LED ZEPPELIN PHYSICAL GRAFFITI A1/B5/C1/D1 1st PRESS GRT COVER/INNERS & AUDIO NM

	£		46
	$		61

Led Zeppelin : Physical Graffiti A1/B5/C1/D1 1st Press
This first pressing with the A1/B5/C1/D1 matrix plays to a superb standard with barely any interference or crackle.  The clarity of the audio throughout is stunning.  The vinyls and labels are visually stunning and it is clear they have hardly been played based on this and the audio and that there is no spindle wear to be seen.
The iconic cover is a little age worn, and has a price sticker, although completely intact and there is hardly any wear on the corners which are in great condition.  All the inserts have also been incredibly well preserved and have no wear/marking either.
As this is a genuine first press there is no Warner logo on the labels and the cover has red lettering on one of the spines and the 'Swan Song / 484 Kings Road' address on the back.  
SSK 89400 // A1 / B5 / C1 / D1
The audio on S1 is EXCELLENT (T3 VG+)
The audio on S2 is  Near Mint
The audio on S3 is EXCELLENT (for vast majority) ( / T4 VG+)
The audio on S4 is NEAR MINT
The cover is VG+
The original inners are Near Mint 
The credit insert is EXCELLENT


Full Condition and details below:

Visual grading
The vinyls are in lovely condition and still a very impressive glossy sheen with no heavy marks, scratches or groove wear obvious.  I can only see a small 'smudge' on side one and a number of very faint hairlines here and there, still faint though and obviously they have no impact on the audio.  The run out grooves are pristine and the labels are unmarked and have no spindle wear at all.  Superb examples!

                                                                             Play grading - track by track
The intro on 'Custard Pie' plays perfectly and Plant's opening vocal has no 'background' either.  It continues in the same precise way with no interference, just a couple of very light crackles on the fade out.  A Near Mint start to the side. 'The Rover' is just as impressive and again has only a couple of crackly sounds right at the end of the fade out.  The quiet intro on 'In My Time Of Dying' plays with light crackle but clearly , when the volume increases it is pure rock heaven! The next quiet section is stunning and the 'heavier' section then plays with exceptional quality, the power and depth of the audio is stunning.  Plant's vocals towards the end are strong with no distortion and the same applies to the high octane finish.  I will grade the intro as VG+ due to that crackle but the rest is Near Mint for sure, even the 'cough' end section has no 'background'!
Houses Of The Holy' on S2 plays with sublime quality from start to finish and 'Trampled Under Foot' also plays with a sonic quality that cannot be faulted.  Can't praise these two highly enough - the clarity, depth and power of the audio is as strong as ever.  The classic 'Kashmir' is stunning from the word go with no sign of any interference.  The playback is so powerful with a clarity to match.  I think I detected only a few bits of light crackle but there are no clicks, pops or static, sticks or jumos anywhere! and no inner groove distortion as you approach the final section.  S2 is Near Mint in my opinion.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- The 'Eastern' intro on 'In The Light' is REALLY GOOD!  From the very first note it plays with unbelievably clarity and only a slight bit of crackle.  The first vocal is also 'stunning' with not even a single tick and this quality is kept up pretty much throughout.  The only 'flaw' is one click I heard!  Maybe with repeated plays it will disappear.  Even with that I still believe it deserves a Near Mint grade as 99% is superb basically!  The acoustic 'Bron Yr Aur' plays beautifully with no ticks or crackle.  'Down By The Seaside' plays with very clear audio and only a small bit of crackle, but nothing intrusive.  The quiet intro on 'Ten Years Gone' plays great, some light crackle but no interfernce,  and from then on plays with sublime quality until a light tick for a few seconds late on. Still a great listen.  A superb VG+ version.
'Night Flight' on S4 plays with exceptional audio from start to finish with no interference and 'The Wanton Song' is just as good with sublime power and depth.  'Boogie With Stu' also plays with impeccable quality and 'Black Country Woman' is of the same high end standard.  The clarity of sound cannot be faulted in any way and the final track 'Sick Again' also delivers on every level with genuine power and definition and again there is barely any distortion.  On this side there is no interference whatsoever and the playback is very impressive to say the least. NEAR MINT
In summary this first pressing plays with superb audio with hardly any interference.  Some interference on S1, one click and a small amount of crackle here and there , that is all.  The clarity, definition and power of the audio across all four sides is so impressive and the classic 'Kashmir' is a prime example of that.  There cannot be many genuine 1975 first pressings around today that play so clearly and what makes it even more collectable is the overall quality of the cover and inserts.  I don't think I've heard a better one!


                                                                                     The Gatefold Cover & Inner Sleeves
The die-cut 'windows' cover is in fantastic condition , intact, with just some obvious 'age' wear , a price stcker and a small tear top right.  (can you believe the price £3.99! - ha, if anything this only adds to the historic value of this item) It's the corners that are so often affected and they really have minimal wear.  The three 'spines' are also in superb shape with minimal wear/rubbing and the top edges just light handling wear.  The back cover is unmarked save for some wear around one window, and is infinitely cleaner than others I have seen with only a couple of tiny rubs.  A superb example that has retained its original shape and structure well and I still think deserves a VG++ grading.

The two original inners have no side splits or tears and remain in perfect condition.Mint-

The insert with track details is also impressive with no major marking, just a little light spotting and a few handling marks/discolouration - VG++, is a conservative grading! - This is an example of a First Insert - Satin finish to front and back, thick in quality, with a SINGLE fold to the bottom (not to be confused with the later re-issue inserts from the late 70s which are shiny, very thin, and have 2 folds). This is the rarest insert type, and existed on the first few copies only - as identified by the different shines to the colours under light (current to the printing processes available in 1975), satin finish and SINGLE fold. Found on the 1st Press 1/4/1/1 copies, and 1/5/1/1 copies.

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ALL VINYLS ARE PACKAGED IN STRONG CUSTOM MADE OVER-SIZED MAILERS WITH EXTRA CARDBOARD PROTECTION. THEY ARE PUT IN SEPARATE POLY-LINED INNERS OUTSIDE OF THE COVER SO AS TO AVOID SEAM SPLITS. THEY ARE ALSO PLACED INSIDE A PVC SLEEVE TO PROVIDE EXTRA PROTECTION.

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