LED ZEPPELIN HOUSES OF HOLY RARE ORIG '73 LP IN SHRINK w/OBI+STICKER BOB LUDWIG

$

202

WE CURRENTLY HAVE  NEARLY 500  LISTED ITEMS

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·       LED ZEPPELIN - HOUSES OF THE HOLY - ORIGINAL ATLANTIC RECORDS STEREO LP SD-7255

·       ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

·       PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT A REISSUE WITH A CATALOG NUMBER SD-19130: THIS IS THE REAL THING: ORIGINAL, FIRST PRESSING WITH THE CATALOG NUMBER SD-7255)

·       ORIGINAL, TRUE FIRST PRESSING ON GREEN AND ORANGE LABEL WITH THE BROADWAY, NYC ADDRESS, AND WITHOUT 'WEA' LOGO ALONG THE PERIMETER OF THE LABEL

·       EXTREMELY RARE TRUE FIRST PRESSING WITH JAPANESE-STYLE "OBI"-LIKE RIBBON AROUND THE COVER

·       THE ALBUM INCLUDES ORIGINAL CUSTOM INNER SLEEVE, UNIQUE TO THIS TITLE

·       THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

·       ORIGINAL GATEFOLD COVER

·       COVER IS STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL SHRINK (CELLOPHANE) WRAP WITH A NIFTY STICKER STILL AFFIXED TO THE WRAP.

·       FAIRLY THICK VINYL PRESSING On the scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the least, and  10 being the most severe), we assess the thickness of the vinyl as 7.

·       CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

·       THE RECORD HAS A 'STERLING' STAMP IN THE TRAIL-OFF VINYL (DEAD WAX) AREA, WHICH IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED A PROOF OF AUTHENTICITY OF THE FIRST PRESSING.

(►PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a "recycled" image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get.  GUARANTEED!)

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Houses of the Holy follows the same basic pattern as Led Zeppelin IV, but the approach is looser and more relaxed. Jimmy Page's riffs rely on ringing, folky hooks as much as they do on thundering blues-rock, giving the album a lighter, more open atmosphere. While the pseudo-reggae of "D'Yer Mak'er" and the affectionate James Brown send-up "The Crunge" suggest that the band was searching for material, they actually contribute to the musical diversity of the album. "The Rain Song" is one of Zep's finest moments, featuring a soaring string arrangement and a gentle, aching melody. "The Ocean" is just as good, starting with a heavy, funky guitar groove before slamming into an a cappella section and ending with a swinging, doo wop-flavored rave-up. With the exception of the rampaging opening number, "The Song Remains the Same," the rest of Houses of the Holy is fairly straightforward, ranging from the foreboding "No Quarter" and the strutting hard rock of "Dancing Days" to the epic folk/metal fusion "Over the Hills and Far Away." Throughout the record, the band's playing is excellent, making the eclecticism of Page and Robert Plant's songwriting sound coherent and natural.

 (EXCERPT FROM AN ONLINE REVIEW BY STEPHEN THOMAS ERLEWINE, ALL MUSIC GUIDE  /ALLMUSIC.COM/)

You wouldn't think this is a very hard album to find, what with all the millions of copies it sold. But wait, there is a catch: In 1973, Atlantic label had just merged with Warner Brothers, Elektra and Asylum into the world-wide marketing powerhouse named WEA (WEA being the acronym of the four labels), and was in the process of changing the layout of its label (and company’s address), literally as the album was being placed into production. As a result, only a minuscule number of the copies of the original print - probably less than 2% - came out on the original ATLANTIC label WITHOUT WEA LOGO on the label. We proudly present one such specimen here. .

This also happens to be the very last Zep album to be issued on Atlantic label – all subsequent releases (Physical Graffiti; The Song Remains the Same; Presence; In through the out door; and Coda) were released on the band's proprietary "Swan Song" label.

Originally dismissed as a departure from their original style, the album aged with grace, and we don't think it would be farfetched to say that is one of the top-4 Led Zep studio albums ever (right up there with Zep I, IV and Physical Graphiti).

The bidders should note that this is a Bob Ludwig-mastered “hot pressing” of this album, with his initials “RL” (Robert Ludwig) etched in the trail-off vinyl of the disc . All the wonderful elements of Bob Ludwig’s trademark mastering style are here: incredible clarity and balanced channel separation, vivid and spacious “ambience” sound, as well as wide dynamic and frequency range of the sound spectrum.  As is almost always the case with Bob Ludwig’s masterings, the Bob Ludwig-mastered pressings of this album are CONSIDERABLY rarer than the regular, non-Ludwig copies of this album.

For additional information on this album click here

TO SEE IF WE HAVE OTHER LISTED ITEMS BY THIS GROUP OR ARTIST ►  CLICK HERE

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·                               CONDITION:

·                               RECORD

 (IMPORTANT NOTE: unless otherwise noted, ALL records are graded visually, and NOT play-graded!; we  grade records under the strong, diffuse room light or discrete sunlight)

(a)          WE GRADE THE VINYL  AS  (WEAK) NEAR MINT. Some VERY LIGHT AND SUPERFICIAL abrasions – mostly sleeve scuffs -  are (barely) visible, but are probably inaudible,  and do not affect visual integrity or beauty of the vinyl. The original luster is very much intact, and the vinyl shines and sparkles almost like new.

(b)          The record comes in its original, custom, inner sleeve, which is UNIQUE to this album

(c)             The record is pressed on a RELATIVELY  thick, inflexible vinyl. This is NOT a thin, flimsy ('dynaflex' type),  vinyl, but not the thickest, most rigid vinyl, either.

(d)          Of course, this is a full-bodied ANALOG recording, and not an inferior, digital recording!!!

·       COVER

COVER IS STRONG NEAR MINT,  STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL ►SHRINK WRAP

The following flaws or imperfections are noted on the cover:

-         Cover has one corner slightly worn / dinged (nothing significant)

-         Cover shows JUST A HINT of yellowing on both sides, apparently from aging ((BARELY VISIBLE)

-         Note: the previous owner taped the edges of the shrink wrap along the opening slot to the INSIDE of the cover by using two pieces of clear scotch tape, which are barely visible. We stress that the tape is barely touching the visible, external part of the cover. This can be easily removed.

NO OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON THE COVER:

-        No split seams

-        No ring wear

-        No cut-out (drill) holes.

-        No cut-out corners

-        No saw-marks or indents

-        No dirt/dust rubbing stains (friction marks caused by rubbing against other covers)

-        No wrinkles or creases

-        No writing

-        No stamps

-        No peel-off marks

-        No stains

-        No mold or mildew spots

-        No stickers or labels

-        No water damage

-        No razor marks, scratches, pressure marks, lines, streaks, or  cuts.

-        No warping

-        No wax, glue, paint or liquid drops on the cover

-        No glue traces or wax residue.

-        No bar codes

-        No RIAA stamps or stickers. 

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING:

We offer THREE postage rates for both Domestic and International Mail: Media Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail for domestic, and First Class, Priority International Mail, and Express International Mail for international orders. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: WE RECOMMEND that you pay for USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment in order to obtain tracking information, which is NOT available for First Class International shipments.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from country to country. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage rates ►click here. While you can be rest assured that ►our packaging is careful, sturdy and impact-proof, please note that damage, loss or theft in transit is always possible, and in the case of some countries even PROBABLE. To discuss this potential problem and ensure flawless delivery, please contact us thru eBay BEFORE placing a bid.

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OUR REFUND POLICY :

WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED (THE BUYER PAYS FOR THE RETURN POSTAGE); Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund Some restrictions apply. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ►Click here  for the full text of our policy

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