PINK FLOYD "DARK SIDE OF THE MOON" A3 / B3. SUPERB COPY

	£		64
	$		84

On sale here is a very early pressing of the iconic album from Pink Floyd entitled "The dark side of the moon". This copy has the mega early matrices of A3 and B3. It comes complete with both posters and adhesive postcards.

This a beautiful, well cared for and little played album from my personal collection. It should be noted that the cover is the first issue midnight blue tinted colour, as opposed to all later jet black issues. The postcards are a fraction odd, in that one has the "permanent" wavy perforated backing, which is from the very first issue. The other is the "Fasprint crackback" type, which was actually the second issue. I have no idea why these are mixed and it has certainly not been done knowingly by me. Still, a bonus to have one of the very first!

So a few details on the album itself.............................

(All gradings are strictly to "Record Collector" guidelines. Shown in detail below).

The cover (as stated previously, the midnight blue first issue) is in VG+ condition. It has light general shelf wear to top and bottom edges. Spine is excellent. There is a minor tear to the top left front corner. There are a couple of minor creases and (as these covers are so prone to) some rub wear showing as colour fading.

The inner sleeve is generic white with patent numbers and made in Great Britain text. Slightly age yellowed with some creasing. A 15mm split at the bottom seam. That is all. grades as VG+.

The vinyl is in a quite superb condition. It is a nice mid-weight pressing on quality vinyl. There are just between 3 and 6 spindle marks per side. There are 2 tiny marks at the end of "Time" and the start of "Great gig in the sky". These are totally superficial with no depth. Other than these, the vinyl has a beautiful deep black sheen. Visually, these grade as EX.

The matrices are A3 and B3. The mother / stamper combinations are 1  RPP on side one and 2  MA on side two. I am sure that many of you realise that the mothers on the solid blue A2 B2 pressings actually go as high as 7!! and low numbers of 1 or 2 are not common. This makes this a very early pressing indeed.

The audio presentation is quite superb. This plays with great clarity and control, as befitting of its early pressing status. There is only the most minimal of background noise in the very quietest parts. This is a detailed and lucid listening experience. As Vernon Fitch has said (on his amazing website "pink floyd archives/discography") it is only on the A3  B3 pressing that they finally got the pressing issues that afflicted "Money" ironed out. Many first issues were actually pressed with a skip on this track, as well as other issues! I have no hesitation at grading the sound quality as at least EX, and very close to EX+.

The posters are in excellent shape. Never been hung or stuck to anything! The postcards are excellent too.

So a top example of this top album. Very early matrices and mega early mothers / stampers. Lovely crisp audio and with both posters and postcards. Don't miss it!

MINT: The record 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 will be torn, stained and / or defaced.

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

BAD: The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection filler."

As well as the above grades, Near Mint is often used as well; this is really for a record that appears new but is known to have been played because the label has light spindle marks or because it has come from a previous owner and is assumed to have been played by them. For records which appear to fall between the accepted grades, + and - are also often added to the grading.