David Bowie 1972 Ziggy El Ghetto Promo LP + Unique Mick Rock Rear Cover + No Res

	£		83
	$		110

ZIGGY EL GHETTO, 1972 PROMO LP
BEING RCA FIRST PRESSING OF SPACE ODDITY 1972 WITH A UNIQUE MICK ROCK REAR COVER +  UNIQUE SLEEVE BIO + DJ SET LIST & TIMINGS
This LP was issued by RCA in extremely small numbers in 1972 as an UNDERGROUND CLUB PROMO LP in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 
It is the original David Bowie 1972 Space Oddity LP, a rare first pressing from RCA Argentina (catalogue LSP-4813) but featuring rear cover photography unique to this pressing where in this ultra conservative nation they adopted a B&W air brushed rendition of Mick Rock's famous Ziggy Stardust session photography.  
The rear sleeve also includes a unique and lengthy artist biography (see LP COVER description below) which was never seen on any other US, EU or UK pressings by RCA, either before or since.
The front and rear sleeves are adorned with underground club advertising with maps of an area of Buenos Aires known as El Ghetto, and created during a period when the Argentine Junta were at their most ultra conservative, particularly with any subject matter even remotely associated with LGBTQIA+ or what was seen as its propaganda. 
The track list/running order and track timings are visible to radio programmers and club DJ's on the rear cover. 
The vinyl has only a few minor visible signs of having been played in its days as an underground club promo LP and since that time has been carefully stored in a Japanese anti-static sleeve separated from the picture sleeve. 

REAR SLEEVE BIO TRANSLATION "....Finally you don't have the words, only the music talks, they cannot elucidate or illuminate, sounds enter through the ears, but only the music travels along the entire body to animate it. David Bowie in the world of music, as all Bowie's music is static. It is situated in the consistent paradoxical odyssey of Bowie. Your experience will be personal and universal, perhaps galactic, microcosmic, and macrocosmic...."
From the writings of Keith Elshaw, Radio Toronto, late 60s, early 70s RCA, the biggest recording company in the world for decades, was also the biggest in Argentina. Other companies recorded Tango music but RCA was the giant. 
By the early 60's RCA had installed a new General Manager who they brought in from Columbia, one Ricardo Mejia.
What happened next is not completely clear but Ricardo did his due diligence and decided RCA could realize great wealth if they sold the land which their warehouse and studios were built on.
He decided to clear the place out so he could showcase it to prospective buyers. What to do with all the materials inside the warehouse? Ricardo ordered his staff to burn everything. 
But sir - all our old Masters are in there!  Burn them, he said. So they did.  
Hence why today it is almost impossible to find an early RCA Argentina pressing. 

TRACK LIST
A1 Rareza Del Espacio = Space Oddity (5:15) A2 Sin Lavar Y Algo Deslumbrador = Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed (6:55) A3 Carta A Hermoine = Letter To Hermione (2:28) A4 Comite Cygnet = Cygnet Committee (9:33)
B1 Janine (3:18) B2 Un Sueño Ocasional = An Occasional Dream (2:51) B3 El Niño De Ojos Salvajes De La Nube Libre = The Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (4:45) B4 Dios Sabe Que Soy Bueno = God Knows I'm Good (3:13) B5 Memoria De Un Festival Libre = Memory Of A Free Festival (7:05)
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – RCA Records Record Company – RCA S.A.I.C.
LP COVER The official 1972 reissue of the Space Oddity LP by RCA was produced for the world market in a non laminated card sleeve with a new cover design featuring the then in vogue Ziggy Stardust era colour photography of Mick Rock and printed in England by their trusted partner Robert Stace. 
However this LP was assembled using the far more makeshift methods of RCA S.A.I.C. at the time, almost like a jigsaw, featuring different rear B&W cover artwork showing Bowie not with his hair in the traditional spikey Ziggy style, but instead he is wearing his hair in a rather more well groomed fashion.  This may have occurred during the photo session but more likely later by the magic of the 70's advertising agency air brush in ultra conservative Buenas Aires. 
The front and rear cover are adorned with club advertising and maps from the Buenas Aires underground era, under the banner of El Ghetto.  
There is a price stamped on the rear sleeve in Argentine pesos $45.80. This is literally just a few cents in todays money.  Its worth remembering in Argentina the $ sign was used to denote the Peso.

CATALOGUE NUMBER  LSP 4813
MODE / SPEED Stereo / 33.3 rpm
VINYL WEIGHT Original 130 gram vinyl. Today, Audiophile reissues are sometimes pressed on 180 gram vinyl. Only a small percentage of early vinyl was ever pressed to this specification. Records pressed in the 1960s averaged 140 to 150 grams. Records pressed in the 1970s were usually lighter and some records pressed around 1973 were very light due an oil crisis at the time. 
COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE Officially the Argentine Republic, the country is bordered by Chile to the west, Bolivia and Paraguay to the north, Brazil and Uruguay to the northeast, and is washed by the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Then as now, the capital Buenos Aires still serves as the political, cultural, and economic center of the country. 

MATRIX NUMBERS  The LP was produced by David Bowie and Tony Visconti and pressed by RCA with unique factory stamped matrix numbers BPRS 4501 1S and BPRS 4502 2S (please see the large photographs provided).
Fifty three years on and these factory matrix numbers are still not documented on contemporary collectors sites such as Discogs. 

MUSICIANS Bass – Herbie Flowers, Honk (3), Tony Visconti Cello – Paul Buckmaster Drums – John Cambridge, Terry Cox Engineer – Barry Sheffield, Ken Scott, Malcolm Toft Flute, Recorder – Tony Visconti Flute, Recorder, Guitar – Tim Renwick Guitar – Keith Christmas, Mick Wayne Harmonica – Benny Marshall And Friends Mellotron, Electric Harpsichord – Rick Wakeman Vocals, Twelve-String Guitar, Stylophone, Kalimba, Organ [Rosedal Electric Chord], Written-By, Arranged By – David Bowie
GRADING & CONDITION The vinyl LP has some light but visible signs of playing during its days as a club promo LP, so graded VG+
The original RCA labels are clean with only minor colour toning with age and one minor pen mark on Side 1. near the El Ghetto sticker.
This early LP sleeve and artwork are unique to this pressing and appear to be assembled at the factory using various existing card stock by RCA S.A.I.C. hence there are no spine/credits/titles and so graded VG+. 
Having previously owned several of these identical LP's I am of the opinion this is how they were originally manufactured and issued at the factory. 
Shelf wear on all edges and taped sections, please see the many large photographs provided, but this state is exactly how all the other copies I have owned were and so I believe this is how they were first assembled and issued by the factory.  
There is some rubbing and separation on the rear sleeve, particularly at the bottom where the B&W artwork has been damaged along the margin. See the large photographs provided.  
The original record bag is included, it has various light foxing and spots of discoloration as well as some sections cut out and brown tape affixed.
PAYMENT, SHIPPING & INSURANCE
Please pay within four days of winning the auction. 
If you fail to pay in that time eBay may automatically cancel the sale and start a non-paying bidder procedure. 
Securely consigned fully insured, packaged and additionally protected in a reinforced record mailer then shipped to the UK buyer using Royal Mail Tracked service.
Likewise securely consigned fully insured to EU & Worldwide with tracking.
Any import duty would be your responsibility to investigate and/or to pay where it to be relevant to you.
QUESTIONS
Please ask any questions you might have prior to purchase.
Please note I cannot provide an audio play through grading, so if by chance this is not satisfactory please do not bid. 

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