PINK FLOYD Dark Side Of The Moon 1973 UK EARLY A3/B3 UNDERPLAYED, SUPER AUDIO EX

	£		215
	$		285

PINK FLOYD - THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

A sparingly played and beautiful condition copy, with gleaming vinyl and truly excellent audio reproduction, of this highly sought after 1973 very early press prog rock classic, with early A-3/B-3 vinyl matrix numbers on the HARVEST record label, SHVL 804

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1    SHVL 804 A - 3 with stampers "3" and "R PD  at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

Side 2    SHVL 804 B - 3 with stampers "2" and "C P" at 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock respectively

The vinyl is in a solid very good plus (VG++) condition (bordering on excellent) - glossy, nice and weighty, and totally flat with each side displaying a beautiful jet black sheen and in normal daylight coming across as in near perfect condition; and it is only with close scrutiny under a bright light that some extremely fine paper scuffs come into view on each side, along with x5 slightly more obvious very small scuff marks on side 1, track 1 and x2 tiny scuff marks on side 2 track 2 (which does result in a few rotations of very mild background crackle) : each less than 1cm, non-feelable, and appearing as surface only - I tried to display them in photographs but they are each so faint that I couldn't manage to show them! Clearly this record has been underplayed (the lovely condition and overall fantastic sound quality supports this view) and it is hard to believe that this vinyl is now 47 years old!

The condition of each label is near mint (NM). Pristine labels with silver text upon the smooth black background and of course the outline blue triangle, all in perfect condition - not even the usual one or two faint spindle trails...perfect!

The condition of the outside non-laminated gatefold sleeve is excellent plus (EX+). Hard to fault though not quite perfect since there are just a couple of very, very light 1.2 cm scuff marks on the front side bottom edge, some extremely fine surface scuffing on the front top edge, and 2cm of very light line scuffing towards the top of the spine...each very trivial and take nothing away from the beautiful black sheen on the front and reverse sides, the perfectly intact prismatic rainbow colouring, the firm edges and near perfectly defined right angled corners with no scuffing or rubbing, the nicely rigid spine, and the pristine interior where all text, colours, and art work remain in fabulous condition! It really is hard to believe that this gate fold is 47 years of age! The stiffness of the cardboard and spine makes me believe that this gatefold has never even been fully opened out!

The two posters are in perfect condition - nicely folded with perfectly defined folds, no pin holes, blue tac residue, creases, rips, tears, or splits and the colouring and picture definition are "as new". If you look carefully you may be able to detect the very occasional small and very light discolouration spot on the reverse side of each poster...again, nothing really. Great!

And the same can be said for the x2 original "PERMANENT" stickers (not later inferior quality reissue ones), although each of them does have a fold line where they were accidentally folded in the gate fold - both are unused.

The quality of the audio is excellent (EX). Mostly stunning in fact, with great tone and clarity throughout, even at higher volume and on higher frequencies. There are no skips, jumps, repeats, sticks, or interference. There are x5 very light background clicks at the end of the final track on side 1, though close inspection under a bright light reveals no obvious reason for this so I am assuming dust particles stuck in the grooves through decades of storage, for which a proper clean may cure; and on side 2 there is just the hint of some very mild background crackle at the very beginning and during a couple of the other quieter moments (a few rotations mid-way through "Us And Them", for example)....trivial and certainly nothing substantive enough to spoil the overall terrific sound quality with every single track still remaining a great listen, and still sending shivers up my spine even after 47 years!!

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

(a) (I) SPEAK TO ME

(II) BREATHE IN THE AIR

(b) ON THE RUN

(c) TIME

(d) THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY

Side 2 :

(e) MONEY

(f) US AND THEM

(g) ANY COLOUR YOU LIKE

(h) BRAIN DAMAGE

(i) ECLIPSE

Comes with original near perfect condition plain white inner sleeve with no rips, splits, tears, creasing, or discolouration and remaining fully functional. Note that I always use a new, plain white replacement inner sleeve for shipping purposes in order to protect the original.

In summary a truly impressive condition copy of this increasingly rare and highly sought after 1973 Pink Floyd UK 2nd press prog rock classic, made even more desirable by the fabulous condition of not just the vinyl but also the outer gatefold sleeve, posters, and stickers The whole LP remains a great listen, is a "must" for any serious prog rock vinyl collection and will only continue to gain in value.

 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 50 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 65 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 mailer, along with extra protective flange edges, 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 £13, and Rest of the World £17 respectively, Royal Mail 1st class international Airmail 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