PINK FLOYD Dark Side of the Moon 1973 UK 1stPress SOLID BLUE PRISM MINT

	£		500
	$		663

PINK FLOYD - DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

1ST PRESS SOLID BLUE TRIANGLE … WITH AN OUTSTANDING PERFECT SLEEVE IN PRISTINE NEARMINT / MINT CONDITION !!

·         CATALOGUE:  HARVEST SHVL 804

·         MATRIX:   SHVL815  A-2 / B-2

·         MOTHERS/STAMPERS:  TR 3 / HO 1

·         VERY EARLY FIRST PRESS ONLY A2/B2 INDICATES THIS AS THERE WERE NO RELEASED -1 COPIES

AN INCREDIBLE FIND THIS ONE …

AS I AM SURE YOU ARE ALL AWARE THE VERY VERY FIRST PRESS OF THIS ALBUM HAD THE SOLID BLUE TRIANGLE IN THE CENTRE OF THE LABEL, WHICH WAS VERY QUICKLY WITHDRAWN DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE SILVER TYPEFACE COULD NOT BE WELL READ.

IT WAS REPLACED WITH THE OUTLINE LABEL, BUT OF COURSE THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST SELLING ALBUMS OF ALL TIME AND WAS MASS PRODUCED.  MATRIX NUMBERS RUN UP TO -15 FOR REALLY LATE REISSUES…

SO THE FACT THAT THIS IS A FIRST ISSUE VINYL IS WITHOUT QUESTION. WHAT BIDDERS NEED TO BE SLIGHTLY MORE CAREFUL ABOUT IS THE SLEEVE THAT GOES WITH IT. IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED THAT THE FIRST ISSUE SLEEVES WERE A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT COLOUR TO THE MORE COMMON REISSUES. THE SURFACE WAS A DELICATE POWDERY MATT BLUE BLACK FINISH AS OPPOSED TO THE SHINY JET BLACK FINISH OF THE REISSUES. AS A RESULT THE FIRST ISSUE SLEEVES WERE VERY EASY TO DAMAGE AND MANY COPIES WILL BE FOUND VERY SHELF WORN. IN PARTICLULAR WHERE THE USUAL LINES APPEAR NEAR THE SPINE, THESE WILL HAVE MOSTLY BE SEEN AS WHITE LINES ON THE SURFACE WHERE THE COLOUR HAS COME ODD. ALSO RING WEAR BLIGHTS THIS SLEEVE USUALLY. SO IT HAS BEEN KNOWN THAT SOME HAVE SWAPPED POOR 1ST ISSUE SLEEVES FOR BETTER REISSUES. THIS ONE HOWEVER IS A GENUINE FIRST ISSUE ON ABSOLUTELY MAGNIFICENT CONDITION.

FINALLY THE POSTERS AND STICKERS. THE POSTERS MUST HAVE A MATT SURFACE TO THE PAPER. LATER ISSUES WERE GLOSSY AND AGAIN ONLY A TRUE FIRST ISSUE WILL HAVE THE MATT ONES. THE STICKERS MUST BE STAMPED ON THE BACK WITH THE WORDS 'CRACK BACK' AND THE BROWN LINES MUST RUN DIAGONALLY ACROSS THE PAPER. AGAIN HERE YOU HAVE TWO GENUINE ORIGINAL

THE LABELS

BOTH LABELS ARE IN PRISTINE CONDITION.  THE BLUE BASE COLOUR IS RICH AND VIBRANT AND IS UNMARKED AND FULLY STRETCHES INTO THE UNWORN SPINDLE HOLE. ON SIDE ONE LABEL THE PREVIOUS OWNER (THIS IS FROM THE COLLECTION OF A FORMER ELECTROLA BOARD MEMBER) HAS PLACED A ROUND STICKER IN THE SAME TURQUOISE COLOR AS THE SOLD PRISM… NOT SURE THE REASON. THE SILVER TYPEFACE IS AS PERFECTLY LEGIBLE AS IT SHOULD BE ALLOWING FOR THE FACT THAT THIS IS WHY THE FIRST PRESS WAS REPLACED, AND A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF THE SPINDLE HOLE UNDER A 100WATTS LIGHTBULB REVEALS ABOUT 10 OR SO REALLY SMALL SPIDER LINES, SHOWING THAT THIS LP HAS HAD LIMITED PLAY IN THE 39 YEARS IT HAS BEEN AROUND …

THE VINYL

THIS VINYL HAS NOT LOST ITS ORIGINAL LUSTRE AND PLAYS THROUGH BRILLIANTLY ON BOTH SIDES. I HAVE PLAYGRADED THIS RECORD ON HIGHEND EQUIPMENT WITH KOETSU PICK-UP, AND CAN CONFIRM STUNNING AUDIOPHILE SOUNDQUALITY, BETTER EVEN THAN THE UHQR PRESSINGS... THE CLARITY OF THE STEREO REPRODUCTION IS PURE FIRST PRESS, AND EVERY NOTE CAN BE HEARD CRISPLY AND CLEANLY. THERE IS NO DISTORTION, NO HEAVY SCRATCHES, NO JUMPS, NO REPEATING TICS OR CLICKS OR ALIKE...

I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GRADE THIS VINYL NEAR MINT …

THE SLEEVE

NON LAMINTED GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE GATEFOLD SLEEVE ...THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE TO FIND IN ANYTHING LIKE A COLLECTIBLE CONDITION. USUALLY THE COLOURS ARE BADLY RUBBED AND THE CREASE LINES AROUND THE SPINE AND PERIMETER EDGES MAKE THE WHOLE THING LOOK SHABBY…THIS SLEEVE HAS IN THE MAIN BEEN HOUSED INSIDE A PLASTIC OUTER SLEEVE AND HAS THUS BEEN KEPT IN A PERFECT NEARMINT/MINT COLLECTIBLE CONDITION!

STARTING WITH THE FRONT SURFACE , THE FIRST THING TO SAY IS THAT THE COLOURS HAVE ALL BEEN PERFECTLY RETAINED. THERE IS NO RUBBING OR LOSS OF COLOUR ANYWHERE. THERE ARE NO HEAVY CREASES OR CREASE LINES, AND NOR ARE THERE ANY BENDS OR FOLDS. AND THERE IS NOT ONE LINE ANYWHERE NEAR THE SPINE, AND THIS IS JUST INCREDIBLE.

THE SLEEVE IS THE CORRECT BLUE/BLACK ORIGINAL 1ST ISSUE WITH THE SEALED FRONT EDGE. SEALED BY THE FLIPBACK BEING PLACED INSIDE THE OPENING EDGE THEN SEALED ON TOP, NOT JUST THE TWO EDGES GLUED TOGETHER.

GIVEN THIS COPY WAS FOR EXPORT, THE ORIGINAL DARK SIDE OF THE MOON STICKER WAS NOT PLACED ON THE SHRINK WRAP BUT WAS CAREFULLY PLACED IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER.

THE BOTTOM EDGE WHICH WOULD USUALLY BE FOUND BADLY RUBBED, HAS VITUALLY NO COLOUR LOSS WHATSOEVER, WHICH BACKS UP THE FACT THAT THE SLEEVE HAS BEEN PROPERLY PROTECTED IN AN OUTER COVER.

THE SPINE IS REALLY THE BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN. TYPICALLY FOUND IN AN AWFUL WORN STATE BUT HERE ON THIS COPY IT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.  THE OPENING EDGE IS RAZOR SHARP AND IT IS OBVIOUS BY LOOKING AT THIS THAT THE LP HAS NOT OFTEN GONE IN AND OUT OF THE COVER.

THE REAR SURFACE OF THIS GARROD AND LOFTHOUSE SLEEVE IS IN THE SAME PERFECT CONDITION AS THE FRONT WITHOUT ANY RINGWEAR, JUST PERFECT. OPENING THE GATEFOLD REVEALS A PAIR OF PRISTINE BLACK EDGES PANELS.  

THE POSTERS HAVE OBVIOUSLY NEVER EVEN BEEN OPENED AND IN PERFECT MINT CONDITION AND ARE THE ORIGINAL MATT SURFACE ORIGINALS NOT LIKE THE LATER SHINY ONES.

THE STICKERS ARE THE CORRECT CRACK BACK ISSUE WITH THE DIAGONAL LINES RUNNING AROSS THE BACK

A SIMPLY SUPERB ORIGINAL SET … HAPPY TO GRADE THIS SLEEVE NEAR MINT / MINT - THE BEST I HAVE SEEN IN MANY YEARS!!

... SEE PHOTOS.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please note that I am located in Germany and international shipping is not free, and I ship worldwide via Deutsche Post registered airmail - see postage rates below.  Being a record collector myself I will professionally package all records safely in special cardboard mailers to avoid damage during shipment.  I am happy to combine shipping of course - please contact me for any questions or special requests.

EU, UK&I:

£5.70 (6.-Euro) for 'registered' airmail package below 500gram (typically works for 1LP)

£9.15 (9.60Euro) for 'registered' airmail package up to 1kg.

£18.60 (19.50 Euro) for 'registered airmail' package up to 2kg

£17.20 (18.-Euro) for 'registered & insured package' up to 5kg - add £4.80 (5.-Euro) for up to 10kg

EUROPE w/o EU i.e. Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, etc....:

£5.70 (6.-Euro) for 'registered' airmail package below 500gram (typically works for 1LP)

£9.15 (9.60Euro) for 'registered' airmail package up to 1kg.

£18.60 (19.50 Euro) for 'registered airmail' package up to 2kg

£29.50 (31.-Euro) for 'registered & insured' package up to 5kg - add £4.80 (5.-Euro) for up to 10kg

OVERSEAS i.e. Asia, Americas, Australia, Africa…:

£5.70 (6.-Euro) for 'registered' airmail package below 500gram (typically works for 1LP)

£9.15 (9.60Euro) for 'registered' airmail package up to 1kg.

£18.60 (19.50 Euro) for 'registered' airmail package up to 2kg

£40.00 (42.-Euro) for 'registered & insured' package up to 5kg - add £14.30 (15.-Euro) for up to 10kg - add £42.85 (45.-Euro) for up to 20kg

GERMANY: ... versichertes Paket 7.50Euro (£7.40) bis 10kg.

For insured' airmail add £1.50 per EUR 100.-Euro in value (e.g. add £5 for registered & insured in value of EUR 200.-)  **Note that I can send items only via "registered" airmail if paid via paypal.