DAVID BOWIE - original UK 1971 dress cover The Man Who Sold The World

	£		261
	$		346

DAVID BOWIE - THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD

1971 UK releases on Mercury label, 6338 041

Matrix Numbers : Side 1 633 804 1 - 1Y - A, stamper 2N,  Side 2  633 804 1 - 2Y - B, stamper 2N

Ultra scarce matt textured "dress" or "drag" cover!!

Both sides of the thick and completely flat vinyl have retained most of their original sheen and are very impressive. Virtually unmarked apart from a surface hairline on side 2 covering the final two tracks that is "non feelable" and does not affect playback at all. Overall a strong excellent. NOTE : this is not the vinyl copy normally associated with the "dress" or "drag" outer sleeve : there is a gap in the word "BROADCASTING" on the label text whereas the usual dress cover copy does not have such a gap, and there is a circled "R" beside the date on the label which for the dress copy it is a circled "P".

Each label is near mint. In fact I can't fault either label - not even the usual faint spindle trace.

The quality of the audio is excellent. Barely any background interference, just a couple of very minor clicks on side 1 (track 2) - just a great listen to what are nine great early Bowie songs.

The matt textured outer sleeve is renowned for it's delicate and fragile nature and is in good condition only. This is the original, withdrawn and now highly sought after, "dress" or "drag" copy : Bowie's boot is printed exactly 10mm from the opening edge of the sleeve and all of the playing cards are correctly positioned. Although there is no creasing on the sleeve each edge is badly scuffed and there is some colouring towards the top left hand corner to cover over what was originally a label or a written name. There is also a small biro doodle about 1 cm from the hem of Bowie's dress. Nonetheless the photo is in good shape and apart from a couple of small blemishes the reverse side is in very good condition also, with no unwanted writing. All text is perfectly legible (apart from the spine text which is mostly obscured by scuffing). Note the name "MICK WOODMANSLEY" on the reverse side of the cover - on non "dress" covers it is spelt correctly as "MICK WOODMANSEY". 

The track listing is :

Side 1:

1. THE WIDTH OF A CIRCLE

2. ALL THE MADMEN

3. BLACK COUNTRY ROCK

4. AFTER ALL

Side 2 :

1. RUNNING GUN BLUES

2. SAVIOUR MACHINE

3. SHE SHOOK ME COLD

4. THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD

5. THE SUPERMEN

Comes complete with original plain white inner sleeve, which itself has no tears or splits (or even any age discolouration) and remains fully functional.

This is one of the most iconic album covers of all time. Not the best of condition, admittedly, and not the usual vinyl pressing associated with the highly coveted "dress" cover, but highly collectable nonetheless and a worthy addition for any serious rock vinyl collector. I have deliberately started the bidding low since the market will dictate the true value of this rarity.

IF THIS ITEM INTERESTS YOU THEN YOU MAY LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT MY OTHER 60's/70'S VINYL OFFERINGS ALSO CURRENTLY ON EBAY : SOME REAL RARITIES!

  If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

A bit about myself : I have been collecting UK vinyl for over 45 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. I worked in IT for 22 years before doing a complete career change to teach Maths in a high school at the ripe old age of 45. But now I am retired and a combination of space requirements and a need to help fund my retirement has prompted me to "rationalise" my record collection and sell many of my much loved gems. 

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller, and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no questions asked" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take care in removing the record from the outer sleeve and properly protecting it in a separate white inner sleeve in order to prevent outer sleeve damage in transit. Please wait for an invoice before paying. I do NOT profiteer from postage costs. I DO take great care in minimising all risk thereby ensuring, as far as possible, that your purchase reaches it's destination in exactly the same condition as when I post it. Richard

P&P costs are for Royal Mail, 1st class, tracked and signed for : £6.00 for UK, £9.00 for continental Europe, and £12.00 for the rest of the world.

Descriptions of any records I sell comply with the Rare Record Price Guide grading guidelines :

Mint

Description: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

Description: The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packag­ing might have slight wear and/or creasing.

Very Good

Description: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable sur­face marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

Description: The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discoloration, etc.

Fair 

Description: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for prop­erly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.

Poor

Description: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

Description: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.