LED ZEPPELIN HOUSES OF THE HOLY A2/B2 1st PRESS *SUPERB* AUDIO & COVER w/OBI
£
228
$
302
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Description
Led Zeppelin : Houses Of The Holy A2/B2
This first pressing plays with superb clarity and depth for the vast majority. There is only some interference at the start of 'No Quarter' which only lasts for the 9/10 seconds and the remainder of the album plays incredibly well.
This first pressing is of course the Robert Ludwig cut which makes it even more collectable. It is well known as having greater sonic quality, a very strong audiophile copy as it were.
The gatefold is in fantastic condition and rarely seen as 'clean' as this. The textured lyric inner is also in superb shape, almost 'as new'. It also comes complete with the very rare and original UK Obi which is in excellent condition with hardly any wear.
K 50014 // A - 2 // STERLING RL stamped
K 50014 // B - 2 // STERLING RL stamped
The audio on S1 is Mint- (T2 Near Mint-)
The audio on S2 is Mint- (T3 intro G+ then Near Mint- / T4 Near Mint-)
The gatefold is Near Mint-
The lyric inner is Near Mint
The original Obi is Ex+
The labels are Ex+
Visual grading
The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a very healthy glossy sheen. S1 in particular is stunning and has only a small number of 'specks' but I cannot see any obvious hairlines at all. S2 does have a few 'specks' again which have no affect on the audio and a few faint hairlines mainly over one area. There is also a more obvious hairline scuff but again this has no bearing on the audio. A tiny scratch at the start of track three also which does cause a few seconds of interference but overall this side is a prime example of a vinyl playing much better than its visual 'look'. In summary the hairlines are only superficial. The run out grooves are very clean and can easily be read.
Play grading
The instrumental intro on 'The Song Remains The Same' is nigh on perfect with only a couple of seconds of barely audible static right at the start. As the vocal comes in the clarity is stunning and it continues to play with genuine quality to the very end. There is no interference and there is a great tone to the sound i.e. superb definition and precision. It certainly plays like it has hardly been played before! A Mint- start to the album.
The quiet intro on 'The Rain Song' has barely any static and plays with wonderful clarity and this is maintained during the first verse. The first long instrumental section is close to perfect - there is no obvious intrusion, just a handful of very light ticks, and there are no clicks or pops. The second verse has no 'background' and as the volume increases the playback is stunning with...no intrusion. The final 'quiet' section again plays beautifully. I will grade as Near Mint- although that might be a little harsh.
The acoustic intro on 'Over The Hills And Far Away' is 'as new' with not even one dust tick and the first verse is of the 'high end' standard also. As the track 'kicks into gear' I cannot emphasise enough just how good the audio is! It is so rich and deep and has no distortion on the top end. Wow! It progresses in the same way - each verse plays with sublime clarity and the instrumental sections are just fantastic! This is audio of the highest calibre and the very quiet end section also plays with real precision, barely any 'background'. This is Mint- for sure.
The percussive intro on 'The Crunge' is perfect and from then on plays without any interference. This track often has some vocal distortion but there is barely any here and the clarity is very impressive indeed. Great depth and power and a Mint- end to the side.
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'Dancing Days' plays with stunning quality from the very first groove to the last. There is nothing that intrudes on the quality of the audio and it plays as well as it would've done back in '73. The clarity and definition of the audio cannot be underestimated and Mint is richly deserved. No need for a minus here!
'D'Yer Mak'er' is of the same 'high end' standard with no intrusion at all. Not a 'typical' Led Zepp track but it nonetheless plays with sublime precision throughout and Mint is again an honest appraisal of the audio.
The intro on 'No Quarter' does have nine clicks - the first six are quite light but the final three are louder sadly. However, this is the first real interference on the album and only lasts for 15 seconds. The rest of this quiet intro plays extremely well with barely any static and once Bonham and then Page join in the audio is stunning. The first verse plays incredibly well with barely any static and continues in much the same way. Of course there are so many quiet sections and aside from the intro they all play with great clarity and there are no other clicks or pops. The quiet passage preceding the mid section instrumental does have a little static but it is very quiet and non-intrusive. This instrumental then plays 'as new' and the second and final verse plays with very impressive clarity. The clarity, power and depth on the final section is fantastic and the long fade out is also flawless. I would grade the intro as G+ and the remainder as Near Mint- as the playback cannot really be faulted.
The 'spoken' intro on 'The Ocean' has no interference and the opening instrumental is equally as good. The first verse is very strong and has only minimal inner groove distortion and progresses in much the same way with no intrusion. The very quiet 'la la' vocal section has hardly any static and the remainder plays to a very high standard also. There is always some distortion on this track, a common issue, but it is kept to a minimum and overall provides a Near Mint- finish to the album.
In summary this genuine first press plays with stunning clarity and depth for the vast majority and the only interference is at the beginning of 'No Quarter' which does not last long anyway. There are no clicks or pops on any of the other tracks and overall I was very impressed with the quieter sections on the album. There is only minimal inner groove distortion on the two final tracks and it has to be said the vast majority does play 'as new'.
The Gatefold & Obi
The cover is in superb condition and has hardly any shelf wear, certainly nothing obvious. The edges and wide spine for once have no wear and there is no discernible corner wear either. The opening edge is near perfect also. The front cover is in great shape with no marking as such just a couple of faint scratch lines and two 'specks' near the top edge. The back cover is even better with no marking at all. The inside of the gatefold is immaculate and all the colours remain strong and vivid. A fine example.
The rare Obi is in excellent condition and even more rare remains perfectly intact. There are no splits or tears and I can see only a couple of very faint marks on the front and one that is a little more obvious on the back. There is barely any corner wear, just a minor amount on the right hand side. This is definitely one of the better ones I have seen.
The Lyric Inner
The textured inner is as close to perfect as is possible and is rarely seen as 'clean' as this. They are so often found with a lot of foxing/staining but this one! It is in superb order with only a couple of very minor faint marks on S1 and one very small print mark on S2. Stunning!
The Labels
The green/orange labels are in excellent condition and have no marking or writing. There is some spindle wear but not an excessive amount. They do have a small number of indent / ridging marks but this is common with this album.
Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable // B & W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine
K 50014 // A - 2 // STERLING RL stamped
K 50014 // B - 2 // STERLING RL stamped
I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
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Postage & Packaging
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