Deep Purple : In Rock A2 / B1
This first pressing plays to an excellent standard with only minimal interference.  This is an album that is difficult to find with 'high end' sonic quality and I am sure this is due to the recording and production of the record.  This one has only a couple of light clicks and some intermittent background static and the majority does play very well indeed.  The vinyl itself is visually impressive with no scratches.
As this is a genuine first pess there is no EMI logo on the labels and it has the 2/1 matrix.  There is an A1/B1 matrix but  they were discontinued prior to the release date.  Discogs says that 1 in 20 first pressings have this matrix although I beg to differ!  I have seen many more and only seen one!
The gatefold is easily one of the finest examples I have seen and has been so well preserved down the years.  The original EMI inner is also in excellent condition.
SHVL 777 // A - 2 / B - 1 // MD 1 / GT 1
The audio on S1 is Ex+ (T1 VG early organ section / T3 Ex to Near Mint)
The audio on S2 is Ex (T1 Near Mint-)
The gatefold is Near Mint-
The inner sleeve is Ex+
The labels are Near Mint
Visual grading
The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a very strong glossy sheen with no scratches.  There is a long (ish) horizontal hairline on track one of S1 but this has no affect on the audio.  Aside from that both sides are very clean with only a small number of faint sleeve removal hairlines.  The run out grooves are super clean and the yellow/green Harvest labels are very clean with only minimal spindle wear on S1 and a little more on S2.
Play grading
The super charged Blackmore intro on 'Speed King' plays with great power and only very minimal background static.  Lord's quieter organ section that follows does have some crackle, common with this LP, but the music still plays very clearly with no clicks or pops.  Gillan's opening vocal has only the bare minimum of static and the more you progress into the track the better the audio is.  The mid instrumental has very little static and the 'high octane' section in particular is stunning!  The final vocal has just one light click and the remainder plays with genuine quality and only a little static on the fade out.  The majority of this opening track is Ex+ but VG on that early organ section.
'Blood Sucker' plays with excellent audio from the get go and there are no clicks or pops.  It plays with tremendous power and there is no distortion on the top end.  There is just a little background static here and there but it is quiet and non-intrusive.  I think Ex+ is about right here.
The quiet intro on 'Child In Time' plays extremely well with only very minimal light static and Gillan's opening vocal begins superbly with no intrusion.  There is just a little static as it progresses but again this is hardly intrusive.  As the volume builds the playback is so strong and there is no distortion on the top end.  This classic instrumental section then plays with STUNNING quality and the clarity off sound is very impressive.  Blackmore's first solo is breathtaking!  You can turn it up to max without fear of any distortion - wow this is good!  The next quiet passage then plays beautifully and the repeated verse has only a little static.  As it builds there is again only minimal static and the next 'high octane' section could hardly play any better.  The rip-roaring finale brings this classic to a very impressive end with only a little static at the end.  I will grade this as ranging from Ex to Near Mint as just 'one' grade does not seem right somehow.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------   The intro on 'Flight Of The Rat' has barely any static and the first vocal then plays with perfect precision.  The second vocal passage has one light click but that is the only intrusion across the entire track.  The vast majority plays with great clarity, power and depth and the long mid instrumental is a fine example of that with no intrusion at all.  Never heard better!  It is 'as new' and the rest of the track plays with sublime precision also.  I detected just one very light tick and the percussive end section is as close to perfect as could be.  I will grade as Near Mint- but the majority is better than that!
The intro on 'Into The Fire' does have a somewhat 'muddy' sound but aside from that there is no intrusion.  The first verse has one tick and from then on it plays very well but the overall clarity is perhaps not as impressive as the previous track.  There is some light static during the instrumental section and the final verse plays powerfully with barely any intrusion.  Ex
The percussive intro on 'Living Wreck' is nigh on perfect and it then plays in a similar way to the previous track.  Don't get me wrong it still plays extremely well with no clicks or pops but again the clarity is not as good as the first track.  I will grade as Ex again.  It may even be due to how it was recorded as this album is certainly very heavy on bass.
The long intro on 'Hard Lovin' Man' is very impressive!  There is no real intrusion and the clarity is better here.  The first vocal is flawless and it continues to play with great quality.  There is no inner groove distortion and Lord's rip-roaring solo is a case in point - it plays with phenomenal power and Blackmore's solo is equally as good.  The remainder plays with very strong audio with just a touch of very light static on the final section.  I will say Ex again although this album regularly plays with a 'deep' sonic quality so perhaps I am underselling it.
In summary this genuine first press plays to an excellent standard overall with very little interference.  Yes there is a little background static here and there but I only detected a couple of light clicks across the entire album.  Some of the tracks do have a 'deep' sonic quality but the more I think about the more I believe this is just how it was recorded.  I certainly don't think this is due to being over-played as the record is actually very clean.
The Gatefold & Inner Sleeve
The laminated G & L gatefold is in superb condition and is easily one of the best I have seen.  The edges and spine are perfect and remarkably there is no corner wear worthy of mention plus the opening edge is close to perfect also.  The front cover is in beautiful condition with no marking or laminate damage and has only three of the usual small creases next to the spine.  It does have a slightly 'wavy' look to it which is a little more obvious when you look at the opening edge but this really is the only 'wear'.  It is certainly not a major issue.  The back cover is in lovely condition with just one very small faint mark next to 'In' and the inside of the gatefold is pristine.  This is quite rare as it so often has some marking/fading and the spine often has some wear also.  This is not the case here, visually it is stunning.  A stunning example overall.   
The original EMI Harvest poly-lined inner sleeve has no side splits or tears, barely any marking and only very light creasing.
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 777 // A - 2 / B - 1 // MD 1 / GT 1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

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