Pink Floyd : Wish You Were Here A1 / B3 1st Press + Postcard
This first pressing is among the finest I have ever listened to and to say it is almost Mint from start to finish is no exaggeration.  As always I have played the album in its entirety and the clarity, depth and power of the audio is exceptional.  'As new' is a term that can correctly be used.  There is only one very light click on S2 but you cannot really fault the rest of the album.  S1 is stunning and I have never heard a 'Shine On...' as impressive as this.  'Wish You Were Here' is another highlight and the intro especially is incredible.  So often affected by static etc but not here!  The vinyl is visually stunning and based on the audio and the very minimal spindle wear you can tell this has not been on a turntable very often.  This is in my opinion a FINAL UPGRADE archive pressing i.e. you could not improve on this audio.
As this is a genuine first press it has the A1/B3 matrix and 'Shine One, Part 5' is credited to Waters, Gilmour & Wright.  The picture inner has three cut corners as per the first pressings also.  This is a relatively early first press in that it only has two stampers on each side.
The cover is still largely covered by the original black shrinkwrap (plus sticker) and is in excellent condition with only a little wear.  The inner sleeve is in beautiful condition and the original postcard is practically 'as new' also.
SHVL 814 // A - 1 / B - 3 // LA 2 / MH 1
The audio on S1 is Mint(-)
The audio on S2 is Near Mint (Mint- for the vast majority)
The cover is Ex
The picture inner is Near Mint+
The postcard is Mint-
The labels are Mint-
Visual grading
The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has an immaculate jet-black glossy sheen with no marks or scratches.  Under a strong light I can only detect a small number of very faint sleeve removal hairlines that obviously have no affect on the stunning audio.  The run out grooves are also super clean and labels are near perfect with only very minimal spindle wear.
Play grading
The intro on the classic 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part One)' for once plays with stunning precision and I cannot emphasise enough just how perfect the clarity is!  So often affected by static or worse this is perhaps the 'cleanest' intro I have ever heard on an A1/B3 first press.  The first two minutes+ (before Gilmour comes in) play beautifully with no intrusion and it demands to be played loud!  Wright's 'sound' envelops the room with breathtaking sonic quality, there are no negatives.  Gilmour's first solo piece is of the same 'high end' standard and as Mason joins the scene there is no let up in quality.  It continues to play with STUNNING clarity and definition with no 'background' of any kind.  Each note is so sharp and precise and Gilmour's solos have never sounded better.  This classic opening instrumental is just shy of 9 minutes and yet I have never heard it play with such finesse and accuracy.  There are no clicks or pops and no background static either, just 3/4 barely audible dust ticks at most - something you find on new vinyl let alone one that is 46 years old!  And when I say barely audible I mean barely audible!  The first verse plays with a clarity that is second to none as does the second verse - the vocals are so strong and clear - and the next instrumental passage is equal to that gone before.  The sax solo sounds like it has never been played before and that applies to the rest of the track also!  The fade out has no 'background' and whilst I am tempted to grade this as Mint I will err on the side of caution and say Mint- but this is undeniably a mesmerising and stunning start to this fine album.
The segue into 'Welcome To The Machine' is nigh on perfect with only one minor tick and the intro then plays without fault.  Gilmour's first vocal is 'as new' and from then onwards plays with impeccable quality and ...no sign of any interference.  I have no wish in repeating myself but how often do you find sonic quality like this on a genuine A1/B3 first press?  'As new' I guess does it justice but somehow I need more words to describe the sheer brilliance on offer here but then that has never been a problem for me!  The second verse is of the same exact standard and to the end it plays with sublime clarity with not so much as a dust tick.  Like I say, play it loud because there is no distortion on the top end.  The depth of the music is sensational to say the least.  You will not be surprised to hear that the closing section is practically 'as new' also.  A couple of dust ticks on the 'air raid siren' and the 'audience' section has no 'background' and you can very clearly hear the faint double pop and cough on the final couple of grooves.  This shows in a very precise way just how immaculate the clarity is on this record, so often this coda is lost in static or worse but not here.  This track should also perhaps be graded as Mint but Mint- it is again.  What a side!
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'Have A Cigar' on S2 plays so clearly from the outset with only a very minimal amount of mega light static on the first 2/3 grooves.  So quiet it is hardly worth a mention as I often say.  The rest of the intro is flawless as is the opening vocal.  The second verse then plays perfectly and it continues to play with wonderful clarity for the remainder.  The closing solo has that 'shop fresh' quality and again I have no hesitation in grading this as Mint- as there are no faults to be found.
As any Floyd aficionado will know the segue into 'Wish You Were Here' is often beset with sound issues and yet this is without doubt one of the cleanest 'handovers' I have ever heard.  The entire radiophonic section plays with incredible clarity and I detected only a couple of very minor static ticks and 2/3 dust ticks.  In fact this may well be the finest 'intro' I have heard on a first press and the acoustic intro more than keeps up the good work with perfect clarity once more.  The first verse is faultless and this classic continues to play like it has never been played before.  There is no intrusion on the audio and each note is just so sharply defined i.e. there is no 'muddiness' to the sound whatsoever.  The instrumental ending is 'as new' and overall I will grade the intro as Near Mint but the rest is Mint for sure.
Again the 'wind' intro on 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 2)' often plays with a fair amount of static and yet all I heard were a handful of very light ticks which are obviously non-intrusive.  As the music comes in the playback is so clean and it proceeds in the same way with no interference.  Gilmour's first solo is outstanding!  The power and definition here could not be bettered and as the volume increases there is no distortion.  The one and only verse/chorus is immaculate and the first part of the closing instrumental then plays with imperious quality once more.  I did hear one light click (a bit of a surprise!) but that is the only intrusion on audio that is otherwise stunning.  As the volume decreases the audio could not be any clearer and the final section plays extremely well with only a modicum of barely audible static here and there.  It is intermittent and totally non-intrusive.  In fact I have played it three times now and the stylus has performed its usual 'self-cleaning' exercise.  This is a stunning version and ranges between Near Mint and Mint but more of the latter it has to be said.
In summary this first pressing plays with sensational audio on both sides with a clarity that is quite simply out of this world!  I think I last heard one as 'complete' as this about four years ago that is how difficult they are to find these days!  Yes there is one light click on the final track and just a hint of mega light static towards the end but overall the clarity, depth and warmth here is STUNNING to say the least and nowhere is that more obvious than on 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part One)' and 'Wish You Were Here'.  They are without question two of the finest versions I have ever had the pleasure in listening to and the rest of the album is pretty damn impressive also!  It is so close to being Mint all the way through and it is obvious this visually stunning record has hardly been played.  A genuine FINAL UPGRADE time-warp classic for sure.
The Cover, Inner Sleeve & Postcard
As you can see much of the cover is still contained within the original black shrinkwrap which also still has the sticker on it.  As is common the shrink has compressed the cover slightly so there is a minor 'wave' effect noticeable.  The cover itself will of course be very clean although you can see that there is a little wear on the corners and on the opening edge but nothing major.  It's just good to find an A1/B3 with the original shrinkwrap!  An Ex grading is fair I believe.
The picture inner (with three cut corners) is in superb condition with no side splits or marking and just two very small scuff 'spots' on the lyric side.  The original postcard (with serrated edges) is practically 'as new' with just one tiny white corner mark.
Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable // B & W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

SHVL 814 // A - 1 / B - 3 // LA 2 / MH 1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

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