DAVID BOWIE Ziggy Stardust RARER -1E/-2E UK 1972 EX LP

	£		49
	$		65

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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: RCA Victor – Original genuine 1972 first orange pressing with the ultra shiny, glass smooth finish. Importantly this has the ‘Titanic Music’ credits which indicates a first pressed 1972 copy. (Please see my label scan).

Label Conditions: Both very clean, super fresh and with that lovely glass-like shiny smooth surface. A couple of fine and fine spindle marks on side one, but barely a trace to be seen on side two. Later examples, even from the following year, had matt surfaces. Some even pressed on the dreaded Dynaflex.

Cat Number: SF 8287 (LSP 4702).

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: 136 grams. A little above average for this one. Later ones became very thin and flimsy.

Country of Manufacture: England.

Rarity: The earliest pressings from 1972 on the RCA Victor label are scarcer than later ones. This copy is pressed on REAL vinyl, NOT Dynaflex. This is easily determined as RCA orange copies pressed on the stuff had the word ‘Dynaflex’ printed on the labels – they are best avoided, they usually sound terrible and are not audiophile standard. The price guides seem to value ALL RCA copies the same which is plain stupid. The title itself is fairly easily found but most are later pressings, often pressed on Dynaflex or imported wafer thin US pressings. The majority on RCA International with different coloured labels or matt finished orange RCA’s, the true original glossy labels are far more elusive. A solidly pressed UK example with the -1E/-2E matrixes in lightly played conditions will always prove more challenging to find. The matrixes on this example are deeply machine punched and very clear and precise in solid Roman type (please see my close-up of the highly sort-after -1E matrix). For those who bought this album when first released, most played them into submission and finding originals that play really well are difficult. Often fans bought later copies as replacements for their originals. The more discerning collectors who do own the first made pressings will rarely want to part with them – and why would they? Not only that, the cover is well-known for rubbing and ringwear. Original covers did NOT include the ‘Mainman’ logo on the back that was printed below the ‘GEM’ production (as seen in my picture). Again this was added quickly after 72. Also, the very delicate lyric inner is seldom seen untorn, split or heavily creased (of a combination of all). This inner again has the ‘Titanic’ credit and no reference to Mainmain. This record, almost unbelievably, is now fast approaching 40, and so many of the first issues were often badly treated by younger buyers of the time. I do occasionally see this at fairs but invariably the cover is heavily worn and tatty, the lyric inner often missing or so damaged and torn it’s hardly worth having and the records worn and clearly heavily played. Often US pressings or Dynaflex copies that sag in the middle, pressed so thin you can almost see through them, or just the far more common matt-finished labels copies that came, albeit slightly later. This Bowie masterwork is without doubt a 1972 pressing with the -1E/-2E matrixes, -1E/-1E’s do exist – I have had a couple before – but are even more elusive. So do not take lightly the early pressed copies in fine condition, yes the record sold well, but far fewer around with the shiny labels and all the criteria needed to be a 1972 issue.

Original Year of Release: 1972

Matrix Nos: BGBS 0864-1E / BGBS 0865-2E. All deeply punched in block characters. Later copies were scripted and appear scratched on. (Again please see close-up pictures. NOTE: the label area colour is the same but looks varied as these macro close-ups were taken without flash and I rely on natural light angle to get these into the best view I can, hence varied colour).

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 albums ever made. It’s totally timeless and its 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. Reinforced 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 arguably his finest ever song ‘Starman’ which never fails to delight - the singer would famously declare Ziggy dead during a live concert. 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 blood-chilling: the apocalyptic ‘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’. 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 strong and has fine sound, so often RCA pressings could disappoint. The record itself is superbly recorded and produced, but sometimes manufacture quality let it down. Often invisible distortions, pressing bubbles and crackle spoil the wonderful sound. This one has NO distortion and offers mostly very clean sound with just the odd sporadic light click or two. This is vinyl, its old and was popular, few will avoid them totally, that’s simply being honest and realistic. The cover, never laminated is most always seen worn and rubbed as is the frail illustrated inner, very thin paper always makes this seen torn or split or worse. The record itself appears only very lightly played, the beautiful glossy RCA Victor labels have to be seen to be fully appreciated. You will be hard pressed to find either better than these. Early examples are far more elusive and with all three components in very fine condition. Remember that glam-rock era?, this was the definitive record from this period for me, it was widely purchased by teenage girls of the early 70s, being honest and hopefully fair, many did not really know how to look after records well, a high percentage of these were played into the ground on low-end, often portable record players. Hence many are seen in unplayable, bordering on atrocious conditions. This one has not suffered in any way like that and has been clearly well looked after and without doubt lightly handled and played. 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 superstardom.

This Cover’s Potential for Wear: Very High+: made with thin card and the earlier ones with thicker records inside usually left their (rim) mark freely. Most are seen rubbed, faded, ringworn, badly creased and even torn. Later ones were coated with a more shiny surface and of course these will be seen in better conditions more often. But the matt originals without the Mainmain logo are a far different matter.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT: or very close to. A single unlaminated format, made with thin card with matt surfaces. It is very delicate indeed and includes all the attributes of the 1972 printed cover. It has the RCA Victor logo (NOT INTERNATIONAL) as seen on many reprinted repressings. This has the SF 8287 (LSP 4702) number and only the ‘GEM PRODUCTION’ text and logo on back and NO ‘Mainmain’ reference, these came post 1972. Printed and made in England by Robert Stace. It includes the very fragile, thin paper lyric inner.

Cover Front: One of the most famous album covers of all time and this front does it a high degree of justice. There is some gentle rubbing around the record’s rim shape see more under light, but minimal traces of ink has been removed to form real ringwear, there is a big difference between the two – few will ever avoid it and that’s being simply honest. The matt surfaces with the earlier records inside, that were invariably thicker, simply pushed on the very thin card. With normal viewing, any rubbing shows little as do any tiny few and very fine and light surface creases. Near the centre, a couple of faint record hole impressions are seen also which reitterates just how thin this card is. Again, only seen under light, normal viewing makes them practically invisible, they are truly minor anyway. This retains rich and deep colour with a fine degree of freshness with few actual marks to the surface. Any of the mild blemishing is purely do to storage age rather than any heavy-handedness or mistreatment for which this has not received any.

Cover Back: All very similar: even less rubbing around the record shape with full ink intact. A few more very fine surface creases but still only few, finding totally crease-free examples of this is a massive ask. Again, any here barely even show unless scrutinised under angled light. This back is very impressive overall, and the front little short either.

Top Edge: Minimal traces of wear, a little light and small rubs near the ends.

Bottom Edge: Very light and faint rub traces, more near the corners, but still only small.

Right Edge(s), and Type: Clean, generally sharp with no wear of note, any burr traces again are tiny and barely even register. This is guaranteed untrimmed. Record enters on this edge. Viewing end-on, emphasises how thin this card is, it has little chance of ever avoiding often considerable wear and damage. This fragile edge has not thickened at all with excellent crispness retained.

Spine and Text: Solid, straight, with minimal traces of compression. Any wear is minimal and light, being white, any rubbing barely even registers and practically all the text is present and unworn. The only exception is a small partial rub to the word ‘THE’ (the first word of the album title), where the ‘HE’ have clipped. Hopefully, this detail can be seen on my spine close-up picture.

Corners: All the cornertips have rubbed, but this barely shows on the main front and back faces, only when viewed looking down on the actual edges themselves. Again, few will avoid none and here, it’s only small. All retain very fine shape.

Cover Summary: A very flimsy cover made with very thin card that is ruthlessly uncompromising. Beware of ‘Mainmain’ logo examples on the back being offered as ‘originals’, they are not, they came after the year of issue (or later still). The same goes for RCA International ones that are somewhat later still. This only gives fairly subtle clues to it’s considerable, and genuine age with any wear mildly faint and light. One to please many, if not most Bowie fans and collectors, but not quite perfect enough for the connoisseur. But finding the ultimate Mint 1972 version will prove very difficult indeed.

The Inner: EXCELLENT(+): this has the Gem Production credits and is copyrighted by Titanic Music, it includes all song lyrics. This fragile inner is very difficult to find looking this clean and fresh with so little wear or edge issues. Made with thin unlined paper, few survive unsplit and this one is just that and with NO repairs. A tiny few, mainly very light creases with any grubbiness faint and minor. Any glue darkening on the seams registers little and even the top recessed opening edge is crisp, unburred and untorn. Clearly, these inners can and will often be mixed-and-matched, this is the one that came with this copy, again beware of substitutions that do not have the criteria needed to be a first.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: EXCELLENT: with any surface blemishes or hairlines being very fine, faint, few. Merely fine movement abrasions that have no effect on sound, any present only seen under light. One of those sort-after -1E’s that has not been abused or over-played on lesser equipment. Overall, a very clean and still fresh looking example that is intense black, shiny and very solidly pressed. A copy I feel sure has received few plays, if the label evidence especially is to be believed, barely at all as both look stunning. I am not strictly a spindle-mark counter, but the fewer I see the more I like it, and this one has barely any. Often records had the odd light mark on even from new, all buyers will have seen them. Remember these things were handled in manufacture and packing and blemishes happened. A high percentage of this record were bought by young teenagers from the ‘Glam-rock’ era, most would have been played on vintage record players that had little finese and massive tracking weights. This one bucks the trend more and appears more carefully stored, handled and very modestly played. Visually a super record that should please many collectors again.

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 miniscule sound present on any record.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This more elusive and genuine very early pressed record, one of the very first infact, plays even above it’s high visual grading with very little to fault. Strong, distortion-free sound (never take that for granted on this, or any RCA pressing), all frequencies are sharp and clear - sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Regarding distortion (or severe pressing sounds) the invisible menace of even the cleanest, minty looking records. I have heard several examples of this, and other early Bowie albums that have it. I had a genuine first pressed ‘Hunky Dory’ with the laminated cover some while ago. The record sounded terrible, so-much-so, I did not even offer it, and that is a very rare one indeed. RCA records around this time were highly variable, some play perfect, some far less so and many somewhere inbetween. Some collectors will know the ‘Fresh Maggots’ album on the same label, this is reputed not to even exist without severe blister marks that make the surfaces look like Brail, and quite frankly, unplayable. And the Andy Roberts album similar with less than perfect sound. This ‘Ziggy’ has no such pressing issues and all tracks through effortlessly with clean crisp sound. It has a tiny few sporadic gentle clicks that few will avoid for their entire duration, but little else. In terms of dynamics and detail, nothing will ever beat a first pressed vinyl copy of this classic album even with the odd minor blemish. The sound is so clean with details any CD collector will have certainly not have heard before. 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. Practically devoid of surface sound on the music, with just a couple of traces between a couple of songs on side one when played at substantial volume. With all considered, this rate this as an exceptional clean pressing for a fairly intense and demanding album. Later pressings of this were even more variable and avoid those wretched Dynaflex copies at all costs. The sound on these unworn grooves are definitive and this can be played loud, as the cover suggests, with confidence. Few copies will significantly outperform this earliest of pressings I feel sure. Play-grading this album is essential, pressing nasties cannot be seen, only heard and often this album will disappoint. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played lightly and has been generally well stored and carefully handled. Nothing of any real note spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this wonderful record – time has not changed this one, a real pleasure to view and hear. This copy will prove difficult to find significantly better and can be strongly recommended – ‘WHAM BAM THANK YOU MA’AM’!

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 QED Silver 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.

First-time, zero-rated bidders, who do not ask permission to bid, will be cancelled immediately and blocked – NO exceptions. For winning bidders who I consider excessively slow to make contact or submit payment, I will use my right to block future bids. If any bidder who wins in the final seconds is present to do so, surely they can at least email me to inform of intention and payment method? If swift or promp payment is a problem, please do not bid.

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 stiffners 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 7,000+ items sold in nearly 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 3 or 4 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). I will not respond to questions on shipping costs as all the details are included here and on ALL of my adverts. Details below:

NOTE: First Time Bidders: I will cancel ALL first-time bidders with no feedbacks or excessive negatives who do not ask me if its OK to bid first – NO EXCEPTIONS.

Please Note: I will now offer any item to the runner-up after the mandatory Ebay 3 days if no contact is made by the winning bidder unless prior notice of any delay is given beforehand. The same applies if no payment is received within the mandatory 7 days so any bidder who has just lost out can still email me to reserve the item as priority second chance – it’s always worth asking.

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.

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (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 [£40 maximum]) = £9. (insurance optional extra £3). Add £2.50 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 [£39 maximum]) = £13. Add £4 per extra LP. (insurance 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: Please do not bid if you have negative feedback unless checking first, 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’.