Item Description
BID WITH TOTAL CONFIDENCE .
YOUR SATISFACTION IS GUARANTEED: COMPLETE MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF NOT TOTALLY SATISFIED SERVICE YOU CAN TRUST, QUALITY ASSURED.
I HAVE A 100 POSITIVE FEEDBACK RATING AND A 100 TRACK RECORD OF OFFERING GREAT PRODUCTS, SERVICE, COMMUNICATION AND DELIVERY GUARANTEED Led Zeppelin HOUSES OF THE HOLY - 1973 ULTRA RARE ORIGINAL UK 1st EVER PRESSING with earliest ever A 2 B 2 Matrix, TOP AUDIO THROUGHOUT .
- That means clear bright sound un affected by continuos noise, distortion, hissing, loud clicks or pops THIS IS A COMPLETE GENUINE RARE ORIGINAL FROM MY OWN PERSONAL COLLECTION, AND IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BUY AN OUTSTANDING EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS BECOMING ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE VINYL ALBUMS OF ALL TIME.
ULTRA RARE WITH THE 1ST EVER MATRIX NUMBERS, WITH NO WEA logo LABELS and OBI Strip in Amazing Un torn Condition THIS RARE PRESSING LOOKS AND SOUNDS VIRTUALLY UNPLAYED, IS IN ARCHIVE CONDITION AND COMES COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL INNER SLEEVE, OBI STRIP AND TOP AUDIO THROUGHOUT CAT NO:....
ATLANTIC K 50014 UK - Stereo - ATLANTIC, MADE IN UK.
LABEL PRESS DETAILS: 1st Ever UK press, with HOUSES OF THE HOLY printed exactly in the top centre of the middle label circle.
With Made in UK text, Produced by Jimmy Page, and Superhype Publishing / Warner Bros.
Music 1 - 4 .
1st pressings with NO WEA logos on the labels, making this an amazing rarity.
This rare press has STERLING RL etched into the run out grooves and both sides.ULTRA RARE WITH THE 1ST EVER MATRIX NUMBERS MATRIX NOs.
ON RUN-OUT GROOVE A - 2 / B - 2.
ULTRA Rare 1st ever Matrix Variant MOTHER STAMPERS: Side 1.
A1 2 Side 2.
B2 2 - Unbelievably rare earliest stampers TRACK LISTING 1.
The Song Remains the Same 2.
The Rain Song Page/Plant - 7:39 3.
Over the Hills and Far Away Page/Plant - 4:46 4.
The Crunge Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant - 3:13 5.
Dancing Days Page/Plant - 3:42 6.
D Yer Mak er Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant - 4:23 7.
No Quarter Jones/Page/Plant - 7:01 8.
The Ocean Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant - 4:30 Following the staggering reunion triumph at the O2, which I was lucky enough to be at, with interest in Led Zeppelin greater than ever, with the site for the Ahmettribute.com tribute concert receiving an unbelievable 120 million hits, with 25 million people apparently registering for a Zeppelin ticket, its as good a time as any to invest in an original copy early press of this classic Zep album.
Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973.
The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed Houses of the Holy.
It represents a musical turning point for Led Zeppelin, as they began to use more layering and production techniques in recording their songs.
This was Led Zeppelin s final studio release on Atlantic Records before forming their own label, Swan Song Records, in 1974.
It was also the only Led Zeppelin album that contained complete printed lyrics to each song.
The album provided some great additions to the band s catalogue of songs, and was certified for shipping 11 million copies in the United States.
Much of this album was recorded in Spring 1972 at Stargroves, the country estate in Berkshire owned by Mick Jagger, through the use of the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.
Some songs from the album had initially been tried out earlier than this, such as No Quarter , which was first attempted during a session at Headley Grange.
Several of the songs were produced as trial recordings at the personal studios of Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.
These two musicians had recently installed these studios in their respective homes, which enabled them to complete the arrangements which had been laid down earlier.
In particular, Page was able to present complete arrangements of The Rain Song and Over the Hills and Far Away , while Jones had developed the monumental No Quarter .
Another bout of recording took place at Olympic Studios in May 1972, and during the band s 1972 North American tour additional recording sessions were conducted at Electric Lady Studios in New York.
This album was a stylistic turning point in the life span of Led Zeppelin.
Guitar riffs became more layered within Jimmy Page s production techniques and departed from the blues influences of earlier records.
In the album s opening opus, The Song Remains the Same , and its intricate companion suite, The Rain Song , the lyrics moved toward a less overt form of the mysticism and fantasy of previous efforts.
Houses of the Holy also featured styles not heard on the first four Led Zeppelin albums.
For example, D yer Mak er is a reggae-based tune the name of the song being derived from the phonetic spelling of the British pronunciation of Jamaica No Quarter features atmospheric keyboard sounds and an acoustic piano solo from John Paul Jones The Crunge is a funk influenced song, and The Rain Song was embellished by Jones on his newly-acquired mellotron.
The album s closing song The Ocean , which features an acappella section and a doo-wop influenced coda, is dedicated to the ocean of fans who were massing to Led Zeppelin concerts at this point of the band s career.
Although intended for release in January 1973, delays in producing the album cover meant that it was not released until March, when the band was on its 1973 European tour.
The album was promoted heavily before the commencement of Led Zeppelin s subsequent North American Tour, ensuring that it had ascended the top of the American chart by the beginning of the tour.
Because much of the album had been recorded almost a year previously, many of the songs which are featured on the album had already been played live by Led Zeppelin on their concert tours of North America, Japan, Europe and the United Kingdom in 1972-1973.
The album was hugely successful commercially, entering the UK chart at number one, while in America its 39-week run 2 of them spent at number one on the Billboard Top 40 was their longest since their third album.
Houses of the Holy remains one of Zeppelins most iconic albums.
ALBUM PLAYED FOR GRADING: Houses of the Holy is a highly complex and varied collection of music, and is also an extremely sensitive piece of vinyl, being almost impossible to find in anything like clear audio condition.
Worn copies can have a lot of surface sound even on musically complex and busy tracks like The Crunge .
This 1st matrix pressing has amazing bright undistorted audio, with Super clear sound.
It looks and sounds virtually unplayed.
There is certainly no interference, and NO loud pops, clicks or Distortion anywhere.
It really sounds great and plays with great sound separation and clarity, and is undoubtedly one of the cleanest pressings I have ever heard.
In fact, the sound on this rare pressing is as near perfect as vinyl can ever be, and for Houses of the Holy, one of the hardest classic vinyls to collect with clear sound, that is nothing short of astonishing.
Even the ultra delicate No Quarter plays flawlessly, with virtually no surface sound at all Superb sound, every track has been tested and I could find no obvious sound blemishes.
Wonderful TOP audio, there is not a hint of distortion, NO sticks or jumps what so ever, and little static between the tracks.
Barely any static at all, no pops, and certainly no distortion what so ever or sound interference what so ever.
I will give a detailed account: Starting with The Song Remains The Same , the music powers in with amazing brightness and clarity.
It plays superbly with great bright sound and no pops clicks or distortion.
The Rain Song , the first of many difficult tests for House of the Holy, begins with super clear sound with barely any static at the start.
That is unbelievably rare for The Rain Song, it nearly always plays with a lot of loud static and surface sound, even on Mint pressings.
A couple of light static tics only, and certainly no loud clicks or pops during the track, or on the album as a whole.
The sound quality is absolutely sensational.
The quiet intro to Over the Hills and Far Away , another serious test on this album due to its many layered quiet sections sings out with barely any static in quiet areas.
One or two very light random tics at the very end of the track, but certainly nothing prominent or even particularly noticeable, any surface sound is barely audible.
I don t think I ve ever heard such a clean Over The Hills .
I would add that the couple of light tics I have mentioned at the end of the track are also barely inaudible.
The long quiet intro plays perfectly.
The Crunge too plays perfectly, with flawless audio, rounding off a terrific side 1.
This is a truly incredible 1st pressing.
Dancing Days starts off side 2.
again with perfect audio, playing with uninterrupted sound.
No pops clicks or even any noticeable static, apart from at the very start.
Dyer Maker also sounds great, again with bright clear sound, one light pop in the middle and thats it.
The opening bars of No Quarter , the ultimate audio test for this record, are virtually silent, and that is very rare.
With only some very occasional, barely detectable very light static, the kind that is found on all vinyl, even new pieces being found on this record, there is barely any static to be found here at all.
The track really plays unbelievably well, with no pops or clicks.
This is such a difficult track, with even the best pieces of vinyl often playing with a lot of surface noise, but this press really plays superbly.
Its just so quiet and so clean.
This really is an incredible performance.
The Ocean also sounds great, and the quiet section in the middle plays with great clear sound, just a couple of very light static tics.
Great music with great clarity, and impossible to find with this type of sound.
There is barely any detectable static or surface sound anywhere on the record, EVEN on No Quarter, which plays with virtual silence in the quiet areas.
The music jumps out, with definition and clarity, the vocals which come through with tremendous power.
Its the same with the bass guitar and drums, whilst the guitars come through crisp and clear.
The tonal quality make this a sensational pressing.
With the clear and extra loud First cut engineering giving the audio a vibrant sound which cannot be beaten.
A truly incredible all round 1st pressing of this iconic Zeppelin masterpiece A great all round example of this classic vinyl.
Great Audio, this is a great listening pleasure and I would happily give the Audio a NEAR MINT grading.
Staggering first stereo mix, unlike the re-issues which lack the impact.
A great all round example of this great vinyl.
THE RECORD Visual Grading A stunning piece of glossy vinyl, this rare pressing is really thick and chunky, with amazing deep clear grooves.
It looks barely played and in daylight looks unmarked.
Even under an intense spotlight you can barely see a mark.
Perhaps a couple of faint whispy paper handling marks only, and a very light scuff at the very start of side one, but they are really light.
A really wonderful example that has only been played a couple of times A really great example.
Must grade at NEAR MINT VINYL TESTED FOR ANY SIGNS OF WARPING:Yes, NONE visible what so ever when tested be sight and on a moving turntable.
THE OBI Original 1st UK pressings of Houses of the Holy came with the unusual OBI strip, usually confined to Japanese record production.
They were made of thin white paper with Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy, on the front, and the Atlantic logo with the catalogue number and the this stereo Record can be played...
text on the rear.
Some French and American pressings also came with the Obi strip, but they had alternative text and are clearly different to the UK pressings.
These OBI strips are extremely rare.
They were made in very small numbers, and were deleted almost immediately on production of the album.
Made of thin white paper, they normally got destroyed, lost or torn almost immediately, and it is genuinely near impossible to find examples that are not heavily stained ripped or repaired, if you can find one at all.
I know, as I have been in the process of collecting these for years.
I cannot stress how rare they are.
This is an original 1st UK press OBI strip, in outstanding condition.
Unusually, it has been kept inside the gatefold of its album cover, largely protecting it from the usual wear and tear.
Amazingly it comes with with no tears, no obvious staining, just some yellowing with age.
Superb, this ultra rare example must have an EXCELLENT PLUS grading.
THE COVER The cover art for Houses of the Holy was inspired by the ending of Arthur C.
Clarke s novel Childhood s End.
The ending involves several hundred million naked children, only slightly and physically resembling the human race in basic forms.
It is a collage of several photographs which were taken at the Giant s Causeway, Northern Ireland, by Aubrey Powell of Hipgnosis.
This location was chosen ahead of an alternative one in Peru which was being considered.
The two children who modelled for the cover were siblings Stefan and Samanatha Gates.
The photo shoot was said to be a frustrating affair over the course of ten days.
Shooting was done first thing in the morning and at sunset in order to capture the light at dawn and dusk, but the desired effect was never achieved due to constant rain and clouds.
The photos of the two children were taken in black and white and were multi-printed to create the effect of 11 individuals that can be seen on the album cover.
The results of the shoot were less than satisfactory, but some accidental tinting effects in post-production created an unexpectedly striking album cover.
The inner sleeve photograph was taken at Dunluce Castle near to the Causeway.
This is an original 1st press unlaminated Gatefold cover, ONLY found on original UK first pressings Gatefold format, unlaminated, flat matt finish.
Printed in Great Britain.
The Matt finish covers of Houses of the Holy are extremely prone to wear.
They do not fare quite as badly as the original Zep 2 covers, but none the less, they usually come pretty knackered.
Its so hard to find copies of Houses of the Holy that are not blighted by even light ring wear and marking.
The pale colouration makes it ultra prone to damage and discolouration.
This ultra rare example in NEAR MINT condition.
It is almost completely unmarked, having been kept in a plastic sleeve from new.
There is NO light wear around the edges and NO fading or ring wear.
NO creases, NO writing, NO edge wear and no rips, tears, splits or any other damages.
A lovely square cover and a great all round example.
It seriously doubt this could ever be bettered.
Any serious collector will easily know that original press Houses of the Holy covers are irreplaceable.
Made out of unique and totally un miss able matt card with a colouration that is unique to the first press UK editions, they are un mistakably different to all later pressings.
Not having the advantage of being laminated, these covers usually faired pretty badly, with serious ring wear and destruction to the edges.
The Spines are nearly always flattened, worn and torn.
Not this one This original press cover has little to fault it, with barely any signs that it has ever seen the light of day.
There are no rips or tears, and no creases or wear at the opening.
The opening edges are square and un frayed and there is NO ring wear.
An ARCHIVAL example.
THE LABELS The 1970 s colours of the Atlantic label are only found on original pressings.
All the colour on this example is outstanding, deep and un eroded, and there are no tears, writing or sticker marks on these all important and so rare UK labels.
Famous 1st press labels, with no writing, and virtually no discernible spindle wear.
Only a couple of the lightest spindle traces can be found.
When angled to the light I can just make out one short trace on one side only.
Incredible.
Great all round deep coloured examples, at least graded NEAR MINT THE INNER Thick paper inner with internal flip backs and Printed in England by MacNeil Press Ltd.
text.
Not as delicate as the original Plum press inner sleeve of Zeppelin 4, these 1st press inners of Houses of the Holy are extremely prone to wear, tearing and staining.
Beautiful though it is, as is illustrated with this example, they were destined to mark and disintegrate pretty quickly.
They are notoriously hard to find un stained, un split, un torn or un creased.
Rarely would owners have the inclination or foresight to remove the record from its original inner, and store it in a standard plain poly lined substitute, as this one comes with.
This is a NEAR MINT example with very little noticeable wear at all.
Crucially, there are NO splits to the sides.
There are NO tears to the front or opening edges, which are nice and crisp.
There is very little impression of the album, which is very rare.
All in all a really great and ultra rare example.
Comes of course with a new white inner sleeve.
RARITY Pressings of Houses of the Holy in this type of condition are virtually unheard of.
The vinyl is so often played so much, heavily marked, scratched, with noisy, poor and distorted sound.
Any early examples with a record in this type of condition, that plays so well, is very rare.
What is certain, any early copies will blow away the later pressings that followed from 1974.
The cover is almost impossible to find without serious wear, even modestly worn examples are scarce.
Finding a 1st Ever Matrix press, with a spotless cover like this, textured bright labels, with a stunning piece of vinyl, and an undamaged inner sleeve makes this an unbelievable rarity .
Great UK pressings of Houses of the Holy are becoming increasingly rare.
Finding a pressing that sounds this clear is unbelievably rare.
You would be hard pressed to find a copy that came near to this in sound quality.
All of this with the ORIGINAL Inner Sleeve SUPERB All that, and this is a 1st matrix pressing with NO WEA logos, makes this a true rarity GREAT COVERS WITH NO SEAM SPLITS, NO TEARS, NO WRITING, NO STICKERS.GREAT VINYLS WITH NO LOUD CLICKS OR POPS, NO JUMPS OR REPEATS - GUARANTEED SCRUPULOUS EXAMINATION and TESTING PLEASE NOTE:This record has been play tested on highly sensitive equipment to ensure the sound quality and accuracy of description.
I aim to give a precise and concise description of the sound quality, pointing out any defects so that you know what you are buying.
I will not go into screeds of information about the nature of the songs, as I imagine that you already know them well.
I aim to describe all items as accurately as possible, and offer a full refund on return if for any reason you are not completely happy with the item description..VINYL SOUND - PLEASE NOTE:The highest quality vinyl with clear sound is rare, and is what I always aim for.
I only sell records that play with TOP AUDIO performance, super clear sound uninterrupted by hiss or other interference.
Even with the cleanest copies you will find occasional static sound or occasional light tics during playback, caused by a build of dust in the grooves.
This is clearly different from the distortion, loud pops, repeating tics or clicks that are found on heavily played and worn pieces of vinyl.
Any static build up will reduce when played, and I advise a light clean should be given between plays for optimal performance.
VINYLLarge format art work covers with the original sound and mix unique to vinyl and of the highest quality audio.
Vinyl record have always been loved and have become a great investment opportunity, with prices soaring over the last ten years, making classic pieces a great financial as well as a cultural investment.
.IMAGES and INFORMATIONI only use my photographs taken with a high quality professional digital camera of the item for sale.
The images are designed to be as clear as possible, giving an exact image of the item.
I aim to give sufficient and accurate detail as possible, so that you know exactly what you are bidding on.
Please let me know if you need any further information and I will be only to happy to oblige..ABOUT ME I am a visual artist, working internationally, a collector of art and rare objects including rare vinyl, which I have been collecting for over 25 years, and an art and music enthusiast.
I specialise in the highest quality rarest items, selling to collectors the world over.
I want you to know what a great item you are bidding on.
If there is anything that is unclear in the listing, or you have any questions about this or any other item, please feel free to get in touch.
All the best to you.
SERVICE YOU CAN TRUST, QUALITY ASSURED.
I HAVE A 100 POSITIVE FEEDBACK RATING.SOME EXAMPLES OF FEEDBACK BRILLIANT LP MINT CONDITION,AWESOME SELLAR,1ST CLASS PACKAGING, NO PROBLEMS A ITEM RECEIVED..
AS DESCRIBED...
PACKED GREAT...MANY THANKS..RECOMMENDED..
A Great LP from a great seller.
Thanks Very well packaged.
AAA received today great record thank you Item arrived quickly, well packaged and in excellent condition.
Very pleased.fast delivery, superb communication, good item, great ebayer AAAAA .RETURN POLICY:100 Satisfaction Guaranteed - returns accepted with out question.
If you are not happy then it can be returned, I cant say fairer that that I ONLY SELL RARE GOODS THAT ARE IN GREAT CONDITION, IF THERE IS ANY SLIGHT DEFECT, IT WILL BE CLEARLY STATED.If in the unlikely event that you may want to return an item, or that I have missed something in the listing, I offer a no quibble return policy.
Items must be returned within 12 Days of receipt, and returned in the same condition that they were sent out in.
Return postage must be paid by buyer, unless there is a particular fault with the item, and then I will pay the full postage costs MY RECORD GRADING SYSTEM IS AS FOLLOWS - BASED ON RECORD COLLECTOR MAGAZINE U.K.
MINT: Virtually unplayed.
The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality.
Cover is pristine.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.V.G PLUS: The record will still be nice and shiny, but may have a few light marks, and will play well.
Slight wear and tear on the cover.V.G: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and occasional light scratch.
Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items.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, etc.FAIR: Fair.
It is noticeable that the record has been played so much that the sound quality has deteriorated very noticeably.
The cover and contents are showing signs of folding, scuffing of edges etc..
POSTAGE AND PAYMENT DETAILS : -Items will be extremely well sealed and securely wrapped using the best possible packaging for safe handling and delivery.
I send items all round the globe with 100 success I sell top quality rare records to discerning buyers.
I do not make money from the postage costs and aim to keep the prices at a reasonable rate, but please don t expect a cheap second rate service.
IT IS AN ABSOLUTE PRIORITY THAT THE ITEMS YOU BUY GETS TO YOU IN PERFECT CONDITION.
All RECORDS ARE REMOVED FROM THEIR MAIN COVER AND PLACED IN A BRAND NEW REPLACEMENT INNER SLEEVE TO AVOID ANY CHANCE OF EDGE SPLITS OR KNIFING.
THEY ARE HELD SAFELY IN EXTRA THICK PLASTIC SLEEVES, AND THEN THEY ARE SECURED WITH SEVERAL EXTRA LAYERS OF REINFORCED CARD BOARD AND PADDING AND MAILED IN EXTRA STRONG PROFESSIONAL RECORD CONTAINERS TO ENSURE THEIR SAFE ARRIVAL.
AS I HAVE STATED I HAVE A 100 SUCCESS RATE AND AIM TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.Example of packaging used UK - First Class Signed For Recorded Delivery with Insurance : 5.00UK Special Signed For Next Day Delivery with Insurance : 8.90EUROPE - International Airmail Signed For Recorded Delivery with Insurance : 11.95INTERNATIONAL, Non-Europe e.g.
USA, Japan, Russia, Australia etc.
International Airmail Signed For Recorded Delivery with Insurance : 19.95.MULTIPLE PURCHASE REDUCTIONReduced postage of course for multiple items up to 30 off extra items.POSTAGE WILL BE FIRST CLASS OR THE FASTEST AND SAFEST POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE, RECORDED WITH TRACKING AND INSURANCE.
ALL ITEMS ARE FULLY INSURED AND COVERED FOR THE SAFEST DELIVERY POSSIBLE, AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU.
GUARANTEED POSTAGE RECEIPTS AND PROOF OF POSTAGE IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE.
MANY THANKS..PAYMENTS Payments must be made within 3 days of purchasing unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed upon.
Pay Pall ONLY for International buyers.
We will accept Pay Pall, cheque or postal order within the UK, but no cash or bank transfers.
Items sent out immediately on receipt of paymentPlease Note: If no contact is made by the winning bidder following the mandatory Ebay 3 days, I will reserve the right to offer the item to the runner-up, unless prior notice of any delay is arranged beforehand.
Any bidder who has missed the chance to purchase an item from me can still email to make a priority second chance.
On 04-Feb-14 at 23:43:06 GMT, seller added the following information: guyanj7 Store
