LED ZEPPELIN Houses of the Holy RARER ORIG UK 1973 Nr EX LP. SUPERB COVER/INNER.

	£		43
	$		57

ONEADAYRECORDS – Simply Delivering Quality Music to the World in Quality, Safe Packing.

Postage: UK £4.75 (£1 per extra record). Europe (including Russia) £12.50 (£2 per extra record). Rest of World (including ALL parts of the USA) £16.50 (£3 per extra record). All boxes signed for in quality, safe packaging – I NEVER use mailing envelopes that offer virtually no protection at all, and records WILL arrive damaged in them at some time as most record buyers will already know. Here, you get what you pay for – SAFE PACKING in BOXES using 7mm DOUBLE-WALL STIFFENERS including full side protection and bubble wrap, the records removed from the covers of course. All this very safe packing means I lose money on every box I post, but safe delivery is, and will always be paramount. You WILL see the difference when my packet arrives. Also, I will pay for insurance on any record that sells for over £100 at NO extra cost – that is UK and abroad. Also I aim to post the very same day after payment is received if possible.

Posting to Russia: Yes, I do post to Russia. But delivery can take up to 4 to 6 weeks from the UK. So please be patient. I will submit a tracking number to the winning bidder, and when the packet arrives there it can be followed online using the Russian post website.

ALSO: I now apply the Ebay ‘2-day’ rule for non-payment to keep things moving – cash-flow is important for any small business.

FINALLY: Late payers, non-payers and ‘0’ bidders will now be blocked or cancelled at my discretion. As will any bidder who cancels a bid. I do not like this practice as it is most often used to phish out the price to beat. Ebay does not approve and neither do I – so only bid on my items if you want them.

Artist or Band: LED ZEPPELIN

Album Title: Houses of the Holy

Producer(s): Jimmy Page

Track Listing:

Side 1: The Song Remains the Same; The Rain Song; Over the Hills and Far Away; The Crunge.

Side 2: Dancing Days; D’Yer Mak’er; No Quarter; The Ocean.

Label/Format: Atlantic – matt, smooth surfaces, pressed by CBS with the distinctive ridge.

Label Conditions/Info: Both very clean, fresh and attractive with only light, fine and faint spindle marks.

Catalogue Number: K 50014

Country of Manufacture: England

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: 132 grams.

Rarity: Moderate, this was another popular album.

Original Year of Release: 1973

Matrix Nos: K 50014 A2 / K 50014 B3 [punched, not scripted]

Run-Out Groove Text: ‘STIRLING RL’ [both sides]

Brief Artist & Album Info: Often underrated, compared to the first four but unjustly so. How could any band follow classics of that stature indefintely? – answer, to do something a little different and Houses of the Holy works, for the most part. Only slightly blemished (in my opinion) by two lesser songs: ‘The Crunge’ which experimented with a funk sound and the reggae track ‘D’yer Mak’er’, which does not work for me. The other six songs are pure classic Led Zeppelin at their very best. Chart topping in both the UK and US this album again proved a popular big-seller. This is a very fine original with a superb cover and the first issue textured fragile inner sleeve one of the best I have seen to date (with no splits). Pressing quality is always an issue with this one, and often ruined by mass-production to meet demand. This one plays mostly very well indeed – the only blemish a few very brief light clicks near the beginning of the ‘No Quarter’, and I am struggling to actually see why when scrutinising the playing surface. This the most difficult and challenging track on the album simply because its so quiet. Few examples these days will play it to perfection with nothing unwanted, here most of it plays well the brief clicks apart, and the other songs are all high-quality with little to fault. So not perfect for absolute purists, but it still sets a very high standard that many fans and collectors will enjoy.

Cover Grade and Format: EXCELLENT(++): an unlaminated, matt finished gatefold that has no text printed on it at all. This includes the correct textured card inner sleeve which was printed and made in England by MacNeill.

Cover Front & Back: This famous classic rock cover looks superb and has been mostly cover-protected from new. Few surface now with less wear and retaining genuine freshness. This has minimal traces of creasing, rubbing with no fading or sticker issues. Gentle handling traces on the back near the bottom edge, but the lack of ring wear on this side is always a major plus. Both outer faces will prove hard to find much better.

Cover Inner Gatefold: One of the greatest inner gatefold spreads you will ever with to see, I love this artwork and rarely have seen it look better. This looks jaw-drop gorgeous and is very deeply coloured with much more intense colour that subsequent printings. This is practically as-made.

Top Edges: Both straight, flat and flush with barely even a trace of wear.

Bottom Edges: Similar again with any rub traces tiny and faint which for the storage edges is incredibly hard to avoid totally. Few will have less.

Right Edge(s), and Type: The front is crisp and very neat indeed. The back entrance edges are clean with any thickening to the outer one little and light, the inner one has barely any. All guaranteed untrimmed or enhanced in any way.

Spine and Text: A very impressive spine as-seen. Solid, very straight with barely any trace of compression or rubbing – a hint near the bottom corner tip. Folded square, so the edges meet up very closely and parallel. No text was printed on this one and the design flows around with all artwork present. Even the vulnerable spine folds have avoided rubbing or scuffs making this look even more impressive. These areas still retain dine deep colour with any hint of fading negligible.

Corners: Any tip rubs small and light with mostly excellent shape retained with no knocks.

Cover Summary: One or rock’s most sublime covers and when seen in such fine fresh and barely worn condition, a thing of genuine beauty. Finding a better one will never prove easy. Again, this could prove a substantial upgrade for many fans and collectors.

The Inner Sleeve: MINT(–): with the original Printed in England MacNeill Press Ltd credits and textured surfaces. Later ones were smooth and still often offered as original, but not so. This is in fantastic condition and defies all the perils it faces. No edge splits or thinning to the fragile edge seams, and guaranteed with no repairs or enhancements. These were never lined, so edges become vulnerable and few escape movement splits. Thus often seen with cellotape around them to prevent it happening or as a crude repair – no such issues on this one. Still incredibly clean with any trace of grubbiness minuscule. Fresh with no age darkening or toning spots. Virtually uncreased with just a minute one to the end of the left top opening recess, the edge remaining crisp and barely thickened at all. These are seldom seen like this or better.

Vinyl Condition/Visual Grading: NEAR EXCELLENT: a very fine visual copy that is clean with equally fine shine and solidly pressed. A copy with light plays on evidence with any surface marks light, mostly wispy and faint as seen critically under bright light. No penetrating stylus scratches evident, but as stated above, this does have a brief few light clicks near the beginning of ‘No Quarter’. That area incredibly quiet, thus the grooves are ultra compacted and fragile, so this complex and challenging song seldom plays without the odd blemish or issue. Viewed in average room light, barely anything even registers. Visually a lovely record that should please many collectors.

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 equipment, all listed further down.]

Sound Quality and Audio Grading: This rarer early pressed copy plays mostly above it’s high visual grading with little to fault bar those aforementioned brief clicks near the beginning of ‘No Quarter’. Offering strong, distortion-free sound, all frequencies are sharp and clear – sound quality is very high with a wide dynamic range and very detailed sound. Any surface sounds are minimal indeed and this is mostly cleanly pressed with no tracking issues*. Both channels are clean and sharp, I am certain this record has been played quite lightly and has been certainly been very well stored, almost certainly in a non-smoking environment. Little else bar those few brief clicks spoilt my pleasure when play-grading this excellent record. It could prove difficult to find significantly better and can be highly recommended to many collectors, but quite for purists who only want perfection – and on this particular album, that is always a very difficult task.

* As played-graded on a high-end Linn LP12 Sondek turntable with Ittok Mk II arm and Ortofon Quintet Black moving coil cartridge tracking at 2.2 grams. Records are a ‘contact’ format, and few will avoid the odd minor sound blemish.

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 as I Play-Grade every record I offer in their entirety – also on higher-end equipment – 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 it’s 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 the item being offered with no digital enhancements. Room light factors can make things vary sometimes, that is hard to control, especially in winter. 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. 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 Quintet Black moving coil cartridge (tracks at 2.2 grams). Amps: Naim Supernait 2 with Project USB phono stage and Tellerium Black interconnects. Speakers: B&W 805 Nautilus (bi-wired with Tellurium Black terminated cable) with REL subwoofer. 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. Pictures taken with a Nikon D5000 SLR Digital Camera.

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, better quality packaging costs, I offer probably the best-value and safest shipping possible for ultimate confidence. The boxes and ultra thick double-wall stiffeners 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 minuscule in over 17­ 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. 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). All postage costs are below and at the top of the listing.

NOTE: First Time Bidders: Please ask me first.

PLEASE NOTE: I now exercise my right to open a dispute after the Ebay rule of TWO days if no payment is received. I will then cancel the dispute to end the bid, again after the mandatory FOUR days and then offer the item to the runner-up or relist. The non-payer will also be blocked from my Ebay site as will any suspicious bids or bid withdrawals. Small businesses need prompt payment to trade and these strict rules WILL be applied.

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] = £4.75

1 LP (Special Delivery with Standard £500 Maximum Insurance) [Signed For, Next Day] = £7.50. (this includes insurance of £500). Add £1 per extra LP.

Posting & Packing: EUROPE & SCANDINAVIA. (Airmail Only):

1 LP (Small Packet ‘Signed For’ with Standard Royal Mail Insurance [£50 maximum]) = £12.50 (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an optional extra £3). Add £2 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 [£50 maximum]) = £16.50 (£17.50 for double sets). Add £3 per extra LP. (enhanced Royal Mail insurance is an 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: 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’.