DAVID BOWIE Ziggy Stardust RARE MOBILE FIDELITY SOUND LAB AUDIOPHILE PRESS EX++

	£		142
	$		188

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all – in fact I think these things should be banned as records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS. Full details 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 ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business. I will always keep my P&P prices as low as possible, and even after yet another Royal Mail price hike from April this year, I have NOT raised my prices and will never compromise on solid, safe packing that is invariably heavier than most you will get. My P&P offers probably the best value-for-money for vinyl records available, and I even will pay for full insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: DAVID BOWIE

Album Title: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Producer(s): David Bowie & Ken Scott

TRACK LIST:

Side 1: Five Years; Soul Love; Moonage Daydream; Starman; It Ain’t Easy.

Side 2: Lady Stardust; Star; Hang on to Yourself; Ziggy Stardust; Suffragette City; Rock n Roll Suicide.

Label/Format: Mobile Fidelity with matt, smooth surfaces.

Label Conditions: Both practically as made – just a couple of mild spindle marks on side two.

Cat Number: MFSL 1-064

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: 109 grams. Quite light, but specialist collectors will know the quality of the vinyl used on these top-draw super-pressings.

Country of Manufacture: Record: pressed in Japan. Packaging: United States.

Rarity: These audiophile pressings were limited, hence scarce, outside America they are quite rare and seldom seen. Pressed in small numbers, Mobile Fidelity were never mass-produced to keep the standards as high as possible. The really popular and genuine classic albums issued on this specialist label sold out almost immediately and are the rarest and most difficult to find.

Original Year of Release: 1972 – this pressing from 1981.

Matrix Nos: MFSL-1-064-A3 [H132] / MFSL-1-064-B3 [H132]

Run Out Text: SR/2 ORTOFON (on both sides)

Musicians: David Bowie – vocals, guitar, saxophone; Mick Ronson – guitar, piano, vocals; Trevor Bolder – bass guitar; Mick Woodmansey – drums.

Brief Info: The most surprising statistic about this groundbreaking masterpiece is the fact it only made number 5 in the UK and a lowly 75 in the US for without doubt this is one of greatest rock albums ever made. Totally timeless and it’s popularity and charisma only strengthens as it ages (a bit like the man himself). Bowie’s ability to reinvent himself has allowed the singer to follow a fascinating career. The blend of rock star persona and alien creature defining Ziggy Stardust was probably his greatest creation. Buoyed by the support of legendary guitarist Mick Ronson, Bowie produced some of his finest songs, from the raucous ‘Suffragette City’ to the prophetic ‘Rock n Roll Suicide’, also one of his finest ever songs ‘Starman’ which never fails to please. Science fiction was combined with the love of theatre to bring a visual nature to an album that remains central to Bowie’s wide-ranging catalogue. The opening song is chilling: the apocolyptic ‘Five Years’ is bleak in its intensity and pulls no punches lyrically as planet Earth is dying ‘…With just five years left to cry in’. This is early 1970s glam-rock as it’s ultimate best. It boasts one of the most famous covers in music history too - can any record collection ever be complete without a copy of this record? This copy on offer is somewhat special, it being a super-pressing from Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. A company that spared no expense in manufacturing the cleanest and finest sounding vinyl records possible. Never mass-produced and using only the purest ‘virgin’ vinyl. They were manufactured at half speed using the Ortofon cutting system. Made sparingly in limited numbers, the most popular albums sold out almost immediately as audiophile listeners grabbed them fast. If you think all records sound the same – think again – this album delivers every possible detail that original master tape holds. The audio range is fuller and the music’s delivery more dynamic and full-on. Bowie gave the world Ziggy – the Starman – and one of the most famous catch-phrases ever to burst-forth from any record – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’! This was his route to immortality.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(+): a single unlaminated format with quite matt, smooth finish. A gentle sheen seen under light. The main artwork as per the UK original and including the Mobile Fidelity details. It includes the gatefold manufacture details insert, also a yellow warranty certificate (how many records ever include an actual warranty?). Also a Mobile Fidelity questionnaire sheet. Lastly the super-soft anti-static inner sleeve.

Cover Front: An iconic cover for a classic album – this front has little to fault and these often wear less well unless well stored and carefully handled. This has been cover-protected, thus this front is little short of as made.

Cover Back: The back is largely the same.

Top Edge: Minor rubs hints at the ends, no splits and straight.

Bottom Edge: A little gentle surface rubbing towards the right corner.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, sharp with barely any traces of thickening or burring, these entrance edges guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced.

Spine and Text: A superb spine: clean, crisp and sharp. Solid, straight, uncrushed with minimal traces of compression. All text is unworn as seen, any surface blemishes are a result of how these American covers were made.

Corners: Light to moderate tip rubbing with minor tip creasing on a couple. No major knocks, any dinking light.

Cover Summary: A super example of a what are always quite delicate and vulnerable covers. Imported copies being potentially vulnerable to mistreatment and damage of which this one has avoided.

The Inner Sleeve: EXCELLENT(+): one corner crease only on this super-soft anti-static inner sleeve.

The Information Insert: EXCELLENT(++): a large format card gatefold insert describing the Mobile Fidelity process and details. It also promotes others on this label at the time of manufacture. Nothing to fault bar a small stain on the back top left corner.

The Business Reply Sheet: EXCELLENT(+): a survey sheet for Mobile Fidelity products, this has not been filled in. Again, the only issue is a similar stain (or toning mark) on one corner each side.

The Warranty Certificate: MINT: as made. An actual guarantee sheet, that is how seriously Mobile Fidelity records take their products, they actually provided a warranty certificate for this copy. Not seen one of these before.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT(++): a very fine, clean and fresh visual copy that appears hardly even played. For those who paid premium prices for top-quality records, most looked after them well and played them only on top-quality systems. Any surface blemishes on these fine grooves are tiny, ultra fine and faint – hardly any really – and it plays as impressive as it looks. One for Bowie purists who want to hear exactly how the master tape itself sounds.

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 specialist super-cut record offers possibly the best sound any home media can. Yes true, this offers terrific, clean audio quality this from start to finish and was a pure thrill to listen too. With strong distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp, clear and fully focused – sound quality is immense with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. With this label, you have few fears of pressing issues or hidden nasties – unfortunately the mass-produced regular copies can rarely state the same. The sounds just flow with crispness and real sonic power – the pace and rhythm is second-to-none and the ‘Starman’ could almost be in the room with you. Any hint of surface sound minimal and with no tracking issues*, this is an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly intense and demanding album. It has a slightly fuller dynamic range than even the very first UK pressings, the audio experience is dynamic and more full-on. Every detail is gleaned from the original source and I can hardly imagine hearing this classic album better. Clearly such a pressing deserves only to be heard on a top audio system, and few will be disappointed. For audio performance and for all in general, this copy merits my highest recommendation, not one to lease easily – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’!

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 704 Floorstanding 3-way Monitors (bi-wired with Tellurium 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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 14 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. Oneadayrecords is a MAILER-FREE ZONE – they offer next-to-no-protection, and should be banned, no ‘professional’ should consider using them in my opinion. 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 TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, 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 as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. 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] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 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 £2 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’.