LED ZEPPELIN I 1969 UK RAREST 1st press TURQUOISE, uncorrected matrix 588171 VG+

	£		720
	$		954

LED ZEPPELIN - LED ZEPPELIN 1

One of the rarest and most sought after classic rock LP's of all time : a 1969 UK very 1st pressing on the coveted plum and orange ATLANTIC label, STEREO 588171

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  588171 A//1 with stampers "1 2 1" at 5 o'clock 

Side 2  588171 B//1 with stampers "1 8 6" at 2 o'clock 

Note the credentials for this being a very first UK pressing : 

1. Superhype music credits on side 1 and side 2 labels

2. Earliest and uncorrected 588171 dead wax matrices; 

3. Solid grey strip at foot of outer sleeve;

4. Turquoise coloured "LED ZEPPELIN" text and Atlantic logo on front of outer sleeve.

The appearance of the flat, heavy vinyl is VG+. In normal daylight a few very light surface scuffs and wispy hairlines are just visible when held in the right light and at the right angle but the overriding impression is one of an impressive jet black sheen and impressive luster. Under a bright light more wispy hairlines and pencil thin light scuffs come into view indicating a reasonable number of plays, but there is nothing "feelable" or obviously below the surface or intrusive and clearly there's lots of plays left in this particular slab of vinyl! In the 60's and early 70's the vinyl was built to last, and it does! Overall a solid very good, undoubtedly.

The labels are excellent. No obvious blemishes at all, just the usual few very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre holes. The coveted Atlantic plum and orange coloured matt textured background is near perfect as is all the black text, including the "Superhype" credits text specific to very 1st pressings. The only blemishes, and even these are very minor, are a few very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label. Brilliant!

The iconic laminated (front and back) MacNeil Press outer sleeve is very good plus (VG+) - I daresay some would even say "excellent". The top and bottom edges are in great shape - still rigid with no scuffing at all, and each corner remains a nicely defined right angle with just some very minor rubbing on the corners either end of the spine. The opening edges are also excellent, being firm and with no fraying or feathering at all. The spine is impressive - rigid with all text perfectly legible and just a 7mm mild scuff in the middle. On the front side there are x7 1cm light laminate creases perpendicular and adjacent to the spine, a couple of small areas of vertical laminate lifting (again adjacent to the spine), a 7cm laminate crease towards the bottom left corner, and some further sporadic light laminate creasing towards the opening side. There is also just the hint of a little light brown discolouring at the bottom left corner and a very light horizontal 12cm light grey 6mm wide band emanating from about half way up the opening edge. Each of these are minor blemishes (most are not obvious and only identifiable by holding the sleeve at the right angle in a bright light), non-intrusive and do little to diminish the still rich and vibrant colouring of all the front side artwork. The very 1st press grey strip on the bottom edge is nice and clear. The reverse side is excellent with x6 light 1-2cm laminate creases towards the opening edge (only visible when held at the right angle in a bright light), and some occasional 1cm light laminate creases adjacent and perpendicular to the top and bottom edges (x13 in total, but each is very faint and again you will need a bright light to see them), and there is a little more noticeable vertical laminate lifting adjacent to the spine. But again...rich and vibrant colouring and perfect photo reproduction ensures an overall VG+ (at least) grading for this truly iconic cover.

Finally, the quality of the audio is very good plus (VG+). There is impressive tone and clarity throughout, and no distortion even at higher volume and on the higher frequencies. There are no skips or nasty clicks. There is just the hint of some mild and occasional background crackle/static during a couple of the quieter moments (these are few and far between) and two of the interludes on side 1 - I should add that there are other "quieter" moments where there is not even this very mild background crackle...indeed for the majority of playing time the sound quality ranges from excellent to downright awesome. I stated earlier that there are some wispy hairlines and mild pencil thin scuffs on each side of the vinyl, and none of tehse are "feelable" and none appear to be below thes urface. Nevertheless there are the following mild background clicks : on side 1, x3 towards the beginning of track 1, x1 towards the end of track 2, and x3 at the beginning of track 3; and on side 2, x6 in the middle of track 1 where there is a very small surface blemish (no more than a thick dot - see photo), and x3 (very, very mild clicks) about two thirds of the way through track 5. I stress that none of these clicks are loud and nasty (quite the opposite in fact) but they are there and it would be remiss of me not to mention them. The bottom line question is...does each and every track on this simply awesome piece of vinyl still make for a great listen. The answer is an unequivical "YES"!!

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. GOOD TIMES BAD TIMES

2. BABE I'M GONNA LEAVE YOU

3. YOU SHOOK ME

4. DAZED AND CONFUSED

Side 2 :

1. YOUR TIME IS GONNA COME

2. BLACK MOUNTAIN SIDE

3. COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

4. I CAN'T QUIT YOU BABY

5. HOW MANY MORE TIMES

Comes with original plain white inner sleeve with no tears or splits and just a little creasing towards the top right corner. The "PATENT NO..."" and "MADE IN ENGLAND" text is clearly legible at the bottom of the sleeve. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary an impressive copy of this highly sought after 1969 UK 1st pressing rock masterpiece "holy grail" - worthy of gracing any vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

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

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

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 quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of packing and postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be :

for the UK, Royal Mail 1st class, tracked & signed for  : £6.00, 

for continental Europe international tracked & signed for : £11.00

and for Rest of the World international tracked & signed for £15.00

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records 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

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

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

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, discolouration, etc.

Fair

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 are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

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

Bad

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