Lot 91STING-57TH AND 9TH-2016-FIRST PRESS UK/EU-A&M-NMINT/NMINT

URIAH HEEP-FIREFLY-1977-THE FIRST JAPAN-BRONZE P-10312B PRESS. A very rare Japanese original of a cult album. Firefly is the 10th studio album by the British rock band Uriah Heep, released in February 1977 on Bronze Records in the UK and Warner Bros. Records in the USA. It was the band's first album without David Byron, the former lead vocalist and also one of the band's founding members, replaced by John Lawton. Bassist Trevor Boulder made his debut with Uriah Heep on this album and, apart from an 18-month hiatus in the early 1980s, he was a member of this band until his death in 2013. The album was successful and placed in the top 20 charts in Europe. It ranks 166th in the Billboard 200 rock Albums of All Time. ...more

MCCARTNEY, PAUL-TUG OF WAR-1982-THE FIRST JAPAN PRESS-ODEON-EPS-81485. A rare Japanese original of a cult album.  Tug of War is the third solo studio album by English musician Paul McCartney, released on April 26, 1982. This is his 11th album since the breakup of The Beatles in 1970, his first album released since the breakup of his band Wings last year, and his first album since the assassination of his former collaborator John Lennon.  Rolling Stone music critic Stephen Holden called Tug of War "a masterpiece that everyone always knew Paul McCartney could create," and particularly admired his vibrant music and consistent songwriting. The album restored McCartney's reputation in the eyes of critics after what was considered a difficult period for him. Tug of War was nominated for the Grammy Album of the Year Award in 1983. ...more

METALLICA-SAME-1991-First press HOLLAND-VERTIGO SWIRL-510022- A very rare original of the cult album on a collector's label. Metallica is the fifth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. Released on August 12, 1991 by Elektra Records, it is commonly referred to as the Black Album due to its packaging design. His recording took place in a one-on-one studio in Los Angeles for eight months, during which Metallica often clashed with its new producer Bob Rock. The album marked a change in the band's music from the thrash metal style of their previous four albums to a slower, heavier and more refined sound. Metallica performed Metallica in full during the 2012 Black Albums European Tour. In 2020, the album was ranked 235th in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest Albums of all time. In December 2019, Metallica became the fourth release in American history to reach the 550-week milestone on the Billboard 200 chart. It also became the second longest-running traditional title in chart history and the second to spend 550 weeks on the album charts. ...more

DIO-STRANGE HIGHWAYS-1993-THE FIRST UK/EU PRESS-VERTIGO SWIRL-518486-1. A very rare European original of the cult album by the famous vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Strange Highways is the sixth studio album by the American heavy metal band Dio. It is also their first album since the reunion of Ronnie James Dio and Vinnie Appice with Black Sabbath. The European release took place on Vertigo Records in October 1993; the American release took place on Reprise Records in January 1994. ...more

BOWIE, DAVID-ALADDIN SANE-1973-THE FIRST UK PRESS-RCA-RS1001 Matrix A-3T/B-3T Rare British original cult album. Aladdin Sane is the sixth studio album by English musician David Bowie, released in the United Kingdom on April 19, 1973 on the RCA Records label. A follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album he wrote and released from a star position. The album was produced by Bowie and Ken Scott and features performances by Bowie's backing band The Spiders from Mars — Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Mick Woodmansey — with pianist Mike Garson, two saxophonists and three backing vocalists. Recorded in London and New York during the breaks between the stages of the Ziggy Stardust tour, the album was Bowie's last with the full line-up of The Spiders. Aladdin Sane was released in the UK on the RCA label on April 19, 1973. With an estimated order of 100,000 copies, the album debuted at the top of the UK Albums chart, where it lasted five weeks. In the United States, where Bowie has already had three albums on the charts, Aladdin Sane reached 17th place on the Billboard Top LPs chart.  Tape, which became Bowie's most successful commercial album in both countries at the time. According to Pegg, this was unheard of at the time and guaranteed Aladdin Sane's status as the best-selling album in the UK since The Beatles. In other countries, the album reached the top five in France, the Netherlands and Sweden, as well as the top ten in Australia. Aladdin Sane has sold an estimated 4.6 million copies worldwide, making it one of Bowie's best-selling records. The Guinness Book of British Hit Albums notes that Bowie "ruled the [British] album chart, spending an unprecedented 182 weeks on the list with six different titles in 1973." ...more