PINK FLOYD Dark Side Of the Moon UK LP 1ST NMINT A2/B2

	£		318
	$		421

PINK FLOYD - DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

•  
• HARVEST 1973
• SHVL 804
• MATRIX: SHVL804-A2 / B2
• MOTHERS / STAMPERS: 7 GGD / 2 PO

THIS IS THE SECOND COPY OF THIS STUNNING ALBUM I HAVE FOR SALE. IT IS VIRTUALLY AS BRILLIANT AS THE ONE I HAD UP LAST WEEK

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS AND LATER PRESSES?

WELL WHATS ALL THE FUSS ABOUT, WHEN THIS ALBUM SOLD IN THE MILLIONS.

IF YOU ARE A COLLECTOR IN THE KNOW, THEN JUMP DOWN TO THE RECORD DESCRIPTION. IF YOU WANT ALL THE DETAIL READ ON.

ITS VERY STRAIGHT FORWARD, IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE LABEL YOU WILL SEE THAT IT IS REALLY HARD TO READ THE TRACK LISTING AS THE SILVER TYPEFACE BECOMES ALMOST INVISIBLE AGAINST THE PALE BLUE BACKGROUND. FACED WITH THIS EMI REPRESSED THE ALBUM WITH AN OUTLINE TRIANGLE RATHER AN THE SOLID BLUE ONE, BUT NOT BEFORE A SMALL QUANTITY HAD MADE IT OUT TO THE SHOPS. SO THOSE FEW PEOPLE WHO BOUGHT THEIR COPY FROM THE FIRST BATCH WILL HAVE RECEIVED THE NOW RARE 1ST PRESS DSOM. I WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE TOOK IT BACK FOR ONE THAT COULD BE READ EASIER?

IN ADDITION THERE ARE ALSORTS OF ANOMALIES REGARDING THE SLEEVE, BUT I WILL COVER THAT BELOW

THE RECORD

THE ONE I LISTED LAST WEEK HAD BEEN PLAYED NO MORE THAN 2-3 TIMES, AND THIS ONE NO MORE THAN 5-6. IT IS SIMPLY IN SUPERB CONDITION ALL ROUND

THE VINYL GLEAMS LIKE A NEW DISC, AND IS SIMPLY STUNNING. THERE ARE NO SCRATCHES TO BE SEEN, AND EVEN UNDER INTENSE ILLUMINATION I AM ONLY ABLE TO MAKE OUT A COUPLE OF REALLY FAINT HAIRLINES.

NOW THE ACID TEST

GENTLY LOWERING THE LP ONTO MY REGA TURNTABLE ENSURING I DO NOT ADD TO THE 3-4 SPIDER LINES, I AM ABSOLUTELY GOBSMACKED TO FIND THAT THE RUN IN PRODUCED TOTAL SILENCE!!!

THE RUN IN GROOVE HAS NO BACKGROUND NOISE WHATSOEVER !

THE GRADUALLY INCREASING THUMPING SOUND THAT INTRODUCES THE LISTENER TO THE OPENING TRACK"SPEAK TO ME" HAS THE ABSOLUTE BAREST OF STATIC, WHICH IS VIRTUALLY INAUDIBLE. AS THE TRACK PROGRESSES IT IS VERY CLEAR THAT THERE IS NOT ONE JOT OF DISTORTION ANYWHERE. THIS IS TRUE OF THE ENTIRE ALBUM, WHICH PLAYS ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENTLY ALL THE WAY THROUGH BOTH SIDES

. I AM DELIGHTED TO BE LISTENING TO AUDIO PERFECTION. AS SIDE ONE PROGRESSES IT BECOMES VERY CLEAR THAT THIS IS A SPECIAL EXAMPLE INDEED. ONLY THE VERY VERY OCCASIONAL MINUTEST BIT OF STATIC, AND PERHAPS THE BAREST VIRTUALLY INAUDIBLE LIGHT POP OR TWO.

SIDE TWO OPENS WITH THE MAGNIFICENT "MONEY" AND THE STEREO SPLIT ON THIS TRACK IS JUST SUPERB, AND AGAIN ALL THE WAY THROUGH THIS SIDE ALL YOU HEAR IS PERFECT CLARITY, UNDISTORTED SOUND, AND BACKGROUND NOISE FREE MUSIC.

I AM ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THE QUALITY AND CONDITION OF THIS VINYL COULD NEVER BE UPGRADED. IT IS A HIGH GRADE COLLECTIBLE INDEED, AND FULLY WARRANTS A NEAR MINT GRADE.

HAVING LISTENED TO BOTH THE ALBUMS SIDE BY SIDE, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS THAT THIS ONE HAS JUST ONE OR TWO LIGHT BARELY AUDIBLE POPS, AND THE MOST MINUTE  SECONDS OF STATIC IN A COUPLE OF SPOTS. I ACTUALLY THINK THIS IS EHVERY BIT AS SPECIAL AS THE ONE I LISTED LAST WEEK. TO GET ONE COPY IN MINT CONDITION IS AMAZING, BUT TO HAVE TWO WITHIN A WEEK OF EACH OTHER IT JUST DFYS BELIEF

THE SLEEVE

THE NON LAMINATED GATEFOLD SLEEVE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION ALL ROUND. FAMOUS FOR ITS UNIQUE PRISM DESIGN IT IS IMPORTANT TO EXPLAIN WHY THIS IS A FIRST PRESS SLEEVE, AND NOT SOME LATER AND MORE MINT SLEEVE PACKAGED WITH A MINT DISC. THE FIRST PRESS SLEEVES ARE A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT COLOUR TO THE SUBSEQUENT 2ND AND 3RD PRESSES. A TRUE FIRST PRESS HAS A BLUEY BLACK COLOUR, WHEREAS ALL THE LATER PRESSES WERE JET BLACK. I HAVE INCLUDED A PICTURE OF BOTH SLEEVES, AND YOU SHOULD BE EASILY ABLE TO IDENTIFY WHICH IS THE BLACK SLEEVE AND WHICH IS THE BLUE/BLACK.

 TO BE FAIR UNLESS YOU PLACE A BLACK SLEEVE NEXT TO THE BLUE/BLACK IT IS STILL HARD TO SPOT. BUT THE REAL GIVEAWAY IS TO BE FOUND ON THE LEFT HAND OPENING EDGE OF THE GATEFOLD. ONLY FIRST PRESS SLEEVES WERE SEALED AT THIS ENTRY POINT, SOME ARE SEALED WITH A PIECE OF THE CARD TUCKED INSIDE THE OPENING, WHILST OTHERS ARE GLUED AT THE FACTORY.

THIS ONE HAS BEEN GLUED, AND TO PROVE THAT IT IS A GENUINE FACTORY SEALED PRESS, THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF THE SLEEVE OPENING THAT HAS COME UNSTUCK. I HAVE LEFT IT THIS WAY AS IT CLEARLY SHOWS THE FACTORY GLUE INSIDE THE APERTURE.

 ANYWAY THESE ARE THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU TELL IF YOU ARE HOLDING A FIRST PRESS OR NOT. THEREFORE YOU WILL SOMETIMES SEE A FIRST PRESS LP WITH A LATER PRESSED SLEEVE JUST BECAUSE IT IS IN BETTER CONDITION. I UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE DO IT, BUT IT IS WRONG, AND THE COLLECTOR IS BEING CHEATED.

ANYWAY THIS IS THE REAL DEAL. IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THE FRONT SURFACE IS CLEAN AND FREE OF ANY HEAVY CREASES. THERE IS A FAINT BIT OF COLOUR WEAR NEAR THE SPINE, AND ONE SMALL CREASELINE AT THE FOOT OF THE SLEEVE. THE TOP SURFACE HAS NO SHELF WEAR, WHILST THE BOTTOM HAS MINIMAL SHELF WEAR, AND THE OPENING EDGE IS VERY SHARP AND ONLY HAS A FEW FINGERNAIL MARKS TO SHOW WHERE THE VINYL HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE COVER. THE REAR SURFACE IS AS CLEAN AS THE FRONT WITH ONE TINY BIT OF COLUR LOSS RIGHT AT THE BOTTOM AND THE FAINTEST TRACE OF RINGWEAR.

THE ORIGINAL POLY LINED BLACK INNER SLEEVE IS IN EXCEPTIONAL CONDITION, AND AGAIN THIS IS THE GENUINE ARTICLE AND PROVEN BY THE WORDING ON THE BOTTOM OF THE SLEEVE WHICH STATES THE PATENT NUMBER, AND THE FACT THAT IT WAS MADE IN GT BRITAIN.

THE FOUR INSERTS ARE IN IMMACULATE CONDITION, WITH THE POSTERS HAVING ONLY ONCE OR TWICE BEEN OPENED UP. THE FOLDS ARE STILL VERY VERY SHARP, AND WHEN OPENED THEY TEND TO WANT TO NOT LAY FLAT BECAUSE OF THE SHARPNESS OF THE FOLD.

TO SUM UP THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST EVER EXAMPLES OF THIS ALBUM YOU WILL COME ACROSS, AND WILL ONLY EVER INCREASE IN VALUE AS COPIES GET WORN OUT OR LOCKED AWAY IN VAULTS.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BID IF YOU CHOOSE TO GO FOR IT

REGARDS

GARRY