Item Description
zipedit Led Zeppelin Houses Of The Holy Original UK Press Cat No K 50014 1973 Near Mint Archive Copy Near Mint Vinyl only two plays By Me, Looks Totally Unplayed In My Opinion Near Mint Stunning Top Audio Quality Early A2 B3 Matrix Endings Earliest Rough Textured Atlantic Labels Stunning 1st issue Gatefold Cover Very Rare In This Condition Another from my personal collection.
This is an early original pressing of Led Zeppelin s Houses Of The Holy released in 1973 on atlantic labels.
I don t recall originally ever playing the vinyl when I purchased it.
It has always been stored in a case with the vinyl removed from the cover and sleeve for protection.
This is how I have always stored my records.
Visually the vinyl looks totally unplayed in my opinion.
I can t see any spindle marks at all around the rough textured spindle hole.
Visually the vinyl looks very Near As Mint and I find it hard to even see a blemish on the playing surface at all.
No needle scratches or marks just beautiful.
This is complete with the original MacNeil Press printed textured lyric insert record sleeve with no slits or tears nice and straight with light foxing noticed only if looked for in my opinion.
The original ist issue un laminated gate fold cover is very near as mint on initial inspection.
Only if looked at had in light there are very, very minor indents on the cover worth to mention.
For me the audio quality has always been my prime interest with collecting vinyl records.
Having play tested this vinyl at very loud volume on a top system I believe that this vinyl will be hard to beat.
Almost cd quality for the most part.
Lovely vibrant clean sound very rarely found on these pressings which are usually notorious for bad sounding vinyls from my experience.
I have played many copies to try to find the best sounding copy for myself No distortion no loud constant clicks or pops.
Any static noticed is very isolated /minimal in my opinion.
You can hear the complete album yourself in the player below.
Extremely hard to get a copy like this.
Audio graded at least excellent plus to very near as mint This is for any avid Led Zeppelin audiophiles to have in their collection.
Click play above to hear the sample audio of the complete album.
Actual recording from the vinyl.
Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by British rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973.
It is the first Led Zeppelin album composed of entirely original material, and represents a musical turning point for the band, who had begun to record songs with more layering and production techniques.
Containing some of the band s most famous songs, including The Song Remains the Same and Over the Hills and Far Away , Houses of the Holy became a huge success, and was certified eleven times platinum by the RIAA.
Much of the album was recorded in Spring 1972 using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio at Stargroves, a Berkshire country estate owned by Mick Jagger.
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 demos at the personal studios of guitarist Jimmy Page and bass player/keyboardist John Paul Jones.
Having recently installed these studios in their homes, it enabled them to finish 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 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.
Some songs which were recorded from these various sessions did not make it onto Houses of the Holy, namely Black Country Woman , Walter s Walk , The Rover and also the would-be title-track, Houses of the Holy .
All of these songs were retained and later released on subsequent Led Zeppelin albums.
This album was a stylistic turning point in the lifespan 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 , Robert Plant s lyrics matured 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.
The cover art for Houses of the Holy was inspired by the ending of Arthur C.
Clarke s novel Childhood s End.
The cover 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 Samantha Gates.
The photoshoot was 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.
In February 2010 Stefan Gates presented a half-hour BBC Radio 4 documentary entitled Stefan Gates s Cover Story, about his part in the making of the album cover.
Gates claimed in the documentary to have felt there was something sinister about the image, although his sister disagreed.
He also admitted never having heard the album.
The programme ended with Gates returning to Giant s Causeway and listening to the album on a portable player, after which he claimed that a great weight had been lifted from him.
Like Led Zeppelin s fourth album, neither the band s name nor the album title was printed on the sleeve.
However, manager Peter Grant did allow Atlantic Records to add a wrap-around paper title band to US and UK copies of the sleeve that had to be broken or slid off to access the record.
This hid the children s buttocks from general display, but still the album was either banned or unavailable in some parts of the Southern United States for several years.
The first CD release of the album in the 1980s did have the title logos printed on the cover itself.
In 1974, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category of best album package.
The cover was rated No.
6 on VH1 s 50 Greatest Album Covers in 2003.
Jimmy Page has stated that the album cover was the second version submitted by Hipgnosis.
The first, by artist Storm Thorgerson, featured an electric green tennis court with a tennis racquet on it.
Furious that Thorgerson was implying their music sounded like a racket , the band fired him and hired Powell in his place.
Thorgerson did, however, go on to produce the album artwork for Led Zeppelin s subsequent albums Presence and In Through the Out Door.
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 for each song.
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.
Upon its release, the album received some mixed reviews, with much criticism from the music press being directed at the off-beat nature of tracks such as The Crunge and D yer Mak er .
However, the album was very 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.
Side one 1.
The Song Remains the Same 2.
The Rain Song 3.
Over the Hills and Far Away 4.
The Crunge Side two 1.
Dancing Days 2.
D yer Mak er 3.
No Quarter 4.
The Ocean The Matrix Side 1 K50014 A2 STERLING Machine Stamped Side 2 K50014 B3 STERLING Machine Stamped The Vinyl There is not much to say about the vinyl.
On visual inspection this looks as new in my opinion.
I find it hard to even see a blemish on the playing surface, any that could possibly be seen would be sleeve removal only, but I can t see any.
The vinyl lays perfectly flat on the turntable and is free of any warping.
Importantly, there are no visual marks that would cause any loud constant clicks or pops during the play of this vinyl.
The Audio Quality.
I have play tested the vinyl two times on two different turntables/systems at very loud volume prior to this listing.
Once for you to hear the complete album.
Can be heard in the player above The moment that the needle hits the playing surface it is obvious to me that this has barely ever been played at all.
Crystal clear and vibrant stunning top audio throughout the play of this vinyl.
This is probably one of the best sounding copies that I have heard of this pressing.
Any static/ticks heard was isolated and minimal perhapes heard in quieter place only, but I am sure with constant cleaning this will clear up even better, please remember that this vinyl has been stored laying dormant for over 40 years and would need a few cleans before each play .
I would grade the audio at least excellent plus to near as mint through out An audio Archive copy never need to upgrade from this vinyl in my opinion Please note Allowances must be made for these early to mid seventies Atlantic pressings.
They are notorious for static ticks in quieter places.
I always add this disclaimer Please allow for isolated static type tick here and there that might be noticed in quieter places, but not consistent through out the audio.
Debrit was noted on the playing surface after play.
A constant clean before each play is recommended because this vinyl has been stored in a case laying dormant for over 40 years.
A build up of dirt and dust in the grooves causes static ticks/ crackle.
constant cleaning before each play will reduce this and enhance the audio quality.
The Labels These are the original 1st issue rough textured Atlantic labels later press were smooth I find it hard to see any spindle marks at all.
This looks unplayed in my personal opinion.
There is little if no spindle wear the hole is perfectly round.
The Record Sleeve.
This is the original 1st issue textured paper lyric record sleeve printen br MacNeil press England.
This is straight and generally clean with some foxing/browning spots noticed if looked for .
There are no edge splits or tears.
The vinyl is always stored seperately from the vinyl.
This is how I have always stored my records.
The Cover This is the original 1st issue Un laminated gate fold cover.
Super clean and straight.
No creases to report and any storage wear is only realy noticed if looked for in my opinion.
The only place that I can see any rubbing is at the bottom edge.
The spine has absolutely no rubbing.
Only if looked at angled to the light are very very minor indents seen on the front only.
Rich and very vibrant colours.
I would grade this cover at least excellent plus in my opinion.
On 14-Mar-14 at 20:14:53 GMT, seller added the following information: HOW I SEND MY RECORDS THIS ALBUM WILL BE SENT IN A LARGE BOX WITH CARDBOARD STIFFENERS THE ALBUM IS ALWAYS PUT IS A POLY SLEEVE AND ENCASED IN THE BOX WITH PLENTY OF BUBBLE WRAP FOR ADDED PROTECTION SEE PHOTOS As always I have tried to give my honest personal opinion when describing items listed Although it is my honest opinion I always urge others to do their own personal research on any items that they are interested in purchasing, before, they commit to bidding I have Highlighted all aspects as clearly as possible I have taken time to play this vinyl track for track to give a clear and accurate description of the audio quality.
please look at my completed listings of albums that I have sold of this calaber more than 800 items and you will see that I normally get it right I have also provided as many photos as I can and supersized so that all aspects can be seen clearly in strong light Please note These photos are the actual item for sale and not copies of other items Please do not hesitate to email me with any questions regarding this item or any other items that I have listed I HAVE 100 POSITIVE FEEDBACK SO PLEASE BID WITH TOTAL CONFIDANCE SHIPPING TO THE USA, CANADA JAPAN IS 15.76 GBP INCLUDES INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR DELIVERY WITH INSURANCE AND TRACKING SHIPPING TO EUROPE IS 12.76 GBP INCLUDES INTERNATIONAL SIGNED FOR DELIVERY WITH INSURANCE AND TRACKING POSTAGE WITHIN ENGLAND IS FREE SENT BY RECORDED DELIVERYPlease note All items are now despatched by signed for 1st class delivery I normally despatch within the next working day on receipt of cleared funds not on Weekends All items are despatched securely with ample reinforcement It is my prime interest to make sure that the items arrive in the same condition that they left me I offer a postage discount for multiple purchases ,, but i do insist that the buyer pay for the items as they are won I can not any longer allow winning bidders to run up a large bill and then not pay I do not have a problem with holding the goods to be despatched untill they are ready at the buyers request , for multiple items purchased MY NEW POLICY Because of the unfortunate recent problems that I have had with non payments, Any new ebayers with low, poor or no real history, Please contact me before bidding These bids will be cancelled and the bidder will be blocked from further attempts to bid on my items.
PLEASE LOOK AT MY OTHER RARE 1ST UK PRESSINGS LISTED NOW click the link bellow gt gt gt gt lt lt lt
