Sold Date: July 24, 2022
Start Date: July 10, 2022
Final Price: $39.95 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 263
Buyer Feedback: 36

Talking Heads. Once In A Lifetime. 12-inch 45RPM Maxi-single Promotional Release For Sire Album "REMAIN IN LIGHT". Does Not Have Black & Red Sticker On Jacket.
Item Details
Manufactured in: USA
Recorded: July, August 1980 At Compass Point, Nassau & Sigma Sound. Philly
Lacquer Cut By: Sterling Sound, NYC, NY (stamp in matrix)
Pressing By: Allied Record Company, Los Angeles ("AR" in matrix)
Original Issue: 1980
This Issue: 1980
Label: Sire PRO-A-930
Runout Deadwax Matrix Numbers:
Side 1: (etch:) PRO · A · 1 · 930 · A1 AR B154962 STERLING
Side 2: (etch:) PRO · A · 2 · 930 · A1 AR B154963 STERLING
Twelve inch 45 RPM vinyl has sonic advantages over 33 RPM versions. There is more audio information in the groove per linear distance of stylus travel. If each side is not too long the curvature of the groove never equals or exceeds the diameter of the playback stylus. Therefore, on the innermost grooves there is more high frequency extension and less distortion. 45 RPM mastering also allows a cutting level about 5 dB higher than 33 RPM so this can increase the signal to noise ratio. The higher peak levels means wider dynamic range.
Was bought used by this seller many years ago and now offered from his private collection (you have absolutely known provenance). Played only once on an expertly setup high-end audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. Has never been exposed to heat or tobacco smoke and always stored vertically in a specially designed record cabinet (Rackit) to prevent warpage.
I have recently updated my VPI HW-16.0 record cleaner to a 16.5 and it now has much more positive suction (can remove all fluid in less than 3 rotations). I have also changed my choice of cleaning fluid to the Audio Intelligent "One-Step" formula that requires no rinsing and leaves no residue. It is alcohol free and uses enzyme agents to remove pressing mold-release compounds, fungi & bacteria, finger oils, and many other environmental contaminants. Made with laboratory-grade pure water(50X purer than distilled water). I neutralize residual static charge from both vinyl and new inner sleeve with a Milty Zerostat. I wear nitrile surgical gloves while cleaning and play testing to avoid any chance of transferring finger oils to the vinyl.

Very sensitive play testing was performed straight off my Ayre P-5xe fully balanced phono preamp over Sennheiser HD 600 headphones using a Schiit Audio Valhalla 2 tube headphone amp fitted with NOS Soviet Voskhod matched tubes (see last photo).

Track list
For track listings, please see my attached record label photographs.

I never take "distant" photos nor the so-prevalent type with the LP sticking halfway out of the jacket. I take close-ups under photo lamps so you can see nearly everything I describe in the jacket grading. It is virtually impossible to know the true vinyl condition from any photograph. That takes very bright and close visual inspection PLUS play testing with thorough coverage on high resolution equipment.
Grading Details
Note: Grading LPs by text characters is subjective and at best are only a guide as no two used records are of exactly the same quality. I do not use "EX" grades as my VG+ is right below "NM-." I never sell a "G" play grade and very rarely ever sell a "VG" play grade. Please, refer to both my photo evidence and detailed descriptions to judge by YOUR OWN grading standards. Questions are always welcome. eBay no longer allows me to enter separate grades for each side of the sleeve or record so you may not see any in the box above but are listed below. Play quality is personally most important to me so vinyl visual qualities are graded and described in detail separately for your complete assessment.

Outer Jacket Inspection/grading:
NM-/NM-
The only thing I could find on the plain white outer sleeve was a crease on the bottom edge of both sides. Don't know why the promo sticker is missing, as I bought this from a dealer a long time ago at a local record convention.

Vinyl visual inspection/grading:
NM-/NM
First side had a faint "mottling spots"from inner paper sleeve contact. More noticeable is a tight grouping of very tiny & short reflective traces near the end of T2. I made a note to check that area to see if any of them might affect play.

Play Testing:
NM-/NM
Extensive play testing was performed after visual inspection (continuous written notes were taken). I listened to the beginning, middle, and end of each track for a few minutes on each needle drop. When the track width was noticeably greater I took more play samples to get good coverage. I also listened to all lead-in, lead-out and transition grooves between each track. Some tracks were played all the way thru when digitizing my favorites to 96k/24-bit WAV files. This allowed me to go back and re-check some of my notes on digital playback in ProTools. Here is rundown of each side from those notes.

Side 1 Play
The lead-in grooves were very quiet and the transition grooves between T1 & T2 were dead quiet indicating a very high quality pressing. The 45RPM speed and wide groove spacing was evident in the high audio quality which I would describe as "utterly clear, crisp, incisive, and powerful." The cutting level was very hot (-0.2 dBFS peaks on my ProTools recording meters) but with zero distortion. T1 had no vinyl noise of any kind on any of my needle drops. T2 was exactly the same audio quality except I did hear some audible ticks in the last few seconds of that track as it faded down into the lead-out. This means that the ticks are correlated to the reflective specks I saw doing visual inspection, but their effect is very isolated and at the very end of the song

Side 2 Play
The first track had even greater fidelity than the first one on Side 1 and was my favorite of the disk. Again trans-grooves were dead quiet. T2 is a repeat of "Once In A Lifetime" but has been edited and is shorter in length. The lead-out grooves on this side did have some crackle that overlapped a tiny bit with the very end of T2 as it's fade became nearly inaudible.

With the sonic advantages of 45 RPM 12" dynamic range, more powerful bass, and extended high frequency response, these are probably the definitive analog versions of these Talking Heads tracks.

Packaging Record will be placed outside the jacket to protect against seam splitting. Original inner sleeve is included separately. Record has been placed into a new MFSL-style "rice paper" plastic sleeve, as the original, is mere paper and may be holding onto some dust. This will keep vinyl surfaces clean and well protected during shipping and ultimate buyer usage. Outer jacket is contained in a new clear polyethylene protective sleeve. Sent in high quality record mailer with cardboard stiffeners and all corners double-taped.
Shipping Shipping will be via USPS Media Mail for a flat charge of $3.98 per single album sale. A combined shipping discount is available on multiple sales completed on the same day($3.98 plus $0.50 for each additional LP). If you do buy more than one LP on the same daydo not pay immediately but wait for my all-combined invoice.eBay does give you the option to "Request an invoice from the buyer," but this option is not available on the eBay mobile app. A discount for the combined items will show on that invoice. Then, once payment is received, the items will ship.