LP NM-

 

Jacket VG+

Artist Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Some bands turn into shorthand for a certain sound or style, and belongs among that elite group. The very name connotes something specific: an elastic, echoing, mind-bending sound that evokes the chasms of space. grounded that limitless sound with exacting explorations of mundane matters of ego, mind, memory, and heart, touching upon madness, alienation, narcissism, and society on their concept albums of the '70s. Of these concept albums,  resonated strongest, earning new audiences year after year, decade after a decade, and its longevity makes sense. That 1973 concept album distilled the wild psychedelia of their early years -- that brief, heady period when they were fronted by  -- into a slow, sculpted, widescreen epic masterminded by , the bassist who was the band's de facto leader in the '70s.  fueled the band's golden years, conceiving such epics as  and , but the band survived his departure in the '80s, with guitarist stepping to forefront on  and . Throughout the years, drummer  and keyboardist  appeared in some capacity, and the band's sonic signature was always evident: a wide, expansive sound that was instantly recognizable as their own yet was adopted by all manner of bands, from guitar-worshipping metal-heads to freaky, hippie, ambient electronic duos. Unlike almost any of their peers, played to both sides of the aisle: they were rooted in the blues but their heart belonged to the future, a dichotomy that made them a quintessentially modern 20th century band.

That blues influence, quickly sublimated and only surfacing on the occasional  guitar solo, was the foundation for the band's very name, as the group decided to splice the names of two old bluesmen --  and  -- as a tribute to the American music they loved so. These members of the early Floyd -- guitarist/singer , bassist, keyboardist , and drummer  -- were all architecture students at London Polytechnic, with the exception of , who was an art student and a friend of  since childhood. This version of the band started gigging regularly in 1965, with  becoming the group's lead singer quite quickly. During this time, the group relied on blues and R&B covers, not unlike many of their British peers, but they wound up extending the time of their sets through extended instrumental jams, planting the seeds of space rock that would come to fruition not much later. During 1966, the group's increasingly adventurous sets became something of a sensation in the London underground, leading to a contract with EMI early in 1967. Their first single, "Arnold Layne," backed with "Candy and a Currant Bun," appeared in March of 1967, and it was banned from some radio stations due to its gender-bending lyrics, but the single wound up in the U.K. Top 20 and the group's second single, "See Emily Play" -- a menacing, mincing stomp with a profound, lasting influence -- went into the Top 10, paving the way for the release of. On their full-length LP,  veered toward the experimental and avant-garde, particularly on the elastic, largely instrumental vamps "Astronomy Domine" and "Interstellar Overdrive," resulting in an album that had a significant influence not only upon its release but well beyond. It was also a hit in the U.K., reaching number six on the British charts.

This was a sudden rush to stardom and complications arose nearly as quickly. Not long after the release of , began showing clear signs of mental illness, to the point he would often freeze on-stage, not playing a note. At this point,  -- a friend and associate of the band -- was brought in as a second guitarist, with the intention that he'd buttress the group's live performances while  continued to write and record new material. This soon proved to be an impossible situation, and  left the group, at which point the band's management also jumped ship, leaving the band without any kind of leader.

In the wake of 's departure, the remaining members of developed a different musical identity, one that was expansive and eerie, characterized by the band's spacy, somber explorations and, eventually,' cutting, sardonic lyrics. This transition took some time. In 1968, they released , which contained 's final composition for the group "Jugband Blues" and found the group moving forward, particularly on the instrumental sections. also saw the group begin a long, fruitful collaboration with 's design team ; they'd wind up designing many iconic album covers for the band, including  and .  emphasized album art, and albums are where  concentrated from this point forward. After the soundtrack to , the group moved to EMI's progressive rock imprint Harvest and became the label's flagship artist beginning with the 1969 double-LP . Divided between live performances and experimental compositions from each member, the record wound up in the Top 10 in Britain and sowed the seeds of a cult following in the United States.

's next album, , featured extensive contributions from composer  and wound up as the band's first number one album in the U.K.. The band embarked on an extensive supporting tour for the album and when they returned they delved even further into studio experimentation, learning the contours of the studio. Their next studio album, 1971's , bore the fruit from this labor, as did 1972's , which was effectively a soundtrack to Barbet Schroeder's film La Vallee. All the experiments of the early '70s were consolidated on their 1973 album , an album for which there simply was no precedent in their catalog. Deepening their music while sharpening their songwriting,  created a complex, luxurious album with infinite space and depth. Partially helped by the single "Money," it was an immediate success, reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard charts and peaking at number 2 in the U.K., but what was striking was its longevity.  found space on the Billboard charts and then it just stayed there, week after week for years -- a total of 741 weeks in all (once it finally dropped off the charts, Billboard began the Catalog charts, where  was a fixture as well).  was a staple on classic rock radio but it also was a rite of passage, an album passed down to teenagers when they were turning to serious music, and it was an album that stayed with listeners as they aged.

Now established superstars,  dug deep on , their 1975 sequel to  which functioned as an album-long tribute to . Compared to , wasn't quite a blockbuster but it was certainly a hit, debuting at number one in the U.K. and reaching that peak in the U.S., as well.  continued to tour steadily, often working out new material on the road. This is particularly true of 1977's , which had its roots in several songs aired during the 1975 tour. During the  tour,  had a difficult experience with a Montreal crowd where he spit on a heckler, and he used this incident as the genesis for 1979's rock opera . Co-produced by , may be 's most ambitious album, telling a semi-autobiographical story about a damaged rock star, and it's one of the band's most successful records, topping the charts throughout the '80s and turning into a pop music perennial along the lines of . Part of its success in 1980 was due to "Another Brick in the Wall, Pt 2," where an instrumental motif from the album was given a disco beat and an anti-authoritarian spin, leading to a genuine number one hit single from a band. Certainly, the single had more to do with the album's success than the live production of the album, as  only did a handful of dates in major cities. Nevertheless these shows, consisting of a wall being built across the stage during the first act and the band performing behind it during the second, were legendary ( would revive and update the production years later to great success).

 did attempt to film for a documentary film, but the footage was botched, so they decided to pursue a feature film directed by  and featuring   in the lead role. The Wallarrived in theaters in 1982 and turned into a midnight movie staple. A year later,  -- a further autobiographical work from , its title a sly dig to his battles with  on the film -- arrived and it didn't come close to matching the chart success of any of its predecessors. Behind the scenes, things were tense.  had been fired during the making of -- he was hired as a contract player during the recording and tour -- and split after the release of , assuming that it was the end of the band.  released his debut solo album  -- a piece that was pitched to  in 1978, but the band chose  instead -- in 1984 and not long afterward,  and  indicated they intended to carry on as , so the bassist sued the duo for the rights to the  name.  lost and  released  in 1987, just months after  released his own . Bad blood was evident -- t-shirts on ' tour bore the question, "Which One's Pink?," an old lyric that now had greater resonance -- but  emerged victorious, as  turned into an international hit, and along with it racked up some hit singles, including "Learning to Fly" which was supported by the band's first music video. Most importantly, the band racked up significant box office returns on tour, playing to sold-out stadiums across the globe. This tour was documented on the  live album.

The success of  allowed  to dictate their own schedule and they took their time to return with a new album, eventually emerging in 1994 with . Greeted by warmer reviews than its predecessor,  was another international success, and the accompanying tour -- which featured a performance of the entirety of  -- was a smash success. As before, the tour was documented with a live album -- this one was called , packaged in an eye-catching artwork with a pulsing LED light -- and it performed respectably. After that,  went into effective retirement. The group was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, while released some solo albums, including the acclaimed , but most of their efforts were devoted to managing their catalog. Long a beloved band of audiophiles, the group saw their catalog boxed and remastered several times, including 5.1 mixes on SACD in the early 2000s.

As the new millennium progressed, a détente between the  and  camps, culminating in an unexpected reunion of the original lineup of , , , and  at the 2005 charity concert Live 8. The reunion was a rousing success, sparking rumors of a more permanent arrangement, but  declined. Instead, ramped up his touring -- he performed  in its entirety, then turned his attention to , touring that for years;  and  wound up appearing at a 2011 show in London, signaling that there was no ill will between the members.  passed in 2006 from cancer and in 2008,  also died from the disease. In 2011,  launched an ambitious reissue project called Why Pink Floyd…? spearheaded by multi-disc, rarity-laden box set reissues of , , and ; among the newly released exclusives was the original  mix of , heavily bootlegged live tracks like "Raving and Drooling," and demos.  brought its catalog to the Spotify streaming music service in 2013.

All Lps are sight graded   Note: I Do Not Grade inner sleeves, If these are Important to you then you may e-mail me)

 

RECORD GRADING

Based On Goldmine Grading Standards:

Near Mint (NM): A nearly perfect record. There may be one or two small inaudible defects. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other sights of slight handling. An LP jacket should have no creases, folds, seam splits or any other noticeable similar defect. No cut-out holes, either.

Near Mint Minus (NM-): A record that should play mint but has a few slight visible marks. The album will have as much luster as an NM, there just may be some superficial scuffs from the sleeve or very light hairlines that shouldn't be audible. An NM- album cover subjectively fits somewhere in between VG+ and NM.

Very Good Plus (VG+): A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some slight signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don t significantly affect play. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. 45 Picture sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned-up corners, or a slight seam-split. An LP jacket may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount.

Very Good (VG): Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song s intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as will light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, just two or three of them.

Good (G), Good Plus (G+): Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable and will play though without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear. A jacket or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the subject.

Poor (P), Fair (F): Below good. imperfections will be described.

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ALLSHIPPING PRICES ARE FINAL

additional items are 1.50 per item up to 6 within USA (if you are bidding on multiple items lots I have in one listing. you pay each shipping total added together)

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NOTE: Gatefold Lps Count as 2 Lps when shipping out of the country

SHIPPING TO CANADA Multiple LP Shipping Rates In USD

1 LP 11.50

2. Lps 13.00

3 Lps 15.00

4 Lps 17.00

5 Lps 26.00

6 Lps 29.00

Multiple Shipping Rates SHIPPING TO Rest Of The World Outside USA in USD

Note: Gatefold Lps Count as 2 Lps

1 LP 17.25

2 LP 20.00

3. Lps 26.50

4 Lps 30.00

5 Lps 48.00 (price jump becuse weight usually takes it to priority mail rate)

6 Lps 51.00

7 Lps 54.00

8 LPs 58.00

9 Lps 61.00

10 Lps 64.00

11 Lps 67.00

12 Lps 70.00

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