Description DAVID BOWIE The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars 1972 UK RCA (SF 8287/LSP 4702) ORIGINAL PRESSING OF BOWIE'S ICONIC MASTERPIECE STUNNING COPY - LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE IT HAS NEVER BEEN PLAYED PRESSED WITH THE FIRST ISSUE RCA SMOOTH, GLOSSY ORANGE LABELS WHICH CARRY THE FIRST "Titanic Music / Chrysalis Music" CREDIT (changed just a few months later to "MainMan / Chrysalis") MATRIX: BGBS 0864 - 1E (machine stamped), B2AJ (lightly etched) / BGBS 0865 - 2E (machine stamped), A2AI (lightly etched) THE RECORD IS HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL MATT SLEEVE, "Printed in England by Robert Stace" - NO 'MainMan' LOGO ON THE BACK (which is present on all copies printed after December 1972) COMPLETE WITH THE ORIGINAL LYRIC INNER SLEEVE (again, the first issue with "Titanic Music Limited / Chrysalis Limited" credits) Borrowing heavily from Marc Bolan's glam rock and the future shock of A Clockwork Orange, David Bowie reached back to the heavy rock of The Man Who Sold the World for The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Constructed as a loose concept album about an androgynous alien rock star named Ziggy Stardust, the story falls apart quickly, yet Bowie's fractured, paranoid lyrics are evocative of a decadent, decaying future, and the music echoes an apocalyptic, nuclear dread. Fleshing out the off-kilter metallic mix with fatter guitars, genuine pop songs, string sections, keyboards, and a cinematic flourish, Ziggy Stardust is a glitzy array of riffs, hooks, melodrama, and style and the logical culmination of glam. Mick Ronson plays with a maverick flair that invigorates rockers like "Suffragette City," "Moonage Daydream," and "Hang Onto Yourself," while "Lady Stardust," "Five Years," and "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide" have a grand sense of staged drama previously unheard of in rock & roll. And that self-conscious sense of theatre is part of the reason why Ziggy Stardust sounds so foreign. Bowie succeeds not in spite of his pretensions but because of them, and Ziggy Stardust -- familiar in structure, but alien in performance -- is the first time his vision and execution met in such a grand, sweeping fashion Side 1: Five Years / Soul Love / Moonage Daydream / Starman / It Ain't Easy Side 2: Lady Stardust / Star / Hang On To Yourself / Ziggy Stardust / Suffragette City / Rock 'n' Roll Suicide LABELS: MINT An immaculate, factory-fresh pair of labels - no spindle traces or any signs the record has ever been played VINYL Visual: MINT Both surfaces retain their original deep glossy sheen and look like-new - even under bright light I struggled to find even a wispy hairline VINYL Audio: MINT In keeping with its possible unplayed status my one careful play-check at very loud volume found nothing to fault - sounds stunning - beautiful copy SLEEVE: NEAR MINT But practically as-new with just a little record impression the only (minor) thing of note. All edges are crisp, sharp and unworn and all text on the spine is clear and bold INNER SLEEVE: NEAR MINT Again, practically as-new - clean and unmarked - no seam splits POST & PACKING: A PROTECTIVE POLY SLEEVE, NEW INNER SLEEVE WITH ANTI-STATIC LINER, QUALITY BOX (NOT ENVELOPE) MAILER AND AMPLE STIFFENERS ARE ALWAYS USED TO ENSURE THAT YOUR RECORD ARRIVES SAFELY UK: FREE (2nd Class Recorded Delivery) UK: 9.00 (Royal Mail Special Delivery Next Day by 1pm) EUROPE: Airmail: 14.00 (International Signed For delivery) INTERNATIONAL: Airmail: 17.00 (International Signed For delivery) I will combine postage for items purchased within any 10 day period. However, at the end of each 10 day period, all outstanding items will need to be paid for in full and will be posted to you. Any items purchased after payment will be included in the next 10 period. I am continually adding new items which may be of interest to you and it is impractical for me to allow payment to be postponed indefinitely in the expectation that you might wish to bid on future items. PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO FALSIFY ANY CUSTOMS DECLARATIONS. I UNDERSTAND IMPORT DUTIES MAY BE HIGH IN YOUR COUNTRY BUT I CONDUCT MY BUSINESS IN AN HONEST AND OPEN FASHION. PLEASE BE AWARE OF THIS WHEN PLACING A BID. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation Guarantee: The record is unconditionally guaranteed and I will offer a complete, no quibble refund upon return of the item should you not be pleased with it in any way I will email you when payment has been received to let you know when the item will be posted. Please leave feedback upon receipt of the item so that I know you have received it safely. Thanks _gsrx_vers_526 (GS 6.6.6 (526))