PINK FLOYD Obscured By Clouds A1/B1 1st PRESS Superb COVER w/STICKER & NM AUDIO
£
61
$
81
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Description
I will declare a lower amount on the customs form for all countries so as to avoid/decrease high import charges. However, in the case of the EU all purchases are subject to VAT which eBay collect at point of sale. No shipping to Russia currently.
Pink Floyd : Obscured By Clouds A1 / B1 1st Press w/ Original Sticker 1972
This genuine first press plays to a very high standard with only minimal background at the start of each side. S1 has a very quiet gentle static hiss for 4/5 seconds and S2 just has some very light static for a short time. It is hardly intrusive and the rest of the album plays with stunning clarity and depth for a vinyl of this advanced age. There are so many quiet passages and yet it plays with real precision throughout. There are no clicks or pops and only a small number of super quiet statics. This is of course the rare version with the sibilance issues and it was soon discontinued. What makes it even more collectable is that it has the La Vallee sticker on the front cover, not all of the A1/B1 first pressings were issued with it and many were removed and those that did.
The G & L textured cover is without doubt one of the finest examples I have ever seen. It has very little wear and retained its original shape and structure perfectly which is so rare for this cover, it has been so well preserved. The La Vallee sticker is in superb shape also. This cover is close to Near Mint- but I will say Ex+ just to be a little conservative. The original Harvest inner is also in excellent condition.
SHSP 4020 // A - 1 RG 2 --- B - 1 OD 2
The audio on S1 is Mint(-) (T1 intro VG+ for a few seconds)
The audio on S2 is Mint(-) (T1 two thirds of intro VG+ but still quiet / T4 Near Mint)
The textured cover is Ex+ The die-cut Harvest inner is Ex
The labels are Near Mint-
Visual description
The vinyl is in excellent condition and still has a strong glossy looks with no marks or scratches. Under a bright light there are some faint hairlines but they are superficial as they have no impact on the audio. There is no groove or surface wear and the run out grooves are very clean also. The EMI Harvest labels are unmarked with just some spindle wear but not an excessive amount.
Play Grading
The title track 'Obscured By Clouds' has only very light static hiss on the intro and one very quiet tick on the intro and as soon as the volume increases the audio is superb. Deep and strong with no intrusion. From then on it plays very clearly with no ticks, clicks, pops or static. I will grade the intro as VG+ and the remainder as Mint-
'When You're In' plays with superb audio from the word go. Every instrumental section plays with impeccable quality and that includes the long fade out. It is Mint- at the very least.
A couple of light ticks in between tracks and then the intro on 'Burning Bridges' plays perfectly. Gilmour's first vocal is just as strong but with a little sibilance of course and Wright's vocal is close to perfect with just one easily missed light tick. The instrumental section has no background and the final vocal passage has no intrusion either. Superb clarity and depth from start to finish. Mint- is again fair because the tick is so damn quiet!
'The Gold It's In The...' plays with great power and definition with no sign of any background. Every vocal and instrumental section play with such clean audio and Gilmour's long solo is a prime example of that. Yes there is the usual sibilance, mainly on the vocal, but you can't downgrade the audio because of that! Mint-
The acoustic intro on 'Wot's... uh The Deal' plays with stunning precision and the opening vocal is equally as good. It continues to play to the highest standard possible and as always I played the track in full. No guessing here! The clarity of sound is superb and it's quite a long track don't forget. The mid instrumental for example is 'as new' and that applies to the entire track if I'm being honest! Mint
The gentle piano intro on 'Mudmen' plays with remarkable clarity and I only heard a couple of barely audible statics and yes they really are barely audible! Wright's organ section is pretty much the same with just the one incredibly tick and again it's one you could easily miss. Gilmour's solo is faultless and the closing section plays with sublime quality also. Mint-
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The very quiet intro on 'Childhood's End' has only minimal background and it actually disappears about 25 seconds before Mason comes in. Gilmour's opening vocal section plays with sublime clarity and his first solo has no background either. The next vocal is perfect and the remainder is equal to that. I will grade two thirds of the as VG+ and from then on Mint- is more than fair.
'Free Four' plays with superb audio throughout. There is not even a single static sound let alone anything more. It could not play any better - the audio is so clean and clinical not withstanding the sibilance of course. The long fade out also plays with 100% perfect clarity. Mint
The quiet piano intro on 'Stay' plays beautifully with only a couple of barely audible statics, no interference basically. Wright's first verse and chorus are 'as new' and it continues to play with exceptional quality for a relatively quiet track. No ticks, clicks, pops or static. The solo not far from the end has no background and the final vocal / instrumental are on a par with that. This is Mint- it is a stunning version.
The intro on 'Absolutely Curtains' is of course very quiet and yet the clarity of sound is amazing, you can hear each note so clearly. Some very quiet statics towards the end of this section but honestly you can hardly hear them! As Mason rolls in around the halfway mark the audio is perfect and it continues in much the same way. The tribal chant again plays with great clarity and with barely any intrusion. There is a dull static sound near the end but it hardly qualifies as interference. Near Mint is a fair assessment of the audio, a rare grade if you ask me as it so often plays with a lot more intrusion.
The Cover & Harvest Inner Sleeve
The G & L textured cover with rounded corners is in excellent condition with very little wear. In fact the only wear is some light rubbing on the top and bottom edges i.e. very light! One small 'rub' on the centre of the top edge also. The thin pinched spine is in great shape with only a small number of minor rubs and all rounded corners are in superb condition. The opening edge is so close to perfect, just a couple of tiny 'crimps', and the front cover is stunning with no marking or creasing. The rare original sticker is still perfectly attached and is unmarked also. The back cover is just as impressive with only one very faint crease near the top left corner. A stunning example overall.
The die-cut inner inner is in excellent shape with no side splits or tears, hardly any marking and some light creasing only.
SHSP 4020 // A - 1 RG 2 --- B - 1 OD 2
Play tested on my Rega P2 with AT VM-95EN Cart / Denon PMA-520AE Amp / B&W 684 Speakers
This record has been professionally cleaned on my Pro-Ject VC-S machineI 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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Postage & Packaging
I will only send items items worldwide via tracked shipping. This provides 'peace of mind' in case of loss or damage. The shipping costs are shown below and combined shipping is always offered. Any over-payment will always be refunded.
The Royal Mail only insure up to a value of £250 so if an item sells for more it may be wise to use a courier service (e.g. Parcelforce or DPD). An extra insurance premium will be required but I will not know the exact amount until the final sale price is known. Because of this I will sometimes have to estimate the cost and this will be shown in the listing. Please wait for the invoice before making payment and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Many thanks.
All vinyls are packaged in strong over-sized custom made mailers with plenty of extra cardboard protection. They are placed inside separate poly-lined inners outside the cover so as to avoid seam splits in transit and then placed inside a PVC sleeve to provide even more protection. I pride myself on my high quality packaging as my feed confirms and if any customer has any specific requirements I am more than happy to help.
The mailers I use cost £1.00 each and I will use anything between 3-5 cardboard stiffeners which cost approx £0.18 each. There is also the cost of the poly-lined inner and PVC sleeve to consider, it all adds up! Not forgetting that eBay take 10% of the shipping fee also!!
UK Postage Rates (First Class Recorded - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £6.50 up to 1kg then £1.00 per extra item
EUROPE (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £13.95 then £2.00 per extra
USA (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £20.95 then £2.50 per extra
REST OF WORLD (Tracked - Max 2kg)
LPs/12" singles : £19.95 then £2.50 per extra
If you are not entirely happy with your purchase please contact me before leaving feedback and I will always resolve any issue, 100% guaranteed. If you would prefer to send the item back I will also pay the return shipping cost if I am at fault, I am only human after all!!
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