PINK FLOYD Atom Heart Mother 1970 NO EMI earliest A1-G B1-G EX vinyl+audio VG+

	£		46
	$		61

PINK FLOYD - ATOM HEART MOTHER

An impressive copy of this increasingly rare and highly sought after very first 1970 UK pressing of this Pink Floyd/prog rock classic, on the Harvest label, stereo SHVL 781

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  SHVL 781 A - 1G  with stampers "1" and "G D" at 8 o'clock and 2 o'clock respectively

Side 2  SHVL 781 B - 1G  with stampers "2" and "H" at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively

This is a rare original, and overall very nice condition UK original pressing of this classic Pink Floyd LP with the following 1st pressing unique characteristics :

1. Earliest A-1, B-1, dead wax matrices with the "G" stampers signifying this to be an extremely early first press copy;

2. The usual "EMI" boxed label is missing from each of the labels;

3. On the inside of the gatefold outer sleeve, in the bottom left corner, is the text "7010 TPS" and Patent No. 943,895  SHVL 781" which does not appear on later issues.

The appearance of the flat, thick vinyl is excellent plus (EX+). Gleaming vinyl with jet black lacquering and no marks at all. If you look very closely, and under a bright light, you might just be able to make out a very occasional, small, pencil thin paper scuffs and ultra thin hairlines but these are insignificant. Truly wonderful condition vinyl and clearly having been played sparingly. So very, very rare to come across this record with the vinyl in such stunning condition. Amazing, especially for such a classic album that is almost 50 years old!

The labels are excellent+. Beautiful matt textured labels with barely any aberrations/blemishes at all. The Harvest logo, the matt yellow background, and all black text are perfectly intact on each label. Under an intense light I can just make out a couple of very small and very faint spindle trails on each label - apart from that, perfect. Note the absence of the usual "EMI" box logo, indicative of a very first pressing.

The non-laminated Garrod & Lofhouse outer gatefold sleeve is very good. Such an iconic sleeve, and such a fragile sleeve also. Although all of the edges (including the spine) remain firm there is almost continuous light scuffing on the bottom edges and some very light, intermittent scuffing on the top edge. The spine is firm with all writing intact and perfectly legible but again there is some intermittent scuffing/abrasions with a more noticeable 1cm scuff just above the word "Atom".The opening edges remain firm with no fraying and the corners remain as nicely defined right angles with just a little rubbing on each.The outside colouring and photography remains nicely vibrant and clear. The inside of the gatefold would be excellent were it not for a name and the track times written onto the right side in dark blue ink and red ink respectively (see photo). There is also a very light horizontal abrasion/storage line 1cm from the bottom edge - not intrusive at all. In summary, a solid very good and still highly presentable but with a few noticeable blemishes.

Finally, the quality of the audio is truly excellent plus (mostly stunning). No skips, no background interference or crackle (apart from some minor crackle on the dead wax areas immediately before the first track on each side commences), just great stereo audio reproduction with brilliant tone and clarity throughout even on the higher frequencies and at higher volume. Yes, there might be the very occasional nano-second of static or light click caused by a speck of dust in one of the grooves through decades of storage, but this is non-intrusive and barely noticeable. Just sit back and enjoy the superb sound of this brilliant Pink Floyd album!

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. ATOM HEART MOTHER

a) Father's Shout

b) Breast Milky

c) Mother Fore

d) Funky Dung

e) Mind Your Throats Please

f) Remergence

Side 2 :

1. IF

2. SUMMER

3. FAT OLD SUN

4. ALAN'S PSYCHEDELIC BREAKFAST

a) Rise and Shine

b) Sunny Side Up

c) Morning Glory

Comes with original Harvest advertisement poly lined inner sleeve (a collectable now in it's own right) which has no splits or tears - just some mild age discolouration and a little creasing, and remaining 100% fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary a nice, very good plus copy of this increasingly rare and sought after 1970 UK very 1st pressing prog rock classic - a worthy addition to any serious vinyl collection.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl thick cardboard "crucifix" style mailer along with at least two thick cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be UK £4.00, Royal Mail 1st class signed for; continental Europe £9 and Rest of the World £13, Royal Mail 1st class tracked and signed for. 

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding!

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records 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, discolouration, 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 are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler