RARE SR 61325 David Bowie The Man Who Sold the World Early US Mercury LP EX/EX+

	£		32
	$		42

Great copy of this first pressing US stereo LP, issued 1970, a few months before the UK release.  Vinyl is EX+, plays superbly, sleeve is EX (tiny deletion hole).   Please ask if you need more information or photos.  The LP that kicked off Glamrock!

I am selling a number of classic or rare 60s 70s and 80s albums in many genres, early pressings mostly, listing several more every day for the next few weeks, and happy to stockpile to economise on postage.  For international buyers who buy more than one LP, I will try to find the most economical and safe postage options - please ask if you need any information in advance about specific postage options.

Vinyl looks EX+ flat and glossy, wihth just slight cloudiness in the pressing as often found on US Mercury vinyl of this date, 
Labels: First issue Red and black (Mercury in white) labels NM no spindle trails visible under bright light.
Stampers:   (hand engraved)   SR 60325-AM-2     SR 60325-BM-1
Fully play-tested on Linn LP12 system:  Playback is EX+. Great sound overall. There are no defects, no wear or distortion, no clicks or repetitive ticks, and the surfaces are quiet for this generation of US vinyl.  A little light background noise occasionally in between tracks, as to be expected.
Unlaminated solid thick card sleeve is EX.  All intact, no splits, no tears or creases, no ringwear, seams and spine undamaged, pasted-on back is undamaged but has some slight air-bubbles from manufacture, almost as new except for tiny 'deletion' hole top left - see photos.
NB there is some discussion on line about the "originality" of US issues, and the hand-engraved masters are often cited as evidence of a counterfeit, though some people disagree.  However, if this is a counterfeit (or maybe "unofficial reissue") from the early 70s, then the production quality is very high - the sound is excellent, the pressing is flat and relative;y heavy (145g) and the vinyl not very noisy (I have heard a lot of genuine Mercurys of this period with much louder surface noise), and the printed artwork and labels are all of high quality. The sleeve quality and manufacture is typical of early 1970s US LPs.  Also there is no "dropout" on the A2 track of 'All the Madmen' (a few words at the end of the first chorus are apparenty absent in some counterfeints).  Mercury did often hand-engrave their masters at this period too.  I am not an expert on this, so I will just say that this is definitely a 70s US pressing of this iconic album, and the audio is excellent in my opinion. 
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These LPs are all from my personal collection, which has grown much too large, and so I am thinning down, as I won't be able to listen to all of them in one lifetime.  

The description will state if the LPs have been fully auditioned (for rarer material, or when the visual grading is unclear), spot-auditioned, or if not otherwise stated, just visually graded.

For listening tests, stereo LPs are played either on LP12/Ekos/Dynavector10XS while monos are tested on Thorens TD160/SME 3009/Denon DL102,  Visual grading is under magnification and spotlight.

In my experience, most used LPs will benefit from professional cleaning which reduces background surface noise and often removes many of the pops and clicks, especially when these are due to debris, grease etc on the surface.

 

GRADING  (obviously slightly subjective and often dependent on original pressing and vinyl quality) - see description of each LP for more detail. 

Mint  Only used for sealed and unopened records (which may of course have pressing defects which are not visible until unsealed).

NM     Visually perfect, no scuffs or other marks, and plays without any problems, and barely audible surface noise (depending on date and pressing).  No spindle trails on label. Jacket (sleeve) or box will be almost perfect.

EX+    The occasional extremely light mark, fingernail scuffs etc that should not make any difference to the sound, possibly a few spindle trails on the label. Playback should be similar to NM.  Jacket or box may have very minor defects such as slight creases, or ring-wear but these will be not very noticeable.

EX     Only one or two very minor marks that might give the occasional low level pop or click but no serious scuffs or scratches and the record should play without any distortion or serious problems. Surface noise may be slightly more apparent than NM but still not at all distracting.  Jacket or box may have some minor defects, slight distortions or edge knocks, small amount of discolouration or slight laminate peel etc.

 VG+    Minor surface marks that will give occasional background noise or a few repeating click and pops for a short period, or more noticeable surface noise, but on the whole the record should play without serious problems, and will still be enjoyable to listen to.  Sleeve or box may have noticeable defects (laminate peel or loss, small edge splits or repaired tears, staining or discoloration, slight sticker damage etc), but no major tears, losses, or bends.

VG:   There are marks that will cause some deterioration in the sound, such as repeating clicks from shallow scratches, or higher levels of background noise but this will not be serious enough to cause a major distraction to the listener.  Very slight inner groove or "side-end" distortion may be present on loud passages. Sleeve or box might have splits (repaired or otherwise), pronounced ring-wear, tears, sticker damage, writing,or noticeable creases or bends. 

Only very rare records will be offered for sale in less than VG condition; the description will give details of all the defects in such cases.

Postal charges:                      

For the UK I use Royal Mail 48 which costs £3.55 up to 2kg or usually 6 LPs  (I don't charge extra fror packaging)

For EU a UPS package costs £12 up to 2kg (for a single LP Royal Mail is cheaper at £10)

For rest of the world (using Royal Mail international Tracked) one LP is usually about £15-£19 depending on country and  adding extra LPs does not add much to the cost (up to 2kg), Please ask for more details if you need a specific quote. 

If you pay more than the actual postage cost I will refund the difference. 

 ·         Boxed sets - the box generally adds the weight of one extra LP.  Please remember that earlier pressings will usually weigh more than later ones (some early mono LPs are more than 200g).

 ·         For all packages insurance is required and I can provide a quote for higher value packages I will always retain proof of postage.

 ·         LPs will be well packed, with extra stiffeners, and with the LP removed from the outer sleeve to prevent seam splits.  High value items will be double-boxed.

 ·         Honest mistakes in grading can occur occasionally, so if the LP is not as described, please contact me within 14 days to arrange return and refund (buyer pays return postage)