The Dark Side Of The Moon A4/B3 (Complete)

This very early A4/B3 pressing plays with stunning audio for the vast majority.  There is hardly any spindle wear so this vinyl has not been played very much at all.

One point of interest is that there is only one stamper on S1 and three on S2.  The 'M' means this side was produced with the 4th stamper and RRA with the 223rd.  With such a disparity I wonder how rare this is. 

SHVL 804 // A-4 / B-3 // M 1 / RRA 1

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (first minute is VG+)

The audio on S2 is Near Mint (first minute is Ex / 'Us And Them' intro is Ex+)

The gatefold is Ex

The labels are Mint-

The inner sleeve is Near Mint

The posters are Ex

The brown sticker is Ex+ and the yellow one Ex

Visual grading

You don't see many A4/B3 pressings looking as clean as this.  Incredibly there is hardly any spindle wear, only 2/3 spindle traces on each side so I am confident in saying this very early pressing has been barely played.  There are only a small number of hairlines on S1 but you have to look very closely in order to find them they are that faint.  S1 is near pristine and S2 is immaculate!  Under a strong bright light I can't detect a single hairline let alone a scratch.  This vinyl has a lovely glossy sheen and you won't find many better visual or audible A4/B3 pressings than this one.

Play grading  

S1 plays with stunning audio apart from the beginning.  The 'Speak To Me' intro has some hiss in the background and four very light clicks.  This hiss lasts for about 45 seconds and then 'Breathe' plays very clearly but with a little quiet static that is very much in the background and totally non-intrusive.  By the time vocal begins the clarity is superb and the sonic quality is astounding, it plays amazingly well.  'On The Run' is just mesmerizing, it plays with incredible depth and clarity and the 'running man' section at the end is stunning.  'Time' is quite simply astounding from the very first groove.  For such an early pressing to play as clearly as this is a rarity and the guitar solo is so strong and has no distortion whatsoever.  A Mint- version without doubt.  The 'Breathe' reprise again plays very clearly although I did hear two static sounds in the background.  The quiet intro on 'The Great Gig In The Sky' is of a very high standard and has only the faintest of 'background'.  No clicks or pops though and it really is mega faint, not worth mentioning really.  Once the 'vocal' begins it displays power of an awesome calibre and wow ! this iconic track play is just astounding.  It plays with incredible strength and clarity and the extended quiet end section plays beautifully with no 'background'.  This track easily grades as Near Mint and the passage leading into the fade out is hugely impressive.  There are 2/3 clicks literally at the end and the music has finished by this point anyway.

There is some static hiss for the first few seconds on S2 but it is a lot quieter here than on S1.  'Money' then plays with sublime clarity although there is a little background static for about one minute.  In my opinion it isn't intrusive and remember I am listening out for any imperfection.  It still plays very clearly indeed.  The guitar solo plays with great power and there is no distortion on this track at all.  The vast majority of this track is Near Mint and the fade out has no 'background'.  The 'Us And Them' intro has a little quiet static on the intro but it soon decreases and then plays with exceptionally clear sound.  There is the odd mega quiet static sound but it certainly doesn't intrude on the listen and still plays brilliantly.  The second half is immaculate.  'Any Colour You Like' is Mint- from start to finish and the two final classic tracks do not disappoint.  'Brain Damage' is a real highlight and infinitely grades as Mint- again.  The strong bass sound and clarity is stunning and aside from a couple of barely audible dust ticks this is audio perfection.  'Eclipse' equals this stunning standard and it is obvious this vinyl has been hardly played by the distinct lack of distortion on these two final tracks.  So often they play with distortion and perhaps there is just a hint on this last track but is so so minimal.  There is a little crackle on the heartbeat ending.

The Gatefold

This G&L gatefold is in excellent condition and has only a minor shelf wear.  As it is one of the oldest covers housing an A4/B3 vinyl it has been preserved extremely well.  The two top edges have no wear and the spine is in great shape also.  The only wear on the bottom edges is a little rubbing leading to the right corner.  The opening edge has no handling wear at all.  The front cover is very clean with some very light spotting and a small scratch lines just above the triangle and a small crease near the bottom of the spine.  That sounds a lot but don't get me wrong this is still an excellent cover!  The back cover is very clean but with one slightly more obvious scratch towards the top and the inside of the gatefold is in lovely condition with only a minor amount of creasing at the bottom of the inner spine.

Inner sleeve

The plain white die-cut inner sleeve (with patent number and Made In England) has no splits or tears, very little creasing and remains in great condition.

The Labels

They are in wonderful condition with hardly any spindle wear as stated and no writing/marking.

The Posters & Stickers

The Pyramid poster is in excellent condition with tears, just light creasing and a small number of age related spots on the reverse side.  The Group poster is very clean with only one small tear on the right side.  The stickers have only 'Permanent' on the back so I'm not sure if these are the originals.  The brown sticker is very clean with only a couple of small creases and the yellow one has a little more creasing.  Neither have any tears.

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 804 // A-4 / B-3 // M 1 / RRA 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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