Vinyl: DAVID BOWIE~MAN OF WORDS, MAN OF MUSIC~INSANELY RARE ORIG '69 ACETATE~BEAUTIFUL * BEAUTIFUL ORIGINAL FIRST PRESSING *

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· DAVID BOWIE - MAN OF WORDS, MAN OF MUSIC - ORIGINAL 1969 STEREO LP (NO NUMBER; BUT THE MATRICES INSCRIBED ON THE LABELS IDENTIFY THE DISC AS BPRS-4501-1 AND BPRS-4502-1

· ORIGINAL U.S. PRESSING

· ACETATE

· PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LABELS ON THE DISC SPECIFICALLY REFER TO THE ALBUM AS 'MAN OF WORDS, MAN OF MUSIC' (ORIGINAL 1969 MERCURY TITLE), NOT AS 'SPACE ODDITY' (REVISED 1972 RCA TITLE); IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHETHER RCA WAS ACTING AS THE MERCURY'S PRESSING AGENT FOR THE MERCURY'S 1969 RELEASE, OR IF AT THIS POINT (IF THIS ACETATE WAS PRESSED IN 1972), RCA STILL HADN'T DECIDED TO RENAME THE ALBUM TO 'SPACE ODDITY'.

· WE COULD NOT DETECT SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THIS ACETATE AND EITHER MERCURY'S RELEASE ('MAN OF WORDS, MAN OF MUSIC') OR THE RCA RELEASE ('SPACE ODDITY'); THE SOUND IS DEFINITELY BRIGHTER AND OF SLIGHLY GREATER DYNAMIC RANGE, WITH STRETCHES OF BASS LINES MORE VIGORIOUSLY AUDIBLE THAN ON THE COMMERCIALLY RELEASED VERSIONS, BUT THIS IS THE EXTENT OF THE DIFFERENCES WE COULD SPOT. WE ARE SURE THE LIFELONG BOWIE-ITES WILL BE ABLE TO FIND SOME MORE

· THE HANDWRITTEN LABEL GIVES THE PRESSING DATE (BUT NOT THE YEAR) AS JUNE 26th, WHICH IS SOMEWHAT CONSISTENT WITH THE ORIGINAL 1969 MERCURY RELEASE SCHEDULE, BUT LESS CONSISTENT WITH THE 1972 RCA RELEASE (NOVEMBER 1972).

· PLAIN WHITE RCA LABEL WITH RED RCA LOGO, USED EXCLUSIVELY FOR REFERENCE PRESSINGS (ACETATES AND TEST PRESSINGS)

· THIS IS THE ORIGINAL, AUTHENTIC, FIRST U.S. ACETATE PRESSING; THIS IS NOT A REISSUE, AN IMPORT, OR A COUNTERFEIT PRESSING.

· CLEAN, WEAR-FREE LABELS

( ► PLEASE SEE THE IMAGE OF THE COVER, LABEL OR BOTH, SHOWN BELOW)

(Note: this is a REAL image of the ACTUAL item you are bidding on. This is NOT a " recycled " image from our previous auction. What you see is what you’ll get. GUARANTEED!)

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When David Bowie's second album appeared in late 1969, he was riding high. His first ever hit single, the super-topical "Space Oddity," had scored on the back of the moon landing that summer, and so distinctive an air did it possess that, for a moment, its maker really did seem capable of soaring as high as Major Tom. Sadly, it was not to be. "Space Oddity" aside, Bowie possessed very little in the way of commercial songs, and the ensuing album (his second) emerged as a dense, even rambling, excursion through the folky strains that were the last glimmering of British psychedelia. Indeed, the album's most crucial cut, the lengthy "Cygnet Committee," was nothing less than a discourse on the death of hippiness, shot through with such bitterness and bile that it remains one of Bowie's all-time most important numbers -- not to mention his most prescient. The verse that unknowingly name-checks both the Sex Pistols ("the guns of love") and the Damned is nothing if not a distillation of everything that brought punk to its knees a full nine years later. The remainder of the album struggles to match the sheer vivacity of "Cygnet Committee," although "Unwashed and Slightly Dazed" comes close to packing a disheveled rock punch, all the more so as it bleeds into a half minute or so of Bowie wailing "Don't Sit Down" -- an element that, mystifyingly, was hacked from the 1972 reissue of the album. "Janine" and "An Occasional Dream" are pure '60s balladry, and "God Knows I'm Good" takes a well-meant but somewhat clumsy stab at social comment. Two final tracks, however, can be said to pinpoint elements of Bowie's own future. The folk epic "Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud" (substantially reworked from the B-side of the hit) would remain in Bowie's live set until as late as 1973, while a re-recorded version of the mantric "Memory of a Free Festival" would become a single the following year, and marked Bowie's first studio collaboration with guitarist Mick Ronson.

IMPORTANT NOTE: While this acetate is in a beautiful state of preservation, we do expect bidders to understand that the aluminum-based, shellac-coated acetates can never be graded by using the exact, same stringent standards used by collectors for modern long-play, hi-fi LPs or singles. The buyer – if not familiar with acetate (reference) recordings - should be cautioned that these discs were intended for brief, limited use only; they were meant to be played only a few times, then discarded or destroyed. In view of this, the surface layer of the disc is manufactured in such a manner that it will wear off pretty quickly, even under normal conditions -- and specially if not handled with due care. Each subsequent playing increases wear and tear of the disc’s surface layer and diminishes the disc’s playability. This disc appears to have been unplayed recently and the grooves are still well-formed and fully visible.

This acetate is in about VG++ condition (just a notch below NEAR MINT) , with some minor and superficial scuffs on the surface. Absolutely NO part of the shellac (surface layer) of the disc is missing, and the surface layer is NOT dented, chipped, broken or otherwise compromised. . The disc plays with minimal surface noise and absolutely NO distortion whatsoever

ON A SCALE FROM 1-10 (where 10 is the best), WE GRADE RECORD AS 7.5

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PLEASE NOTE: THIS ACETATE APPARENTLY NEVER HAD A CUSTOM COVER; ACETATES AND REFERENCE PRESSINGS ARE RARELY – IF EVER – FOUND IN CUSTOM (STOCK) COVERS. This acetate will be shipped in its original, yellow 'Audio Devices, Inc' acetate sleeve (please see the attached images) and than placed in a plain, generic, white cardboard cover (NOT SEPARATELY GRADED but in a very nice condition overall)

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POSTAGE & SHIPPING :

We offer THREE postage rates for both Domestic and International Mail: Media Mail, Priority Mail and Express Mail for domestic, and First Class, Priority International Mail, and Express International Mail for international orders. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: WE RECOMMEND that you pay for USPS International Priority Mail OR International Express mail when making a payment in order to obtain tracking information, which is NOT available for First Class International shipments.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE rates vary from country to country. For SPECIFIC international and domestic postage rates ► . While you can be rest assured that ►our packaging is careful, sturdy and impact-proof, please note that damage, loss or theft in transit is always possible, and in the case of some countries even PROBABLE. To discuss this potential problem and ensure flawless delivery, please contact us thru eBay BEFORE placing a bid.

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OUR REFUND POLICY :

WE OFFER UNCONDITIONAL MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE RECEIPT OF THE MERCHANDISE, NO QUESTIONS ASKED (THE BUYER PAYS FOR THE RETURN POSTAGE); Still sealed items MUST be returned sealed in order to be eligible for a refund Some restrictions apply. Please read our complete refund policy before placing a bid. ► for the full text of our policy .

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