PINK FLOYD PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN 1st STEREO PRESS BLUE/BLACK COLUMBIA EX
£
171
$
227
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Description
THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN : 1st Stereo pressing
On offer here is a stunning very rare first stereo pressing of The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn on the famous blue/black Columbia label. This is actually rarer than the mono pressing as was pressed in fewer numbers. This first pressing is in remarkable condition considering it is approaching 50 years old! A comprehensive grading is given below.
SCX 6157 // YAX 3419-1 / YAX 3420-1 // Mother stampers GD 1 & T 1
Visual grading
For its age this vinyl is in amazing order and surprisingly I don't think it has been played that much due to the lack of spindle wear. Very rarely do you see a first pressing looking as good as this and there are only a handful of very faint hairlines that I can see under a strong bright light. I have looked at the vinyl in various lights in fact and the situation does not change, just a few minor hairlines. There are no scratches at all which is incredible when you think these records were played to death in the late 60s in smoke and drug filled rooms! It lies perfectly flat on the turntable and is probably the best first stereo pressing with the blue/black Columbia label that I have seen.
Play grading There is very little lead in static prior to 'Astronomy Domine'! The audio plays to a very high standard with excellent resonance and very little crackle. There is slight distortion but show me a 1967 first pressing that hasn't! 'Lucifer Sam' plays in the same way with hardly any interference, wonderful quality for such a rare LP. 'Matilda Mother' has a little more distortion and I also heard three dull pops. Again 'Flaming' plays with light distortion but don't let that distract you, it is still an excellent listen with almost no other interference. The final two tracks play in the same way.
'Interstellar Overdrive' has a little crackle at the beginning and then plays extremely well with hardly any background noise. 'The Gnome' sounds superb again with almost no interference. 'Chapter 24' plays clearly with a little more static but is definitely not obtrusive. There are a couple of clicks right at the beginning of 'The Scarecrow' and then plays as per the rest of the side with very clear audio as does 'The Bike' which ends proceedings with no issues at all apart from two light pops caused by a tiny white 'speck' that I just cannot remove!
Overall the audio on this highly rare classic LP is of excellent quality and the only negative really is the light distortion but, I reiterate, you do expect that with a vinyl of this age. It is amazing just how little crackle/background noise this LP has and what is rare again is that there is hardly any static between tracks. You cannot expect perfection of a 50 year old record but any fan would be extremely happy to own this wonderful piece of Floyd history.
Laminated cover
The laminated Ernest J. Day flipback cover is in excellent order considering its age. The edges and spine are in superb condition with no shelf wear, stunning! The only areas of wear are at the top and bottom of the opening edge where there is some rubbing. The front cover is also extremely clean with no marks. Very often you will find the laminate damaged but not on this one, just a handful of light creases. The opening edge has hardly any handling wear which is very rare indeed, testament to the fact that this vinyl has not been played very much.
On the back cover the flipbacks are in amazing condition for their age. So many are stained badly but these are remarkably clean. There is only one mark on the reverse towards the opening edge as can be seen on the photos. There is a small sticker removal mark on the centre of the top flipback and a little shelf wear on the opening edge of the same flipback. Apart from that the cover is very clean and is certainly one of the best I have seen in a while. On the top right flipback it has the 'File under Popular : Pop Groups' and the stereo catalogue number SCX 6157 just below it.
Labels
The blue/black labels are in superb condition with only very minor spindle wear as stated earlier. Most copies have the letters K and T stamped on each side of the spindle hole on either side although this one does not which makes this LP even rarer. At the bottom of the label it states "Made in Gt. Britain" and around the edge "The Gramophone Co., Ltd. All rights of the manufacturer and of the owner of the recorded work reserved. Unauthorised public performance, broadcasting, and copying of this record prohibited".
Inner sleeve
Included is the first inner sleeve that was issued with this LP. It is printed on cream coloured paper and features 16 LP covers on each side including The Beatles' Revolver. This is actually the cleanest one I have seen (again proving the LP has not been taken out of the sleeve too often) but does have two very small fine splits at the bottom and to one side.
Play tested on my Technics SL-J110R turntable system
SCX 6157 // YAX 3419-1 / YAX 3420-1 // Mother stampers GD 1 & T 1
I would grade the vinyl as Ex
The laminated cover is Ex
The labels are Near Mint-
The inner sleeve is Ex
Any questions please feel free to ask
Please pay within 4 days of auction end
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I WILL LEAVE FEEDBACK AS SOON AS I RECEIVE FEEDBACK - SO I KNOW THE ITEM WAS RECEIVED SAFELY AND THAT YOU ARE HAPPY WITH IT :-)
In the coming weeks and months I will be putting plenty of Queen, Pink Floyd, Genesis and Marillion items on the site so please keep a look out! Many thanks. Please look at my other items on now!
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