EXCEPTIONAL EX+ AUDIO, PINK FLOYD DARK SIDE OF THE MOON 1st UK PRESS SOLID A2/B2
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Here is an original 1st pressing with superb fully play-graded Excellent Plus (Ex+) audio that would be hard to beat. Finding an original first pressing of Dark Side of the Moon that plays like this is very hard indeed.
It is also complete with original black poly-lined inner sleeve, earliest posters, Crack-Back Permanent stickers and the correct, earliest 'midnight blue' cover.
The disk has the following 1st press matrix numbers:
Side 1: SHVL 804 A-2
Side 2: SHVL 804 B-2
Detailed description
Vinyl: The vinyl looks great and has retained its original high sheen with very little to see: just some fine, wispy hairlines and sleeve-removal marks when viewed under bright, direct light, but there is nothing significant anywhere. I have played the entire record and it sounds great with very little to report. Please note that this copy does NOT have the pressed skip in 'Money' often found on first pressings - there are no jumps or skips anywhere and the whole record was a pleasure to listen to. For the sake of completeness I would mention some minor background noise in the run-ins/outs, fades, segues and silent parts, and the occasional isolated click, but nothing significant. Like most Pink Floyd albums Dark side of the Moon has lots of quiet and sparsely arranged passages and because of this it is very hard to find an original copy which genuinely plays Mint all the way through, and there are some sections which are always 'difficult' on original vinyl copies of this album (e.g. the long-fade explosion noise at the end of 'On the Run', the heart-beat fade-in at the beginning and fade-out at the end of the album, the quiet end section of ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’, the intro and quiet sections of ‘Us and Them’ etc), but this copy is among the best I’ve heard with only a couple of very minor issues, but there’s nothing significant anywhere. On side one I heard three or four small crackles in 'On the Run' and a couple of clicks before the clocks that introduce 'Time'. On side two I heard a couple of clicks in the intro to ‘Us and Them’ and three or four small clicks later in the track, and some small crackle at the very end of the side in the heartbeat ending. But that’s it! This is exceptional audio for an original copy of DSOTM, and I think that many people would grade this as Near Mint (NM). But the few small things mentioned above mean that I’m going to play-grade both sides as Excellent Plus (Ex+).
Labels: Both labels look great with no damage, writing, stickers etc, just spindle marking, suggesting that the record was relatively well-played, but looked-after.
Sleeve: This is the original 'midnight blue' cover. It has no writing, splits, tears or stickers etc, just normal signs of use, including some ring-wear, corner wear, edge-wear and some minor creases.
Inner sleeve: This is the original black, poly-lined inner sleeve. There is one very small (1cm) split in the bottom seam and some normal signs of handling and use, but no major issues.
Posters:
These are the original posters. The band poster is the absolute earliest example
printed on fully matt paper and the pyramid poster is also a very early example, with minimal sheen compared to later issues. These original posters have never been on display and so have no
pin-holes, sellotape, blu-tac etc, and very few signs of handling.
Stickers: These are the original, Crack-Back Permanent stickers. They are both unused although they have creases from having been caught in the fold of the gatefold cover.
Detracting features not covered above: None.
All photographs are of the actual item for sale. Please ask any questions before you bid or buy.
Where gradings are given these are based on the UK Record Collector grading system (see below) and are visual gradings only, unless the listing specifically states that it is a play-grading.
I use the UK RECORD COLLECTOR GRADING SYSTEM. This grading system differs from some other grading systems, in particular the Goldmine grading system. Please make sure that you are familiar with the UK record collector grading system before you bid.
Mint: The record itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.
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.
Very Good: The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.
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, discoloration, etc.
Fair: The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents will be torn, stained and/or defaced.
Poor: The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents will be badly damaged or partly missing.
Bad: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler.
Plus (+) or Minus (-) are added where items fall between gradings. I only ever use one plus or minus.
P&P costs as follows:
UK:
First LP or 12" record = £4.95, each additional item no extra P&P charge.
First 7" record = £3.95, each additional item no extra P&P charge.
Europe:
First LP or 12" record = £14.95, each additional item = an extra £2.20 P&P charge.
First 7" record = £11.95, each additional item = an extra £1.00 P&P charge.
Rest of the world:
First LP or 12" record = £24.95, each additional item = an extra £2.20 P&P charge.
First 7" record = £14.95, each additional item = an extra £1.00 P&P charge.
