagged guitars, and rock theater.
The album’s most popular tracks, the classics “Ziggy Stardust,” "Moonage Daydream", and “Suffragette City”, are still addicting and contain pleasantly infectious hooks. Some of Bowie's greatest songs.
That famous “Wham, Bam, thank you ma’am” interruption in “Suffragette City”, is still a classic ear-worm. "Hang Onto Yourself" and “Moonage Daydream” are invigorating rockers highlighted by Ronson’s glam-defining, intense, playing.
Even the mellower songs on the album, like "Lady Stardust," "Five Years," and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" have a grand sense of drama, introspection, life commentary, and emotion, previously unheard of in rock & roll at that time. 
"Star" offer hints of hope & optimism in Ziggy's bleak world. 
The epic "Starman" has a great melody, strong emotion, and is one of Bowie's best loved ballads of his entire career.
"Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" is a reflective, somber, unapologetically theatrical song. It's the necessary, emotional, climactic, ending for the whole 'Ziggy' concept, but it also makes for a strong song all on its own. A perfect closing song for this, or any other, album.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Most all of the songs on this album have insanely catchy choruses, brilliant riffs and are just all-round great performances; endlessly addicting and pleasantly infectious. Fifty years on, they still sound fresh, exciting, and not at all 'old' or out of date. 
I agree with Bowie, in that, as instructed on the back cover, this album is "To be Played at Maximum Volume" to really appreciate the 'punch', theatrical effect, and wide dynamic range it offers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars"
This album represents the pinnacle of Bowie's amazing creativity and storytelling skills, and remains one of his best albums ever. This is Bowie's most important and influential album; the defining moment of his astonishing career. This is the the one album that you think of, when you think of David Bowie.
'Ziggy Stardust' goes where hardly any rock album had gone before and very few have gone since. As the album states; Ziggy took it all too far, and he couldn't even play guitar, but Ziggy certainly blew our minds! 
There's nothing quite like it. Stunning and thrilling from beginning to end! One of the most important albums of the last fifty years. The music is still vibrant, biting, catchy, mesmerizing and significant as ever. 
'Ziggy Stardust' unquestionably ranks not only as one of his best works, but as one of the best rock albums of all time. A masterpiece. Amazing and Ageless. An essential, remarkable album, that should be in every serious music collector's vinyl archive.
Here's your chance to get a nice, complete, original First Pressing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONDITION: I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures.
I purchased this copy back in the early 70s, 50 years ago, in Greenwich Village, on one of my regular vinyl digs in those days, and have taken great care of it since.
VINYL: The vinyl looks nice. Clean and Bright. No major scuffs, scratches, dings or issues. I'll say conservative VG+. Maybe 1 or 2 light hairlines, but nothing palpable or significant. 
The Deadwax has all the 1972 First Pressing indicators as listed above. 
I tried to show some close-up pictures of the vinyl to show how good it looks. I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
I haven't messed with it or cleaned it, other than my trusty 'DiscWasher' brush, in 50 years. It could use a good deep cleaning to make it even better looking and better sounding. 
LABELS: This is pressed with the 'classic' bright orange RCA Dynaflex labels. The labels are clean and bright. No marks or damage. The spindle holes are still sharp and clean, suggesting minimal playing and my careful handling over the years.
JACKET: As you can see from my pictures, this is still very nice for a 50 year old OG copy. There's a little bit of shelf wear and a few minor dings, but still quite nice. Minor ringwear at the top of the front cover and some mild edge wear. The corners are very slightly 'bumped' but not bad, mostly square and sharp. The spine is straight, and no seam splits or issues. 
This comes with the original 'Dynaflex' sleeve and the original 2-sided inner sleeve with photos of the band, lyrics and other info. The inner sleeves are both in great condition.
Overall, I'll call it conservative VG+. 
The record has been stored in a poly-lined sleeve, and this record has been sleeved and stored properly for years, and is still quite nice for an original pressing.
You can see from my pictures it's still quite nice and acceptable. This copy is all original, and a real gem. I'm sure you'll love it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~ ** NOTE: I'm selling this rare 'Collector' record "AS IS" and "NO RETURN". It's rare and as described and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
My grading is fair and honest. I have had over 3,400 happy and satisfied EBay customers over the years, with 100% positive feedback, and I have been buying/selling on EBay for well over 25 years, so please bid with confidence!
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THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far.  -- JOHN