Pink Floyd : Animals A4/B2 G1 Stamper on S2!

This early pressing plays to an excellent standard overall and with only a interference.  The gatefold is one of the most impressive you will find with very little shelf wear and the lyric inner is superb with no side splits, how rare is that!

It may not be a first A2/B2 pressing but it does nonetheless have the very same B2 matrix on S2.  It is this side that has the very first G1 stamper which is the holy grail of stampers to collectors!

SHVL 815 // A - 4U / B - 2U // HR 1 / G 1

The audio on S1 is Ex+ (Near Mint in many sections)

The audio on S2 is Ex (Near Mint in some sections / track 2 intro VG for 15 seconds and VG+ for 20 seconds later) 

The cover is Ex+

The lyric inner is Near Mint
The labels are Mint-

Visual grading

The vinyl is in lovely condition and still has an impressive glossy sheen.  There are no marks or scratches and only a small number of very faint hairlines.  S1 in particular is stunning and S2 has only a couple of hairlines that are a little more obvious but you still have to tilt the vinyl in order to seen them.  There is hardly any spindle wear on S1 but a little more on S2.  The run out grooves and labels are super clean with no marks.

Play grading  

The acoustic intro on 'Pigs On The Wing 1' begins superbly with no static.  As it progresses the clarity remains the same but it has a small number of light static sounds.  This grades as Ex+ in my opinion.

'Dogs' has one crackle sound on the intro and no other intrusive 'background'.  The first verse is very impressive with no obvious static and then continues to play to the same level.  In fact the second and third verses play faultlessly and then the solo section from Gilmour is of the same standard, the playback is stunning.  There is some light static in the following quiet section but is not very intrusive.  There is also one click during the next solo but that is the only 'background'.  From then on the audio is so strong with very little static.  The continuous 'stone' section is fantastic and has no interference whatsoever and this incredible clarity continues into the long instrumental synth section - it is easily the 'cleanest' I have heard in a long time, not even a dust tick!  As the acoustic guitar comes back in there are a small number of very light static ticks but they are very much in the background and the next two verses are nigh on perfect.  There is one more Gilmour solo and I am pleased to say it is 'as new' with no interference.  As any Floyd collector knows the final 'Who was...' section always has some distortion but there is barely any here!  I would actually go so far to say that there is none, the playback is fantastic!  It provides a very powerful end to this often underrated track.

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'Pigs (Three Different One)' has barely any 'background' on the quiet intro and plays so well.  It continues in the same way and the clarity and depth is of a very high calibre.  The first verse is so 'clean' with no obvious static although there are a couple of static ticks on the second one.  Thereafter it plays with excellent audio and only minimal light static during one small section.  There is nothing that I would deem intrusive and the long instrumental section then plays almost to perfection with no clicks or pops.  The quiet section preceding the final two verses has only light static and the vocals then play with no intrusion, the audio is stunning.  The end solo is also mega impressive with no distortion or interference, just minimal static on the fade out.

The  majority of the 'Sheep' intro is very 'clean' considering it is so quiet and has only a little static here and there.  Towards the end of it there are a handful of static clicks that are intrusive so this section can only grade as VG really.  There is no such problem as the vocal begins and the first two verses play with wonderful depth and power.  The next quiet section has minimal static only and as the audio builds the playback is superb.  There is a little ubiquitous static just before the 'Lord is my shepherd' section but this section then plays very cleanly with no interference.  The final two verses are faultless and guitar section is very strong with only minimal distortion.  The fade out is very impressive with no 'background'.

'Pigs On The Wing 2' plays superbly with barely any static on the super quiet intro and the vocals could not sound any better.  This is a fabulous Near Mint way to end the album.  So often final tracks have some interference but that is not the case here.

In summary this very early pressing plays with excellent quality on the whole but with some static here and there which is largely non-intrusive.  There are a couple of sections where it is more obvious and this has been detailed above.  There is just one click on S1 and a small number of static ticks on S2 which of course has the very rare G1 stamper!  The gatefold is in great condition and is rarely seen this clean and the lyric inner is one of the finest I have ever seen.

The Gatefold

This is in excellent condition with only minor shelf wear.  The edges have do not have that much rubbing, just a little more towards the corners and the wide spine has only a few tiny rub marks and remains 100% legible.  The corners of the spine have a little wear but the right hand corners are in superb shape with almost no rubbing and the opening edge has no handling wear at all.  The front cover is extremely clean with only a small number of white 'spots' near the top and the back cover is beautifully clean.  The inside is in fantastic order with barely any of the fading/spotting that you so often see.  A fine example overall.

The Lyric Inner

One of the best, if not the best, I have ever seen!  It has no splits (so rare!) and no marking.  It has only a small number of faint creases around the edges and just one mega small 'rub' on the right edge.  Of course being such an early press it has the four rounded corners.  A stunning example.

The Labels

They are super clean with no marking or writing and barely any spindle wear on the S1 label and only a little more on S2.

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 815 // A - 4U / B - 2U // HR 1 / G 1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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